Carbonara
Egg yolks, pork fat, cheese, pepper. NO CREAM.
20 min active, minimal dishes
Timing: 20 mins
Carbonara
Egg yolks, pork fat, cheese, pepper. NO CREAM.
20 min active, minimal dishes
Timing: 20 mins
Key move
Temper the egg-and-cheese mixture with hot pasta water, then toss it with the pasta off the burner so the sauce turns glossy instead of scrambling. Carbonara gets its creaminess from starch, rendered guanciale fat, and agitation, not added cream.
Cook mode keeps your place
Larger text, ingredients in reach, and saved step progress while you cook.
The Setup
- Stockpot8+ qt
- Skillet12-inch
- Mixing Bowl
- Tongs
- Microplane/Zester
The Mise en Place
4Your prep station before cooking begins
The Protein (0/2)
The Pantry (0/1)
Other (0/1)
My sauce has little bits of cooked egg in it, like scrambled eggs.
Ah, that means the pan was a bit too hot when you added the eggs.
My sauce is too thin and runny, it's not coating the pasta.
If the sauce is too thin, it just means it needs a little more coaxing to emulsify.
Chef's Notes
Reserve pasta water! The starchy water emulsifies the sauce, making it creamy without adding cream.
Temper the eggs by whisking them with a little hot pasta water before adding to the pan to prevent scrambling.
Serve immediately with a generous sprinkle of Pecorino Romano and freshly cracked black pepper.
The Method
RENDER
Start guanciale (150 g) (150g) in a cold pan. COOK over medium heat until crispy and fat is liquid gold. Remove meat, keep the fat.
Burnt fat: If the fat turns brown instead of clear gold, the heat is too high and will impart a bitter flavor.
Guanciale is crispy and fat has rendered.
TEMPER
In a bowl, WHISK eggs, cheese, and pepper into a thick paste. ADD a ladle of hot pasta water to the egg mixture while whisking.
Scrambled eggs: Adding pasta water too quickly will cook the eggs instantly, resulting in lumps rather than a smooth sauce.
Egg and cheese mixture is a thick, smooth paste.
TOSS (Off Heat)
Time-sensitiveDRAG cooked pasta into the pork fat pan. KILL THE HEAT.
Residual burner heat: If using an electric stove, move the pan to a cold burner immediately to prevent the bottom from scrambling the eggs.
Pasta is in the pan with rendered fat, and the heat is off.
EMULSIFY
Time-sensitivePOUR the egg mixture over the pasta. TOSS violently. The residual heat cooks the eggs into a creamy sauce.
Egg scrambling: If the sauce looks like curds instead of cream, the pan was too hot. Keep tossing vigorously to break up any coagulation.
Sauce should coat the pasta like heavy paint. If it's too thick, add more water.
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