Terlizzi and his fellow writer are all dwelling overseas and incessantly meet for dinner. Cacio e pepe is amongst their favourite conventional dishes to make, and as physicists, they could not assist however wish to be taught extra concerning the distinctive physics of the method, to not point out “the extra sensible goal to keep away from losing good pecorino,” said Terlizzi. They targeted on the separation that usually happens when cheese and water are combined, constructing on earlier culinary experiments.

Because the pasta cooks in boiling water, the noodles launch starch. Historically, the chef will extract a part of the water and starch resolution—which is cooled to an appropriate temperature to keep away from clumping because the cheese proteins “denaturate”—and blend it with the cheese to make the sauce, including the pepper final, proper earlier than serving. However the authors notice that temperature shouldn’t be the one issue that may result in this dreaded “mozzarella part.”

In keeping with the authors, if one tries to combine cheese and water with none starch, the clumping is extra pronounced. There’s much less clumping with water containing a bit starch, like water by which pasta has been cooked. And when one mixes the cheese with pasta water “risottata”—i.e., collected and heated in a pan so sufficient water evaporates that there’s a greater focus of starch—there may be virtually no clumping.

So starch performs a vital function within the course of of constructing cacio e pepe. The authors devised a set of experiments to scientifically examine the part habits of water, starch, and cheese combined collectively in numerous concentrations and at completely different temperatures. They primarily used customary kitchen instruments to ensure residence cooks might recreate their outcomes (though not each kitchen has a sous vide machine). This enabled them to plan a part diagram of what occurs to the sauce because the circumstances change.