Skillet Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

This is a straightforward carbonara recipe with one important twist: Instead of cooking the spaghetti in gallons of water, we reduce the cooking water volume to a scant 4 1/2 cups, which results in a much higher concentration of starch. The extra-starchy water emulsifies the cheese and fat rendered from the guanciale, creating a smooth, sikly sauce with much less effort than you'd expect.

The other key to this recipe is the pasta itself. Bronze-cut spaghetti is essential: It's rougher on the surface than non-bronze-cut varieties, which sounds minor but actually is incredibly important. The roughed-up texture releases more starch during cooking and also provides a grippier surface for sauce to cling to. Widely available DeCecco is “bronze drawn” and will work great, as will premium brands such as Rustichella d’Abruzzo.