And so the Story begins 🤠🍝 ! Like the video, Share it and Subscribe to the channel not to miss the next episode✌ ! If you want to try out Lingoda Sprint, use my link try.lingoda.com/FrenchGuyCooking_Sprint or code FRENCHGUY2022, and you can get a $25 discount on the deposit #sprint202201
Maybe you should meet one of the Pasta Grannies. The results are rustic, of course, but (a) they are really nice people, (b) each region has its own signature dish (e.g. trofie with basil pesto in Liguria), (c) you can encounter the flours that each region offers (e.g. Petra), and (d) you can stock up on the preferred brands of each region, or even city (e.g. Cocco in Firenze). Lots of fun to be had bumming around the shops and agriturismo stays.
Alex did an excellent job as usual. He is just a French but as Italian I would eat every single plate he does. (for racist catchers, oh my God, I was only joking... You take this thing too seriously. Everyone in the world knows that French cannot cook)
Some Italians would advise you not to use pasta made with egg, but basic wheat dried pasta, because the carbonara is already so "eggy" it'd be too much
Ehi Alex, I'm an italian guy who also tried to master carbonara for years. You did good understanding the pasta "problem". There is only one tip I would like to give you: don't put pasta in the pan where you have cooked the guanciale. The fat create a thiny layer of fat that prevents the cream to really stick to the pasta. Lot of people thinks doing these is good because pasta can release more amid, but they don't consider that tiny fatty layer. Instead, put the fat in the mixture of eggs yolk and pecorino and save some pasta water
@@NPSao usually, i Just drain the pasta (not at all) and put it back in the same pot. I put there the carbonara sauce. The pot is still kinda hot so you can also skip the "bagnomaria" process. The pasta and pot should be hot enough to help to thickness a little bit the sauce. An other little advise, do not whipe the eggs. Just broke them. Just let the pecorino (and parmigiano in case you want a softer flavour) mix to the eggs. A lot of people over mix those poor eggs with a whisk: we aren't making a frittata or a cake, but pasta alla carbonara so be gentile with that gold circle 😂 😊
Dried pasta is made from durum wheat. The "flour" from this kind of wheat is called "semola rimacinata" (double grounded semola). The best durum wheat grows in the Molise area, southern Italy.
@Fabio Consonni your comment went from informative to depressing real quick… I traded my Erasmus scholarship at UNIMOL for Ankara. Ankara canceled the exchange because of covid…
I bet I wasn’t the only Italian screaming at the first version of the dish: ”No Alex! La carbonara non si fa con la pasta fresca!” But I held back in the comments and enjoyed the plot twist.. nicely done!
Finalmente! Let's hope this series teaches a lesson to people that think that fresh pasta is better just because you make it from scratch. A lot of american restaurant and influencer like coff digiovanni coff keeps making fresh pasta even when it doen't really add anything, spreading the idea that the only good pasta is fresh one.
You can make dried pasta from scratch as well, but even then it's not necessarily better than something made by a good quality brand, in fact, most people won't have a bronze die cutting machine for pasta, which would give the best results for dried pasta, so in those cases getting some bronze die cut pasta from the store is likely superior.
This channel is amazing. The writing! The pacing! The charm! Humility! Must listen with headphones. I feel like I’m in the kitchen with you. Much love.
Alex, there’s a huge misconception about the use of flour in pasta. Semola is used primarily in southern Italy for fresh pasta as well, usually combined with water (eggless) as well as being combined with eggs. I’d be more than happy to have a chat about it to clarify things with you. We know all about this.
Exactly! The error is in the classification, it's not all about fresh Vs dry, it's also about egg pasta (a Northern thing) Vs semola eggless pasta (a Southern thing). You can have al dente fresh pasta if you do a proper low hydration dough with semola and water.
He probably could get everything he needs answers for from the Squisita guy, but an adventure in Rome seeking wisdom from a pasta master make for more engaging content.
4 (unrequested) pieces of advice: - Try mezze maniche instead of spaghetti. They incorporate both the sauce and some guanciale cuts (eat them with a spoon!). If you dig long pasta, choose Tonnarelli which have a thicker and rough texture (better), also they're in middle ground between dry and fresh pasta. - Thicker cubes of guanciale will provide both crunchy and soft texture. Also, don't moisten it with water from pasta, just use (little) melted fat when whisking and then add the cooked guanciale when flavours have already mixed and all the starchy water has evaporated. - Split Pecorino with some less salty Parmigiano ( 2/3 to 1/3 is better than half and half) or Grana Padano (which is even sweeter). - I'm pretty sure that Luciano Monosilio uses liquid starch from previously cooked pasta, in order to make it extra-creamy. Thank me later.
I prefer to make my carbonara using 50:50 pecorino and Parmigiano. I learned that from Antonio Carluccio. I just wish gianciale was easier to get in UK so i could do it properly.
Love Tonnarelli! Will try the other you mentioned. Alex has experimented with previously cooked pasta water. At home I save my pasta water to re-use. And I try to only put enough water to cook the pasta so that the leftover is more concentrated.
Great advices. Maybe we can also recomand to be carefull on the mix of red part of egg and cheese to get the right creamy texture avoiding the too much liquid issue and if some piece of guanciale are took of the pen and dried instead to be immediately mixed with pasta they remain even more crunchy, and also maybe not mix in the pen because if is hot it can cook the egg...
i'm italian. i enjoy very much cooking at home but obviusly i'm not an expert. But because of this I love all of your videos, and it's lovely to receive all this love for italian cuisine and culture. Keep it up in everything you do, you're very talented.
I've been learning a bit about italian cuisine this past year. And a lot of what I went through is in that video. I'm definitely excited for this series!
the cross over episode I didn't know I needed. I love Italy Squisita one of the best channels for amateur chefs like me to get inspired and to raise our game.
Your is one of the best channels on YT about the kitchen. When you are on hunting mode, is something special, to find the best possible solution in making any traditional dishes, cooking methods, or making your own cooking instruments, from Japan to Italy, and considering that you are not a professional figure (I mean that you don't have a restaurant to run), it's really remarkable to see the results that you have reach, juggling between the kitchen and the camera, and keep your video always funny and easy to understand. Thanks again
I'd never thought I would give a like to a FRENCHGUY whatsoever, but you made me do it!!! First of all, because I follow ThisOldTony since years now, so we have him in common! Secondly because you had the right approach to research the pasta issue. You will succeed with Carbonara using dry pasta because (if made of semolina from a good wheat) will release starch that will naturally make that creamy effect that is required. Furthermore, the slightly coarse surface of the pasta (brass extruded) will catch that starch based cream and keep it wonderfully attached. Only one thing, take off the guanciale after all its fat has melted, you want to add it at the end. See what the Roman super chef has to say about it, looking forward to watch you soon!
As a side note: the "butter" magnets on your fridge remind me that today, while improving my French in a well-known language-learning app (not Lingoda though), I got to translate "Tout est meilleur avec du beurre". They truly know what they are talking about.
