Why traditional Cacio e Pepe is so hard to perfectly execute

I want to say that I reaaallly appreciate the lack of an intro and no unnecessary filler. Every minute of the video is utilized perfectly.

I thought Ethan couldn’t add anything new after watching Alex, Kenji, Babish and even Luciano himself explaining this technique; but he darn did. Nice work and thanks for sharing with us.

As someone who almost exclusively consumes food content (since the age of 5 lol)… this episode is probably the single best cooking video I’ve ever watched, ever. This format is everything. You lay out your extensive research SO well and answered every question I didn’t even know I had about cheesy pastas. (Temping the plated pasta? Cmon. So true. Amazing.) Thank you for always keeping it so real. I rly can’t recommend your videos enough- consistently so glad and grateful that I found your channel!!

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

and ALL it took, was for Ethan to properly and clearly explain the food science to make it so obvious WHY the problems occur. That means we actually understand and can therefore apply this tto our own cooing... Great video as usual!

Yay. You solve my problem. Another brilliant YouTuber showed “the real” way to make Cacio E Pepe, but I was left dumbstruck when things clumped. While I suspected “heat” was the issue, I was left guessing how to control for it. It is nerve wracking to make at home when it Can fall apart so easily. An Italian restaurant is two blocks from my house - we can get it there, cooked right every time. The mystery is solved and I don’t have to shell out $$$ now to get a perfectly done Cacio e Pepe. I can do it confidently at home now.

I have celiac disease and can’t use pasta water the same as everyone else because obviously my pasta is different. I also love cacio e pepe, so I need to find another way to achieve the sauce. Thank you for breaking down the science so I can make this dish reasonably close to authentic without having to add too many ingredients! I’m really grateful! For any super sensitive celiacs out there: some corn starch brands and xanthan gum aren’t safe. Be careful which you choose (Gluten Free Society’s website has a handy breakdown on this) or choose a gf safe alternative like tapioca starch or arrowroot starch.

This guy's videos are perfect! No corny puns, needless jokes, or feels necessary to include 2-second "bloopers" that often clutter other cooking channels. You strike a perfect balance, providing just the right amount of information to keep things engaging and straight to the point. Keep up the exceptional work, Ethan!

This is the explanation I was waiting for! I've had many issues with this recipe, no matter how simple it seems to be. A very big thank you!

This video has literally solved all of my problems I've had in the past with cacio e pepe, THANK YOU Ethan! It'd be sick if you did a series, or just videos in general, of troubleshooting common cooking techniques or meals that people might have problems with, it'd be really interesting!

If you cook the pasta with really, really low amount of water you end up with such a starchy water, that it has a similar effect to the cornstarch solution. It's also way more stable and beginner friendly, reducing the margin for error. Also the pasta cooks faster :D

In my opinion this is your best video yet. I went to school for materials science and that background has given me a whole new appreciation for cooking. Your breakdown of the food science here is absolutely fascinating, and it's going to help me get a lot more consistent with this dish, so thank you!

I still can't believe Kenji just blasts his heat while making this dish and yet cook it perfectly fine without any problems

One way to address the lowered temperature of the dish over the first 5 minutes is to use a heated dish. Very common in restaurants as well.

As an amateur home cook who has nailed a few, but mostly failed numerous attempts ,at cacio e pepe… the idea that consistency and flavor could be made and kept relatively shelf stable to avoid so many pitfalls with the dish and more easily scale it up for more people is CRAZY. You can’t deny that making it the “proper way” is a testament to the skill of the cook but you also can’t deny that second method is a beautiful thing for making such a wonderful dish more accessible. I will definitely be using this in the future. Thank you ❤

Learning cooking from Ethan is so different than learning from other places I go to. Because by the end not only did I learn how to correctly make the dish, but I learned the science behind why the dish is so hard to make regularly which is something I can apply to other things.

I'm happy to see that the move across the water hasn't really hindered the end result of your content! I'd probably still watch it even if it did, honestly, but it says a lot about your ability to adapt while also being picky about the places you stay at. Way to go, champ.

Thanks. I’ve been wanting to make this for myself. I’ve seen many videos on the subject. Yours is the best and easiest to understand. I really appreciate the food science.

I’ve been struggling with the stringy cheese problem for years when making these kinds of pastas. You’re the best brother!

Cooking is chemistry. Thank you for this very definitive analysis of how food works in the kitchen. I'll need to listen a few more times to get everything you have done here. Your techniques structure much more than this single recipe. Looking forward to more like this.