LJS2's Profile
Big Green Egg alternatives?
I have an egg and like it a lot. However the price has gone up -a lot- since I bought mine. My local costco (in Southern Ontario) was carrying a ceramic cooker that was about half of the cost of a similar sized egg. I would certainly consider that. I also agree that the Primo oval is a nice alternative. If money is no object, go with the egg but there are now some worthy competitors that merit a look.
St Jacobs Farmers Market?!
Can someone suggest some markets in the west end of the GTA that are worth a look? Went to one at, I believe, Square One last year and we were very underwhelmed.
Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce in Toronto?
My local Metro has them in the mexican food section. I think that any larger supermarket with an ethnic foods aisle would have them.
Kitchenaid dual fuel range cooktop issues
We recently got rid of our ancient electric coil top range and replaced it with the Kitchenaid dual oven dual fuel range with a five burner gas cooktop. The cooktop is not performing as well as I thought it should so I thought I would seek some opinion and/or advice from the members of this board.
My first issue is that it takes a long, long time to boil water no matter which burner i use. The pot handles and side of the pot get very hot but the water still will not boil for a long time. I never thought that the old electric coil would do it faster but it does. Our pots are a mix of lagostina ss with the bottom disk, paderno ss also with bottom disk and several enameled cast iron pieces.
My second issue relates to frying or sauteing. I have a couple of cast iron pans which seem to work well. However when i use our cuisinart ss saute pain (again with the disk) the meat takes a long time to brown while the inside sides of the pan get badly scorched. The happened to me a few days ago while browning sausage meat for a sauce.
The double oven set up works well for us.
I should also mention that we also installed a relatively powerful exhaust fan that is vented out. It is on low speed whenever the cooktop is in use. Our home is an R2000 home which is supposedly air tight so we had a dedicated fresh air vent installed which brings outside air in behind the stove whenever the fan is turned on.
Any comments or advice will be appreciated. Is what I am experiencing normal? Should I be considering different cookware? Should I leave the fan off at first?
I would rather learn that I am doing something wrong rather than learning that this cooktop is working the way it is supposed to.
Thanks in advance for your comments.
HELP! advice on which 30" gas range to buy, please!
We just bought a Kitchenaid dual fuel double oven range. We have only had it for a couple of weeks but so far we really like it. The gas cooktop has five burners. We did not want to spend a small fortune on a range as a full kitchen reno is going to happen a couple of years down the road. For us it came down to deciding between the GE cafe and the Kitchenaid. The Kitchenaid won because of the ovens. They are both true ovens as opposed to the GE which has been described by some as having one oven and second oven that works more like a warming drawer. The ovens are electric. We decided on that because some people felt that the electric ovens perform better than the gas ones. I do not know if that is true but we did not want to take any chances. The ovens work well. We live in Ontario. The Viking and Wolfe ranges are a lot more expensive here than the GE and Kitchenaid. We also bought a high cfm fan that is vented out. I highly recommend that as well. Good luck with your search.
Good quality cast iron frying pan
Cast iron pans are not expensive. Look for the Lodge brand. Caynes has them in varing sizes. There is a wealth of information on cast iron seasoning and maintenence on the cookware board. Lodge is, I believe, the only remaining North American Manufacturer.
CALIFORNIA BURRITOS-OAKVILLE
I am glad to read this. I went there shortly after it opened. The burrito was very good but the owner/cook was looking very overwhelmed and anxious. It looks like he got over his opening jitters. I want this place to do well. The area need more places like this.
Looking for a large dutch oven
I was there last week and saw the lodge eanmelled cast iron in a variety of sizes. Perhaps you can give them a call to see if they have the size you are looking for.
Looking for a large dutch oven
Check out Caynes. They carry the Lodge enameled cast iron DOs in a number of different sizes and they do ship.
breaking up sausage in the frying pan
thanks for all the tips. I will try them out. I am sure that any or all of them will be better than my current way of doing things!
breaking up sausage in the frying pan
One of Mario Batali's recipies ("weeds" and sausage) has become a family favorite. It calls for sausage to be reomved from the casing and sauted until quite brown. The difficulty that I have is that I am finding it very difficult to break the sausage down once it comes out of the casing and into the pan. I have tried bulk sausage as well and the problem is the same. There has to be a better way than constantly trying to break down the larger chunks into tiny pieces by using the spatula to constantly split the chunks. Any tips would be appreciated.
Good Shawarma in Markham
Agree with Pitalicious. Was there today too. Their chicken shwarma is quite good. It is family run and they tell me that everything they serve is made from scratch. The last time I was there I tried the Falafel which was made to order and also delicious. This place is a keeper.
Sausage Partners
Thats not really what I am looking for. Its the New Orleans Cajun smoked spicy style. I cant seem to find it anywhere other than at Sausage king at SLM.
Help me with my Richmond Hill food tour
i would try to squeeze in Northern Dumpling which is 2 or 3 doors over from Judys.
Delicious Food Show
We went yesterday afternoon and were seriously underwhelmed. It seemed like every other booth was selling condiments of one form or another. We watched Padma's "cooking demonstration" which consisted of her talking about her career path (somewhat interesting and she is a good speaker) then saw her prepare a very basic vegetable and couscous dish. She had a "helper" who kept stirring the pot and proclaimed proudly that this was his first time cooking. The vendors did not seem overly busy probably because most of them were selling expensive variations of the same condiments. Overall it was an expensive disappointment.
Poultry Question...
Try Starsky on Dundas near Winston Churchill. They have large chicken breasts. I do not know where one can find capon in the western GTA and would be interested in finding out.
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Starsky's
2040 Dundas St E, Mississauga, ON L4X, CA
turkey brining bags
Thanks. I should have mentioned that I am looking for a place either in the west GTA or Richmond Hill/Markham areas.
turkey brining bags
Does anyone know where I can find a food grade plastic bag for brining a turkey?
Who sells peanut oil in bulk in Toronto? Any suggestions?
Glad it worked out. Let us know how the turkey tuns out!
Who sells peanut oil in bulk in Toronto? Any suggestions?
Give Bass Pro at Vaughan Mills a call. I recall that they had a selection of Turkey Fryers, bulk oil and what you need to drain, filter and store the oil after you have used it.
Middle Eastern or Mediteranean near Lexington and 49th
Nine of us went to Sip Sak on Friday night. We all enjoyed our meal. Our server was pleasant and helpful. The food was plentiful and delicious. Thanks to all who recommended this place.
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Sip Sak
928 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10022