What a great introduction to a new series! Looking forward to seeing how this goes. i love your adventures and your passion not just for food, but for enjoying food and making it an adventure 😀
I've been making fresh pasta in a high-end Italian restaurant for several years now. For a more durable, elastic product there are a few tricks. In order to maximize protein availability for greater gluten development, I use a blend of about 30% finely milled semolina flour and 70% high protein double 0. When rolling the pasta, it is important to fold the pasta lengthwise several times, reinforcing gluten development and alignment in that direction. I usually fold it in half twice and in thirds once.
Alleluia. Finally someone that understand the importance of pasta. And dried semolina flour pasta is the Pasta. And in Italy dried pasta is mastered especially in Gragnano. Maybe a tip if you would like to master your pasta skills is to have a look around over there. Well done mate, I love your series.
Finalmente! Let's hope this series teaches a lesson to people that think that fresh pasta is better just because you make it from scratch. A lot of american restaurant and influencer like *coff digiovanni coff* keeps making fresh pasta even when it doen't really add anything, spreading the idea that the only good pasta is fresh one.
Absolutely correct, some of the best dried pasta is found in the south of Italy in gragnano and also the puglia region where brands like Benedetto Cavalieri produce theirs.
The editing of your videos is absolutely masterful! I love the rythm and musicality and the playful jump cuts that add humour and help to emphasize a point or a mood. Oh, and the food looks great too! :-)
Alex: try making your fresh pasta with semolina (not for carbonara, just for fun) try 50:50 with flour all they way up to 100% semolina, with or without eggs. Different taste and texture. Buon viaggio!
Last time I was in Italy fresh 80+% semolina & water pasta was basically the standard in Rome and points south. Also getting real Italian grown Semolina is almost impossible if you are outside of Italy. Most Duram wheat is from Canada (even if it says made in Italy).
I used to be a person that had follow recipes to the letter whenever I was cooking. Carbonara was the first dish that forced me out of my comfort zone in order to figure out the right balance of pasta water (as much white foamy gluten as possible) and heating up all the mixed ingredients without overheating (a prayer for all the scrambled spaghetti dishes of the world) and getting the whole thing to emulsify beautifully. After many tries I found you can do this reliably by allowing pasta to cool down right after boiling and then mix in the saucepan which you remove from the heat a while before. Then you can always go back to the fire if needed while removing gently the mix, the sound is the best cue to know when it's right. Make sure it's creamy and not watery. That's all, thank you Italy for this gift to all of us
That pasta machine is awesome. It's what brought me to your channel in the first place! I watched This Old Tony's video on it and then watched your video when you received it. I've been here ever since :)
You man are so passionate. For a guy who is not italian it's really difficult to understand the world of pasta. I, as an italian, have the privilege to know everything about it and sometimes we take it from granted. But you have been studying for so long and you are learning so many things: excellent work. You now know that fresh pasta and dry pasta are different: no one is superior to the other, but we just use one for some recipes and the other for some other recipes. Let me give you a tip: next time you will do fresh pasta use an extra egg (ex. 300 gr flour and 4 eggs) and you will see that it will be incredibly stretchy!
As you started making the pasta all’uovo for the carbonara, all I could think was “Why is he bothering with fresh pasta for carbonara? It’s always made with simple spaghetti, dried pasta, no eggs.” And then there he goes, right down the path of realization. Growing up in an Italian household, one acquires a knowledge of what sauces go with what pasta. You were not lucky enough to grow up that way, but you are learning now, which is così importante!
Do you really think a guy with a long time cooking channel wasn’t aware not to use fresh egg pasta with eggy carbonara? Or in the very unlikely event he didn’t that someone whose channel is all about research couldn’t take 5 minutes to Google and learn that it’s made using dried pasta? It’s his “hook” to begin a new series about a topic that is done to death already. It’s also intellectually dishonest. Or he could have been ignorant and lazy.
@@frankfurter7260 yep it's wasting everyone's time and caters more to TH-cam viewers (kids?) that don't really cook, improvise, experiment, and adapt in the kitchen themselves
Hi Alex! I’ve stumbled upon the same problem you had with fresh and dried pasta. I once tried preparing pasta dough with semolina flour and eggs and for me this is the best texture I’ve gotten. Maybe you can try it sometime in your upcoming series. (I’m already excited for the pasta journey)
Alex, I don't mean to take away from the carbonara experience, but using the roll of painter's tape as your phone stand @12:15 is a game changer for me. I love painters tape and will forever be using it the same way from now on. Merci beaucoup
This really explains a lot, I've had fresh pasta a few times and it's always been interchanged for dry pasta in a recipe. A big deal was made about using fresh pasta (we getting fancy!) but I didn't really care for fresh spaghetti, I really would have preferred dry and now I understand why, they aren't the same thing and are not interchangeable. Can't wait to watch this series
I feel so Italian (and indeed I am) by looking at the way you did make the Carbonara... and I was like "oh... not the fresh pasta... not the eggs one, texture won't be good! you need it to be "al dente", you don't need elasticity!"... "the guanciale cannot be" "yes! cause it's the pasta!" "the pecorino cannot be" "Yes! cause it's the pasta!" "the sauce cannot be" "YES! CAUSE IT'S THE PASTA!" "maybe... it could be..." "oh... yes... yes... go on... say it!" I love you Alex for how you "tackle" the way you perceive the food, you challenge yourself beyond to discover more and more and explain it so wonderfully
It's been a couple of years that I discoverd De Cecco, probably the most premium readily available dried pasta over here. It's a bit more expensive than the cheapo-pasta you can find everywhere but it's insane. The pasta is made using bronze molds so you get these minor imperfections that can only be achieved using bronze and those imperfections helps the sauce to stick to the pasta. Also, I was kind of confused when you started making egg pasta for your carbonara 😅
@@MatteoBiagiotti probably no point in it. I'm not entirely sure about this, but I think part of the reason teflon-cut pasta is cheaper is that teflon "dies" operate quicker. It's not just that the dies themselves are cheaper. Making teflon dies with identical surface to bronze would probably be more expensive than just making bronze ones, and using them would also slow down the pasta production process.
I had the same issue just 2 days ago and thought this dish would be a perfect thing to master for you. I will join you in your journey! The good thing is that no matter if the dish turned out perfect or not, the "accidents" are still delicious 😎
Pourquoi je ne me lasse pas de voir et revoir chacune de tes vidéos ? 1 mot, QUALITÉ, qui se décline dans le contenu, le suspens, l'humour, l'image, le montage, le son et la musique. Quel bonheur de te voir monter si haut. Travail. De. Pro. Et paf.
