My problem with Traditional Cacio e Pepe


For more great Instant Pot recipes, please visit InstantPotEasy.com

What is the best way to make Cacio e Pepe at home? Today, we answer that question by doing a deep dive into the food science …

34 replies
  1. Issac Younis
    Issac Younis says:

    From my humble chemistry background i can tell you that you forgot the salt as a variable. Which makes it two variables instead of one. Salt denatures the protein in the cheese making it lump. And when you add heat to the cheese, you fix the denatured protein preventing it back from reverting back to it’s normal structure. You can try to reduce both the salt and the heat and see how it turns out.

    Reply
  2. Kevin Mirsky
    Kevin Mirsky says:

    Ethan, videos like this are why I love subscribing to you! You're constantly teaching me something new and you're always bringing something innovative to the table!

    Reply
  3. The Wyrd One
    The Wyrd One says:

    Dude! I always thought that I had stringy cheese in my pasta dishes because it hadn't melted properly (cue turning up the heat in a feeble attempt at fixing it) – I had no idea it was because I used too much heat!

    Reply
  4. Jeremy Daly
    Jeremy Daly says:

    I feel like you convoluted this sauce with focus on temps. I feel like you could add everything together with heat off, then walk the temp up to optimal temp, then add pasta water to adjust to desired consistency. The science is really good info but IMHO is just extra…. The correct temp and consistency is the cook's litmus test.

    Reply
  5. xSamura
    xSamura says:

    Man i hope you keep doing this food science videos. You can replicate a recipe but without knowing the WHY things are the way they are, you will end up with a mess

    Reply
  6. BlackMoth27
    BlackMoth27 says:

    I think you can do better with a large shallow pan since this allows you much more starch in the water it is extremely helpful to have super starchy water… but I'm not totally sure how it's hard. because I haven't failed that often. but I'm also making half the portion or less when I make mine.

    I think my mess ups boil down to heat. pretty much. it's good to know looking forward though.

    Reply
  7. Nick Georgopoulos
    Nick Georgopoulos says:

    I just want to echo that point at the end: boiling the pasta in as little water as possible, making the pasta water as starchy as possible, helps enlarge the safe zone without added starch, in my experience anyway. And here you don't compromise on flavor

    Reply
  8. Nick Georgopoulos
    Nick Georgopoulos says:

    You say it's not worth it, but, look, you've done all the work for us. So now we may make it in the traditional style with more confidence and less effort. I'm a single guy, I'm making 1-2 servings with no leftovers, so by your reasons I should keep making it the traditional way. As long as I stay superstitious about my tools and cookware and how I measure time and volume. These beliefs/actions help me stay consistent, help me stay in the safe zone of cheese temperature completely subconsciously.

    Reply
  9. ExileOnDaytonStreet
    ExileOnDaytonStreet says:

    My cacio e pepe tips:
    – Cook pasta in the smallest amount of water possible (increase ratio of starch to water in the pasta water)
    – Put cooked pasta with reserved water straight back into pan, off the heat
    – Wait until the water stops steaming. If you see steam, it's too hot.
    – Have the cheese (as finely grated as possible) pre-mixed with the pepper at the ready
    – Incorporate the cheese in sloooooowly. Don't let it bunch up. Stir and toss as you add to make sure it's moving a lot. Don't add more until what's already in is incorporated into the sauce.

    100% of my failures here been when the water (or pan) is still too hot. Will admit that this is still not a scalable (or reheat-able) dish.

    Reply
  10. Stéphane .Muras
    Stéphane .Muras says:

    Hello Ethan ! as long as you're in France, you could taste one of the most favourite Brasserie french dish : Blanquette de Veau. I thought about it, because this recipe has the same issue as the cacio pepe, I mean the creaminess of the sauce (no cheese inside), with a lot of errors to be done… You could also have a look upon the regional dish called Marmite Sarthoise, also known for its creaminess (without cheese this time). It is highly possible that restaurants' version use also starch ha ha! If you plan to go to get fresh air in the Alps, you could also plan a trip to Switzerland and the Grisons region, where people cook "capuns", always with same issue of cheese sauce. If you want to taste the real grandma recipe, try to reach Ustria Fravia in Disentis, deep into the Alps !

    Reply
  11. Miles Marrero
    Miles Marrero says:

    For those bothered by the extra steps of making the gel, you can just mix in a bowl and microwave the mixture and the gel is made very fast. Just yielded incredible results

    Reply
  12. alex forest
    alex forest says:

    what would happen if you simply kept adding pasta water to a pan, reducing the water, therefore concentrating the starch content. Then proceeded to make the traditional method.

    Reply
  13. Reversed82
    Reversed82 says:

    interesting, just wondering though: isn't this technically a suspension rather than an emulsion? an emulsion would imply some kind of emulsifier and two liquids that don't mix but we have a starch gel and solids

    Reply
  14. Bryan Stoutz
    Bryan Stoutz says:

    Does this guy ever have original content? I swear he watches other people's videos and then does the exact same thing. Probably seen him do this 20 times now. Just happened this popped up after watching a different video that was released just prior. Dude has zero, and I mean zero original thoughts. To me that's just lazy, and riding others coat tails.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *