Probably yes, but there is definitely improvement! Just keep trying :)

I really hope you try the recipe again with this small precaution, I’m confident you’ll get a perfect Cacio e pepe next time!😊

Also, using a blender at this stage helps, but you can also combine the starch gel, cold water, and the finely grated cheese and then gently heat the mixture until the cheese melts and you get a smooth sauce. Be careful to avoid thermal shocks here!:)

The starch needs to bind to the cheese proteins in order to act as an emulsifier; if the mixing occurs at high temperatures, aggregation happens too quickly for this binding to take place, and the emulsifying effect may not be strong enough to prevent separation.

In the paper, we suggest adding some extra water to the gel to cool it down before mixing. This is because, in order to create a sauce that’s stable even at high temperatures, it’s important to stabilize it at low temperatures first.

Hi, one of the authors here! It is always a joy to see people trying our recipe, and I am sorry it did not work out this time. From what I can see, the “mozzarella phase” in your sauce likely appeared because the starch gel was mixed with the cheese while still too hot.