rgruby

A stand at the city hall farmers market had them today (Aug17). They are located on the eastern flank of the square at city hall, just east of the fountain (skating rink in winter). Sorry, forgot to get their name. Cheers, Geoff Ruby

Just one more comment to my above response. I didn't mean to say that Steven found Corian to bend or go out of level. But, if I may paraphrase his comments more accurately, he found Corian not to have a solidity in feel that other surfaces he has used had. Again, Steven, if I may paraphrase, to you it feels flimsy. I've worked on stainless that felt that way. And was not level, and had dips and bows. OK, I have a 9 day old. Sleep calls. I hope some of this makes sense. Thanks again, Geoff Ruby

I'm with you on the utilitarian aspect - the wife (who does almost no cooking) may have a different perspective! Interesting comment re: stainless. I would have thought that the restaurant supply places that are installing stainless might see the upscale home market as a "growth area" - a lot of upscale kitchens in private residences rival, if not exceed, many resto kitchens in size. And given the popularity of "loft-style" condos it's a bit surprising that stainless isn't (more) easily available. Dunno why concrete has taken hold while it appears stainless has not. And, despite what I said a paragraph or so up about utilitarian aspect taking precedence, stainless wouldn't really fit the design aesthetique in my new place - a 100 year old Victorian. (I just moved from this city's first factory to loft conversion a couple of months ago - stainless would have been stunning there rather than the laminate I had, but I digress). One thing about stainless, and that you found with Corian as well - it has to be supported properly or it will go out of level, bend etc. The stainless I've worked on has been uneven, with high and low spots. And, I don't know how large a section is possible at one time without seams, welds, or whatever you would use to join sections together. If you need to join sections, I'm guessing, and I mean outright guessing, that it can't be done seemlessly? Any other drawbacks to stainless, if you could find a supplier? How does it rate cost-wise? Cheers, Geoff Ruby

OK, So far, there have been a couple of comments about a dulling or "haze" happening in Corian over time/use. Can anyone comment more about that? Might it be colour specific, or perhaps more prone in certain colours rather than others? The idea of using two (or more) surfaces in the kitchen is a good one. I'll have to give that a bit more thought. Cheers, Geoff Ruby

Corian has been suggested to me as a possibility for the countertop in our hopefully soon to be renovated kitchen. I know this has been covered a bit in the various kitchen renovation threads, but I'm wondering if a dedicated thread on this topic would be helpful. I'd love some info on the pros and cons of going with corian, particularly compared with Silestone. Thanks, Geoff Ruby

It's possible the place in TO had a cook from a different part of Vietnam than most of the places you've eaten at in NYC. I don't know if emigration here (TO) tended to come from a certain section of Vietnam. The Vietnamese place I tend to go to didn't serve pho until a year or so ago - I'm assuming because they're not from the capital region. So maybe you just encountered a regional variant? I don't think I've ever eaten Vietnamese while in NYC, so I can't comment fuurther regarding the differences in Vietnamese cuisine here and there. It is good here though, definitely one of my favourites, and I think a bit unknown still to many. Cheers, Geoff Ruby

The jalapenos sold here in Toronto vary wildly in heat levels. I don't know if it is because some of them are grown here in greenhouses and some of them are from Mexico, or if they're different varieties, or there's a big seasonal variation, or whatever. It doesn't seem to matter if I buy them from a supermarket or a Latino grocer - the heat level is variable, and not in a predictable way, so far as I can discern. So, yes, those look like the jalapenos we get here. And, given the enormous variance in spiciness, I recommend trying one or two and compensating accordingly every time you buy them. I've found pretty drastic differences though even from peppers bought at the same place at the same time (and presumably from the same producer). I think there has been a trend towards producing less heat-intensive jalapenos, or there's at least a perception that this is so. (I've read articles to this effect - but I still come across incredibly picante jalapenos from time to time). AT the end of the day, I think this is a product with a fair bit of natural variability in heat levels, and what you found at your local produce stand today might be different a month from now. If you see a constant trend of non-spicy jalapenos, I'd suggest encouraging your source to find a spicier supplier - if that's what you want. But honestly, around here, fairly to incredibly mild jalapenos are not uncommon. Let us know what the next batch brings. Cheers, Geoff Ruby

2 more for me: Indian Essence by Atul Kochar, and one from Kerala that a friend brought back from India for me. Cheers, Geoff Ruby

Ok, I went and had a sniff and a taste of the black vinegar in my cupboard, and it definitely had a roasty, coffeeish aroma and flavour. Does this jibe with other folks' experiences with this variety ofvinegar? I have Gold Plum brand. Cheers, Geoff Ruby

