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When I was introduced to them, I was told it was to help prevent delicate ingredients, such as silken tofu, from being broken apart.

Here some references to Flukes and other Tape Worm like creatures associated with Crawfish. Animal Parasites (PDF) PARASITES (Roundworms, Tapeworms, Flatworms (flukes), One-celled Animals) (PA)

Thanks, I look for those places.

I have well over a dozen oils that I use on a regular basis. Some of my favourites are sesame oil for an asian dressing or in certain sauces. Chilli oil to top off certain soups such as ramen. Safflower oil, I find, works the best for me to make a "clean tasting" mayo. EVOO for delicate, European dressings, while standard olive oil for low-temp. cooking. I use peanut oil for higher temp. cooking when I want a peanut taste, usually Thai stir fries, or I use Sunflower oil for a "cleaner taste". I'll also use Canola or corn oil for most deep frying since it is cheap, and I keep grape seed oil on hand for exceptionally high temp. cooking like searing egg plant for a ratatoulle,as well as some dressings. I also have walnut oil and coconut oil for use in dressings.

I watched a television show recently that did a comparison with knives and said Ikea's brand was pretty good as far as non-professional knives go. I can't rember the name of the program however, but Ikea has an online catalogue you could look at. (www.ikea.com)

I'll be in Toronto this Tuesday and was planning on stopping into the St. Lawrence Market on Front Street. I know it'd be best to visit it on a Saturday when the farmers are in but Tuesday will have to do. It'll be my first time visiting the St. Lawrence Market, would anyone who frequents it make some recommendations for groccers, delis and/or restaraunts in the area?

After doing some research into Jewish dietary laws, I wondered that myself. I am not Jewish, nor am I an expert, but I did come accross that as a rule. It was not specified how much involvement is needed. Simply turning on the burner may very well indeed be all that needs to be done. I do not have my notes here at work, so I can't reference my sources.

I am making a kosher thanksgiving this year, since my brother-in-law's girlfriend is coming and she is Jewish. There are a LOT of rules. I thought I'd keep it simple by avoiding ALL dairy, so we don;t need two sets of everything and have to eat twice. You also need to kosher your cookware, counter tops, stoves, cutlery, dinnerware, etc... Then, as I reveiwed the various laws, I found a little rule that seems to be overlooked and unknown to many of my Jewish friends: If food is prepaired soley by non-Jewish cooks then the food is NOT kosher even if you follow every other rule. Looks like my brother's girlfriend is going to have to help me in the kitchen this year if she wants to eat!

Here are two arguements I found, but I am havnig a hard time trying to verify who is right. "In fact, every major human organ is now known to contain glutamate receptors. Overstimulation of these receptors—in the brain or elsewhere—can lead to numerous health problems, many of which may mimic other disorders (such as fibromyalgia or heart arrhythmia), but can go undiagnosed for decades, all the while creating a life of misery and disability for the unfortunate sufferer. "Many foods, such as soybeans and tomatoes, contain naturally high levels of free glutamate, which may cause MSG reactions in particularly sensitive individuals. The processed form—monosodium glutamate—is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, and it is the highly refined substance (which actually looks a lot like table salt) that is added in huge quantities to most processed foods at manufacturing facilities." - From www.nomsg.com "MSG is usually produced through fermentation, a process similar to that used in making beer, vinegar and yogurt. The process usually begins with the fermentation of corn, sugar beets or sugar cane. The finished product is a pure, white crystal which dissolves easily and blends well in many foods. "Medical specialists have known for decades that your body does not distinguish between the glutamate found naturally in foods and that in MSG. In fact, even todayÌs state-of-the-art technology canÌt separate them. For example, if you analyzed a plate of spaghetti, you could find out the total amount of glutamate in the dish. However, since glutamate is glutamate, there is no way to determine whether the glutamate came from tomatoes, Parmesan cheese or MSG." - From www.msgfacts.com

Admin: Threads merged. Exlcuding health risks to those allergic to MSG, does it pose a health risk? If yes, then does this carry over to glutimates in other food products such as soy sauce and fish sauce? I have been trying to read more and more about it on the Internet, but alot of it talks about health risks for those who are allergic. I know glutimates are found in cheese, mushrooms, fish, and human milk, so they can't be that bad. However, is MSG chemically different? Are glutimates in high does, such as MSG, harmful?

