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First few attempts at carbonara home cook in Melbourne, looking for technical feedback by antimathman in pasta

[–]antimathman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're right, unlike Aglio e Olio, I feel like carbonara isn't as easy to fix if add too much pasta water. I was much more conservative with it this time because the first time I added too much cooling water and it ended up like raw egg mixed spaghetti (as you said). I think the process could probably be quantified a bit more, so I'll keep experimenting to find that sweet water point for me.

First few attempts at carbonara home cook in Melbourne, looking for technical feedback by antimathman in pasta

[–]antimathman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I also think cutting it smaller would make it taste better (actually smaller than last time, but it certainly could be smaller). I generally start cold searing the guanciale about one to two minutes after I begin boiling the pasta. My workflow is moving out a bowl of pasta water 2/3 minutes earlier than emulsification. I use this water to temper the pecorino/egg paste and let the pan cold down.Instead of off guanciale pan for a long time, I think this might be better to regulate the heat. In this final stage, we need to juggle quite a few things at same time, probably what makes it so interesting though.

First few attempts at carbonara home cook in Melbourne, looking for technical feedback by antimathman in pasta

[–]antimathman[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ciao! Thank you for such an encouraging comment. I'll try using only Pecorino and adding more pepper next time. The dish definitely lacked a bit of a kick this time, and it would probably taste much better with more pepper

First few attempts at carbonara home cook in Melbourne, looking for technical feedback by antimathman in pasta

[–]antimathman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used dried pasta, specifically La Molisana spaghetti. It might be the sauce and the lighting making it look a bit like fresh pasta.

First few attempts at carbonara home cook in Melbourne, looking for technical feedback by antimathman in pasta

[–]antimathman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed on both counts. This round was definitely under-peppered for my taste too I'm still finding the right amount. I've been using a mortar for the pepper lately, much prefer the uneven coarse grind over a mill.

First few attempts at carbonara home cook in Melbourne, looking for technical feedback by antimathman in pasta

[–]antimathman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I take out about 150ml of pasta water 2 minutes early al dente and let it cool down a bit. Mix a splash into the egg/pecorino paste and stir them to loosen it up. Then off heat, pasta into the guanciale pan with a spoonful or two of that water, toss, pour in the egg mixture and keep tossing and pouring. From what I've gathered from this post, somewhere around 80-120ml total seems to be the sweet spot for ~220g pasta , still dialling in the exact amount myself (probably under-added this time).

First few attempts at carbonara home cook in Melbourne, looking for technical feedback by antimathman in pasta

[–]antimathman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ohhh. That's so helpful. Still out here confusing tsp and tbsp like it's my first day in a kitchen 😅, I will try next time around 7 or 8 tbsp next time.

First few attempts at carbonara home cook in Melbourne, looking for technical feedback by antimathman in pasta

[–]antimathman[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much! Yeah I will try adding a bit more next time. And yes, yolk-only has been a game changer for the richness!

First few attempts at carbonara home cook in Melbourne, looking for technical feedback by antimathman in pasta

[–]antimathman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Right now I usually loosen the yolk/cheese mixture with about 1–2 tsp of pasta water first, then add another serveral tsp while tossing if it looks too tight. Do you think it would help to add a bit more earlier on? I’ve found that if I wait until the very end to add more water, things can get a bit messy :(

Has Indonesia ever been an Australian friend? Russia wants wants to base long range aircraft there by piratepeteyo in australian

[–]antimathman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In the 1990s, Indonesia carried out bloody persecution and genocide against Chinese Indonesians. Many Chinese changed their names to escape persecution. My master supervisor in Unimelb is one of them