Highchef said: Now I have something else to add to my shopping list...black vinegar. But what do I do with it once I get it???? I don't buy things to look at, I like to play. ← I, who cannot figure out how to use the quote function when there are two or more different authors reply: Well, it's not unlike balsamic, maybe not quite as sweet generally. I think it would make a decent substitute for balsamic in a vinaigrette. As for its use in authentic Chinese cooking - I'm out of my league there. I'm sure I bought it to make a recipe that called for it, and since I live around the corner from one of the largest Chinatowns in North America it wasn't a big deal to go and get a bottle. But I have to admit I don't use it often, and when I run out, I'll probably just stick to using balsamic, especially if pantry space in my new place is tight. I also don't know if there is or isn't much variation among brands, or whether any particular brands are of higher quality than others. Cheers, Geoff Ruby

I was just going to ask - is anyone making their own vinegar? I haven't checked out the link yet, but one of the obvious benefits would be to make vinegars that aren't commercially available. Can anybody making their own vinegar comment on flavour differences between home made and commercial? Cheers, Geoff Ruby

How many of you out there have aged balsamico from Italy in their pantries? I hemmed and hawed after spending three months in Italy last year whether to bring some of the real 20, 30 or more years aged tradizionale stuff back, and eventually I decided not to. Just too much dough for something I ultimately would feel a bit guilty using - but what a treat! Some of the better, and inexpensive, commercial stuff actually gets in the ballpark, but most of 'em are in the bleachers. Obviously, this is special occasion stuff, but what are you using it on? And, what are some of your favourite, commercial (ie non-tradizionale) substitutes? Fini is easily available around here and if memory serves, was decent - maybe a bit mellow (caremelly?) but I don't have any at present to confirm my memory. a local place (the Cheese Boutique) imports some young balsamic and ages it further in oak (again - not entirely sure) barrels. I've found it a bit tart on its own, but I haven't had a real aged balsamic here to compare it to and it's been a couple of years, maybe less a bit since I've tasted the real thing. So, to cut short my rambling, what are some of the better commercial substitutes for the real (and real expensive - but deservedly so) aged balsamico from Modena and environs. Cheers, Geoff Ruby

Currently, I have plain ole white (used almost exclusively for pickling, or for cleaning windows), 2 different balsamic, white wine, sherry, red wine, cider, malt, rice wine and Chinese black. That's 10 kinds of vinegar. Well, 9 kinds, 10 bottles. Ok, vinegar is not terribly expensive, other than a true balsamico tradizionale from Modena. But ten? It seems vaguely ridiculous, but I do use most of them fairly regularly - malt and cider not so much, and the Chinese black not often either. I'm also somewhat embarrassed by the number of mustards in my fridge, but I'll save that for later. So, how many vinegars do you regularly keep on hand? Cheers, Geoff Ruby

Kris, although Mr. Dispirito has taken quite a beating here on egullet (and elsewhere) in the past few months, I have stated at least a couple of times that I quite like the cookbook Flavor. Can you tell us a little bit about how you got that gig, and what your role was, compared to Rocco's. If possible, can you, or anybody else who has worked on a cookbook by a celebrity chef, elaborate on what compensation, if any, might flow to a sous chef or pastry chef that contributes recipes? Cheers, Geoff Ruby

I'm pretty sure this is not the book I saw. The book I was looking at covered the whole country, was maybe 600 pages (not sure - but it was pretty thick, but I don't remember the book being overly big in its dimensions, and I think it was a softcover as well). But, who knows? I wish I'd written it down. Cheers, Geoff Ruby

I saw a book that covered all the regions in Italy - and divided Emilia and Romagna into two distinct sections as well. I'm pretty sure I saw it in the "mall" in the centre of Pesaro. I also remember that it was published quite recently - 2002 or 2003 probably. I decided not to purchase it at the time as I didn't want to lug it all over the country - oh, I'll pick it up in Rome on my way home. Needless to say, I couldn't find it again and wish I had picked it up. I'm sorry to say that I can't remember much more about it. It may have had a yellow cover? It may have been called something along the lines of An Encyclopedia of Italian Cooking. But, to be honest, I can't really remember. It did look like a decent overview of the different regions, and covered them all, region by region. If any of the folks based in Italy can figure out what I'm talking about, please let me/ us know. I'd still like to pick it up if I can find it! Cheers, Geoff Ruby

I haven't been in over a year, and in any event, it's over til next Thurs. but, I thought it was kinda neat - not a great deal of selection perhaps - it's pretty small, but it had a very "community" kind of feel - lots of families and kids, and I got the feeling that there's a coterie of regulars that are probably there just about every week. So, Malcolm, what did you think? Did you buy anything? One of the things that makes it different is the baked goods. I'm not sure how much produce would be available this time of year though. Might be a good project for Gremolata to survey the GTA farmer's markets and who is there and what they offer - the dailies haven't seemed interested particularly (the Star always has a token article on this every year, but it's mostly times and places - no depth). cheers, Geoff Ruby

