annachan

My favorite is to stir fry ong choy with fu yu. It's supposed to be really good in mutton stew. Another favorite of mine is just adding a cube to my plain porridge.

Two place I really like are Boulevard and Jardiniere. Both offer great food. As for shopping, the Ferry Building is a must. Sur La Table is a high end kitchen store that you will enjoy. There are two locations, one in the Ferry Building and one on Union Square. There is also a Williams-Sonoma over by Union Square. Have lots of fun while in SF!

I imagine they would ship outside of CA. I don't know the shipping cost though.

I found a great place to get my holiday supplies for making candies and truffles. Marque Foods 322 Littlefield Ave. South San Francisco 888-882-7288 This is a great place to get chocolate in bulk at good prices. Other than their "store brand" Belgium chocolate, there are also E. Guittard, Callebaut, Scharffen Berger, Valrhona, and Weiss (it's amazing stuff!). Other than chocolate (44 lbs), we also got some coconut, vanilla beans (Madagascar - $22 for 4oz!!!! About 20 beans in all!!!!), and a box of Paillete Feuillentine. Chocolate transfer sheet (can order custom made ones), praline paste, cocoa nibs and powder, chocolate decorations, nuts and nut flour, flavoring, gelato ingredients are some of the products you can find there. If you want to pick up some stuff there personally (they will deliver for free on orders over $100, I assume in the Bay Area), call ahead and make an appointment. It was good that we did that as we got to taste some of the chocolate before we decided which brand to pick. Susana was the sales rep who helped us and she was really great. Just remember, most items are sold in bulk. The website gives you a good idea on what they carry. Have fun shopping!

When makine "everyday" soup, we don't discard the meat. However, we don't keep all the meat when my mom makes shark fin soup. The reason is that she uses 2, sometimes 3 chicken to the broth. We just can't eat that much chicken....

Thanks, I'll go check out the place. We do have an architect and a contractor (or two) at our disposal, and will be gettng a structural engineer. The kitchen designer is what we're lacking....

Let's not beat around the bush. How much are you planning to spend on cabinets and where do you plan to buy them? If you're talking about a 5 figure cabinet job from Poggenpohl - Bulthaup - etc. -- you won't have to pay anything for the design - except a deposit which will be a credit against your purchase. If you're not talking about spending this much on cabinets - why are you planning to spend more than $2k on a stove? Robyn ← My budget is not set. I want to price everything and then decide what I can live with and what I can live without. However, it's hard to price anything without having a plan and knowing what I need. That's why I want to have someone draw up a plan and get different quotes on what cabinets/counter will cost me as well as construction cost such as knocking down a wall or two. I need someone who can design the whole kitchen, not just cabinets.

I would love to have a store that carries professional quality chocolate/confectionary supplies. High quality chocolate molds, different types of sugar (ie invert sugar), a selection of high quality chocolate (it would be great if you can do bulk orders), transfer sheets, usually cookbooks, tempering machines, etc.

For my fountain, I usually use E. Guittard semi-sweet with vegetable oil added. NEVER USE WATER! The chocolate will seize on you! Instead of looking for a chocolate that will be fluid enough for the fountain, I suggest you pick one that you like the taste of, then thin it out with either vegetable oil or cocoa butter. The way I prepare the chocolate is that I melt it in the microwave, then add enough oil to get to the consistency that works. It's hard to descibe exatly what that consistency is. If, after you put the chocolate in the fountain and the consistency isn't quite right, you can either add some oil (chocolate too thick) or plain melted chocolate (chocolate too thin) on the top of the fountain and give it some time to mix into what's already in the fountain. It's not ideal, but it's worked for us before. If possible, I would suggest trying out the fountain before using it at a Christmas party. Maybe have some friends and/or family over to "break-in" the fountain, just in case.

Wow, didn't mean to start a big debate here.... Anyway, I have a larger budget than 3K, since I plan on spending at least 2K on a stove. However, I'm not ready to spend 5K on just the design on the kitchen. I'm not looking for a very unique or fancy design, just a functional kitchen with good appliances. I have a friend who is an architect and has hinted that he would do it for free. However, I don't think he has much experience designing kitchens. I guess I was thinking that maybe I should go with someone who can give us advice/options on which appliances and cabinets to choose as well as the kitchen design. I must say that I haven't done too much research on where to get a kitchen designer. I really had no idea what the cost will be. I thought this is a good place to get some advice. It seems that $500 is not an unreasonable price. I will definitely ask and see if that person can give us some references and/or show us projects that he's designed. In the meantime, I'll continue to seek out other local kitchen designers. Thanks everyone for your inputs.

