Foolproof Cacio e Pepe | Smitten Kitchen with Deb Perelman

[@adelemiller8925]

made this the other night and realized this is IT....will never use any other recipe again. perfect, perfect, perfect.

[@dianaspurgin2208]

Hi Deb, I’ve adored you for years but didn’t realize you were on KZbin until recently. It’s amazing to be “with you” in your own kitchen! My question: how long will the extra cheese and pepper mixture keep in the refrigerator?

[@sonnylovesfreddy340]

i'm so so so glad to have found you again. I was addicted to your blog for years and then as I moved on to videos it sort of fell of my radar. I have your books and adore your approach and energy. Great video. Will be making this week. Thank you for being with us for so long and for your wonderful recipes.

[@bridgetg7460]

WHAT! How am I just learning you have a KZbin channel! My Cacio e Pepe came out perfectly! Thanks!

[@AmmyC88]

RIGHT!!! I am two years behind you! Been following the blog forever! Had no clue she had this channel! 😮

[@amyq5615]

Thanks a million, Deb! I had this dish in Rome and have never eaten something so delicious. I've tried to make it several times and had the cheese clumping problem you mentioned. I love this technique and can't wait to try it. Keep up the good work. I love everything you make!

[@edzmuda6870]

Of the numerous videos I’ve seen on this subject, this is the best.

[@cerealfruitcakes6291]

You got me into cooking reading your blog for many years. My husband stood in line to get your first cook book signed in SF for me and so many of your recipes are staples in our household! His go-to fav recipe to make over everything else is your brown butter mashers with meatloaf meatballs (I top them off with a jalapano pea puree to satisfy his love for spicy). In the last year or so I've shifted more into youtube cooking bloggers so to see that you've been doing these videos more often is HAPPY MAKING! Props to the editor for keeping in all the little mistakes and flubs because it pulls out your quirky personality that is a joy to watch! You also have sooo many little tips in these videos that you don't get in your text format, you're incredibly informative in this..."format" ha!

[@gabriellaarango9100]

Thank you !!! 🥰. You are my # 1 Recipe source, From the time I did the 1st recipe years ago, I found again and again that I could trust you, And I have been able to make many delicious dishes….. when I finish preparing my dish I feel like a genius 🤗 ( thanks to your clear guidance ) Much success on you tube, 👍🥰🥰 .

[@sherielf]

Just made this for supper tonight. Fantastic! It is on my rotation now for sure!!!Thanks. Deb.❤️

[@Mad1943Anthony]

Thanks. I bought all the ingredients for this but have been hesitant. Your method will save me a lot of time by not using a microplane for the cheese!!

[@maryannalaimoallen2776]

Deb, one of my favorite dishes. I love the little tricks you have used to make the sauce perfection. Try cutting up fresh pears in the pasta before adding the sauce. The sweetness of the pears with the cheese is scrumptious. I had it that way in Rome in 2017. BTW I love your slab apple pie. It is a family favorite during the holidays.

[@fiddlejock]

Thank you! I came across this after hearing your podcast with Kenji. I’ve made cacio e pepe and handful of times, but the sauce has always come out clumpy no matter what I tried. I made this tonight with a few tweaks (I did toast the peppercorns and crush them in a mortar and pestle), and the sauce was creamy and delicious.

[@annebarthgrossman5862]

Thank you! I have recently found your youtube channel and this was a game changer! I have never been able to make cheese into sauce, and I cannot wait to try your technique

[@margaretjefferies6539]

Long time blog fan, happy to see you here too!

[@LauraMorland]

Same! (I was privileged to meet Deb in Berkeley at a book signing in October 2017, long before she started posting videos. It's wonderful that we get to see her in action, isn't it?)

[@janabennett4218]

I so look forward to making time to watch your videos! I've loved your cookbooks forever and watching you just makes my heart smile :)

[@ericasteenstra2482]

thank you - I love Smitten Kitchen!you inspired me to make Cacio e Pepe tonight....I am eating it right now!! I did use the Ottolenghi method that another commenter mentioned BECAUSE I dont have a food processor. It is also a great and easy method - worth a try for those without a processor. : )

[@maryschiff9580]

This looks amazing. We live about 90 minutes from a ‘real’ grocery store, although we’re lucky to have a Walmart to buy staples from. I will definitely get a brick of Romano cheese when I can and try this. I love your recipes and have both of your cookbooks but the ingredients, although common in NYC, are not always easy to find in the Ozarks. My husband is a Long Island boy so he loves some of your more ethnic Jewish dishes as a reminder of home. 🙂

[@annedarginschroeder]

mystery solved! Thank you Deb -- I've been trying to perfect this since going to Italy a few years ago!