It hasn't had great press lately. Maybe other places have caught up? I don't really know - I do know that the meal I had there was not wonderful. But, judging a place based on one meal isn't, perhaps, representative. That being said, there's about a dozen places I'd check out before I'd go back. Anyone else been there recently? cheers, Geoff Ruby

Glad to see no serious reports of injury or damage. I don't think fire extinguishers are a good idea on grease fires though - starving the fire by popping a lid on as several have suggested is the the way to go if you can. I believe the fire extinguisher in my place specifically says not to use it on grease fires. There may be other types of fire extinguisher that are ok for this though. Cheers, Geoff Ruby

I've been in a kitchen where someone wasn't paying enough attention and the oil in a pan caught fire. Let me tell you, it doesn't take a whole lot of oil to make a big, nasty, freakin' scary fire. Thankfully in my case, we got it under control, nobody was hurt, it didn't cause any structural damage (although the grease in the vent hood flared up a few times after the main blaze was put out) and no real harm was done. I'm not sure the same result would have been the case in a home setting - without industrial strength vent hoods and so on. Many cookbooks advise heating the oil until it reaches the smoking point before adding food. Hot oil is important for achieving crisp outer layers and the nice browning and caramelization created by Maillard reactions. But how dangerous is this, particularly in a home context? How often are we creating fires. So, just wondering if anybody out there has started a fire, why it happened (inattention at a bad moment, using a different brand/ kind of oil, new/ unfamiliar kitchen etc.), how they dealt with it. I don't particularly want to dredge up unpleasant memories/ experiences here - but I would like to know if home cooks are putting themselves in danger by attempting to heat oil to a high temperature without the experience to know when it is too hot. I think I tend to be on the overly cautious side and therefore don't get my oil quite as hot as I should before I add the food - I have a hard time getting fish skin not to stick, for example. And, i did actually start a fire in my kitchen not too long ago. But in my microwave. I was nuking some pappadum on a paper towel. I'm guessing there was a bit of grease in the microwave, or possibly some metal in the paper towel, but in any event, the paper towel ignited. As soon as I noticed I pressed stop on the microwave, and let the fire consume itself. When it did I unplugged the microwave, and waited a while before I opened it. there was a bit of soot to clean up, but otherwise it doesn't seem to have impaired the nukebox. Thanks, Geoff Ruby

Japanese and Mexican crepes! Anybody have any places in, um, France? Actually, can anybody enlighten me on regions in France where you commonly find crepes - i.e. where they would be thought of as a traditional food of that region and not an import? Or are they pan-French? How about neighboring countries? Italy has crespelles (that doesn't look entirely right to me - I may have got the word or spelling wrong). Would crepes of some form be thought of as a traditional food in Switzerland? Germany? Spain? Belgium or Holland? Thanks, Geoff Ruby

I use both markets, but often for different things. I prefer St. Lawrence for meat, seafood, some cheeses, olive oils, vinegars, olives and peameal bacon sandwhiches. I prefer Kensington/Chinatown for veggies, but during the winter months a lot of places are not, or barely, heated especially at night, so the produce can go through the freeze/ thaw process. The result is that in the winter, I don't go to Kensington as much for produce. I do like the place in the basement of St. Lawrence that labels the origin of almost all of its produce. I prefer to buy local if it's available. It also has herbs like tarragon and chervil, that I don't see in Kensington very often. Kensington gets the nod for spices and most dry goods, but there is a fantastic place stuck in the far (NW) corner of the basement at St. Lawrence where you can find most of the stuff Kensington has (maybe not a wide variety of dried chiles or more obscure Indian spices). My wife also prefers the bagels in Kensington! And, Kensington has empanadas and pupusas, and tacos al pastor. At the end of the day, I'm glad to have both markets - I hope they will both continue to thrive despite the challenges that they face. A question for Gordon - apart from the wide variety of foodstuffs under one roof, are you seeing things at St. Lawrence that just aren't available in upstate NY? Different fish, cuts of meat etc? And, have you been to Pusateries or the Cheese Boutique?

There is a Nutella cookbook out in Italy - in Italian only, as far as I know. I bought it for my sister - although last time I talked to her she had yet to try anything from it. There is at least one, possibly more, books about Nutella, the history of the company and so on. Also, I believe, in Italian only. Cheers, Geoff Ruby

What are some of your favorite crepe fillings? Savory or sweet, fill me in on your favorite fillings. What are some of the stranger fillings you've tried? I had a raspberry jam and mozzarella crepe a few days ago that was absolutely delicious. From takeaway stands to fine dining where are your favorite creperies? Cheers, Geoff Ruby

Nice pictures. I gather they weren't taken today - a Monday - as the market is closed on Mondays. Where else did you eat (other than Susur)? Cheers, Geoff Ruby