But, for practical purposes, there was a problem—one that may help explain why making cacio e pepe can be so frustrating: pasta water usually only retains a starch level of about one percent after cooking. Luckily, the physicists found a simple solution. To remedy the issue researchers used a tried-and-true shortcut: cornstarch.

GIACOMO BARTOLUCCI, a biophysicist at the University of Barcelona who was among the Italian physicists who wrote a paper detailing their technique for preventing a classic dish, cacio e pepe, from becoming a gooey mess.