4 common mistakes when making carbonara
Carbonara: simple, quick, and deceptively difficult. Because how can a dish with just four ingredients go wrong so often? Well, that’s the sneaky thing about this Italian classic. Eggs, cheese, bacon, and black pepper – that’s all you need. But be careful: before you know it, you’ll be sitting with a plate of dry spaghetti or a pan full of scrambled eggs. Do you want to make perfect carbonara every time? Then avoid these four common mistakes.
Look, carbonara isn’t difficult, but you do need to know what you’re doing. With these tips, you’ll have a creamy sauce that every Italian will approve of from now on – without lumps, without scrambled eggs.
Use eggs at room temperature
Do you always store your eggs in the fridge? Then take them out of the fridge half an hour beforehand. Cold eggs can cause lumps. Goodbye, silky sauce.
Mix well
The egg yolk provides the creamy and decadent texture of the sauce. Make sure the yolks are thoroughly beaten into the egg whites before adding the Parmesan cheese. This way, you’ll get a smooth sauce without pieces of set egg white in it. A whisk works better for this than a fork.
Turn off the heat
This is where most people go wrong. The most important thing is to remove the pan from the heat before adding the egg mixture. Don’t just turn off the heat; remove the pan from the burner as well. It may still be hot and cause you to end up with scrambled eggs. The heat from the pasta is enough and ensures that the egg cooks and turns into a beautiful sauce.
Add the egg
Has your pasta already cooled down? Then you’ll end up with raw egg. Not tasty. So drain the pasta and immediately add it to your fried bacon (pancetta guanciale). Then pour the egg mixture over it gradually while stirring, so the sauce adheres nicely to the pasta and cooks. If desired, season with black pepper (this is the difference from white pepper) and all that’s left is to add a good glass of wine and you’re ready to eat. Buon appetito!
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