Does the parmesan bowl really add all that much to Cacio e Pepe?

[Soffit]

Or can you achieve similar results by adding a small piece into the cheese? Personally, I find there is no discernable difference.

Sorry. I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. I am only posting so I can see what other people say.

It's food based, I am interested, even if I am clueless 🙂

It makes all the difference in the world.

I have just googled the recipe. I'm not sure what the OP means by the parmesan bowl as the recipe is basically a simplified version of pasta with cheese and pepper.

recipe here

I just googled....I think its one of those cheffy things....it looks nauseating to me. I do quite often eat paste just dressed with cheese and black pepper but I never realised it was an actual dish.

ha not "paste" "pasta"

Sorry. I should have elaborated! It is a pasta dish in a cheese sauce. It is kind of tossed about inside the hollowed out rind of a parmesan when it is served at the table. I have had it recently but I never found that it tasted any different to pasta in a bowl, maybe just saltier. However, I am now wondering whether it was the preparation.

It was definitely a crab fest!

Oops CARB rather

I am going to try the recipe. It sounds delicious. I'll serve it with a tangy tomato salad.

I like it for a light lunch.

Whatever you do, don't order caccio e Pepe at Circo Popolare..... it's utterly shit and you could use the resulting mess as wallpaper paste (oh and they serve it in the cheese round)
Realise this is not that relevant to the thread, but just thought I'd share anyway!

I think the bowl made out of parmesan is called a Frico bowl. I would like to try it out at home but I am not sure where to source the bowl made of of cheese. The internal element is achievable, but is there any point?

Thanks. I have heard that place is more style over substance. I think I had it at Gloria where the food is usually exceptional.

It's featured in Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy. The Rome eoisode. The chef used 70/30 Pecorino and Parmesan.

That's interesting. I have checked Gloria's website and they are now doing a carbonara in a pecorino rind instead. Pecorino is obviously a lot better value but they have still raised the price of the dish 😯

Wait, are you saying do you HAVE to toss it about in a giant cheese rind?
No, of course you don't. That's just cheffery wank.
It's 'elevating' a relatively simple dish,

But yes, it is better with parmesan, pecorino etc. Chedder or babybel won't be as nice .

I hadn't heard of this concept (the parmesan bowl, not the recipe) either.
Mind you, I'm a philistine who doesn't feel much is gained from sticking old parmesan rinds in with risotto or ragu either; just makes the pan harder to clean.

I love the randomness of this thread! 😄

I've never heard of it or had it but now I want it so I can moan/bore on about how rubbish/amazing it is!

Have eaten this pasta loads of times, but never out of a hollowed out Parmesan rind. I don’t think it’s a must-do at all.

I seen another pasta dish served in a Parmesan rind (maccheroncini al fume’) and I will admit that the concept is appealing.

I’ve seen hot pasta being swished around inside half a wheel of Parmesan to pick up some melty-ness. But that’s just ostentatious nonsense.

Frico is something else here in Friuli. It’s like a fried cheese pancake, often with potatoes.
You might be thinking of a melted Parmesan cheese basket. Made with grated cheese melted to a plastic consistency.
Not recommended as they’re still deciding if burnt cheese is carcinogenic.

fb.watch/czOZFHPUqL/

"burnt cheese is carcinogenic" - oh dear, I love the burnt bits. 😪

If it does not change the taste much then I'll forget about the parmesan rind and probably try to do it with black truffles on top.

Thanks, I'll look that one up. As a home cook, I don't really have parmesan rinds readily available. I would love to try it out for myself but it is unlikely.

OP it’s really odd that you’re focusing on the Parmesan-wheel-bowl bit of however you’ve seen this dish served before

cacio et pepe is just a recipe that you can find anywhere of pasta, cheese (pecorino or Parmesan type cheese) and black pepper.

you don’t need to have a Parmesan rind bowl “lying around” and I would wager that the Italians don’t do this either but just make the dish with the ingredients and serve in a normal bowl…

It is for a special meal. I could not serve regular cheese and pepper pasta by itself as it would look underwhelming. I will probably still do it embellished with truffle and serve an interesting salad on the side.