Spaghetti alla carbonara

The steps

1. 01Put the water on

   waiting · 10min · minutes 0–10

   Big pot, plenty of water, lid on.

   • A litre of water for every hundred grams of pasta.
   • Don't salt it yet: salted water takes longer to come to the boil.
   • The lid halves the time.

   IT’S READY WHEN A rolling boil that moves the whole surface, not little bubbles at the edges.

2. 02Cut the guanciale

   hands-on · 5min · minutes 0–5

   Strips half a centimetre thick.

   • Remove the rind but don't throw it away: whole in the pan, it perfumes the fat.
   • Thick, not thin: they need to stay soft inside and crisp outside.
   • Guanciale, not pancetta: it's fattier, and that fat is half the sauce.
   • It looks like a lot because it is: it loses nearly half its weight as it renders.

   IT’S READY WHEN Every piece the same size, so they cook evenly.

3. 03Mix yolks and pecorino

   hands-on · 4min · minutes 5–9

   Yolks, finely grated pecorino, freshly ground pepper.

   • One yolk per person plus one: that last one belongs to the pan.
   • Yolks only. The white is water and proteins that scramble sooner.
   • Grate it as finely as you can or the cream stays grainy.
   • The egg stays nearly raw: use pasteurised eggs for children, the elderly, or during pregnancy.

   IT’S READY WHEN A thick cream that coats the back of the spoon.

4. 04Cook the pasta

   waiting · 9min · minutes 10–19

   Salt the water, drop the pasta, set aside a ladle of the cooking water.

   • Go light on the salt: pecorino and guanciale are salty enough already.
   • Set the cooking water aside before you drain. Always.
   • Drain a minute before the time on the packet: it finishes in the cream.

   IT’S READY WHEN Properly al dente: bite a strand and the core is still pale.

5. 05Crisp the guanciale

   watching · 8min · minutes 11–19

   Cold pan, medium-low heat, no added fat.

   • Start with a cold pan: the fat renders instead of burning.
   • No oil — the guanciale releases its own, and that's what you'll need later.
   • If it sizzles hard, turn the heat down right away.

   IT’S READY WHEN Clear fat and amber edges. If they turn brown you've gone too far.

6. 06Mantecatura

   hands-on · 3min · tricky · minutes 19–22

   Heat off. Pasta into the guanciale first, then the cream with the pan off the hob.

   • The yolk starts to set at 63 °C and is solid at 70 °C: below 65 °C the cream won't scramble, but the egg stays nearly raw.
   • Move the pan off the heat and wait for the sizzling to stop.
   • If you're afraid of blowing it, tip everything into a steel bowl: there's no heat underneath.
   • Cooking water a little at a time, until it turns glossy.
   • Toss the pasta by moving the pan, don't stir with a spoon.

   IT’S READY WHEN Cream that slides across the plate. If it dries out, more cooking water.