Making homemade recipes can be fun, or lead to a horrifying discovery about one of your favorite foods. A TikToker named Ash (@ash2.086) experienced the latter after whipping up some Alfredo sauce.
She couldn’t believe how much butter is used in making it. And she shared her astonishment in a viral clip that’s garnered over 1.5 million views as of Saturday.
Alfredo: origins
“So you’re telling me when I make Alfredo sauce from scratch, I’m putting a whole stick of butter and heavy whipping cream into the pan,” she asks. Next, she says, presumably with sarcasm, “OK great.”
Although the aforementioned garnish seems like clogged arteries in the making, that wasn’t the only issue Ash had with the sauce.
“I just watched a video on how to make homemade sour cream,” she says. “We’ll get there, OK.”
Like the Alfredo sauce, Ash says the sour cream recipe also consists of two ingredients. “Milk and lemon juice,” she says. “Great, now I know how to make homemade sour cream.” The Daily Dot previously covered a TikToker’s discovery of homemade sour cream.
Following this, she shared the results of yet another homemade recipe query. “The search bar is how to make heavy whipping cream. Heavy whipping cream is butter, stick of butter, and whole milk,” she says.
More butter is better?
At this point in the video, Ash looks incredulously in the camera. She can’t believe just how much butter is required to make homemade Alfredo sauce.
She asks, “So you’re telling me when I make homemade Alfredo sauce, I’m doing two sticks of butter and just a little bit of room temperature milk?”
It’s at this moment that there appears to be a bit of panic buzzing in her eyes. “I think I might have a stroke,” she adds with a laugh. “Heart attack, with how much butter I just realized I’ve been ingesting.”
However, her video wasn’t just frightening ruminations on her butter consumption. She capped it off with a quick tip on how to make a popular cheese at home.
“Also you can make a big ball of mozzarella cheese with a whole gallon of whole milk as well,” she concludes. “And you just put a little vinegar in it. I’ve learned so much from this app.”
Alfredo sauce slander
Money Inc. published an article with a title sure to get fans of the creamy white sauce in an uproar. “Why Alfredo Sauce is Worse For You Than Fast Food,” pretty much sums up the outlet’s stance on the condiment. Stating that it’s “packed with unhealthy fat and calories,” the website urges folks to stay away from it.
Additionally, its combination of starch and pasta presents a nutritionally nefarious meal. That’s because the duo presents a high fat, high carbohydrate-to-protein ratio. Of course, healthier variants of this beloved entry out of the American-Italian cookbook can be prepared.
Opting for a pea protein pasta which surprisingly maintains the texture of its grain counterparts, is one modification.
While a pasta swap already makes the meal more nutritionally viable, you could take it a step further. This recipe for a healthy Alfredo sauce variant made of Greek Yogurt, milk, cheese, and broth could be a good substitute.
A little bit goes a long way
The website FoodieCX.com writes that eating Alfredo sauce isn’t necessarily a long-form death sentence. Like most foods, substances, activities, etc., portion amounts and consumption frequency matter.
“Overall, while Alfredo sauce can be a delicious treat, it’s best enjoyed in moderation. [This is] due to its high-fat and calorie content,” the outlet pens.
As for the sauce’s primary ingredient, there are varying opinions on butter. If your doctor instructs you to stay away from high-fat foods, maybe skip the Alfredo sauce. Healthline writes that nutritionists are of two minds when it comes to the dairy-based fat. Much of the arguments seem to indicate that it depends on an individual’s response to specific foods.
Of course, as with any questions pertaining to one’s diet, it’s best to consult a healthcare professional.
Viewers weigh in
A plethora of social media users didn’t sympathize with Ash’s Alfredo shock. One person wrote, “Wait until you hear about mayonnaise.”
Another penned that there are tons of homemade recipes that call for these basic ingredients. “Everything is just butter and milk and butter and milk, and whipping it until it’s something else,” they said.
@ash2.086 #alfredo #todayyearsold #lifehack #recipe #howdidinotknow #sourcream #themoreyouknow #homemade #heavywhippingcream ♬ original sound – Ash2.0✨
Someone else said the OG way of making Alfredo sauce is much different than what Ash presented in her clip. “But real Alfredo sauce doesn’t even use cream or milk. It’s just butter, Parmesan and some of the pasta water,” they wrote.
Then the comments devolved into existential musings on the true root of many foods. “Technically butter is just heavy whipping cream whipped for a while,” one commented. “So the whole sauce is just butter in different forms.”
This TikTok user took things even further, writing, “Basically, everything is milk. Because butter is actually just super whipped up milk.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Ash via TikTok comment for further information.
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