Spaghetti as a Matchstick Alternative
If a candle wick is hard to reach with a match or lighter, you can use a dried spaghetti noodle to light it. Spaghetti noodles are almost as thin as a match, and they ignite quickly and burn steadily. This is because they are low in moisture and contain combustible starches.
Simply touch the tip of the noodle to a flame source, then use it to light the candle wick. The length of a spaghetti noodle makes it great not just for deep-seated and hard-to-reach candles (looking at you, hurricanes), but also for lighting birthday candles in one go, since it burns much longer than a traditional matchstick.
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In Case of Emergency
Dried spaghetti noodles are also worth adding to your home’s emergency kit. Beyond lighting candles during a power outage, they can be used to safely ignite a gas stove burner or get a fire going in your fireplace. To create a DIY fire starter, bundle 10 to 15 dried spaghetti noodles with a piece of string. Carefully ignite one end of the bundle and place it directly under your tinder. The flames should spread as the spaghetti slowly burns. While this isn’t the most effective fire starter — dryer lint and petroleum jelly-soaked cotton balls are much better options — it might work in a pinch.
