couscous instructionsLONG 6094

Wayne, my husband will not eat the bulgar that one soaks alone ONLY BECAUSE, he doesn't like to eat grains that haven't been cooked, thinking they have been laying around on the floor, or in bins with ravenous insects and worms. This is an OK concept with me, so I've tried to find a size number; i.e., #1, #2, #3 to use that I can at least put into boiling water a minute to appease DH. Regardless of the sizes I try, I cannot get the correct ratio of water to bulgar in the soaking process (after it has been blanched). Even if I squeeze them out and drain, which I normally do, they are water-logged after blanching because I do let them soak in cold water until they plump up hoping not to have to drain again, but, as I say, even if there is no water to drain, they taste waterlogged. If I use a size that I have to boil to doneness, before it becomes done, it becomes slimy, like an oatmeal overcooked and sort of slimes together; then, of course, there is no definition to the grains anymore.

Yes, I, too care less for couscous. I at one time bought a couscous pot from one of the big kitchen store-sellers in NYC. I decided to buy one from them instead of the Cuisinart couscous pot that was fashionable at the time selling for an arm and a leg. I made the couscous in the NYC pot and probably should've bought the Cuisinart pot because I might still be using it, but the other one turned black inside, was thin on the bottom and a piece of crap. It went into the trash almost immediately. I tried later with couscous in other ways, but since I'm not much of a meat eater, it's not one of the things I have to accomplish making. I would rather accomplish getting it right with bulgar, because I love the taste of parsley, I use a huge amount as called for in the ethnic recipes. Mouth watering, Dee Dee