[@TimeyWimeySciFi]

Hey Deb, I’ve been reading your newsletter and blog for year, don’t know why I haven’t visited your KZbin channel until now! Just subscribed and look forward to more videos. I checked this one out because I saw the recipe on the newsletter. Cacio e Pepe is one of my favorite things, but I want to try your preparation method, it looks so easy. I will have to substitute Parmesan for the Pecorino cheese, though, because I just can’t handle that funky flavor. Thank you so much for this recipe and video!

[@angelaarcher2355]

Haven’t ever made this dish but I’m going to now. Maybe even this evening!

[@judegreb]

Will def try this over the holidays!

[@drsmom]

I love this recipe and i plan to make it this coming weekend.

[@dtape]

Seems like a great cacio e pepe method! Thanks for sharing!

[@clairepirklecochrane8613]

Thank you! You have such a fabulous video presence. So inspiring!!

[@davidlightfoot4720]

I feel like other cooks have been hazing me by making cacio e pepe much harder than it had to be. So thank you, Deb. I hope we're on a first name basis. ;-)

[@randolphcroft4212]

I'm gonna make it. Thanks soooooo much for this.

[@mollyward8096]

Will make this tonight, for certain. AND I have a teeny jar of white truffle paste that I'm definitely going to add to this (sparingly, of course!).

[@Mimi-411]

I made this and it was fabulous!

[@robincomingore4970]

What a great trick! I will be trying this very soon. Btw, I made your vegetable lasagna last night for a xmas dinner party and it was outstanding!Thank you Deb!

[@rthetrail]

would love ideas for complete menus using your recipes.

[@conniemalloy8494]

Thank you finally made a pasta that turns out using this method!

[@jeanwoessner2986]

This is going into my menu rotation this week!

[@djtopaz]

Hi Deb, I made this recipe and it came out good. Do you have any suggestions for keeping the pasta hot? I found that it cooled down really quickly.

[@WriterSnider]

Best method for C&P I’ve seen! Can you freeze the paste?

[@susanmedrow5759]

Can’t wait to give this a try! Yum!

[@Babka113]

Made this eons ago following the recipe on your blog

[@philosbek]

So... How many of us are having Cacio e Pepe for dinner tonight, amirite?! DEB YOU'RE A HERO!!! 🧀🍝🤤

[@davidlightfoot4720]

Burp. I couldn't wait for dinner.

[@danarogers3489]

Spaghetti Chitara is close to tonnereli. You can get it at Aldi.

[@jolaynemorneau4603]

This dish is LOVELY. We make this recipe a lot here at our house. Deeelish.

[@rosemarinetextiles]

this looks sooooo good

[@susanfriendson6305]

Great tips!

[@calisson47]

My Cuisinart food processor practically spun off the table trying to chop the Romano cheese, even though I had cut it into small pieces; in fact the blade kept coming off its shaft. Time to upgrade? or maybe my cheese was just too dried out and old. However, all that said, the results were great!

[@smittenkitchening]

Mine bops around a lot too! Sometimes the blade pops off when the cheese (or bread cubes, where it happens for me too) is extra hard. It can help to pre-chop it into smaller pieces before processing, if so.

[@saraho1913]

So fun you have a KZbin! Keep it up:)

[@dahlia3154]

i always thought you needed butter for this dish! cant wait to try it without!

[@karmifossen8038]

Who makes the pot you use to boil the spaghetti? Thanks!

[@smittenkitchening]

It's from Great Jones.

[@ljay4996]

The square spaghetti is also called "chittara" , spaghetti alla chittara, etc; many companies make it. Some dialects use bucatini. You’ve traveled the world I thought you knew that different dialects/sections of Italy have different names for pasta!

[@bhoffman4397]

Deb, I've loved and shared your recipes for years, but I've tried making this twice just using the written recipe. I told my husband I was finished trying this because both times it came out with the cheese clumped and sitting in water. After watching the video, I will try it one more time. I can see that I used too much water both in making the cheese paste (I used an immersion blender) and once the cheese is added to the pasta. I'm hoping to be able to master the recipe so I can make it for company--easy and delicious.