I'm imagining fellow Italians looking at the screen thinking to themselves "carbonara done with fresh egg pasta is wrong!". I did the same, but then I asked myself "do I really know why it is wrong? How could a foreigner know?". I feel that some of our culinary culture is so embedded in our brains (heart and stomach as well) that it's difficult to see our world from someone else's perspective. Sometimes we really think it should be done like that because it's as natural as walking. I am really curious to see what you come up with, Alex, you never cease to entertain! Ciao
8:47 Although dry pasta is usually made of durum wheat and not much else. Fresh pasta is nstead made with eggs and uses wheat - the "00" flour. Fresh pasta made of just durum wheat and no eggs is well popular in the south, fresh pasta made with eggs and wheat flour was definitely born and more popular in the north.
My absolute favorite pasta for carbonara is bucatini, especially from a copper extrusion die. The external texture from the die and the central hole really holds onto the sauce well. Loving your journey; I can't wait for more!
I am planning this for a date and I cannot believe this video exists! I wanted to try and create the dish a couple times with fresh vs once with dried to see what I could serve at its pinnacle. This video saved me so much time oh my ~ You are a G!!!!!!
Personally, I like to separate the yolk from the white. I usually keep one yolk per person and half amount of the white (on 4 eggs I keep 4 yolks and 2 whites). I cover the yolk with pepper (there is never too much pepper), pecorino (never too much either I guess), and a bit of parmiggiano. Just before to serve it, I beat the yolk. Finally, I also beat the white to make it more creamy (almost "en neige"!) and I put it at the very end with the rest. I have been experimenting this recipe endlessly when living in Rome during my Erasmus. I didn't study much but cooked a lot.
Hello Alex ! Love your series ! Carbonara is traditionally made with dry pasta, spaghetti or bucatini . Every Italian family makes it to their particular taste , more or less pasta water to make it creamier. But the ingredients are the simpliest ! Guancciale ,Pecorino, eggs and black pepper . Only the best dry pasta makes a difference and al dente of course , something that is very difficult to get with fresh pasta . I love carbonara although I always feel guilty about the calories ! Regards from Argentina !
I'm so glad you made this video! I was getting anoyed with friends bringing up the superiority of fresh pasta and I would try explaining the points you raised in this video, to no avail.
Haven't watched the full video yet, but living in a country where temperature fluctuates a lot the most reliable method for carbonara I found was one showed by Luciano at a Italia squisita video. You basically make sort of a eggs and cheese zambaione, and by cooking it in bain marie you can always be sure it is cooked all the way through and in the consistency you like.
Alex, your channel and Italia Squisita are two of my favorites! My Parisienne wife has no idea lots of my ideas are from these two sources! I make my own pasta and add in some semolina for that bite. Looking forward to seeing what the Italian expert has to say.
I knew there was going to be a twist, but I didn't expect this one! It makes a lot of sense when stated this way, that dried pasta can do things fresh pasta can't, and that different dishes favor different kinds of pasta. I mean the shape of pasta already has a big effect, the processing that lead to making the pasta should have been a little more obvious of a factor. Looking forward to learning more about making dry pasta!
Oh yeah! I love "This old Tony" ! His humour is amazing. (and I'm sure 50% of the internet don't get it) Also, I have to say... Alex; your show has gotten really awesome over the years! It's one of the best thing around, keep it coming!
I’m so jealous of your Italian language skills 🙃 I’ve been learning it forever now and I’d just love to be be able to walk into an Italian cheese store and start talking Italian with the staff. Keep it up, great video. As a vegetarian I’m gonna leave out the meat though.
J’étais justement en pleine période d’apprentissage de pates fraîche! Et étant donné que comparer au ragu alla bolognese, la carbonara ça prend 10 min et peu d’ingrédients, je me suis dis que j’allais en profiter… Et au final j’ai eu la même réflexion ! J’ai fais mes pâtes fraîches, c’était bon mais sans plus, et le lendemain j’en ai refait avec des spaghettis pâte sèche (la pâte pour les carbonara) et avec le guanciale, le parmesan et les bon œufs, une folie ! Je me demande même dans quelle recette les spaghettis pâtes fraîches sont mieux que les pâtes sèches
Depends what texture you're after really. Fresh semolina pasta is a different thing again compared with fresh egg pasta or dried pasta. My own favourite is pasta Genovese made with fresh semolina linguine. Egg pasta I enjoy with mushrooms, olive oil, sage, and a little butter.
Love you you came up with this revelation.. and the 2 videos that proceeded this... can't wait till u get back to the studio and learn how to master your home made dried pasta!
It's actually very difficult to make the perfect pasta texture, especially with dishes which don't get a lot of texture by other ingredients!! Small advice from a Roman: try also cooking guanciale a little more until a bit crunchy, to improve texture. You're on the right path with the pasta dough 😉🔥❤️ Edit: another thing came to my mind: you can try with tonnarelli instead of spaghetti/linguine! They are the typical pasta used for carbonara and cacio e pepe in Rome, they are thicker and more al dente
i think his methodology for the pasta dough is also not very good. kneading the dough once with all the proteins from the egg stresses the dough and makes it tough. he needs to let it rest for a bit and knead it again. also after he sheets the dough he needs to let it go through a "curing" process in order to get the right texture.
Hi Alex! Food geek from Sweden here that loves that you take on Carbonara. I have like you say "thought I knew this" for a long time, Carbonara is guanchale, egg, pecorino, black pepper and pasta water. But I recently found out that the original recipe is maybe not that at all. What I can find with the research I've done the dish come from a italian chef cooking for American soldiers in 1944. With egg powder, bacon/panchetta, hard cheese and black pepper. So originally the carbonara i thought was authentic with guanchale is not authentic. The "true carbonara" that people preach today with guanchale sounds like a mix between pasta alla gricia and carbonara. I would love for you to look into this more, I love your videos and deep dives into subjects :)
Yeah this simple dish takes many years to master. One of the absolute hardest dishes to cook as a chef. Even with the right ingredients. Looking forward to the series 🙂
@@iskillio Nah, It's all in good fun. besides you need a home chef to make good home made Carbonara. That and I would like to see Vincenzo get a heart attack trying to see Alex make carbonara and the journey he goes through
Yeah … many swear by it. I don’t like it, I find Del Cecco to be too heavy. Three tortillioni and you are full. Their quality is good, no doubt. I guess it’s just a matter of preference.
I think you're missing an important step you found out when you made cacio e pepe, which is the base of a good carbonara: the more starch you have, the better the sauce bonds water and fat. To me the best way to make carbonara is: - crisp up the guanciale in the pan - set it aside and preserve the fat in the pan, adding water and cooking pasta (dried pasta is better, you already have eggs in the sauce) directly in it as if you're making a risotto - in the meanwhile prepare the "sauce": grated pecorino, egg yolk and pepper (you can add some guanciale fat if you want) - when the pasta is al dente turn off the gas and toss it to cool it down a bit, otherwise the cheese will become stringy; make sure to leave it watery enough to help the sauce to bind - once it's cooled down add your sauce and keep mixing and tossing until you reach the right consistency
Nice to see TOTs Pasta Machine back on the table again. Would love to have one of those. Really looking forward to your series. After the short series about tomatoes it is just the right one.
