Ben L.

Thank you Stephen. I will drop by there and check it out.

I am looking for a pâté mold with collapsible sides for making pâté en croûte. Does anyone know where I can find a good quality mold? I have been to Russell and Cookworks, but they don't carry it. Ming Woo does have some for sale, but they don't look like they are very well made. After a bit of research on the Internet, I found out a company named Matfer makes some non-stick molds which would suit my application, but the problem is I have no idea where to get them in Vancouver. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

No, that's cleaning. Sanitizing is reducing the level of pathogen to an acceptable level. Sanitizing is a lot less effective if the surface is not clean to begin with.

Yeah, I know where Pacific Restaurant Supply is but always feel reluctant to park my car there. Too many drug addicts in the neighbourhood...

Thanks!! I will head over to Janitor's Warehouse later in the week.

Does anyone use sanitizer at home? The thought of using sanitizer never really occurred to me until I completed a food safety course at school. I am looking for some quat ammonium sanitizer but can't seem to find it around town.

Thanks Linda!

Wow, sounds like The Best Recipe from Cooks Illustrated in my kind of book. I love to know the science behind why we do certain things. That's why I love watching Alton Brown so much. Thanks Genny!

I am shopping for some mini squeeze bottles like the ones on the back cover of Thomas Keller's French Laundry. I have went to Ming Woo, Gourmet Warehouse, Cookworks and still having no luck in finding them.

Thank you very much for all the recommendations. I will write down the suggested titles and take them to the local culinary bookstore with me and check them out. As one can see, I love cook books with pictures because that gives me inspiration on the plating. However, I am also aware that pretty pictures doesn't usually translate to good cook book. Have fun cooking!

I didn't discover about my passion on cooking until a few years ago. My father works at a restaurant so I know how hard this profession can be for the family. Whilst all the people are enjoying the holidays spending quality time with the family, my father is always busy at work making sure the guests are happy. My father have always discouraged me to join the business because of the long hours and the fact that family has to come second if one wants to be successful. After obtaining two degrees from university, I really didn't enjoy the things that I learned in school. Upon graduation, there is nothing out there that really interest me. After some soul searching, I realized I have always enjoyed helping out my nanny in the kitchen. So one thing led to another, I am now attending culinary school and immersing myself with a bunch of foodies everyday in the kitchen and the lecture room is a lot of fun! Long story short, definitely nuture your daughter's passion by asking other chefs to let her stage at a restaurant. At the same time, remind her schooling is very important as well. I see many of my classmates struggling in courses that involve any kind of math. Afterall, we are in a business to generate profit so we have to be good with the numbers.

I am building a library of cookbooks and reference books. I would appreciate if fellow foodies can offer some suggestions on what books I should get next. Here are the books that I have: various Jamie Oliver authored titles On Cooking On Baking The Professioanal Chef The French Laundry Barron's Food Lover's Companion Saveur Cooks Authentic American The Complete Book of Desserts Rice & Risotto by Christine Ingram Practical Cookery - Pasta & Intalian Bouchon Nobu New Susur: A Culinary Life Larousse Gastronomique: The World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia el Bulli: 1998-2002 Grand Livre de Cuisine: Alain Ducasse's Culinary Encyclopedia Chapeau Looking forward for the responses.

I usually use a disinfectant wipe (the ones they use before injection at the doctor's office) to clean off the gooey stuff. The ethanol should do the trick.

HKDave, have you purchased an IB yet? Another happy Braun IB owner here. I got the Braun Multiquick professional MR 5000 three months ago and I use it primarily for making cream soup and coulis. The unique anti-splashing design of the shaft really does the job well.

For those who are interested in taking the WSET courses, here are the prices from Fine Vintage Ltd. Ling, are you doing the Foundation Level at Dubrulle right now? Since you have already read Jancis Robinson's book, the Foundation Certificate exam should be a breeze for you. As for myself, I did both the Foundation and Intermediate Certificate at Dubrulle and currently taking the Advanced Level Certificate.

I am not sure about House of Knives selling refurbished knives, but I do agree with Sam that their sales staffs don't know anything about their products. I have a Shun 10" chef knife that I got from House of Knives and it was brand new in a box wrapped in plastic. They gave me two free sharpening coupons when I purchased the knife from them, but I will never let them sharpen it for me. Which outlet did your wife purchase the knife from?