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The Secret to Creamier Alfredo Is In the Bowl

No More Stodgy Sauce. 
By Published Mar. 17, 2022

Alfredo might be the lushest, silkiest sauce in the Italian cannon, but those hallmarks are fleeting. 

Within moments of hitting the serving bowl, the sauce cools and its saturated fat (usually from a combination of cream, butter, and cheese) solidifies, causing the mixture to congeal and tighten up into a pasty mess. Oftentimes, the transformation happens so quickly, you’ve barely managed to take more than a couple of bites.

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But the fix is simple—and something restaurant cooks do all the time: Warm the serving bowls. When the pasta water comes to a boil, simply ladle about ½ cup into each dish and set them aside to soak up heat while you finish cooking. As soon as the sauced pasta is ready to serve, quickly empty the serving bowls and divvy up the portions.

Kept warm by the bowl, the sauce should maintain its glossy, creamy consistency through most, if not all, of the meal.

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JC
JOHN C.
16 days

Absolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too. I've done this using a rimmed sheet pan instead of a skillet and put veggies and potatoes around the chicken for a one-pan meal. Broccoli gets nicely browned and yummy!

Absolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too.

MD
MILES D.
JOHN C.
9 days

Amazed this recipe works out as well as it does. Would not have thought that the amount of time under the broiler would have produced a very juicy and favorable chicken with a very crispy crust. Used my 12" Lodge Cast Iron skillet (which can withstand 1000 degree temps to respond to those who wondered if it would work) and it turned out great. A "make again" as my family rates things. This is a great recipe, and I will definitely make it again. My butcher gladly butterflied the chicken for me, therefore I found it to be a fast and easy prep. I used my cast iron skillet- marvellous!

CM
CHARLES M.
11 days

John, wasn't it just amazing chicken? So much better than your typical oven baked chicken and on par if not better than gas or even charcoal grilled. It gets that smokey charcoal tasted and overnight koshering definitely helps, something I do when time permits. First-time I've pierced a whole chicken minus the times I make jerk chicken on the grill. Yup, the cast iron was not an issue.