sepandee's Profile
Honey lovers: where's your favorite honey?
So where do the chowhound bees in Toronto or outside it get their honey from?
Bier Market (king st) vs Beer Bistro vs Other
K well I went to BB. Told my friends to be there at 9 and I went there with 3 others at 8:30 to try and get a few seats. No such luck for 45 minutes. Luckily, before anyone else came, a table opened up in their lounge and soon 7 out of 8 were seated, and it wasn't much longer before two corner tables opened up. The beer list was pretty good and I also had a taste of the chicken wings (which was terrific), the cheese fondue (decent), and the kobe beef taco (pretty good). By this time we were 12 and a friend suggested Volo would not be possible, so after a lot of back and forths among the group members we went to Nirvana for a few more drinks. Overall a fun night.
Thanks, everyone.
Bier Market (king st) vs Beer Bistro vs Other
Wow great replies. Thank you all. So Bier Bistro or Volo, and maybe Rhinos. My only concern now is getting 10 people, possibly more, in. I looked at the dinner menu of BB and it seems pretty decent. I don't mind the prices myself (it's not expensive, but it aint cheap) but maybe a few others won't be too happy about it? But then again, this is an after- 10pm thing, so people have a chance to eat at home if they want to. The drink menu looks pretty terrific though.
Can't get any info on Volo from their website.
Bier Market (king st) vs Beer Bistro vs Other
Trying to decide where to take a group of 10 for my birthday tomorrow night. Looking for some beer and drinks, and possibly food. All in all, want to make sure everyone can get what they want.
I really hate the Beer Market on Esplanade. Way too crowded and noisy. I went to the one on King St only once, and it was in the middle of the week and very quiet (probably too quiet) but decent. Never been to Beer Bistro.
A friend also suggested Volo, Another recommended Church Aperitivo Bar.
Thoughts?
Recommend a 30" gas cooktop
Well, maybe he's replacing the wire with one that can take a bit more. Good point, I'll ask him. I'm pretty sure the cooktop takes 40 amps (that's when all the burners are on). I believe the oven takes 10, maybe 20.
As for upgrading our service from 100 amps to 150 or 200 amps, the first guy *recommended* it, but didn't say it was necessary and in fact, suggested a different method (as I already wrote) which would work. The items that draw power are the dryer (and it's an old one too), A/C, heater and hot water are gas so no problem there, oven, stove.
Recommend a 30" gas cooktop
I think you are almost correct. It's almost exactly what he proposed to do. But there's already one free circuit on the panel, but I guess it can only handle 120V, so he needs to free up another 120V which he will do with the method you described (double-up on another circuit breaker). That will allow for 2 new wires to run to the cooktop.
He also recommended that we upgrade our panel instead of doing this but that would be a separate thing and cost more.
I'm not sure how the second guy what's to increase the the power going through the wire. I think right now it's 40amps that's shared between the oven and the current cooktop. There's one free circuit on the panel so perhaps he's drawing from there to "raise" the power on the existing wires that runs to the cooktop/oven?
Recommend a 30" gas cooktop
Great. thank you! I wanted to go with gas first, but looks like the piping will be expensive (I don't have a quote yet, but from what I've read around it can cost around $1000). Induction requires some service too, as the house is old and the current wire to the cooktop and oven won't have enough power for an induction cooktop. But the cost is much less for servicing the latter.
I was thinking of buying the IKEA cooktop: ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/50182620
Decent price, and it's made by Whirlpool. Not sure how the warranty works though. ANd yes, I hear the surface scratches easily, but I guess I can use a barrier (like paper towel) between the surface and cookware.
Recommend a 30" gas cooktop
Well, he was giving his attention to my brother, and he's as clueless as I am when it comes to electrical things. So that's why we're both confused. But I think I've figured it out now:
Quote 1 ($1670 + tax): new wiring to the cooktop with a 6/3 cable and a 50 amp breaker (which will be accommodated by eliminating one circuit breaker from the panel and doubling-up one existing circuit) + Hood installation
The second guy differed a bit, saying that the panel has more than one space so no new panel is needed (the first guy recommended I upgrade the panel into one with more circuit breakers for $1400, which is not included in the above quote); it's the matter of adding additional circuit breakers (so no need to change the panel). He also suggested that he can raise the amp going through the wire for the cooktop and stove, so that it could handle the new cooktop and the stove. The price for this was quoted around $1000 which includes installation of new cooktop with the "raising" scenario and also installing the hood that requires some wiring through cabinets, adding new duct and vents and covering the existing downdraft hole in the wall.
So Quote 2 ($1000 + tax): *NO* new wires for the cooktop and instead increasing the power (amperage) of the existing wires that runs through the cooktop to the stove + installing a new hood (which will have to be installed by splitting a wire from somewhere else since it can't run through the same wire that connects to the cooktop and stove anymore).
What confuses/worries me is that I got two very different quotes and services. Why did one say he recommends changing the panel, but he could double-up on one circuit and run a new wire to the oven (so the existing wire to the cooktop would free up) on the same panel while another says that he can increase the power/amperage of the current wire that runs through the cooktop into the oven?
Recommend a 30" gas cooktop
Thanks. I am thinking of getting a 3rd opinion. This second guy, however, had very positive reviews on HomeStars -- 9.7/10 out of around 130 reviews.
Recommend a 30" gas cooktop
Well then, that's strange. One of you is saying it doesn't cost that much extra, and the other says it costs significantly more.
