SERVES 4 TO 6 AS A SIDE DISH

For the fluffiest texture, use a large fork to fluff the grains; a spoon or spatula would destroy the light texture. Specialty markets may carry couscous of varying size, but stick to the classic kind. Other sizes require different cooking methods.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
For the fluffiest texture, we used a large fork to fluff the grains in our couscous recipe; a spoon or spatula would have destroyed the light texture. Specialty markets may carry couscous of varying size, but we stuck to the classic kind for our couscous pilaf recipe since other sizes require different cooking methods.

SERVES 4

Serve the salad with the crisp inner leaves of romaine lettuce and wedges of pita bread.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
To keep our tabbouleh from becoming too soggy, we salted the tomatoes to rid them of their excess moisture. But to make sure that our tabbouleh recipe still guaranteed the fresh flavor we wanted, we soaked the bulgur wheat in some of the tomato liquid and lemon juice instead of in the flavor-robbing water found in most tabbouleh recipes.

SERVES 4

Serve the salad with the crisp inner leaves of romaine lettuce and wedges of pita bread.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
To keep our tabbouleh from becoming too soggy, we salted the tomatoes to rid them of their excess moisture. But to make sure that our tabbouleh recipe still guaranteed the fresh flavor we wanted, we soaked the bulgur wheat in some of the tomato liquid and lemon juice instead of in the flavor-robbing water found in most tabbouleh recipes.

SERVES 4 TO 6

Short-grain brown rice (see related How To Cook) can also be used.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
To bump up the flavor of our basic brown rice recipe, we made a few easy additions. Caramelizing onions in a Dutch oven before stirring in the rice and incorporating chicken broth into the cooking liquid had a positive impact. Fresh herbs and a squeeze of citrus just before serving brightened our brown rice recipe.

SERVES 4 TO 6

Short-grain brown rice (see related How To Cook) can also be used.

SERVES 4 TO 6

If you cannot find Andouille sausage, substitute chorizo, linguiça, or kielbasa. Short-grain brown rice can also be used in this recipe.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
To bump up the flavor of our basic brown rice recipe, we made a few easy additions. Caramelizing onions in a Dutch oven before stirring in the rice and incorporating chicken broth into the cooking liquid had a positive impact. Fresh herbs and a squeeze of citrus just before serving brightened our brown rice recipe.

SERVES 4 TO 6

Short-grain brown rice (see related How To Cook) can also be used.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
To bump up the flavor of our basic brown rice recipe, we made a few easy additions. Caramelizing onions in a Dutch oven before stirring in the rice and incorporating chicken broth into the cooking liquid had a positive impact. Fresh herbs and a squeeze of citrus just before serving brightened our brown rice recipe.

Serve 4 to 6

If you cannot find andouille sausage, either chorizo or linguiça can be sustituted. For a spicier jambalaya, you can add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne along with the vegetables, and/or serve it with Tabasco.

Serves 4 as a main course with a topping or 6 to 8 as a side dish

Coarse-ground degerminated cornmeal such as yellow grits (with grains the size of couscous) works best in this recipe. Avoid instant and quick-cooking products, as well as whole-grain, stone-ground, and regular cornmeal. Do not omit the baking soda—it reduces the cooking time and makes for a creamier polenta. The polenta should do little more than release wisps of steam. If it bubbles or sputters even slightly after the first 10 minutes, the heat is too high and you may need a flame tamer, available at most kitchen supply stores. Alternatively, fashion your own from a ring of foil (see Homemade Flame Tamer step by step below). For a main course, serve the polenta with a topping (see related recipes) or with a wedge of rich cheese or a meat sauce. Served plain, the polenta makes a great accompaniment to stews and braises.

For five minutes of stirring, just Dutch and cover.

Serves 6 as a side dish

This recipe does not employ the traditional risotto method; the rice is mainly stirred for 3 minutes toward the end of cooking instead of constantly throughout. This more hands-off method does require precise timing, so we strongly recommend using a timer. The consistency of risotto is largely a matter of personal taste; if you prefer a looser texture, add extra broth in step 4.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Classic risotto can demand half an hour of stovetop tedium for the best creamy results. Our goal was five minutes of stirring, tops.

First, we chose to cook our risotto in a Dutch oven, rather than a saucepan. A Dutch oven’s thick, heavy bottom, deep sides, and tight-fitting lid are made to trap and distribute heat as evenly as possible. Typical recipes dictate adding the broth in small increments after the wine has been absorbed (and stirring constantly after each addition), but we added most of the broth at once. Then we covered the pan and simmered the rice until almost all the broth had been absorbed, stirring just twice during this time. After adding the second and final addition of broth, we stirred the pot for just a few minutes to ensure the bottom didn’t cook more quickly than the top and turned off the heat. Without sitting over a direct flame, the sauce turned out perfectly creamy and the rice was thickened, velvety, and just barely chewy. To finish, we simply stirred in butter, herbs, and a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavors.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/test-kitchen-community/2012/08/best-of-the-best-day-six-almost-hands-free-risotto/