[@smittenkitchening]

Hi! Cheese clumping (or not adhering to the pasta) often means a bit too much water. I find when the cheese is less old/dried out, you might need very little water, so just start one spoonful at a time. You will get it right next time. :)

[@bhoffman4397]

@@smittenkitchening Following the video and adding a smaller amount of water was the trick to getting it right. My husband thanks you too!!

[@aknannie]

I realize that I won't be explaining in between each step. But even so, after sitting in the colander while preparing the cheese and then painstakingly incorporating it one tablespoon at a time, the pasta has to cool, no? I like my pasta hot, so by the end of my meal, it's at least warm. I don't see how it's possible with this technique. Can you explain?

[@CookbooksonRepeat]

Have the cheese ready before the pasta is done cooking and toss it in right after you save some water and drain it.

[@emilysferra3665]

She says right in the video that you can make the cheese paste ahead of time

[@jerknugget]

you make the cheese mixture before you cook the pasta or while you're cooking the pasta so it's ready and there's no pasta sitting around. i would also incorporate the cheese mixture and the pasta in the hot pot (just remember to reserve the pasta water when you drain!) - deb is just doing it in a clear bowl on the counter so we can see the process better.

[@CRL-fv3sn]

Oof, this is actually such an easy dish to make, and you don't need to resort to this bizarre lukewarm mixing technique. The key is to use the pasta water (the pasta cooks in very little water to get a very cloudy pasta water) to essentially make a broth, remove pasta and cook it down, and then the pasta is reintroduced and cooks to the end in that while the cheese is stirred in and emulsifies nicely. Ottolenghi has a video that shows this method, highly recommend! The "cheat" is using butter, which goes in the pan first, toasts the pepper beautifully (important!), and helps prevent clumping.

[@lgrillo]

@deb, can you say what type of food processor you use?

[@smittenkitchening]

I have this one and I'm very happy with it, the size is perfect. amzn.to/2VyScaA However, I put mine through a lot and need a bowl replacement and am not finding it right now, so there might be a different model soon.

[@lgrillo]

@@smittenkitchening Thank you!

[@elizabethwissler4516]

This lady is a good balance of cute and smart. 👍

[@GabysKitchen]

YUM!

[@somethingelse9176]

YES

[@penelopesterling8176]

Simplicity and flavor! The best cheese is key here.

[@jimmybennington9572]

What they call Super Cute!!!

[@brushes00]

Guess what's for lunch today!?!?!?!

[@alexperelman5174]

I am Anna 😊

[@whocares0692]

You need more pepper in it !

[@Sirhackbard1001]

Sry that receipe is so wrong. Pasta overcooked, no creamy sauce, thats more like a clump sauce. You dont Do it with just cold water you should Do it with pasta water at least because of the starch. The water doesnt need to be ice could. You only need it below the Temperature which makes the cheese Splits. To play it safe you can used 40-45 degrees but it would Work without to many probs Till 60-65degrees. Starch is needed as an emulsifier to combine the cheese and the water. Without it you can mix it till its dead but you will not get a creamy sauce out of it. There are so many good cacio e pepe Videos. Cant see that you Did your homework with this receipe!

[@cookeecrumb1895]

Sorry, but this presentation makes this recipe complicated and to long to make. I have used a simpler recipe and it came out wonderful. Don't mean to be negative, but this is my comment.

[@HJSMovieMeter1]

Doesn’t look good to me. Not creamy but dry. There’s a reason the pepper is toasted in a pan and adding pasta water to it later. No way this method gives the same flavors.

[@alexperelman5174]

I can prove by ummmmm for example she has a circle wring in her room . p.s I don’t know if that proves but it’s true believe me please 😊😅

[@andreiionascu5448]

i`m not even italian and i can say: that`s no cacio e pepe. not good. i mean no. i`m so sorry but big no.

[@bethbilous4720]

I tried this, and it was not good at all, I will go back to Babish one.

[@c.a.9814]

Appearance wise, it looks gloopy-clumpy but not saucy....

[@kellyreed4065]

"Cacio" is pronounced like "cah-cho." If you're going to do an entire YT video about it, at least try to learn the pronunciation! You're doing a disservice to the Italian heritage you're borrowing from.