Researchers create scientific recipe for the perfect cacio e pepe

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An experienced cook measures ingredients with their heart, but when it comes to making cacio e pepe, Italian researchers say they have perfected the iconic dish with scientific precision.  

While cacio e pepe simply contains pasta, pecorino and black pepper, it can be difficult to make without the sauce turning into a lumpy mess.  

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Barcelona and the Institute of Science and Technology Austria, produced a report on how to reliably make cacio e pepe, including one ingredient that nonna may not have used.

Traditionally, cacio e pepe is made by adding a bit of pasta water to make the sauce creamy, but the pecorino often forms clumps due to the water’s heat, which causes the mixture to separate.   

To prevent this from happening, researchers say adding more starch to the water will help the cheese and water to blend together, creating a creamy and smooth sauce. 

While getting the correct starch to cheese ratio is important to making the dish, another key element is getting the heat just right. Too much heat denatures the proteins in the cheese, causing them to stick together and forming clumps.  

“A true Italian grandmother or a skilled home chef from Rome would never need a scientific recipe for cacio e pepe, relying instead on instinct and years of experience,” the study’s researchers wrote in the report  published in the journal Physics of Fluids. “For everyone else, this guide offers a practical way to master the dish.” 

For the perfect recipe, researchers suggest forgoing the pasta water and using a mixture of powdered starch, such as potato or corn starch, and water instead. 

For a recipe for two, the researchers recommend dissolving five grams of starch in 50 grams of water.  

Heat the mixture until it thickens and turns clear. 

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Then add 100 grams of water to cool the mixture, before blending it with 200 grams of cheese to create a sauce.  

Add toasted black pepper. 

Meanwhile, cook 300 grams of pasta in slightly salted water until it is al dente. Save some of the pasta cooking water before draining.  

Let drained pasta cool for up to one minute before adding to sauce.  

Once the pasta has been drained, let it cool for up to a minute before mixing with the sauce. Adjust the consistency by gradually adding reserved pasta water as needed.