A trick for smooth cacio e pepe
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Date: 2025-01-11
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Comments and reviews: 20
_UltimateNation
I've been doing a similar no-drain technique for my pasta for a while, using a pot and an induction cooktop. It's a 1: 2 pasta-to-water weight/mass ratio. Bring the water to a boil, drop in the pasta, spend a minute to get it fully submerged, and then cover and turn off the heat to just let the water soak in with the remaining pasta for half the remaining cooking time. Then, stir while bringing back to a boil, and then (same as before) cover and turn off the heat to let it soak until it's done. (Note: You might need to add an extra minute to cook time since the temperature is a little lower)
Probably don't get the highest possible quality of noodles this way, but it saves a lot of water and a decent amount of electricity--both from not wasting energy to the latent heat of vaporization of water and from not making the air conditioner pump out even more humidity, i. e. water vapor. (The latter point is especially relevant for those of us in the swamp state of Florida)
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I've been doing a similar no-drain technique for my pasta for a while, using a pot and an induction cooktop. It's a 1: 2 pasta-to-water weight/mass ratio. Bring the water to a boil, drop in the pasta, spend a minute to get it fully submerged, and then cover and turn off the heat to just let the water soak in with the remaining pasta for half the remaining cooking time. Then, stir while bringing back to a boil, and then (same as before) cover and turn off the heat to let it soak until it's done. (Note: You might need to add an extra minute to cook time since the temperature is a little lower)
Probably don't get the highest possible quality of noodles this way, but it saves a lot of water and a decent amount of electricity--both from not wasting energy to the latent heat of vaporization of water and from not making the air conditioner pump out even more humidity, i. e. water vapor. (The latter point is especially relevant for those of us in the swamp state of Florida)
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alex786
at the beginning it can be challenging to get all the pasta into the water, here's what I do with all my pasta recipes to concentrate starch:
I use a wide, shallow pan to boil pasta, nowadays I use a wide wok, don't judge me
I undersalt the water, as Adam said, although I do add about 2 teaspoons of salt to my wok, it's much larger
I use thin, but long cooking time pasta, myself I use la molisana nr 16, cooking time is 9 minutes but I only boil it for 5. Also helps that this is bronze cut pasta, rough exterior, great for sauce.
after 5 mins I ransfer it to the pan along with pasta water. Stir, stir, stir aggresively. keep tasting and adding more pasta water until done. If at some point you taste there's enough salt, use tap water to continue instead of pasta water which is salty.
stop the fire, add the cheese, done. lots of starch, but I did have to use 1 pot and 1 pan
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at the beginning it can be challenging to get all the pasta into the water, here's what I do with all my pasta recipes to concentrate starch:
I use a wide, shallow pan to boil pasta, nowadays I use a wide wok, don't judge me
I undersalt the water, as Adam said, although I do add about 2 teaspoons of salt to my wok, it's much larger
I use thin, but long cooking time pasta, myself I use la molisana nr 16, cooking time is 9 minutes but I only boil it for 5. Also helps that this is bronze cut pasta, rough exterior, great for sauce.
after 5 mins I ransfer it to the pan along with pasta water. Stir, stir, stir aggresively. keep tasting and adding more pasta water until done. If at some point you taste there's enough salt, use tap water to continue instead of pasta water which is salty.
stop the fire, add the cheese, done. lots of starch, but I did have to use 1 pot and 1 pan
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ShinMechaG
At an italian restaurant I used to work in, our method was to toast ground pepper in butter in a pan while the pasta cooked separately, add the pasta and grate a bunch of pecorino. A vigorous pan shake and stir to create the emulsion, adjust as necessary, and finish with more pecorino and pepper. One of the easiest recipes to sling out during service, but it required whoever was working pasta that night to really know what they were doing to make sure it was creamy and didn't separate on the plate. Some guys would cheat with some cream or creme fraiche, but I was true to the method myself
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At an italian restaurant I used to work in, our method was to toast ground pepper in butter in a pan while the pasta cooked separately, add the pasta and grate a bunch of pecorino. A vigorous pan shake and stir to create the emulsion, adjust as necessary, and finish with more pecorino and pepper. One of the easiest recipes to sling out during service, but it required whoever was working pasta that night to really know what they were doing to make sure it was creamy and didn't separate on the plate. Some guys would cheat with some cream or creme fraiche, but I was true to the method myself
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codynunez1020
Adam, you probably don’t know me or my girlfriend but we certainly know you over the past years and or so at least since the pandemic he he he we followed your recipes almost to a T religiously and let me just say our lives have changed for the completely 360 I have never enjoyed food like this so much beforefast-forward to me four years before you meeting you Adam and I was trying to boil the pasta and vinegar yep that’s me not the sharp is to the shed, but at least I got my stuff together before I met my beautiful girlfriend of a year or so.