So I got two quotes from two electricians. I have no clue in electrical stuff, so I may be explaining everything wrong :) But from what I understood, the first electrician said wiring will be new from the panel to the cook top (wiring to the cook top will be routed from the panel in the basement, to the outside and return to the cook top. Outside wiring to be contained in conduit). New wiring to the induction cook top will be a 6/3 cable and a 50 amp breaker. In order to accommodate the 50 amp breaker, we need to eliminate one (1) circuit breaker from the panel and therefore must double-up one existing circuit. Cost of this, ALONG WITH installation of a hood and its piping on top of the cooktop: $1675.00 before HST
The second guy was more confusing, but he said he'll install the hood for $400 and somehow increase the amperage that goes to the kitchen for the cooktop and stove for $600.
Recommend a 30" gas cooktop
Don't think it's $600. Maybe $250 or so. But since this is an investment home in the long run, I might as well buy a new hydro/utility/electricity/whatever box it's called.
Recommend a 30" gas cooktop
I'm doing it now. Found a few at Costco.ca, and now I'm looking at kitchenhoods.ca
Recommend a 30" gas cooktop
Dammit. Electrician saw the wiring today and said the wire coming in is 40amps, and half of it is being used by the oven, so a new wire needs to come in. But the electricity box is old and can't accommodate any new wires, so it needs to be replaced and roughly costs $1200 :(
Dammit dammit dammit.
Recommend a 30" gas cooktop
Wow, what a long thread! Just read everything. Thank you all, to both those who stuck to the point and those who went off-track and hijacked the thread for endless posts :P
Recommend a 30" gas cooktop
After reading all the posts here and doing my own research, I'm really thinking about buying an induction cooktop. I'm going to have a BBQ anyways in case a flame is ever needed. The only problem is that most induction cooktops that are sold in Canada fall outside my price range. I could buy it from the US for cheaper, but then warranty and fixing it become major issues.
IKEA currently sells a whirlpool cooktop for $999. I may go with that one.
Recommend a 30" gas cooktop
K, now I'm really looking into induction!!! Can't find a place that sells them for a decent price in Toronto/Canada though, but I just found out that IKEA sells them and a lot of users have left good reviews.
Cast iron not too non-stick
I purchased a lodge cast iron skillet 4 years ago. It came seasoned but I scratched everything off and seasoned it every now and then (probably 10 times over a year) in the oven. I also used it mostly to cook greasy things like bacon. After every use, I would also do a "light" seasoning by warming the skillet on the stove, put some vegetable oil on it and rub it away with a paper towel to make a very thin coat.
The past two years or so I stopped seasoning it because it started to have some non-stick qualities, but it still left some residue after each cooking that I had to clean up either by pouring hot water on it while it was hot and then rubbing it off with my wooden spatula, or just wiping it with paper towel and sometimes with a bit of salt.
But I was under the impression that after all this use, it'll turn better than the nonstick pans out there, that I can fry eggs on it. I don't dare do such a thing right now because the cleanup will be a mess.
What can I do to improve its nonstick quality?
Recommend a 30" gas cooktop
I have a range right now with induction top. I also use a gas range when I'm away during the summers. In my opinion, gas >>>>>>> induction. You say gas and induction have the same controllability, but I disagree. With induction, it's always turning on and off and on and off and... If you know how to use gas (which takes some getting used to), it's far more controllable, and the heat is even.
Also, perhaps it's just the gas range that I use (maybe it has a high BTU), but I can boil the same amount of water twice as fast on gas.
EDIT: Sorry, I confused induction with regular electric, so I take back what I said.
Recommend a 30" gas cooktop
Moving into a new house that has an old electric cooktop, the one with the spirals and a ventilation system in the middle of it (surface-level). So now I want to replace it with a gas cooktop and probably a hood ventilation system.
My budget for a gas cooktop is around the vicinity of $1200. I might even say yes to a few hundred bucks more if what I get is considerably better. I live in Toronto, Canada, however, but I can go over the border to Buffalo and pick up the product if that ends up being considerably cheaper.
4 or 5 burners, I don't care. Color isn't an issue either, but cleaning is. I hear the enameled cooktops clean much easier, but I have no experience with them. I have a electric range with a glass top, and I know it doesn't clean easy at all.
Thanks
Decent chocolate milk in Toronto?
I drink a lot of chocolate milk and by far the best ones that I've had so far are the Organic Meadow & Harmony Organics (comes in a glass bottle). Alas, my consumption of this delicious drink is too much & these organic products are too expensive. I've tried the regular ones that Metro sells, Beatrice. All I can say is, meh.
DOes anyone have any favorite brands?
Butcher's Son on Yonge
Been there a few times. THe store is very clean, the staff very friendly. I had their stewing veal twice. The first time it wasn't that soft. The second time it was as soft as butter. I know the first veal was grain-fed. The second might've been milk fed but I can't be too sure because I wasn't the one who bought it. Their regular stewing beef isn't bad either.
Today my girlfriend bought a whole chicken from there. She said they had written "Mennonite Farms, traditionally raised" on it. Is this as good as a chicken you can get, other than the fact that it's not organic?
price of lean ground beef
Thanks! The reason I ask is because the new butcher next to my place (The Butcher's Son) has it for $5 or $5.99/lb. I'm pretty sure it's grass-fed, which is important to me. Seems like a reasonable price.