This looks amazing, although I probably wouldn’t use egg pasta with an egg based sauce I feel it can be very heavy in that circumstance. Other than that it looks fantastic! Edit: I didn’t watch the whole video before saying this so I see that he understands the problem XD. My bad I guess!
Love these series'. Like the sauce and the fried rice. The journey and time that it taken to perfect it is something I do love. I've been doing the something similar with brioche bread and pizza dough for my family, be it rolls or complete breads and pies but still trying to get the best combination.
I am excited for this series. Carbonara is a dish I am trying to perfect, its so simple to the casual observer but I find getting the eggs to not be over cooked (aka scrambled) to be a very difficult thing to master.
I have the opposite problem - it all cools down way too fast to do anything to the egg 😖 admittedly it’s bloody cold in the house (because how dare we actually put the heating on - so cold that cooking sets off the smoke detectors 😖😖😖). So yeah, short of putting it all back on the heat, I don’t know. Scrambled eggs would be a nice problem to have.
To avoid scrambiling of the eggs you want your cheese/egg mixture to be tempered and your pan to not be on heat anymore. You can temper the mixture by stirring in a ladle of the hot pasta water before transferring it all to the pan.
@@andreagriffiths3512 if your produce is too cold overall you might be set by simply using more heat in your pan, probably keeping it on a very low flame instead of off-heat should suffice. Good luck :)
I fucking love this channel. You’re as picky as i am. Im not a chef by any means, all my research and studies are from youtube specialist (You for french cuisine, Gordon for some nice scrambled eggs, our favorite uncle for egg fried rice, Vincenso’s for italian food). My belly is so happy about this new series. Cheers, from a fan from all the way down, Argentina!
Dude, mind blown! I was always so scatter minded about the whole flour versus semolina thing when it came to pasta. I just never investigated it. I just accepted that I didn’t understand the difference and went about my day. Thank you Alex, thank you so much for being someone to realize that there was something going on that required questioning, investigating it, and then solving it. For us. We love you ❤️
100% correct!!!! Also a small point I have found is the shape of the pasta. Your fresh pasta was linguine and the dried, spaghetti. For Carbonara for some reason the shape of spaghetti is just perfect. Linguine a bit less perfect. Great video amigo, Gracias
Bonne année Alex ! Hâte de voir la suite de la série. Un peu déçu que la série sur les dim sums ne se fasse pas... peut-être plus tard cette année ? Dans tous les cas, merci pour tes vidéos passionantes. Bon vent !
And so the Story begins 🤠🍝 ! Like the video, Share it and Subscribe to the channel not to miss the next episode✌ ! If you want to try out Lingoda Sprint, use my link try.lingoda.com/FrenchGuyCooking_Sprint or code FRENCHGUY2022, and you can get a $25 discount on the deposit #sprint202201
This is the big series u had to stop posting for a while?
Maybe you should meet one of the Pasta Grannies. The results are rustic, of course, but (a) they are really nice people, (b) each region has its own signature dish (e.g. trofie with basil pesto in Liguria), (c) you can encounter the flours that each region offers (e.g. Petra), and (d) you can stock up on the preferred brands of each region, or even city (e.g. Cocco in Firenze). Lots of fun to be had bumming around the shops and agriturismo stays.
You should do an egg+cheese+pepper mix like for the cacio e pepe. Thank me later
Alex, you need to come to Fara San Martino, where pastificio Cocco and De Cecco are... You're my guest! Ciao!
what if ... you use lye water like ramen/asian noodles to harden it up at home? for science in the future PLS
Evvai! It’s cool to be part of this journey. We enjoy the way you treat Italian food culture, can wait to see how it will treat you…
Alex is one of the best youtubers, so he deserves Italians' best treatment.
Alex did an excellent job as usual. He is just a French but as Italian I would eat every single plate he does. (for racist catchers, oh my God, I was only joking... You take this thing too seriously. Everyone in the world knows that French cannot cook)
@@fabioconsonni3232 I totally totally agree.
Love the channel. :)
in questo periodo, Alex sta spendendo piu' tempo in Italia che in Francia🤣😅😂
Some Italians would advise you not to use pasta made with egg, but basic wheat dried pasta, because the carbonara is already so "eggy" it'd be too much
Then I watched the entire video lol
Correct
I knew it when he poped egg into flour that would be off.
Haha! Yeah, I'm no expert, but that was my initial thought :D
Never in my entire life have I heard of yeast in pasta.
Its happening y'all. Alex has found a new dish to master.
At least it's finally something we will actually make. He lost me on the chocolate. Still watched, but ya know?
YES 8 episode dish that he gets obsessed about. im ready for it.
Carbonara is soo good too eggcelent choice. The Carbonara Effect starring Alex!
now he needs to go down the pasta shape rabbit hole for 3 episodes
Yes, now if I could get him to do it kosher...
Alex is part mad scientist, part artist, part journalist and all charm.
He is an electrical engineer also
@@pedropalma7604 That analytical process makes sense if he's an engineer. Analyze, prototype, analyze, iterate....
His only fault is that he doesn't use a bidet.
Don't insult him by comparing him to a journalist.
I tried to quote Hunter S. Thompson buy TH-cam wouldn't let me.
Susan Wojcicki is a monster.
Finally, fresh pasta and dried pasta are not interchangeable, thanks for saying that. as an Italian it makes me happy
Ehi Alex, I'm an italian guy who also tried to master carbonara for years. You did good understanding the pasta "problem".
There is only one tip I would like to give you:
don't put pasta in the pan where you have cooked the guanciale. The fat create a thiny layer of fat that prevents the cream to really stick to the pasta. Lot of people thinks doing these is good because pasta can release more amid, but they don't consider that tiny fatty layer. Instead, put the fat in the mixture of eggs yolk and pecorino and save some pasta water
So put the pasta into a new pot and mix it with the sauce?
@@NPSao usually, i Just drain the pasta (not at all) and put it back in the same pot. I put there the carbonara sauce. The pot is still kinda hot so you can also skip the "bagnomaria" process. The pasta and pot should be hot enough to help to thickness a little bit the sauce.
An other little advise, do not whipe the eggs. Just broke them. Just let the pecorino (and parmigiano in case you want a softer flavour) mix to the eggs. A lot of people over mix those poor eggs with a whisk: we aren't making a frittata or a cake, but pasta alla carbonara so be gentile with that gold circle 😂 😊
@@Michele_317 I'm completely guilty of using a whisk. 😅 Thank you for the response.
Interesting, this is what the king of carbonara dude do too
@@Michele_317
I'll try that next time. Thanks.
Dried pasta is made from durum wheat. The "flour" from this kind of wheat is called "semola rimacinata" (double grounded semola). The best durum wheat grows in the Molise area, southern Italy.
That’s correct. In English they simply call it “semolina flour” (regardless of whether it’s fine or coarse).
semola rimacinata di grano duro is used for making bred, this is the fine one...for making pasta they use the semola di grano duro, the coarse one.
