chuang's Profile
Belgian waffle makers?
Hey TorontoJo,
I'm in Toronto and looking for a waffle maker. Where did you find had the best price for the KitchenAid ProLine?
TIA!
Farmers' markets vs "farmers" markets
Hey SCG, I joined a great vegetable CSA this year. Her name is Brenda (she was one of the farmers in the book "Locavore") and she and an intern run Black Sheep Farms. She delivers every second week from end of June to October. So far the stuff has been beautiful, delicious and all natural! Yummmmm.
Best frozen grocery-store burger in Toronto?
For hot dogs, the only ones I don't feel guilty giving my kids are the Life Choices ones-no nitrates, all beef, no fillers, soy and gluten free for those who need it, and they actually taste good! The only thing is, of course, they are more expensive than regular dogs, and they don't carry them in every grocery store. But well worth searching out, IMO. If you can find them at Loblaws or Superstore or Metro, go to the lifechoicesfoods.com site first and print off the $1 off coupon - good for any of their products! (also really love their meatballs, fish fillets, pierogies)
Trying to replicate Eggplant condiment on my shawarma
Thanks toveggiegirl, those look just right! Can't wait to try these . . . Mmmm . . . Might finally convert my husband who is a dedicated non-eggplant eater!
Trying to replicate Eggplant condiment on my shawarma
I just had a yummy shawarma pita and the eggplant condiment really stood out as flavorful and I wanted more! I don't know much about middle eastern cooking, and a search on the home cooking board didn't turn up anything, but possibly because I did not enter the correct keywords to look for. So, if anyone has a recipe or can point me in the right direction for an awesome sauce with chunks of eggplant, possibly a tomato base (?), I would really appreciate it! TIA.
TorontoJo, thank you--cooked flour frosting is great!
I was so excited to try this after reading about it. I wonder if I did something wrong though,because mine looked kind of curdled, not smooth. It tasted fine, just looked kind of odd. Anyone with a suggestion of what I should do to avoid this? Greatly appreciated!
ISO frosting that's not too sweet and doesn't call for 4 cups of butter
This sounds amazing, and I will try it tomorrow, but I'm just wondering, has anyone tried making a chocolate version of this? Would it be better to throw some cocoa powder in it or some melted chocolate? Would really appreciate some advice.
Buster Rhino's Authentic Southern BBQ - Whitby
Just tried the smoked wings last week and brought home some of the ribs. Had them last night. Both are super yum. Served the pp and brisket for a surprise party for my husband and the food got raves, as usual. Mmmmmm, want to go back for more ribs!
New Le Creuset cast iron skillet and grill pans - how to prep?
I"ve just purchased my very first cast iron skillet and grill pan. I'm so excited I might pass out! :)
Just wondering if I am supposed to prep them (season them?) with oil or anything. I forgot to ask at the store. Any other tips/advice/suggestions about caring for them?
Thanks in advance.
Also, has anyone had problems using the enameled cast iron on smoothtop ranges? I bought the enameled pans thinking that that way it wouldn't scratch the glass top.
King Arthur Flour special
Any idea if that gets Canadian orders a discount on shipping?
Smooth homemade chocolate ice cream
Ahhh, thanks, that makes sense. I've always made it with Hershey's natural cocoa and it comes out beautifully, but next time I'll buy some Dutch processed cocoa and see what difference it makes. Anyone have suggestions for a brand of Dutched cocoa powder they like?
Smooth homemade chocolate ice cream
I've been meaning to research why Dutch process cocoa powder is used in ice cream. I've been making David Lebovitz's ice creams and they all say Dutch process. Why is that?
BTW, I've found his chocolate sherbert (sub 1 c. milk in the choc sorbet recipe) to be lovely and his chocolate peanut butter recipe (made with cocoa) to be smooth and heavenly. I also use a KitchenAid mixer attachment and I love it. I have been making 2 batches of ice cream a week because i'm addicted now!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream from David Lebovitz
Oh my. Just made this tonight and it was amazing. Perfect texture, great flavour. I subbed 1 c. 2% milk plus 1 c. half and half. I had to hold back from trying to jam my face into the ice cream maker bowl to lick out every last bit!!!
Storing cans of maple syrup - weird crystals on the bottom?
Thanks everyone for the input. I was pretty sure it was safe, but figured no harm in asking. I'll see if the next can has the same thing before I complain.
Cheers!
Storing cans of maple syrup - weird crystals on the bottom?
I just opened a can of maple syrup and it has clear crystals on the bottom. I have opened cans from this case in the past couple of months and not found this before. So, am I storing it improperly? It's in the basement in our storage pantry but the case is on the floor. I think it's still okay to consume, unless anyone tells me differently! I'd love some comments and advice. Thanks in advance.
What to do with sour grapes?
I bought some organic green seedless grapes for my kids, but they have no interest in eating them because the skins are a bit tough and they aren't sweet. So, gotta use up about 1 1/2 lbs. of grapes. Sweet or savoury recipes would be great. Preferably something that doesn't take a huge amount of time (it's ridiculously hot right now, so don't want to spend more time cooking/baking than necessary). TIA.
10 pounds of cherries; What To Do?
Well, can't help with what you specifically asked for, but we picked a ton of cherries off our neighbour's tree (with their permission of course!) and so a quick search on epicurious led me to these recipes that I'm looking forward to trying:
Sweet Cherry and Lemon Conserve
Cherry Cornmeal Upside down cake
Quick Plum and Cherry Jam
Sweet Cherry Sorbetto
Hope that gives you some inspiration!
Heh heh, I also roped my mother-in-law into making us a cherry pie ;)
What to do with leftover green beans?
Thanks for the suggestions. I did end up adding them to a veggie filled pasta salad with an asian style homemade dressing. I loved it, the kids and hubby were "meh" about it.
What to do with leftover green beans?
I have a fairly large bunch (3 cups) of leftover steamed green beans and can't think what to turn them into to use them up in a yummy way. Need suggestions please! TIA.
ISO 1.5 & 2 L Mason jars for storing pantry goods (reasonably priced)
Please post back and tell us the scoop on what you pick up there! I think that's a good price and would be interested in picking some up. I got a tad worried looking at Google street view. Thanks!
Where to buy Lagostina cookware?
HI EVeryone,
Thanks for all the input. I didn't end up checking around too much, but it turns out she wanted mainly pots, and I found a ridiculous deal at the Bay last weekend - a 17 pc. set for $199 (reg. $699). I haven't shown them to her, but if she doesn't like them, I may end up keeping them for myself! Of course, as with all sets, there's a few pieces that neither she nor I would use (who needs to poach that many eggs at once?), but who cares, it seems like a pretty nice set for a good price!
Where to buy Lagostina cookware?
My MIL wants Lagostina pots and pans for her birthday - any ideas for places to check out for good prices? TIA.
Costco Downsview trip - nearby espresso? snack?
Yummm. Went to Yakamoz today and had a great shawarma pita. You were right about the fried eggplant - I could have eaten a pita just full of that! The service was very friendly too.
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Yakamoz
373 Wilson Ave, Toronto, ON M3H1T3, CA
Black and White Cookies
Yup, had one at Richman's about 6 months ago and it was good - haven't had one in NYC so can't compare though!
ISO POMI chopped tomatoes (GTA)
I just bought boxes of the chopped at the Superstore at Dufferin and Steeles about 10 days ago. Haven't been back, so don't know if they have any more, but there definitely were some recently! Glad you found them, just thought I'd mention another place to check if you need to know in the future.
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Dufferin Cafe
2917 Dufferin St, Toronto, ON M6B3S7, CA
Where in Toronto to buy refrigerator water filter replacements?
I suspect the prices will all be fairly similar, but before I start checking around, does anyone have any suggestions of a good or discounted place to buy replacement filters for my Whirlpool fridge's built-in water system? TIA.
Gourmet popcorn kernels
Any current suggestions for buying good popcorn kernels? I tried Alton Brown's method and it didn't turn out amazing, and I suspect it's because my kernels were old. Preferably in the east end of the city . . .
Never heard of the Flavacol stuff - realistically, is it bad for you, or worth the caloric splurge?
What to do with "chewy" dulce de leche?
Yahoo! Thanks for the tip. It worked out beautifully, though of course I went overboard and added too much milk, so had to cook it again to thicken it up (watched it like a hawk to make sure I didn't make the same mistake twice!). Made banoffee, finally. (My husband's response after a few bites: "Hmm, I think I'll have a few mouthfuls of raw white sugar now, to get the sweetness out of my mouth".)
Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
I made the Whole Wheat Banana Bread, and I like it a lot. Definitely not "banana-y" tasting, but it is fragrant and has a nice crunch with the crust and a bit of turbinado sprinkled on top. BTW, you don't need to chop the walnuts for this one, I wasn't sure but it worked out fine. I know it would defeat the purpose of making it healthier, but I suspect some raisins or dare I say some chocolate chunks in this bread would take it to another level!
What to do with "chewy" dulce de leche?
No, it's not really scoopable and I'm not crazy about it straight up when it's this stiff - sticks to my teeth. I know when it's scoopable it's super yum, but not like this. That's why I figured I'd better ask the brilliant minds of CHers. It never occurred to me to just add some liquid, but yes, of course that seems like a perfectly reasonable solution! I'll try it soon and let you know how it works out.
And those who guessed that I didn't make it in a can were correct - I was trying to do it faster so just cooked it (well, overcooked it, isn't that ironic). I did it for about 40 minutes when probably 20 would have been fine.