I'll try leaving out the miso and adding a bit of maple syrup to see what difference it makes. Yes, I mean compared to store bought ones. There is a Japanese bakery in Ottawa (I can't remember the name) that I try to visit whenever I'm there.

I love Mushi-Kasutera, a steamed cake with sweet potatoes. I have a recipe I've been using but when compared to similar cakes my version seems to be lacking some where. Here is my recipe and let me know if any of you seem room for improvement. I sift scat 300g of cake/pastry flour with 140 cups of caster sugar. To that I add a lightly beaten mixture of 45ml sweetened condensed milk, 4 eggs, and 40g shiro miso. I beat together untill smooth and then leave to rest for 1 hour. I then add a mixture of 10ml cream of tartar, 2.5ml of bicarbonate of soda, and 15ml water. I then add 30ml of melted unsalted butter and 2/3 of a sweet potato (diced). After mixing again I pour it into a muslin lined, preheated steamer. I then add the remaining 1/3 diced sweet potato as a garnish to the cake and steam for 30 minutes of until a bamboo skewer placed an the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Is Ontario know for any paticular culinary herbs? Do any grow wild?

In a place like China town, It'd be easy for a store keep to order a case and re-sell it in his shop and get away with it. I'll take a closer look next time I'm there.

I live in Ontario, Canada and more often than not it is not possible to get Shao Hsing from the LCBO. If one does not want to privately import a case, what kind of substitute could one use? "Cooking" Shao Hsing? Japanese sake?

Don;t tell me this, it's like waving a $100.00 bill in front of a homeless person.

I've already started tilling, and in the process of deciding what I'l be growing this year! Thanks! Saves a trip to Toronto.

Thanks for the great responses! Nothing specific, whatever is available. A recent frustration, Japan Foods Ltd's (an import company for Japanese food near Toronto) recent shipment of Katsura Bushi was held up at customs. Now I have to use nothing but dashi-no-moto. I really hope Canada doesn't retaliate against Japan over BSE like America retaliated against France of Iraq. By the way, what place do you shop at in Ottawa?

Does anyone know of any websites that sell Japanese produce, food products, etc... with delivery overseas to North America?

There is a similar recipe in traditional Thai cooking, with the stuffing ranging from rice to ground meat.

You tell'em! According to some cookbooks I've read, originally Japanese strawberries were small and bitter, but western (Ontario?) strawberry plants were imported and planted in Japan.

I usually cook genmai with some slices of carrot, bamboo shoots cut into matchsticks, and some shredded fresh mushrooms (usually oyster and/or shitake). I also add a little shoyu and sake to the water. What do you do with your genmai, when it is the central ingredient in your dinner?

Pork loin, deboned with slivers of garlic inserted in the meat and allowed to sit for 24-hours in the refridgerator with a rub of salt, pepper, and rosemary. It was cooked on the BBQ, and while cooking it was rubbed with a rosemary sprig dipped in olive oil. I also made potato/flower gnocchi in a butter-sage sauce, homemade focaccia bread, and a antipasti of roasted bell peppers (red, green, yellow, and orange), quartered artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes tossed with minced garlic, olive oil, and balsamic viniger.

There is a local Filipino grocer that I shop at, not to mention a large Filipino community, all nof whom are passonate cooks. I should get around to asking them for some recipes...

I've started this recently. My basil is thriving in the window, but my chives... my poor, poor chives... I could be charged with crimes against herb-kind if anyone saw the condition of my chives...