@@ivanheiser207 correct! Pasta is made from semola; double ground semola is for bread and pizza.
@Fabio Consonni your comment went from informative to depressing real quick… I traded my Erasmus scholarship at UNIMOL for Ankara. Ankara canceled the exchange because of covid…
Untrue: everybody knows Molise doesn't exist
My favorite part of Alex's channel is how he treats all cooking as science,... as well as art.
And love for life and people ...
I bet I wasn’t the only Italian screaming at the first version of the dish: ”No Alex! La carbonara non si fa con la pasta fresca!” But I held back in the comments and enjoyed the plot twist.. nicely done!
no you are not the only one
Same here, bel plot twist!
I'm not Italian and I don't know how to make carbonara, but if either of those applied to me, I'd probably do that.
Bro pensavo fossi l'unico
Oramai può fare lo sceneggiatore, quasi ci aveva fregato 😁
Finalmente! Let's hope this series teaches a lesson to people that think that fresh pasta is better just because you make it from scratch. A lot of american restaurant and influencer like coff digiovanni coff keeps making fresh pasta even when it doen't really add anything, spreading the idea that the only good pasta is fresh one.
Well said
You can make dried pasta from scratch as well, but even then it's not necessarily better than something made by a good quality brand, in fact, most people won't have a bronze die cutting machine for pasta, which would give the best results for dried pasta, so in those cases getting some bronze die cut pasta from the store is likely superior.
Yeah, its a fun experience and skill to learn, but in reality its just too time consuming for a dish that comes together in 15 minutes
I agree. I have noticed this at some trendy restaurants.
Maybe it comes from the idea that fresh=healthy, so if it's fresh, then it must be good!
This channel is amazing. The writing! The pacing! The charm! Humility! Must listen with headphones. I feel like I’m in the kitchen with you. Much love.
Alex, there’s a huge misconception about the use of flour in pasta.
Semola is used primarily in southern Italy for fresh pasta as well, usually combined with water (eggless) as well as being combined with eggs. I’d be more than happy to have a chat about it to clarify things with you. We know all about this.
This is especially the case for pasta varieties like orechiette which in Puglia are done exclusively with semolina.
Exactly! The error is in the classification, it's not all about fresh Vs dry, it's also about egg pasta (a Northern thing) Vs semola eggless pasta (a Southern thing). You can have al dente fresh pasta if you do a proper low hydration dough with semola and water.
Yeah! And you can have dried egg pasta as well :) It would be great to see you chat about this topic!
He probably could get everything he needs answers for from the Squisita guy, but an adventure in Rome seeking wisdom from a pasta master make for more engaging content.
@@HO1ySh33t The call can always be for research purposes no? ;)
4 (unrequested) pieces of advice:
- Try mezze maniche instead of spaghetti. They incorporate both the sauce and some guanciale cuts (eat them with a spoon!).
If you dig long pasta, choose Tonnarelli which have a thicker and rough texture (better), also they're in middle ground between dry and fresh pasta.
- Thicker cubes of guanciale will provide both crunchy and soft texture. Also, don't moisten it with water from pasta, just use (little) melted fat when whisking and then add the cooked guanciale when flavours have already mixed and all the starchy water has evaporated.
- Split Pecorino with some less salty Parmigiano ( 2/3 to 1/3 is better than half and half) or Grana Padano (which is even sweeter).
- I'm pretty sure that Luciano Monosilio uses liquid starch from previously cooked pasta, in order to make it extra-creamy.
Thank me later.
Thx mate. I’ve just discovered two new pasta varieties I’ve not known before
I prefer to make my carbonara using 50:50 pecorino and Parmigiano. I learned that from Antonio Carluccio. I just wish gianciale was easier to get in UK so i could do it properly.
Love Tonnarelli! Will try the other you mentioned. Alex has experimented with previously cooked pasta water. At home I save my pasta water to re-use. And I try to only put enough water to cook the pasta so that the leftover is more concentrated.
And use a Bain Marie for the egg yolk and pecorino emulsion if you are a home cook
Great advices. Maybe we can also recomand to be carefull on the mix of red part of egg and cheese to get the right creamy texture avoiding the too much liquid issue and if some piece of guanciale are took of the pen and dried instead to be immediately mixed with pasta they remain even more crunchy, and also maybe not mix in the pen because if is hot it can cook the egg...
I've never actually thought about this but it makes sense. Dried vs fresh pasta and their use cases.
i'm italian. i enjoy very much cooking at home but obviusly i'm not an expert. But because of this I love all of your videos, and it's lovely to receive all this love for italian cuisine and culture. Keep it up in everything you do, you're very talented.
I've been learning a bit about italian cuisine this past year. And a lot of what I went through is in that video. I'm definitely excited for this series!
Your style in editing short-form documentaries is masterful. I love watching your videos for way more reasons than the failed recipes. Thank you!
the cross over episode I didn't know I needed. I love Italy Squisita one of the best channels for amateur chefs like me to get inspired and to raise our game.
Your is one of the best channels on YT about the kitchen. When you are on hunting mode, is something special, to find the best possible solution in making any traditional dishes, cooking methods, or making your own cooking instruments, from Japan to Italy, and considering that you are not a professional figure (I mean that you don't have a restaurant to run), it's really remarkable to see the results that you have reach, juggling between the kitchen and the camera, and keep your video always funny and easy to understand. Thanks again
One of my favorite dishes, from one of my favorite youtubers. This series is gonna be amazing!
I'd never thought I would give a like to a FRENCHGUY whatsoever, but you made me do it!!! First of all, because I follow ThisOldTony since years now, so we have him in common! Secondly because you had the right approach to research the pasta issue. You will succeed with Carbonara using dry pasta because (if made of semolina from a good wheat) will release starch that will naturally make that creamy effect that is required. Furthermore, the slightly coarse surface of the pasta (brass extruded) will catch that starch based cream and keep it wonderfully attached. Only one thing, take off the guanciale after all its fat has melted, you want to add it at the end. See what the Roman super chef has to say about it, looking forward to watch you soon!
As a side note: the "butter" magnets on your fridge remind me that today, while improving my French in a well-known language-learning app (not Lingoda though), I got to translate "Tout est meilleur avec du beurre". They truly know what they are talking about.
Duolingo
What a great introduction to a new series! Looking forward to seeing how this goes. i love your adventures and your passion not just for food, but for enjoying food and making it an adventure 😀
dried pasta is one of the things I've been trying to learn but couldn't find any good content about. I'm really looking forward to this video!
I've been making fresh pasta in a high-end Italian restaurant for several years now. For a more durable, elastic product there are a few tricks. In order to maximize protein availability for greater gluten development, I use a blend of about 30% finely milled semolina flour and 70% high protein double 0. When rolling the pasta, it is important to fold the pasta lengthwise several times, reinforcing gluten development and alignment in that direction. I usually fold it in half twice and in thirds once.