Since this will be our first kitchen remodeling project, there are a lot we don't know. Right now, we're searching for someone to design our kitchen. Home Depot will do it for $50 or $100, but I don't want to use them since there are lots of limitations working with them. There is a local appliance/cabinet place that charges $500 for the design and I believe we will be credited it back on what we spend if we go with them. Is that reasonable? I'm in San Francisco, so please share any suggestion you have on where we can get our kitchen design at a reasonable price. TIA

I WANT ONE!!!!!! Too bad we don't have much of a back yard.....I'll definitely look into it when we move to a place that can accomodate an outdoor kitchen! BTW, where did you get the $60 burner from? How is that hooked up?

After several years of looking to remodel the kitchen, it's finally time to get it started. One of the issues that concerns me the most is what gas range to get. I've asked around at the appliance stores and they haven't been the most helpful. Whenever I asked about the difference between the higher end stoves, they keep telling me that they're all good. How's that suppose to help me choose? So, here are things I'm looking for and hopefully someone can give me some advice: 1) Prefer a stove that can handle a low simmer and getting a wok red hot. 2) Continuous grate (or some other option) that makes moving pots and pans to the different burners easily. 3) Easy clean up - maybe a tray that can be pulled out and wiped, etc. 4) Wok ring option would be fantastic. What brand have you used that you like? What will my approximate cost be for a 30 or 36 inch? Also, the kitchen is not very big, so I'm thinking a gas range with the oven (convection) on the bottom would be best. Any opinion/suggestions on that? TIA

I don't eat there often enough to know what's best. But Lychee Gardens is one that my parents prefer.

My favorite is bitter melon stew. Make a stock with meaty pork bones or sparerib pieces, you can add some chicken stock for extra flavor. Add in bitter melon pieces (cut into large 2-3 inch pieces) and pickled mustard. Salt to taste. Cook until bitter melon is tender. Serve with soy sauce and sesame oil on the side for dipping.

I just love baked eggs with a drizzle of truffle oil on top. Yum!

For some reason, mussels and fritz came to mind. I also love satays....Chinese steamed rice roll....fried tofu....I'm hungry....

My mom actually enjoys the bbq pork at our local Albertson's.

I'm not sure you are going to appreciate this, but here is how I coat almonds. ← I've been wanting one of those coating pans!!!! Where can a get a reasonable priced one? Perhaps one that would work with my KitchenAid mixer?

I haven't done this before so it's also new to me. I thought about dusting it first, but I worry that the dusting won't stay and will just fall into the chocolate when I dip them. Anyone who has made chocolate covered almonds before, I'd appreciate your inputs. Thanks for all the spice suggestions, by the way.

As I'm brainstorming ideas on what to make for holiday gifts this year, I thought about chocolate covered almonds. I'm not sure how difficult it will be to make them. I just assume I'll dip roasted almonds in chocolate, doing several coatings. (Should I salt the almonds?) Thinking maybe on the 3rd coating, roll them in cocoa powder before letting the chocolate set. Instead of just plain cocoa powder, I'm thinking of spicing it up. Chili scented, curry scented and cumin scented. What portion of spice to cocoa powder should I start experimenting with? Also, anyone have a suggestion of which type of chili powder may work? Would cayenne be too spicy?

I make a similar version: toffee: 1 stick butter 1 stick margarine 1 cup sugar 1 cup sliced almond topping: 1 cup pecan pieces 6 oz melted chocolate Put the butter and margarine in a heavy bottom pan (I prefer copper) over medium heat. When the sticks are half way melted, add the sugar and stir (it's best to use a heat-proof silicone spatula) constantly. When the mixture starts to foam in a few minutes, add the almond and continue to stir. When the sugar has turned a light amber, I believe around 320 degrees, pour it onto a sheet pan lined with foil or silicone liner. Make sure to put the pan on a heat proofed surface as it gets very hot. When the candy cooled down a little, spread the melted chocolate on top and sprinkle with nuts. If you want more chocolate, you can melt more chocolate and apply it to the second side once the first side has set.

I have my antique/collectibles in a glass covered bookcase and the others in an open bookcase. I have several sections: technical, Bay Area, "celebrity chefs", entertainment, general cookbooks, ethnic cookbooks, baking, dessert, chocolate/confections, and misc.

Add another 10 for me....got some used ones the last couple of weeks and picked up a copy of Tartine today. It's $21.95 at Costco, just couldn't resist....

I love my copper pot for making candy. I also love my other copper-lined pieces. However, I'm not sure I would pay regular prices for them; I'm not sure I can afford them. I have gotten most of my pieces on sale. I know you're thinking of getting a set. But if you're willing to wait and search, you'll be able to get some great deal out there. I've managed to pay 1/2 price or less for my pieces.