Fettuccine Alfredo

Let's cook

1. 1

   Use less water

   Cook the pasta in a wide pan with just enough water to cover, so the water becomes very starchy. That starch is what emulsifies the sauce.

   💡

   Starchy pasta water is doing the job cream usually does. Do not use a big stockpot.

2. 2

   Grate the parmesan finely

   Grate it as finely as possible and let it come to room temperature. Cold, coarse cheese seizes into strings.

3. 3

   Warm the serving bowl

   Warm a large bowl with some of the pasta water and tip it out. A cold bowl makes the butter set instantly.

4. 4

   Toss butter and pasta first

   Drain the pasta a minute early and toss it in the warm bowl with the butter and a ladle of pasta water until the butter melts and coats.

5. 5

   Add cheese off the heat, in stages

   Add the parmesan in three handfuls, tossing hard and adding pasta water as needed, until a glossy sauce forms.

   💡

   Off the heat, in stages, tossing constantly. Dumping it all in at once gives you a stringy clump.

6. 6

   Serve immediately

   Finish with black pepper and serve at once — it stiffens as it cools.

Nutrition & Safety