On Fri, 25 Oct 2013 22:04:11 +0100, Another John wrote:

I personally have begun to suspect that our gas is either (a)
depressurising around teatime or (b) being "watered down"[1]. For
example I can bring a pan of water to the boil, throw in the spuds or
pasta, and then it's a struggle to keep it boiling unless I put it on
the "big" ring.

Umm, you have just lobbed a relatively large room temperature mass into
the water - so, yes, the water will lose temperature rapidly.

Oh, and don't forget to salt the water lightly (and, for pasta, a few
drops of oil helps to stop it sticking)...