Alleluia. Finally someone that understand the importance of pasta. And dried semolina flour pasta is the Pasta. And in Italy dried pasta is mastered especially in Gragnano. Maybe a tip if you would like to master your pasta skills is to have a look around over there. Well done mate, I love your series.
Finalmente! Let's hope this series teaches a lesson to people that think that fresh pasta is better just because you make it from scratch. A lot of american restaurant and influencer like *coff digiovanni coff* keeps making fresh pasta even when it doen't really add anything, spreading the idea that the only good pasta is fresh one.
Absolutely correct, some of the best dried pasta is found in the south of Italy in gragnano and also the puglia region where brands like Benedetto Cavalieri produce theirs.
The editing of your videos is absolutely masterful! I love the rythm and musicality and the playful jump cuts that add humour and help to emphasize a point or a mood.
Oh, and the food looks great too! :-)
Alex: try making your fresh pasta with semolina (not for carbonara, just for fun) try 50:50 with flour all they way up to 100% semolina, with or without eggs. Different taste and texture. Buon viaggio!
Last time I was in Italy fresh 80+% semolina & water pasta was basically the standard in Rome and points south. Also getting real Italian grown Semolina is almost impossible if you are outside of Italy. Most Duram wheat is from Canada (even if it says made in Italy).
Experimenting? Why would Alex pass an opportunity to fly somewhere lol
Yeah That's how I make pasta: 50% semolina 50% flour and with 1/3 egg, 1/3 olive oil, 1/3 water...
I used to be a person that had follow recipes to the letter whenever I was cooking. Carbonara was the first dish that forced me out of my comfort zone in order to figure out the right balance of pasta water (as much white foamy gluten as possible) and heating up all the mixed ingredients without overheating (a prayer for all the scrambled spaghetti dishes of the world) and getting the whole thing to emulsify beautifully. After many tries I found you can do this reliably by allowing pasta to cool down right after boiling and then mix in the saucepan which you remove from the heat a while before. Then you can always go back to the fire if needed while removing gently the mix, the sound is the best cue to know when it's right. Make sure it's creamy and not watery. That's all, thank you Italy for this gift to all of us
That pasta machine is awesome. It's what brought me to your channel in the first place! I watched This Old Tony's video on it and then watched your video when you received it. I've been here ever since :)
You man are so passionate. For a guy who is not italian it's really difficult to understand the world of pasta. I, as an italian, have the privilege to know everything about it and sometimes we take it from granted. But you have been studying for so long and you are learning so many things: excellent work. You now know that fresh pasta and dry pasta are different: no one is superior to the other, but we just use one for some recipes and the other for some other recipes. Let me give you a tip: next time you will do fresh pasta use an extra egg (ex. 300 gr flour and 4 eggs) and you will see that it will be incredibly stretchy!
As you started making the pasta all’uovo for the carbonara, all I could think was “Why is he bothering with fresh pasta for carbonara? It’s always made with simple spaghetti, dried pasta, no eggs.”
And then there he goes, right down the path of realization.
Growing up in an Italian household, one acquires a knowledge of what sauces go with what pasta. You were not lucky enough to grow up that way, but you are learning now, which is così importante!
Do you really think a guy with a long time cooking channel wasn’t aware not to use fresh egg pasta with eggy carbonara? Or in the very unlikely event he didn’t that someone whose channel is all about research couldn’t take 5 minutes to Google and learn that it’s made using dried pasta? It’s his “hook” to begin a new series about a topic that is done to death already. It’s also intellectually dishonest. Or he could have been ignorant and lazy.
@@frankfurter7260 yep it's wasting everyone's time and caters more to TH-cam viewers (kids?) that don't really cook, improvise, experiment, and adapt in the kitchen themselves
Hands down the best food channel on TH-cam! Alex! This American loves you! All the best!
Hi Alex!
I’ve stumbled upon the same problem you had with fresh and dried pasta. I once tried preparing pasta dough with semolina flour and eggs and for me this is the best texture I’ve gotten. Maybe you can try it sometime in your upcoming series. (I’m already excited for the pasta journey)
Alex, I don't mean to take away from the carbonara experience, but using the roll of painter's tape as your phone stand @12:15 is a game changer for me. I love painters tape and will forever be using it the same way from now on. Merci beaucoup
This really explains a lot, I've had fresh pasta a few times and it's always been interchanged for dry pasta in a recipe. A big deal was made about using fresh pasta (we getting fancy!) but I didn't really care for fresh spaghetti, I really would have preferred dry and now I understand why, they aren't the same thing and are not interchangeable. Can't wait to watch this series
I feel so Italian (and indeed I am) by looking at the way you did make the Carbonara... and I was like "oh... not the fresh pasta... not the eggs one, texture won't be good! you need it to be "al dente", you don't need elasticity!"... "the guanciale cannot be" "yes! cause it's the pasta!" "the pecorino cannot be" "Yes! cause it's the pasta!" "the sauce cannot be" "YES! CAUSE IT'S THE PASTA!" "maybe... it could be..." "oh... yes... yes... go on... say it!"
I love you Alex for how you "tackle" the way you perceive the food, you challenge yourself beyond to discover more and more and explain it so wonderfully
It's been a couple of years that I discoverd De Cecco, probably the most premium readily available dried pasta over here. It's a bit more expensive than the cheapo-pasta you can find everywhere but it's insane. The pasta is made using bronze molds so you get these minor imperfections that can only be achieved using bronze and those imperfections helps the sauce to stick to the pasta.
Also, I was kind of confused when you started making egg pasta for your carbonara 😅
Why they do not make teflon molds with those imperfections?
egg pasta with egg sauce must have been extremely filling. like eating a pack of eggs in one sitting.
I recommend La Molisana as well
@@MatteoBiagiotti probably no point in it. I'm not entirely sure about this, but I think part of the reason teflon-cut pasta is cheaper is that teflon "dies" operate quicker. It's not just that the dies themselves are cheaper.
Making teflon dies with identical surface to bronze would probably be more expensive than just making bronze ones, and using them would also slow down the pasta production process.
de cecco is almost a cheap brand here in italy, but nothing beats barilla in terms of low cost pasta
I love the way you collaborate with so many wonderful people. I love learning along with you.
I had the same issue just 2 days ago and thought this dish would be a perfect thing to master for you. I will join you in your journey! The good thing is that no matter if the dish turned out perfect or not, the "accidents" are still delicious 😎
Pourquoi je ne me lasse pas de voir et revoir chacune de tes vidéos ? 1 mot, QUALITÉ, qui se décline dans le contenu, le suspens, l'humour, l'image, le montage, le son et la musique. Quel bonheur de te voir monter si haut. Travail. De. Pro. Et paf.
As someone with Sicilian ancestors, I'm so excited to see Alex do a series with semolina front and center
I’ve just found this channel, I cannot get enough of this content! Hello from 🇬🇧!
