Scientists Crack the Code of the Perfect Cacio e Pepe

A team of scientists delved into the culinary arts, specifically the classic Italian dish Cacio e Pepe, to uncover the secrets behind its perfect creamy texture. Their research revealed starch concentration as the key factor influencing sauce stability. Starch levels below 1% (relative to cheese mass) lead to clumping, a phenomenon dubbed the "Mozzarella Phase," resulting in a separated and unpleasant sauce. The study also explored the impact of cheese-to-water ratios at a fixed starch level, observing a lower critical solution temperature and developing a minimal effective free-energy model to explain it. Ultimately, they presented a scientifically optimized recipe guaranteeing consistently flawless Cacio e Pepe.