Who loves pasta? We do! We spent our afternoon answering your questions with Julia Collin Davison, the Executive Food Editor of the cookbook division at America’s Test Kitchen and the on-air test cook for America’s Test Kitchen TV and Cook’s Country TV. With roughly 400 tweets in 60 minutes about pasta, how to cook it, and our new cookbook Pasta Revolution, Julia’s fingers were flying as she typed and tweeted back. In case you haven’t heard of Pasta Revolution, it’s a cookbook with 200 foolproof recipes and whole chapters on whole-wheat, pesto, casserole and skillet dishes. If you missed out on the fun of our live chat, no need to worry, you can catch up on the highlights here!
Pasta Revolution:
@HeyNanaBread: Julia, you seem to love bacon as much as I do. What’s your favorite bacon-related pasta dish and why?
@TestKitchen: New thing- BLT pasta. The L is arugula. Delicious. -Julia
@txcotton: is pasta easy to make?
@TestKitchen: We have something called Bachelor Spaghetti- everything goes into dish raw and baked. Takes 30 min. Brilliant. -Julia
@lynngr: Love ATK recipes. Are there some in the book for less than an army? There’s only two of us.
@TestKitchen: We actually have a cooking for two chapter in the book! It’s nice not to have leftovers all the time. -Julia
@jplauche: Julia, any new pasta “Skillet” recipes like the great Lasagna recipe?
@TestKitchen: Tons! We have a whole chapter of them in new Pasta Revolution book. MY new fav is skillet paella pasta. -Julia
Back to Basics:
@broder13: Biggest mistake home cooks make with pasta?
@TestKitchen: Overcook the pasta. You have to keep tasting it while it cooks. And don’t throw it against the wall… -Julia
@appleseller: Julia, settle a debate for me. Oil or no oil in the water when boiling pasta? PS, you’re my favorite TK chef. 
@TestKitchen: NO OIL. It just sits on top of the water, and then coats the pasta when draining so that the sauce won’t stick -Julia
@acsteger: Favorite Asian noodle recipe?
@TestKitchen: Tough call! I crave chilled soba noodle salad, but new love is our Drunken Noodles. -Julia
Construction Zone:
@jencaputomurphy: Egg yolks only or whole eggs in pasta dough?
@TestKitchen: We like a combo, for 2 cups flour, 2 large eggs, and 6 large yolks. Yolk heavy! -Julia
@Knittedhorse: Can you make homemade pasta without a pasta maker?
@TestKitchen: Yes! We have a recipe coming out in upcoming issue of Cooks Illustrated. Stay tuned! -Julia
Sauced:
@yourpotofgold: How about pesto on pasta? What do you think of pesto?
@TestKitchen: Love pestos! We have a whole chapter on them. 20 of them!I love the trapenese- made w/ cherry tomatoes. -Julia
@friends44: Love garlic …any recipes using garlic cloves…
@TestKitchen: Yes- we came up with clever new way to roast peeled whole cloves in oven with oil. Easy to mash into sauce. -Julia
About Julia:
@TysonWynn: Off topic: Is Julia’s office always that neat, or does she tidy it up just for #ATKChat pics?
@TestKitchen: HA! My office is tidy, but my house is a wreck! -Julia
Now that you’re up to speed, be sure to take a look at Pasta Revolution and don’t forget to peek at the photos from the cookbook! Have any pasta questions that you want answered? Ask us on our twitter or America’s Test Kitchen TV Facebook Page!
About the Author: Veronica Thompson
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I am not sure how to participate in a Twitter chat. I have tried tweeting @Testkitchen#ATKchat, but I cannot see my tweets on the chat there. What am I doing wrong? Do I need some other app than just twitter? Thanks
Hi Jane, it looks like you have a “protected account” on Twitter (if you are @JaneC1 on Twitter), which is why folks who you have not approved to follow you cannot see your posts. Also, be sure to be tweeting @testkitchen and #ATKchat separately. The first labels it as a conversation with @TestKitchen, and the latter labels it as a part of the chat. That way we’ll be able to see your posts in this feed: https://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/atkchat.
Looking forward to seeing you in our next chat!