I'm imagining fellow Italians looking at the screen thinking to themselves "carbonara done with fresh egg pasta is wrong!". I did the same, but then I asked myself "do I really know why it is wrong? How could a foreigner know?". I feel that some of our culinary culture is so embedded in our brains (heart and stomach as well) that it's difficult to see our world from someone else's perspective. Sometimes we really think it should be done like that because it's as natural as walking. I am really curious to see what you come up with, Alex, you never cease to entertain! Ciao
I've never thought about it, I just always thought fresh pasta is fancy and only had it like 2-3 times.
there are correct things you know to be correct, but you don't know why. that is almost as bad as being incorrect. always strive to answer: why?
The editing choices here make a whole lot more sense now that I'm rewatching again after the newer episodes.
8:47 Although dry pasta is usually made of durum wheat and not much else. Fresh pasta is nstead made with eggs and uses wheat - the "00" flour.
Fresh pasta made of just durum wheat and no eggs is well popular in the south, fresh pasta made with eggs and wheat flour was definitely born and more popular in the north.
My family which is from Puglia uses semola also for other varieties of fresh pasta including tagliatelle etc.
@@georgemullens I'm from Puglia too :)
Also a farmer. When it comes down to it, 'semola' is just another name for durum wheat flour 🤟
@@falkar Stima frate'
That quote from Shelock, amazing! This is a pleasure to watch. Can't wait to try some of these techniques!
My absolute favorite pasta for carbonara is bucatini, especially from a copper extrusion die. The external texture from the die and the central hole really holds onto the sauce well. Loving your journey; I can't wait for more!
I am planning this for a date and I cannot believe this video exists! I wanted to try and create the dish a couple times with fresh vs once with dried to see what I could serve at its pinnacle. This video saved me so much time oh my ~ You are a G!!!!!!
Personally, I like to separate the yolk from the white. I usually keep one yolk per person and half amount of the white (on 4 eggs I keep 4 yolks and 2 whites). I cover the yolk with pepper (there is never too much pepper), pecorino (never too much either I guess), and a bit of parmiggiano. Just before to serve it, I beat the yolk. Finally, I also beat the white to make it more creamy (almost "en neige"!) and I put it at the very end with the rest. I have been experimenting this recipe endlessly when living in Rome during my Erasmus. I didn't study much but cooked a lot.
Hello Alex ! Love your series ! Carbonara is traditionally made with dry pasta, spaghetti or bucatini . Every Italian family makes it to their particular taste , more or less pasta water to make it creamier. But the ingredients are the simpliest ! Guancciale ,Pecorino, eggs and black pepper . Only the best dry pasta makes a difference and al dente of course , something that is very difficult to get with fresh pasta . I love carbonara although I always feel guilty about the calories ! Regards from Argentina !
For next series you could do "Feijoada", it's a typical brazilian dish, that is so tasty and cheap that everyone loves! 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
Alex, your channel is one of the best on TH-cam! The quality is top notch! :)
Very interesting episode. Should I do a reaction video?
Yes!
Do it
No one gives a shit
@@kikk0r And yet, you commented...
I'm so glad you made this video! I was getting anoyed with friends bringing up the superiority of fresh pasta and I would try explaining the points you raised in this video, to no avail.
I pretty much always prefer dry pasta, even for dishes where "fresh is best". I don't like the texture of fresh.
Haven't watched the full video yet, but living in a country where temperature fluctuates a lot the most reliable method for carbonara I found was one showed by Luciano at a Italia squisita video.
You basically make sort of a eggs and cheese zambaione, and by cooking it in bain marie you can always be sure it is cooked all the way through and in the consistency you like.
I just love how everything you cook, you want to take it to the next level, and then a level above that, and you revere every dish.
I am so totally hoping that Alex makes his own pasta extrusion machine so he can make a proper pasta secca. 😁
I bet this old tony might be contacted 🤨
@@markohosio That would be awesome.
I agree on this! I've recently had an urge to get in that game...
La estrude con la forza delle mani
Alex, your channel and Italia Squisita are two of my favorites! My Parisienne wife has no idea lots of my ideas are from these two sources! I make my own pasta and add in some semolina for that bite. Looking forward to seeing what the Italian expert has to say.
I was so afraid Alex would say the problem is “the lack of cream” or something. Phew.
I knew there was going to be a twist, but I didn't expect this one! It makes a lot of sense when stated this way, that dried pasta can do things fresh pasta can't, and that different dishes favor different kinds of pasta. I mean the shape of pasta already has a big effect, the processing that lead to making the pasta should have been a little more obvious of a factor.
Looking forward to learning more about making dry pasta!
Oh yeah! I love "This old Tony" ! His humour is amazing. (and I'm sure 50% of the internet don't get it) Also, I have to say... Alex; your show has gotten really awesome over the years! It's one of the best thing around, keep it coming!
Yea he's great!
i make it the traditional way always, i had to use cheddar once at a pinch as i had nothing els to eat. and it worked really well
I’m so jealous of your Italian language skills 🙃 I’ve been learning it forever now and I’d just love to be be able to walk into an Italian cheese store and start talking Italian with the staff. Keep it up, great video. As a vegetarian I’m gonna leave out the meat though.
Love you from Italy. Your point of view is always refreshing to see!
J’étais justement en pleine période d’apprentissage de pates fraîche! Et étant donné que comparer au ragu alla bolognese, la carbonara ça prend 10 min et peu d’ingrédients, je me suis dis que j’allais en profiter… Et au final j’ai eu la même réflexion ! J’ai fais mes pâtes fraîches, c’était bon mais sans plus, et le lendemain j’en ai refait avec des spaghettis pâte sèche (la pâte pour les carbonara) et avec le guanciale, le parmesan et les bon œufs, une folie ! Je me demande même dans quelle recette les spaghettis pâtes fraîches sont mieux que les pâtes sèches
Depends what texture you're after really.
Fresh semolina pasta is a different thing again compared with fresh egg pasta or dried pasta. My own favourite is pasta Genovese made with fresh semolina linguine. Egg pasta I enjoy with mushrooms, olive oil, sage, and a little butter.
I'm just waiting for some Mussolini to be mad at you for using Parmesan instead of Peccorino
Les pâtes aux oeuf pour a la carbonara, ca fait oeuf sur oeuf... trop lourd. Elles se marient mieux avec une sauce a base végétale.
@@laurean5998 they won't it is an acceptable substitute cheese.
Juste une sauce tomate maison, très simple, ou un bouillon… il faut surtout éviter les sauces riches…
Love you you came up with this revelation.. and the 2 videos that proceeded this... can't wait till u get back to the studio and learn how to master your home made dried pasta!
It's actually very difficult to make the perfect pasta texture, especially with dishes which don't get a lot of texture by other ingredients!!