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Adam, you probably don’t know me or my girlfriend but we certainly know you over the past years and or so at least since the pandemic he he he we followed your recipes almost to a T religiously and let me just say our lives have changed for the completely 360 I have never enjoyed food like this so much beforefast-forward to me four years before you meeting you Adam and I was trying to boil the pasta and vinegar yep that’s me not the sharp is to the shed, but at least I got my stuff together before I met my beautiful girlfriend of a year or so.
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steelrazor4782
The italian council has deliberated:
the cooking method is great, exactly what most people do at home. Beginners or meal preppers could also use Ethan Chlebowski's stabilized version, like many restaurants do
honestly the stock and rosemary version sounds really good. It's a variation that doesnt change the essence of the dish while giving it a different flavor, might try it later
parmesan is a BIG NO. Cacio is a synonim for pecorino, wouldnt be the same. (still a very common dish, with a smidge of butter it's a great comfort/kids dish)
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The italian council has deliberated:
the cooking method is great, exactly what most people do at home. Beginners or meal preppers could also use Ethan Chlebowski's stabilized version, like many restaurants do
honestly the stock and rosemary version sounds really good. It's a variation that doesnt change the essence of the dish while giving it a different flavor, might try it later
parmesan is a BIG NO. Cacio is a synonim for pecorino, wouldnt be the same. (still a very common dish, with a smidge of butter it's a great comfort/kids dish)
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emilymarriott5927
I don't know. I find Pasta Grammar's traditional recipe to be pretty fool-proof. After you've roasted and then ground the pepper, you put the pepper back in the pan, add some pasta water, and then keep adding pasta water as needed as the pasta cooks and the pepper boils. This concentrates the starch. Then when you add the pasta to the pan, you turn the heat off and wait three minutes, which ensures the temperature is down in the range where the cheese will melt but not clump up. Mix that cheese in and bam, authentic, traditional cacio e pepe.
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I don't know. I find Pasta Grammar's traditional recipe to be pretty fool-proof. After you've roasted and then ground the pepper, you put the pepper back in the pan, add some pasta water, and then keep adding pasta water as needed as the pasta cooks and the pepper boils. This concentrates the starch. Then when you add the pasta to the pan, you turn the heat off and wait three minutes, which ensures the temperature is down in the range where the cheese will melt but not clump up. Mix that cheese in and bam, authentic, traditional cacio e pepe.
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jameshogge
What I want to know with cacio e pepe / carbonara is how to make them for MORE THAN TWO PEOPLE. I can cook them for myself just fine and two seems to work OK as well.
As soon as it's 3 or 4, I've got to use a deeper pan for mixing which makes it so much harder to emulsify properly. The pasta also retains a lot more heat and it's easier to make the cheese go stringy in the time that I'm trying to melt/mix it.
Still haven't managed to crack it even though I can nail one portion every time
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What I want to know with cacio e pepe / carbonara is how to make them for MORE THAN TWO PEOPLE. I can cook them for myself just fine and two seems to work OK as well.
As soon as it's 3 or 4, I've got to use a deeper pan for mixing which makes it so much harder to emulsify properly. The pasta also retains a lot more heat and it's easier to make the cheese go stringy in the time that I'm trying to melt/mix it.
