Dunelm is selling a £7 jug that cooks pasta without a hob or microwave – it's the most low-effort method I've seen

As Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor I'm usually scrutinising the latest and greatest cooking buys that you need to plug in or charge up or use on your hob. That's not the case with Dunelm's new Pasta Cooking Jug (£12 via Dunelm), which is low effort in every sense – all you need to do here is pop your pasta in and add boiling water with none of the best cookware in sight.

This very affordable and somewhat niche kitchen gadget is just one of the gems in Dunelm's new-in section (more on that later,) and I have a feeling its undemanding design might just be a hit with shoppers overloaded with tech in their kitchens. Here's how this affordable no-cook jug works.

A good pot of pesto pasta is my go-to meal when I'm cooking a quick dinner for one, and with this jug, I could make things even lazier. All that's required is to add boiling water and pop the lid on, before straining out the water through the holes in the top of the jug once cooked.

There's one obvious downside to using this jug over the conventional saucepan on the hob method – it's going to take much longer for your pasta to cook. While most pasta can be cooked within a 10-minute window, you're looking at a minimum of 15 minutes for this no-heat, passive method.

It looks like it holds a good amount of pasta, so if you're short on hob space or want to cook dinner for your family while you get on with other things without worrying about leaving your hob on, you can.

This is a shiny new addition to Dunelm's cooking section, which means it hasn't been reviewed by users yet, and I, for one, can't wait to see what shoppers make of it. It's not the only slightly strange gem added to the retailer's kitchen storefront lately, either – there are other not-to-be-missed products you didn't know you needed.

Will you be stopping by Dunelm's new-in section to pick up any of these gadgets?