CACIO E PEPE: How to avoid clumping (2024)

FAQs

CACIO E PEPE: How to avoid clumping? ›

Don't overheat the sauce.

If you've ever had the cheese clump up or stick to the pan when making cacio e pepe (very common, but always such a tragedy!), it was likely due to the cheese being overheated. Be absolutely sure that the burner is turned off below the sauté pan with the melted butter.

Don't overheat the sauce.

If you've ever had the cheese clump up or stick to the pan when making cacio e pepe (very common, but always such a tragedy!), it was likely due to the cheese being overheated. Be absolutely sure that the burner is turned off below the sauté pan with the melted butter.

The trick is to toss the cheese with starch before heating it. As the starch heats up and gels, it stabilizes the cheese so it won't break. I tried the method for this Cacio e Pepe, which makes for a durable sauce that doesn't break even after raising the temperature until the sauce boils (usually a mortal sin).

The key is adding the cheese gradually so it emulsifies instead of clumping together - this will ruin the sauce. Taste and season, adding more pasta water to thin it out nicely (as the sauce cools it will thicken, so I usually add slightly more pasta water than it appears to need in the hot pan).

Use Corn Starch

You can coat your shredded cheese with a thin layer of cornstarch to prevent clumping. Corn starch works by absorbing excess moisture, meaning the cheese will not become sticky. It's also flavorless, so it won't affect the taste. Add 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch per 1 block of shredded cheese.

If your noodles are clumping, your best bet is to dump them into a colander and run cold water over top. They'll loosen up and then you can rewarm them gently in the sauce. Your other choice is to toss or sauté the pasta with a bit of oil or fat to coat it — slippery noodles will slide apart from one another.

And if it still clumps because you added the cheese too fast, you can add something acidic, like a little white wine or lemon juice. Whisk well and the clumps should dissolve.

Grate cheese yourself.

Freshly-grated Pecorino Romano is a MUST in this Cacio e Pepe recipe. If you use pre-grated cheese, your sauce will by clumpy. Pre-packaged cheeses are coated with anti-clumping chemicals which inhibit them from melting beautifully.

The main issue is that we're trying to make a creamy sauce out of a very hard, dry, aged cheese. The problem with older cheeses is twofold. First, they're relatively low in moisture, which means that they're more prone to breaking—their internal fat wants to escape. Second, they have a much tighter protein structure.

You might not suspect this, but the way the cheese is grated is key to making perfect Cacio e Pepe. Indeed, if the cheese is grated too coarsely, it won't emulsify into a smooth sauce, and you'll end up with blobs of coagulated cheese.

How to thicken cacio e pepe? ›

Traditionally, Cacio e Pepe depended on the starch in the pasta water to act as the emulsifier and thickener of the pasta sauce. While the cornstarch gel supplants the need for starchy pasta water, using starchy pasta water certainly helps.

Spaghetti is the traditional pasta for cacio e pepe, but even Roman establishments now use popular shapes such as rigatoni, bucatini, and thick, square-cut noodles called tonnarelli. Use a good quality brand that cooks evenly and retains its al dente bite.

Directions: Shake before opening. Heat and serve with pasta, meats or seafood. Heat sauce on stovetop or microwave.

Adding the sauce slowly, bit-by-bit, as you stir the liquid and pasta in your pot will make the cheese melt evenly and avoid clumping. Think of it like this: Would you have more success carrying 500 pounds of pasta up the stairs at once, or making multiple trips with a fraction of that 500 pounds at a time?

Thing is, once cheese is heated too far beyond its melting point, the proteins firm up and squeeze out moisture—the same way protein does in meat. When this occurs you're left with rubbery, clumpy bits of cheese protein that separate from the fat and moisture.

Pre-shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking agents such as potato starch and powdered cellulose. This keeps the strands from clumping together in the bag, but it also keeps them from melting together nicely during cooking. It gives the shreds a drier texture when served cold.

If the sauce has just a few lumps, use a balloon whisk and whisk vigorously to break the lumps up. Use a food processor, blender or immersion blender to whizz those lumps out of sight. Return to heat and whisk until warmed through.

Generously salt the pasta water

It can help keep the starches in your pasta from gelling together, reducing the risk of your pasta sticking. Aim to put a tablespoon or two of salt for every quart of water—which is about a quarter or half cup of salt for a pound of pasta.

Adding the sauce slowly, bit-by-bit, as you stir the liquid and pasta in your pot will make the cheese melt evenly and avoid clumping. Think of it like this: Would you have more success carrying 500 pounds of pasta up the stairs at once, or making multiple trips with a fraction of that 500 pounds at a time?

Traditionally, Cacio e Pepe depended on the starch in the pasta water to act as the emulsifier and thickener of the pasta sauce. While the cornstarch gel supplants the need for starchy pasta water, using starchy pasta water certainly helps.