Anyone who has seen an episode of "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy," on CNN knows that Stanley Tucci is not easily ruffled. He looks eternally cool with his black-framed glasses, perfectly tailored suits, and crisp white shirts (often with not one, not two, but three or more buttons undone).

One can imagine Tucci saying something like, "Pardon me, but I believe your shoe is on fire," with the same velvety purr and unperturbed affectation as, "I'll have the sparkling water, please." But as cool, calm, and collected as the Tooch may appear, there is one thing by which he cannot abide: a poorly executed pasta dish.