How to Make Fettuccine Alfredo

Fettuccine alfredo is a wonderful Italian comfort-food staple that actually originated in early twentieth-century America. There are 2 main variations of the sauce: the more modern cream based sauce (which is more common in the United States) or the classic butter-based sauce. Both options make for lovely, hearty dishes that make for an excellent occasional dinner treat.

[Edit]Ingredients

[Edit]Pasta

• of fettuccine
• 50 g (1/4 cup) Kosher salt

Yields 4 servings.

[Edit]Butter Sauce

• of pasta water
• 57 g (1/4 cup) of butter
• 75 g (3/4 cup) of grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
• Kosher salt (to season)
• Pepper (to season)

Yields 4 servings.

[Edit]Cream Sauce

• 236.59 mL (2 c) of heavy cream
• 55 g (1/4 c) of onion, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic
• A pinch of nutmeg
• 2 egg yolks
• 50 g (1/2 c) of shredded parmesan cheese
• 50 g (1/2 c) of shredded romano cheese
• 113 g (1/2 c) of unsalted butter
• Chopped parsley to garnish

Yields sauce for 16 oz (1 lb) of pasta.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Cooking the Pasta Al Dente

1. Buy authentic fettuccine pasta. Fettuccine pasta comes in narrow ribbons and is made from egg and flour. Look for pasta that has a slightly textured surface, as this will make it easier for the sauce to stick to the pasta.^[1]
   
2. Bring a 5.678 L (6 qt) pot of salty water to a boil. Fill the pot 3/4 of the way full with water. Add at least 50 g (1/4 cup) of Kosher salt to your water. This will season the pasta itself.
   
   
   • Kosher salt has larger crystals than typical iodized salt and typically is better at enhancing flavor.^[2]
   • A large pot is preferred because you don’t want your noodles to be crowded. This can prevent you from achieving the right pasta texture.^[3]
3. Add the fettuccine and cook it for about 8 minutes. Stir the pasta a few times right after it goes in to prevent it from sticking to itself or to the pot.^[4]
   
   • Don’t add butter or any kind of oil to the pasta water while you are cooking it, because that would seal the porous surface of the pasta and prevent it from taking in the salt.^[5]
4. Taste a noodle after 8 minutes have passed to check if it’s al dente. Al dente pasta is more firm and slightly undercooked, so you spend more time chewing it and taste the flavors more.^[6] If the pasta is still too hard, give it up to an extra 2 minutes.
   
   • Be careful when you’re tasting the pasta, as the water will be very hot.
5. Drain your pasta and save of pasta water. Drain the pasta in the sink using a colander. If you are making butter sauce, you will want to save of pasta water, because pasta water is a key ingredient in the sauce.
   

[Edit]Making the Butter Sauce

1. Pour of pasta water into a saucepan. Save the other half of the pasta water for adjusting the consistency of the sauce later.^[7] Keep the saucepan on medium heat.
   
   
2. Slice butter into pieces and whisk them into the pasta water. Add the pieces of butter one at a time, letting them melt completely before adding the next one. Let the butter melt completely so that the cheese will not clump up in the mixture.^[8]
   
   
3. Add 75 g (3/4 cup) of grated parmigiano reggiano cheese. Add the cheese in parts — not all at once — and make sure that each part has melted completely before adding another. Whisk the sauce constantly.^[9]
   
   
   • If you can avoid it, try not to buy grated parmesan cheese. Purchase a block of fresh parmigiano reggiano cheese (which will be more expensive than plain parmesan) and grate it yourself. Cheese labeled as “parmesan” is typically an imitation product.^[10]
   • A food processor is the best option for getting really finely-grated parmigiano reggiano.
4. Place the cooked pasta into the sauce and toss it to coat it. Toss the pasta in the sauce by moving the saucepan back and forth on the burner and simultaneously rearranging the pasta with tongs. The sauce should completely cover the noodles like a blanket, and it should be creamier and stickier than it was before.^[11]
   
   
   • Use your additional pasta water to thin the sauce and prevent the pasta from sticking to the pan, if need be. You don’t have to use up all of it, but just use your best judgment to achieve the consistency that you want.
5. Season with pinches of salt, pepper, and parmigiano reggiano cheese. The dish only needs a little bit more of sauce, and slightly more pepper. Taste it to ensure that it’s seasoned properly. Garnish it with more cheese, and it’s good to go!^[12]
   
   
   • Fettuccine alfredo tastes best when it’s fresh, but it can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or plastic bag for 3-5 days.^[13]

[Edit]Cooking the Cream Sauce

1. Coat the bottom of a large saucepan in olive oil. The amount of olive oil that you will need will depend on the size of your saucepan, but aim to completely cover the entire bottom of the pan.^[14]
   
   
2. Add minced garlic and onion to the oil, and cook on low heat. Stir the onion and garlic pieces so that they are coated in the oil. Cook the pieces until they are soft. Test their softness by pressing down on them with your spoon. They should be pretty mushy, and the garlic should be browned.^[15]
   
   
   • Make sure that the onion and the garlic are minced very finely, because you wouldn’t want to bite into a big chunk of onion or garlic in your pasta. Stir the pieces so they are coated in the oil.^[16]
3. Add 113 g (1/2 c) of unsalted butter, cubed. Cut the butter up into smaller, equally-sized cubes (It matters less what size they are, and more that they are all the same size). Place it in the oil and stir it as it melts.
   