Small advice from a Roman: try also cooking guanciale a little more until a bit crunchy, to improve texture. You're on the right path with the pasta dough 😉🔥❤️
Edit: another thing came to my mind: you can try with tonnarelli instead of spaghetti/linguine! They are the typical pasta used for carbonara and cacio e pepe in Rome, they are thicker and more al dente
i think his methodology for the pasta dough is also not very good. kneading the dough once with all the proteins from the egg stresses the dough and makes it tough. he needs to let it rest for a bit and knead it again. also after he sheets the dough he needs to let it go through a "curing" process in order to get the right texture.
Hi Alex! Food geek from Sweden here that loves that you take on Carbonara. I have like you say "thought I knew this" for a long time, Carbonara is guanchale, egg, pecorino, black pepper and pasta water. But I recently found out that the original recipe is maybe not that at all.
What I can find with the research I've done the dish come from a italian chef cooking for American soldiers in 1944. With egg powder, bacon/panchetta, hard cheese and black pepper. So originally the carbonara i thought was authentic with guanchale is not authentic.
The "true carbonara" that people preach today with guanchale sounds like a mix between pasta alla gricia and carbonara.
I would love for you to look into this more, I love your videos and deep dives into subjects :)
Yeah this simple dish takes many years to master. One of the absolute hardest dishes to cook as a chef. Even with the right ingredients. Looking forward to the series 🙂
Simple dishes are the toughest to master.
Years?
I’m binge watching Italia Squisita and in the mean time Alex drops a new series on pasta carbonara. Merci 2022
As an italian, I’m satisfied with the result 🤣
Lol
We dont care at all
@@Matzes don't be salty
I love everything about this channel and one day I will fly to Paris and hopefully meet you! So impressive.
We need to show this to Vincenzo's Plate. Get him and Alex talking and helping to perfect this Carbonara
Lol Alex has more talent than some home cook like Vincenzo. TH-cam has made.people naive
@@iskillio Nah, It's all in good fun. besides you need a home chef to make good home made Carbonara.
That and I would like to see Vincenzo get a heart attack trying to see Alex make carbonara and the journey he goes through
Yes!!!! I love when you go on these deep dives!!!! ❤️
For those cooking along, give the pasta brand “De Cecco” a try.
much better than barilla
De Cecco is the best pasta I can find in the Netherlands.Brands like Barilla and Grand Italia just don't compare.
Yeah … many swear by it. I don’t like it, I find Del Cecco to be too heavy. Three tortillioni and you are full. Their quality is good, no doubt. I guess it’s just a matter of preference.
@@nathalieschumann8499 try Spaghetti or Linguine from De Cecco. Ciao
or even better, La Molisana
Alex your italian is improving! Keep up your great work and passion.
I think you're missing an important step you found out when you made cacio e pepe, which is the base of a good carbonara: the more starch you have, the better the sauce bonds water and fat. To me the best way to make carbonara is:
- crisp up the guanciale in the pan
- set it aside and preserve the fat in the pan, adding water and cooking pasta (dried pasta is better, you already have eggs in the sauce) directly in it as if you're making a risotto
- in the meanwhile prepare the "sauce": grated pecorino, egg yolk and pepper (you can add some guanciale fat if you want)
- when the pasta is al dente turn off the gas and toss it to cool it down a bit, otherwise the cheese will become stringy; make sure to leave it watery enough to help the sauce to bind
- once it's cooled down add your sauce and keep mixing and tossing until you reach the right consistency
Nice to see TOTs Pasta Machine back on the table again.
Would love to have one of those.
Really looking forward to your series. After the short series about tomatoes it is just the right one.
Why use pasta all'uovo with carbonara? Just dry pasta is good, better cutted with bronze and dried slowly so it releases more starch
Video production is amazing. Also, the topic is very interesting. Looking forward to the next next video!
This looks amazing, although I probably wouldn’t use egg pasta with an egg based sauce I feel it can be very heavy in that circumstance. Other than that it looks fantastic!
Edit: I didn’t watch the whole video before saying this so I see that he understands the problem XD. My bad I guess!
Love these series'. Like the sauce and the fried rice. The journey and time that it taken to perfect it is something I do love. I've been doing the something similar with brioche bread and pizza dough for my family, be it rolls or complete breads and pies but still trying to get the best combination.
Love to see you work on something I have spent years mastering.
I am excited for this series. Carbonara is a dish I am trying to perfect, its so simple to the casual observer but I find getting the eggs to not be over cooked (aka scrambled) to be a very difficult thing to master.
I have the opposite problem - it all cools down way too fast to do anything to the egg 😖 admittedly it’s bloody cold in the house (because how dare we actually put the heating on - so cold that cooking sets off the smoke detectors 😖😖😖). So yeah, short of putting it all back on the heat, I don’t know. Scrambled eggs would be a nice problem to have.
To avoid scrambiling of the eggs you want your cheese/egg mixture to be tempered and your pan to not be on heat anymore. You can temper the mixture by stirring in a ladle of the hot pasta water before transferring it all to the pan.
@@andreagriffiths3512 if your produce is too cold overall you might be set by simply using more heat in your pan, probably keeping it on a very low flame instead of off-heat should suffice. Good luck :)
I fucking love this channel. You’re as picky as i am. Im not a chef by any means, all my research and studies are from youtube specialist (You for french cuisine, Gordon for some nice scrambled eggs, our favorite uncle for egg fried rice, Vincenso’s for italian food).
My belly is so happy about this new series.
Cheers, from a fan from all the way down, Argentina!
This might be turn out to be my favourite series of yours. It’s my favourite dish.
Anxiety kicking hard on this series, want mooore, I have pasta restaurant in Brazil, love your channel man, keep up!!!
I learned to make this not so long ago and now it's my favorite dish.
My granny used to make dried pasta. Just very basic nudles, nothing fancy nor italian, but maaan it was so good! I miss her so much 🖤
I have no idea how long I follow your channel for. You inspired me to create my own food channel, thanks for the content and inspiration, Alex!
Dude, mind blown! I was always so scatter minded about the whole flour versus semolina thing when it came to pasta. I just never investigated it. I just accepted that I didn’t understand the difference and went about my day. Thank you Alex, thank you so much for being someone to realize that there was something going on that required questioning, investigating it, and then solving it. For us. We love you ❤️
100% correct!!!! Also a small point I have found is the shape of the pasta. Your fresh pasta was linguine and the dried, spaghetti. For Carbonara for some reason the shape of spaghetti is just perfect. Linguine a bit less perfect.
Great video amigo,
Gracias
Bonne année Alex !
Hâte de voir la suite de la série.
Un peu déçu que la série sur les dim sums ne se fasse pas... peut-être plus tard cette année ?
Dans tous les cas, merci pour tes vidéos passionantes.
Bon vent !
Really looking forward this new series!! Can’t find my home recipe 100% on point for cacio e pepe and carbonara. As always, great work Alex!
First time in a while I've been hyped for one of your series. Let's go!
Great Video! Pasta is my most favorite food on earth. I can watch video after video of people cooking pasta dishes …and I do.
Oh man this ia going to be a heavy-hitting and exciting series. You got another man up there to teach you and we are here for it.
I love these series you do especially with the deep drives.