Still haven't managed to crack it even though I can nail one portion every time
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frodothehobo9938
i add rosemary to almost everything i make that is savory, including pasta, including bolognese. not enough to necessarily pick up distinct rosemary flavor, but rosemary does compliment most meats very well, and also, while the research on this is not concrete, there is some evidence suggesting that searing meat can produce some possibly carcinogenic compounds, but there is an enzyme in rosemary that prevents these compounds from forming as the meat browns.
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i add rosemary to almost everything i make that is savory, including pasta, including bolognese. not enough to necessarily pick up distinct rosemary flavor, but rosemary does compliment most meats very well, and also, while the research on this is not concrete, there is some evidence suggesting that searing meat can produce some possibly carcinogenic compounds, but there is an enzyme in rosemary that prevents these compounds from forming as the meat browns.
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aragusea
Dude I love cooking pasta in chicken stock. I roast a chicken every couple weeks, make stock by chucking the bones/skin/cartilage/whatever else looks yucky to eat into a slow cooker, strain and freeze the results, and pull the stock out whenever I'm making macaroni, spaghetti, anything. The drippings from the roasted chicken are also awesome when you're making macaroni--use them instead of butter and you'll get a wonderfully rich, hearty, creamy sauce.
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Dude I love cooking pasta in chicken stock. I roast a chicken every couple weeks, make stock by chucking the bones/skin/cartilage/whatever else looks yucky to eat into a slow cooker, strain and freeze the results, and pull the stock out whenever I'm making macaroni, spaghetti, anything. The drippings from the roasted chicken are also awesome when you're making macaroni--use them instead of butter and you'll get a wonderfully rich, hearty, creamy sauce.
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aragusea
I do this with macaroni and cheese too, just cook elbow macaroni in juuuust enough water to cook the pasta (if you keep stirring you really barely have any stick to the pan, then off the heat and cheese (in my case Gouda, spiked with a bit of hot curry powder, because I'm a Dutch heretic laughing at your Italian dogma. Mostly because to me it's a comfort food, I don't have milk anyway and I'm too lazy to make a roux if I'm indulging myself.
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I do this with macaroni and cheese too, just cook elbow macaroni in juuuust enough water to cook the pasta (if you keep stirring you really barely have any stick to the pan, then off the heat and cheese (in my case Gouda, spiked with a bit of hot curry powder, because I'm a Dutch heretic laughing at your Italian dogma. Mostly because to me it's a comfort food, I don't have milk anyway and I'm too lazy to make a roux if I'm indulging myself.
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leightaft7763
No. No. No!
Where’s Vincenzo He’s coming for you Adam lol.
1. Not even close to enough pecorino.
2. pepper and cheese should already be prepped as it all comes together quickly.
3. Pasta needs to cool for at least a full minute of two before adding the cheese.
4. CHICKEN STOCK PARMESAN (Parmigiano reggiano) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Anyways, love ya Adam great to see you posting more content!
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No. No. No!
Where’s Vincenzo He’s coming for you Adam lol.
1. Not even close to enough pecorino.
2. pepper and cheese should already be prepped as it all comes together quickly.
3. Pasta needs to cool for at least a full minute of two before adding the cheese.
4. CHICKEN STOCK PARMESAN (Parmigiano reggiano) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Anyways, love ya Adam great to see you posting more content!
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anselmdreher4559
Thats a great method to make smaller amounts without special equipment. But with a blender you can make liters of that stuff!
0. cook pasta and keep the water
1. Put the shredded cheese into the blender (yes just the dry stuff)
2. turn it on
3. start slowly pouring the hot pasta water into the blender until consistency is to your liking.
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Thats a great method to make smaller amounts without special equipment. But with a blender you can make liters of that stuff!
0. cook pasta and keep the water
1. Put the shredded cheese into the blender (yes just the dry stuff)
2. turn it on
3. start slowly pouring the hot pasta water into the blender until consistency is to your liking.
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cmatt428
Obviously a lot of good advice here to apply to my aglio e olio I've been working on fine tuning, but a question I've been wondering: I'm a big lover of gluten, but does gluten-free pasta behave the same with starch I have several friends and family who are gluten-intolerant, etc and I've been wondering how I would need to adapt the dish.