   
   • Unsalted butter is best because it helps you control the level of salt in your dish. Many of your other ingredients will have salt in them too!^[17]
4. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste when the butter melts. Add about 2 g (1/2 tsp) of salt and pepper each once the butter has melted completely. Then sprinkle in a pinch of nutmeg across the pan, spreading it as evenly as possible. Mix with your spoon.^[18]
   
   
   • Use fresh pepper, if possible.
   • The nutmeg will work to bring out the flavors of the cheeses when you add them.^[19]
5. Stir in of white wine. The wine will help enhance the other flavors in the dish. Because it has a low boiling point, the wine will start to bubble and burn off. This is normal!^[20]
   
   
   • Make sure the alcohol is completely burned off — meaning that it stops bubbling — before proceeding to the next step. This is because alcohol easily curdles cream.
6. Pour in 236.59 mL (2 c) of heavy cream and gently stir. Pour it very slowly and stir it to incorporate it into the mixture. When the sauce starts to bubble, that means it’s thickening. Gently scrape your spoon along the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking.
   
   
7. Whisk the egg yolks with a fork and stir it into the cream. Stir the liquefied yolks into the cream as you slowly drizzle them in. This prevents them from curdling. The yolks will help to thicken the sauce.^[21] At this point, it should smell really good!
   
   
8. Add 50 g (1/2 c) of parmesan cheese and 50 g (1/2 c) of romano cheese. Stir to incorporate the cheese. Let it cook until the cheese liquefies and loses its shape.^[22]
   
   
   • If the sauce is too thick for you, add of pasta water, which has a lot of starch and flavor from the fettuccine.
9. Stir the fettuccine into the sauce quickly. Once the cheese has completely melted, quickly incorporate the fettuccine. Stir it as you add it to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.^[23]
   
   
10. Garnish the dish with shredded cheese and chopped parsley. Sprinkle parsley and cheese on the top. The parsley will help to give it a nice, citrus flavor.^[24] Repeat this on each individual serving plate as well.
    
    • This pasta is best served immediately after cooking. The sauces are weak emulsions, meaning that they will start to fracture after too long.^[25]
    • If you do store your fettuccine alfredo, keep it in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.

[Edit]Video

[Edit]Tips

• For an even simpler sauce, try making alfredo sauce with cream cheese instead of heavy cream.

[Edit]Warnings

• This is not a healthy dish by any means. It’s okay to make it once in a while as a special treat, but it’s very heavy and high in calories.
• If you go to reheat fettuccine alfredo leftovers, but you find that it has a strange odor, flavor, or texture, discard it.^[26]

[Edit]Things You’ll Need

• 5.678 L (6 qt) pot
• Colander
• Liquid measuring cup
• Whisk
• Large saucepan
• Grater
• Butter knife
• Wooden spoon

[Edit]References

[Edit]Quick Summary

1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zejU2yPr8&feature=youtu.be&t=5m57s
2. ↑ https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-is-kosher-salt
3. ↑ http://www.oprah.com/food/how-to-cook-pasta-al-dente
4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB6ZCkvg39k&feature=youtu.be&t=1m18s
5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zejU2yPr8&feature=youtu.be&t=6m47s
6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpf-MvnxpWs&feature=youtu.be&t=1m11s
7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB6ZCkvg39k&feature=youtu.be&t=2m6s
8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB6ZCkvg39k&feature=youtu.be&t=2m16s
9. ↑ https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/fettuccine-alfredo
10. ↑ http://www.melaniecooks.com/difference-between-parmesan-cheese-and-parmigiano-reggiano/3268/
11. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB6ZCkvg39k&feature=youtu.be&t=3m46s
12. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB6ZCkvg39k&feature=youtu.be&t=4m49s
13. ↑ http://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/17176
14. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zejU2yPr8&feature=youtu.be&t=1m30s
15. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zejU2yPr8&feature=youtu.be&t=2m26s
16. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zejU2yPr8&feature=youtu.be&t=1m45s
17. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zejU2yPr8&feature=youtu.be&t=3m1s
18. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zejU2yPr8&feature=youtu.be&t=3m29s
19. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zejU2yPr8&feature=youtu.be&t=4m4s
20. ↑ https://youtu.be/87zejU2yPr8?t=4m22s
21. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zejU2yPr8&feature=youtu.be&t=8m12s
22. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zejU2yPr8&feature=youtu.be&t=10m14s
23. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zejU2yPr8&feature=youtu.be&t=12m30s
24. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zejU2yPr8&feature=youtu.be&t=14m1s
25. ↑ https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/fettuccine_alfredo/
26. ↑ http://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/17176

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