Bulgur Wheat

Bulgur comes in four grinds, from #1 fine (tabbouleh, kibbeh) to #4 coarse (pilafs, soups), though most bags just say fine, medium, or coarse. Don't confuse it with plain cracked wheat: that's raw, takes 3 times longer to cook, and stays chewy if you try the soak method. It's a whole grain with natural oils, so keep it airtight in the pantry for a few months or in the freezer for up to a year. I keep both fine and coarse on hand because they're really two different ingredients: fine is a salad grain, coarse is a rice substitute.

Bulgur is the fastest whole grain in your pantry because it's already been parboiled and dried. You're really just rehydrating it. The mistake people make is treating every grind the same: fine bulgur only needs a 15–20 minute soak in boiling water (1:1.5 ratio), while coarse bulgur needs a real simmer, 12–15 minutes with the lid on at a 1:2 ratio. Boil fine bulgur like rice and you'll get mush, so match the method to the grind and you can't miss.