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Obviously a lot of good advice here to apply to my aglio e olio I've been working on fine tuning, but a question I've been wondering: I'm a big lover of gluten, but does gluten-free pasta behave the same with starch I have several friends and family who are gluten-intolerant, etc and I've been wondering how I would need to adapt the dish.
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BigDaddyDracula
not really a critique of you, but this amount wouldn't even satisfy me, let alone my family. imo, the craze that Kenji created of boiling pasta in a pan with less water is unrealistic and seems to assume everyone is cooking for one person. Pasta Grammar has the best video on Cacio e Pepe imo, even if it's a little overly long
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not really a critique of you, but this amount wouldn't even satisfy me, let alone my family. imo, the craze that Kenji created of boiling pasta in a pan with less water is unrealistic and seems to assume everyone is cooking for one person. Pasta Grammar has the best video on Cacio e Pepe imo, even if it's a little overly long
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LENZ5369
This was my main midnight go-tos, at Uni; down to the saucepan (I didn't have a deep pot and even if I did; I didn't want to wash a huge thing in the middle of the night.
I'd also usually add something else; depending on on my taste at the moment -chilli pepper or garlic or lemon zest or bacon bits or even just parsley.
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This was my main midnight go-tos, at Uni; down to the saucepan (I didn't have a deep pot and even if I did; I didn't want to wash a huge thing in the middle of the night.
I'd also usually add something else; depending on on my taste at the moment -chilli pepper or garlic or lemon zest or bacon bits or even just parsley.
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Eleora1997Msia
interesting.
For Malaysian Chinese we had braised noodles.
(mun yee mee) also do had basic three ingredients to start
[lite soy sauce, thick soy sauce, and garlic shallots oil]
i think is not hard to do this pasta with three ingredients.
sounds great for making breakfast in fast rush
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interesting.
For Malaysian Chinese we had braised noodles.
(mun yee mee) also do had basic three ingredients to start
[lite soy sauce, thick soy sauce, and garlic shallots oil]
i think is not hard to do this pasta with three ingredients.
sounds great for making breakfast in fast rush
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aragusea
If you’re not sponsored by a frying pan company you can use the same method in the microwave starting from cold
SACRILEGE! you say, I said the same thing before I tried it.
Just a small pinch of salt because it won’t be diluted in liters of water that you were planning on throwing away anyway
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If you’re not sponsored by a frying pan company you can use the same method in the microwave starting from cold
SACRILEGE! you say, I said the same thing before I tried it.
Just a small pinch of salt because it won’t be diluted in liters of water that you were planning on throwing away anyway
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sth5033
my approach is to add a small amount of starch slurry to my almost finished sauce, before the cheese goes in. this way, i don't have to worry about the salt concentrating, stirring my pasta that often, or trying to bend it all into the small saucepan. i really recommend it if you have starch on hand!
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my approach is to add a small amount of starch slurry to my almost finished sauce, before the cheese goes in. this way, i don't have to worry about the salt concentrating, stirring my pasta that often, or trying to bend it all into the small saucepan. i really recommend it if you have starch on hand!
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McFlingleson
Took me a minute to realize he was being sarcastic when he said Italians like him adding rosemary to dishes that don't traditionally have it. I was like, That doesn't sound like something Italians would like, based off of what I've heard of their opinions of American versions of their cuisine.
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Took me a minute to realize he was being sarcastic when he said Italians like him adding rosemary to dishes that don't traditionally have it. I was like, That doesn't sound like something Italians would like, based off of what I've heard of their opinions of American versions of their cuisine.
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DevanMistVlogs
Another way to make the sauce more stable is to actually just add more starch to it. If you heat a slurry made from potato or corn starch and water and then melt the cheese into that it greatly increases the temperature it can reach before breaking. Not traditional, but foolproof.
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Another way to make the sauce more stable is to actually just add more starch to it. If you heat a slurry made from potato or corn starch and water and then melt the cheese into that it greatly increases the temperature it can reach before breaking. Not traditional, but foolproof.
reply
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