Baron’s Original Israeli Couscous Toasted Pasta | 100% Natural Pearled Noodles for Salads, Soups & Side Dishes | Cooks in 10 Minutes! | Kosher| 2 Pack 21.16oz Jars

The unopened packages were unusable within a couple of months because of a chemically plastic taste that sometimes happens when product comes in plastic containers. I used some of the first container right away and it was good. The next time I went to use it, it tasted horrible with chemical/ plastic taste and I had to throw it out. I opened the other brand new package and it had the same weird chemical taste too, so I had to throw it out. Total waste of money. Best by date on packaging is 2023 so seems like it should have been good unopened for quite a lot longer. I’m afraid to order more because I don’t know how long it will have sat on shelf at distribution center. Too bad because I love couscous.

Every week I make a strawberry and green onion couscous salad to take to work. I love it and never seem to get tired of it. However the local grocery store was recently out of couscous so I looked to amazon and two day shipping. The couscous arrived on time and packaged well. I opened the first container and thought it smelled a off, but figured it was probably just me as I could not find an expiration/best buy date on the container. I went ahead and prepared the salad. Turns out the couscous is definitely bad. I couldn’t finish it. I just now opened the second container, it has the same very strong bad odor, it’s going in the trash. This pasta brand may be wonderful, but what I received is definitely old/stale.

I have a handful of recipes that I'm dying to try, and two of them require couscous as an ingredient. My local grocery stores don't carry this, so after doing a little research I chose Baron's brand pearl couscous. I cooked up a small batch to go with some chicken I barbecued in the oven, and was hooked! I filled up on the couscous, both plain and covered with barbecue sauce. I love the toasty flavor and chunky mouthfeel of the cooked product - it is just as much a comfort food as mashed potatoes or hot buttered noodles! This is quick cooking, requires little advance preparation and can be made either sweet or savory, depending on your mood. Moreover, I love the canister packaging - it saves me from having to transfer bagged product into food-saver containers. Great product and a must have for the pantry.

FLAVOR: Excellent. This couscous has a smooth texture in the mouth, and it’s kind of like eating bubbles. STORAGE: I like storing the couscous in plastic jars instead of a plastic bag. However, these lids do not attach very securely, and one lid had to come loose in transit. There was no safety seal. So I sanitized the outside of the container, and put the containers in the freezer for 24 hours to kill any stowaway pests.

Finding Israeli (or Pearl) couscous in the stores was surprisingly difficult lately so I came to Amazon. The instructions on this item were easy to follow, but where the word “Toasted” was in the name, I was to learn that it was accurate only after I had made it so. Of course any couscous can be toasted in a hot pan, and I heartily encourage it, but this couscous isn’t special because it’s pre-toasted. Nor was it fresh. The shipment I received was stale so the second container is unopened. It is hollow inside so it was easy (and oddly tasty) to munch on before I cooked it. I won’t order this brand again because of the stale flavor and because it is quite pricey. I think the packaging was wasteful, as well. It’s pasta, after all, and a plastic bag or a paper carton may have sufficed. A week ago I was in a local Halal market and learned that this item goes by yet another name in the Middle East. I purchased a bag of this large, pearl-shaped couscous in a larger quantity for under five dollars. Perhaps getting a stale product was a fluke, but paying too much for an item I thought was special because it was toasted is a lesson I don’t need to learn twice. I feel silly but you don’t have to! 😜

Followed instructions about browning 1st, then cooking water. Not crazy about taste/texture. Large jars, next time will try just boiling a little.

Good pasta, cooks well !

My order arrived on time and in excellent condition. The couscous is tasty and cooks up well in my pilaf recipe. I have stored the jar in the refrigerator where it keeps the couscous fresh. The jar also keeps out unwanted flavors and odors. A good purchase that I recommend. I found the price to also be reasonable as compared to what I am able to find in local stores.