Phase behavior of Cacio e Pepe sauce

Datum

29.09.2025

Zeit

16:30 - 18:30

Sprecher

Ivan di Terlizzi, Matteo Ciarchi, Vincenzo Maria Schimmenti

Zugehörigkeit

MPIPKS

Serie

MPI-PKS Kolloquium

Sprache

en

Hauptthema

Physik

Andere Themen

Physik

Beschreibung

Pasta alla Cacio e Pepe is a beloved Italian classic, known for its simple yet iconic combination of pasta, pecorino cheese, and pepper. However, despite its minimal ingredient list, achieving the perfect creamy sauce remains a culinary challenge. In this talk, we delve into the science of Cacio e Pepe, exploring the phase behavior of the sauce with varying proportions of cheese, water, and starch. Our findings highlight starch concentration as a critical factor for sauce stability. Specifically, we identify a threshold below which starch concentrations (less than 1\% relative to cheese mass) result in system-wide clumping, a condition we term the "Mozzarella Phase", characterized by an undesirable, separated texture. Additionally, we explore how cheese-to-water ratios at a fixed starch level affect stability, revealing a lower critical solution temperature that we rationalize using a simplified free-energy model. To make these insights actionable, we'll share some practical tips drawn from our study to help consistently achieve a perfectly creamy and stable sauce.

Letztmalig verändert: 20.09.2025, 07:37:58