Literally every video on YouTube displays piss-poor technique, evidenced by the oil slick on the spaghetti. That's my problem as well -- properly incorporating the oil in the spaghetti so you don't get that oil slick, but without using butter and the like. Im looking for feedback from those who know better than I do...
I use about 1/2 cup of EVOO, 3 garlic cloves, and chilli peppers. I let the oil warm up very slowly, then add the finely sliced (or chopped) garlic and chilli flakes. I cook until it develops just a bit of colour, and then add some of the starchy pasta water to stop the cooking (half a ladle or so). I cook the spaghetti (1/2 box) until it's al-dente, then add it to the saucepan with the oil/pasta water. I turn the heat up to medium, stir it around for about 60 seconds (trying to bring out the starch), yet I still get an oil slick and not a creamy sauce. I add the cheese and parsley afterwards, but it's still too oily for my liking.
What could be causing this? I've tried varying the technique, but the outcome is always the same. I've tried adding the pasta 1 minute before al-dente, but that didn't seem to work. I tried more and less of the pasta water, with the same results. I'm thoroughly stumped because I've made this dish about 20+ times and nailed it only once. ONCE!
I have a crappy coil electric stove, so temperature control is challenging to say the least. Could that be the problem? My standards are quite high because I had an Italian grandmother as a babysitter growing up -- I know what this should taste like.
Aside:
I typically add a bit of goat cheese and toasted walnuts to offset the oily sauce (sacrilege, I know), but this is a workaround and not a solution. In my experience, the thin spaghetti works best with oil-based sauces, but I'm still not quite there. Any tips or tricks? Or is perfecting agilo e olio like finding the perfect knife? :scratchhead:
I use about 1/2 cup of EVOO, 3 garlic cloves, and chilli peppers. I let the oil warm up very slowly, then add the finely sliced (or chopped) garlic and chilli flakes. I cook until it develops just a bit of colour, and then add some of the starchy pasta water to stop the cooking (half a ladle or so). I cook the spaghetti (1/2 box) until it's al-dente, then add it to the saucepan with the oil/pasta water. I turn the heat up to medium, stir it around for about 60 seconds (trying to bring out the starch), yet I still get an oil slick and not a creamy sauce. I add the cheese and parsley afterwards, but it's still too oily for my liking.
What could be causing this? I've tried varying the technique, but the outcome is always the same. I've tried adding the pasta 1 minute before al-dente, but that didn't seem to work. I tried more and less of the pasta water, with the same results. I'm thoroughly stumped because I've made this dish about 20+ times and nailed it only once. ONCE!
I have a crappy coil electric stove, so temperature control is challenging to say the least. Could that be the problem? My standards are quite high because I had an Italian grandmother as a babysitter growing up -- I know what this should taste like.
Aside:
I typically add a bit of goat cheese and toasted walnuts to offset the oily sauce (sacrilege, I know), but this is a workaround and not a solution. In my experience, the thin spaghetti works best with oil-based sauces, but I'm still not quite there. Any tips or tricks? Or is perfecting agilo e olio like finding the perfect knife? :scratchhead: