moreana's Profile
Best macarons in Toronto?
I've had them from her before, just once and one. I did like them and I've had them from Paris (Laduree). Maybe quality control is not at its best yet.
I noticed at the Metro at Yonge & College sold Macarons to my surprise. Did not try them.
Shiso plant for sale?
'Shiso' is the Japanese name for Perilla frustescens. You may find it listed it under its English name, 'perilla'. There are two main varieties, green shiso and purple shiso.
Richters offers a seeds for both. They also sell plants at their retail store... so it might be worth asking them or call around and also asking for it by the name Perilla.
Green: http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_store.cgi?product=X4474-100&show=all&prodclass=&cart_id=7189267.9693
Purple: http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_store.cgi?product=X4474-200&show=all&prodclass=&cart_id=7189267.9693
RICHTERS HERBS
357 Highway 47
Goodwood, ON L0C 1A0 Canada
Tel. +1.905.640.6677
Fax. +1.905.640.6641
New to Toronto: can anyone recommend a good CSA and/or source of raw milk?
It isn't a CSA... but there is also the FoodShare Good Food Box http://www.foodshare.net/ Their prices look WAY better than something from Green Earth Organics http://www.greenearthorganics.com/ . I have not ordered from either of them in Toronto. I used to subscribe to Green Earth Organics back in Vancouver, where their prices were cheaper than in Toronto to my surprise.
New to Toronto: can anyone recommend a good CSA and/or source of raw milk?
Hi LinenGirl,
Welcome to Toronto! I think it's kind of the closes Canadian city to NYC (though it's a league of its own).
You live near me and I'm also car free. I have developed my preferences at the market, Upper Cut Meats (butcher), Phil's Place (green grocer in the basement), Domino's (for bulk and baking stuff), Rube's Rice (for all grains related). Getting breakfast at Carosel (peameal bacon sandwich) and Mustachio's (italian veal and eggplant sandwich) is a tradition of mine while shopping at the market.
On Saturday, there is the Farmer's Market in the North Building. The butchers there are pretty good - great sausages, organic meats (which don't seem to be offered at most if not all butchers in the South Building strangely), and the egg lady sells wonderful eggs. I'd be wary of the produce there because I suspect most of them buy it from the Ontario Food Terminal and are not really farmers. Some things they might grow, but you just have to pay extra attention. I once asked if it was their own garlic, and the seller admitted to me it was from China.
I haven't used any CSA yet, but I know of Young Urban Farmers which grow their food in lawns and backyards of Toronto... so I'd imagine they should be quite convenient. http://www.youngurbanfarmers.com/ There is a directory of other CSAs. http://csafarms.ca/farms%20counties%20S-Z.htm
Raw milk, I'm not really sure of... but since Michael Schmidt was Acquitted, it shouldn't be quite as tough now. I think you'll have to do what the other people do and buy a share in a cow. http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2010/01/21/michael-schmidt-acquitted-in-raw-milk-case.aspx
I don't know if there's private messaging on ChowHound - haven't seen that option, but you're welcome to drop me a line if you had any other questions. mel.kianuko @ gmail.com (I don't check this email too often btw.)
Sushi Class at GBC
It was one of the first couses I took at George Brown. I agreed, it was so awesome. Best value too considering that now I make sushi all the time at home.
Bring some containers to the first class. I was a little ill-prepared because it says no hands-on on the first class, but Chef David Chung had us making some salmon nigiri to start. He also teaches at Calaphon but I think the George Brown course is way better value since it's 6 classes and includes all the food too (there were leftovers in my class).
I brought my own sushi mat, you should probably get one too (especially if you'll be doing it at home in the future). I was surprised how poor the knives were that other people had. You could get a $35 9" commercial Henkles chef knife (yellow handled) and keep it sharpened and it'd be better than most of the crap I saw other people brought from home.
Bread baking courses in Toronto
It is closed after the course has run past its cut off point (which is after the 1st class). Usually to take the Bread Class, you'll need to do Bakery Arts I as a pre-requisite.
In September, the courses are back offered in full swing again. So if you take Bakery Arts I, you should be able to take the Bread class after.
Rental Kitchens? Any in Toronto?
There is the Toronto Food Business Incubator at 133 Rivalda Road. http://www.tfbi.ca/
I think you have to apply to use it. June 15th is the due date for their Fall 2010 intake to use the facilities. They help you start a food business if that is what you're after.
Custom decorated cakes for kids
Molly Royle also makes cakes. You can ask her for pictures of the ones she did in the past. royle @ cogeco.ca
Any Urban Garden Share Programs in T.O.? I provide my backyard and get produce in return...
There is a group called Young Urban Farmers that operate as a CSA (Community Shared Agriculture). http://www.youngurbanfarmers.com/ I heard about them during "Seedy Saturday" this year.
Gadget Graveyard...
Most of these listed are pretty useless.
I disagree with the Juicer... most juicers are garbage. My Breville one is great because it isn't so painful to clean. I do use it about once a week (when I've realized i hadn't had enough vegetables from the week prior ;)).
The hand cranking pasta maker is garbage. When I got my Kitchenaid attachment, I fell in love. I always though i needed a third-arm when using the pasta machine. My standmixer stepped in and became the third arm.
Woks in general... I feel are better served by a large frying pan. Which comes to addressing that paella pan are useless. The $20 cheap ones are probably indeed useless and you could make paella in a suitably large frying pan. However I'm planning on buying a 13" All-Clad "Paella" Pan because I don't want a handle on my frying pan. It screws up the centering of the pan in the oven when I transfer it to finish cooking or roasting. (I'm too weak to flip a 13" pan normally anyway - 8" is alright).
Gadget Graveyard...
Mandolins can be useful. I use them when I do need those specific consistent cuts... such as for strips of cucumbers to make circles to hold salads (when my friends and I are up to cooking for our 5-course dinner nights). I still bear the scars on the knuckle of my thumb when it did slice me. I've learned that the 'teeth' that make the juillenes are much avoided... they create too much friction while trying to push carrots through. So when I finally got through the part that was giving it trouble, the rest of the carrot slipped through quickly followed by the knuckle of my thumb which was down too low. :(
Gadget Graveyard...
Good thing I never caved into them... they might make great Christmas tree ornaments though. I've seen Microplane make 2" size of their rasp that are perfect for grating the garlic, nutmeg and lemon zest.
Conical Burr Grinder - Available in the UK
We've had the Breville Conical Burr Grinder for a while and been pretty happy with it. It has multiple settings for fineness of the grinds (i.e. espresso, filtered coffee, french press). It isn't cheap in Canada, so I don't think it'd be cheap in the UK either but maybe exchange rate will play into it as Breville is an Australian company.
Slow Cookers
I had a Kitchen-aid 7 qt one originally because of making stock... I didn't like the stock that came out of it versus the one I make in my pot on the stove. Not really sure what went wrong... I am a single person, so I have no use for a 7 qt one and gave it to my mom who entertains large parties a lot (as she has a house and I do not).
I was looking into getting a portable induction cooktop for a hot pot on the dinner table, keeping buffet of food warm for entertaining, or even car camping. I noticed that the one from Circulon ( http://bit.ly/bwmiqZ ) has a timer and has temperature settings from 150-430˚F (or 9 power levels). I already own a Le Crueset dutch oven and pairing it with this induction cooktop is going to be my alternative answer to a slow cooker.
The combination means one less dedicated appliance in my inventory now! Now if I can only find an old-school waffle iron, I'll be free of dedicated purpose appliances.
Indian cooking classes in Toronto?
I took it at George Brown. Not sure what's wrong with formal and professional...at first I thought it was weird that my chef was Spanish/Mexican with the last name Fernandez... but he really is Indian. And after the course, he gave us his email and said that we could email him with any additional questions we had on Indian Cuisine.
He stressed the fundamentals of Indian cooking and key spices, how everything followed a pattern. He always did a review of the previous class in each class and asked us how it went when we tried the recipes he demo'd but never did in the lab and offered solutions to problems we faced at home.
I was a little disappointed with the fact that Butter Chicken was not on the course outline, but he gave us his recipe for it when we asked.
Relatively inexpensive cooking classes?
George Brown continuing ed Culinary Arts I isn't what most people would think of as "cheap" but honestly, I learned a lot. I've just completed the certificate program (no qualification required). The Culinary Arts I and II is really all you need to get your technique down. Food is included in the cost of tuition and you take home a meal for 4 (sometimes with side dishes/dessert). You also eat what the chef has demo'd. Many times I've also managed to take home extra ingredients from those who skipped class.
After Culinary Arts I and II, you start seeing in ways you can cut corners on recipes, and change it to be right if you see inefficient methods or why they are telling you to do it. Now I rarely use recipes. I'll look at them still for combination ideas I never thought of. The regional classes aren't necessary and nor is the knife class that useful if you're trying to save money. I did hear that sauces and marinades is worth it but I never took it (did want to, scheduling wasn't right).
Sushi making classes in Toronto?
The chef of Akasaka (David Chang) is also the instructor of the sushi class for George Brown and Calaphon. I took my class at George Brown and found it was worth the value. I learned how to fillet fish Japanese style and we had lots of extra ingredients to take home as well in addition to what we made in class (i.e. a whole party tray).
Goldin's Smoked Meat: A Review
Where are they located and what's the telephone number? I'm having trouble locating the address of this place. Google is of no help (strangely)! :(
Dim sum with carts
I go to Yiu Wah regularly for Dim-Sum. Rol San is famous for its Dim Sum and it's generally good, but more expensive than Yiu Wah, at least on the weekday. Once you get to the weekend, it's the same price, but Rol San does not do carts at all. Yiu Wah does lack a view and the carts are only around at certain times of the day. Anything you want that isn't on the cart is easily ordered. I second that it's very frequented by Chinese seniors regulars.
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Yiu Wah
421 Dundas W, Toronto, ON M5T1G6, CA
Need to sharpen my knives in Niagara
I've never gone to any professional sharpening services. You'd want someone you can trust to not destroy your knives. The other alternatives is to buy a system so you can sharpen your knives under your own care.
I just use a manual diamond sharpener from Chef's Choice. It works, but I'm not sure if it would be considered amazing. There are other ones out there with more bells and whistles. Unfortunately, I can't give you an opinion on those.
Another knife question (I know they never end)
When you go with Carbon-Steel only, you can get some extreme hardness that eludes Stainless Steel (material chemistry challenges). So yeah, I can see why your knife doesn't maintain sharpening. I can't recommend it for everyone since they do also require care, like you said, never soak, dry immediately, protect it against bangs. Extremely hard blades (both carbon and ceramic) hold their sharpness really well, but they are subsequently very brittle. So they can't take hard knocks well. But because it's carbon-steel it's more prone to corrosion. So you shouldn't ever soak it because it will rust. These trade offs aren't for everyone, and no one should ever put down carbon-steel knives. It's just not everyone is able to take care of them like you do.
Help me buy a new pan "wardrobe"
If it's new, isn't it covered under warranty? This shouldn't happen to a new stove! I think it would be unacceptable for them to charge you for a service visit. It doesn't cost you anything to ask for a quote. I think your landlord should know he paid for a P.O.S. and maybe get it exchanged for a working one.
Help me buy a new pan "wardrobe"
I've asked my baking chef what is parchment paper really... it's basically paper impregnated with silicon. Throw away stuff is convenient, and I have parchment paper for things like salmon en pappilottes... but it takes a toll on my eco conscience to use it when I can use a reusable baking mat for things like cookies.
Yoghurt Maker Question
I've just made yogurt with a pot, thermometer, mason jars, and a camping cooler.
When I have finished heating the milk in my pot and added the starter to it, I pour the liquid into the containers/jars that would store the yogurt in the fridge. I then continue to heat up the water that I've used for a water bath to the correct temperature, then add the water and the containers to the container to incubate overnight for 8 hours.
I've never used a machine... seems like a waste of space in my limited countertop since the only thing it does is incubate the yogurt and I already have a cooler for camping. When they make a model that heats up the milk and incubates, meaning that all I have to do is add starter, I'll think about it.
I'd say that once your yogurt has pass the incubation point, there shouldn't be a problem with transfering containers. You can just boil any glass jar and lid for a few minutes to sterilize it, if you wish. I use glass containers whenever I can because I am concern about chemicals leeching from plastics.
Circulon Vs others
I've no experience with it.
But given that the non stick coating has long worn off... I wouldn't recommend anyone using a non-stick pan which has its coating marred.
I'd say there are better alternatives, but you'd have to set a price point. There's another thread about the Circulon Professional Set that's on sale at Costco right now with a coupon for $160. If you were going to pick it up, maybe catch the deal while you can.
I want to buy a juicer
Since you mentioned The Bay, you must be shopping in Canada. I found that iQ Living in Toronto (www.iqliving.com) carried all 4 of the Breville juicers.
Best Juicer (under $100)
I have the Breville Ikon. I really love it, but that's over your budget. Breville more or less has its same 4-piece design across its models, but the specifications are mainly where they differ (i.e. motor, rpms, etc). The 4-piece design is super easy to clean, which is one of my top considerations for choosing a juicer. If it's a pain to clean, then you're not going to look forward to using it. So then you've wasted your money because it sits in a corner, unused.
Breville does make one that's just under $100 at Best Buy, it's the Breville Compact Juice Fountain, BJE200XL. You might be able to shop around some more for a better sale.
But considering your sister has a cuisinart one for $30, I'm pretty sure it isn't like the juicer that would work well for say carrots, celery, etc. Its purely a citrus juicer - a reamer with a motor attached. I had one for about a week and then returned it. It was way too slow and under powered for my liking. It also hurts your hand if you were doing too many oranges.
I didn't find any options between the $30 and $200... We sucked it up and went with the Breville Citrius Juicer $190 (http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/e193/index.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m1|16|||0|||||||breville%20juicer&cm_src=SCH) because my significant other is extremely picky about his freshly squeezed orange juice (He hates tropicana and his interpretation of fresh is when he ordered it at the resturant, not that it was squeezed at 6 am in the morning and now it's 4 hours later in the day). We use it nearly every morning and it works amazingly well. So in the end, it was worth it for $/use.
We have juiced oranges in our Breville Ikon machines, but we found that the liquid does seem to be seperated a little. Tastes fine, but the Breville Citrius Juicer does a much better job and the colour in the juice is solid orange rather than the Ikon that produces light orange at the bottom and the deep orange at the top. I really haven't figured out why it does that. Unless you have a real hankering like my signifiant other and/or that you juice A LOT of oranges, maybe you'd be better off with the Compact Juice Fountain. The juice fountain would require you to peel the oranges. The Citrius Juicer would only only require you to slice the oranges in half.
Which juicer to buy?
I really like my Breville one. It basically has 4 parts to clean only. Easy to assemble, easy to disassemble. If your juicer is a pain to clean, you will use it less. Trust me on that one. Make sure when you check out juicers, you ask the sales person if you can have a chance to take it apart and put it back together again so you get a feel for it.
I got the IKON, but they are pretty much more or less the same design. The rest is about looks and if you care about how much plastic or not. William and Sonomas has a different die-cast Breville juicer that's exclusive to them. It has another disk/attachment that is better for soft fruits like berries and tomatoes. If you have a kitchenaid, I think that money could be better spent on the fruits/vegetable strainer attachment instead because I believe you're likely to retain more of your juice that way than having it ejected with the pulp.
I would suggest you go with a model with a metal chute, no matter what you buy. The force exerted on the walls of chute can cause it to break over time if it is plastic due to the force of grinding the carrots. The force is then transferred to the chute. If it isn't strong enough, it will eventually crack.
Good Chinese takeout in the West End?
It's not Chinese... but if you're looking for Thai some night, try Simply Thai near Runnymede/Bloor. 416-769-8866 http://www.simplythaicuisine.com . It's way better than the Green Mango. I'm throughly inpressed. It brought back memories of Thailand and I was just there last year! They are authentic. I can hear them speak Thai among themselves.
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Simply Thai Cuisine
2253 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6S1N8, CA
Cooking Classes Recommendations
The only thing close I experienced that may be close is my Creative Plating class at George Brown. You do get some recipes and you do get the ingredients that go with it... but he encouraged us to do whatever we want to incorporate the design techniques he showed us. We were also encouraged to bring in anything else we wanted to add to our design or tools to do it.
In general the continuing education classes at George Brown doesn't force you to cook the dish exactly as you want. If you wanted to change it up a little you can do it there, but don't expect those ingredients to be there. The ingredients are bought according to the recipe being cooked that day. But if you read ahead and know you want say mushrooms in your dish, or put in wasabi in your dish instead of mustard, I'm sure you wouldn't encounter problems. I've also asked the chef before that if I didn't like something, what could I do instead or run some idea by them. They have always been willing to chat about it.
