Kenk

I would love to get a full blown hand pump machine. I will keep an eye open for a used one. By the way I can make decent espresso with a steam toy machine! You can get a better result than at many crappy coffee shops and restaurants. Timing is everything with these steam toys. (use good coffee ground the proper way)

Your grinder does sound like a blade grinder. When I use one I measure the beans like I measure the grounds to make the coffee. ie. 1 tablespoon of coffee beans per cup of coffee. You can always remeasure the coffee before putting it in you coffee maker. One of the disadvantages of the blade grinder is that some really fine particles will be generated and will slip through your filter. I like Turkish coffee, this doesn't bug me. The biggest advantage of the blade grinder is they cost $15 - $35, burr grinders cost $35-$600 My personal coffee "master" recomends storing coffee in a sealed container rather than placing it in the freezer. I put my coffee in mason type jars with rubber seals and a flip top. Using any grinder takes a bit of experimentation to acheive the desired grind. Go For it.

Hello Fat Guy, The real answer is clear, It is way past time to enter the espresso world. Get a good manual espresso machine with a pump and you have the ability to rise above that coffee plateau. This will lead to a new challenge of espresso bean roasting, the a search for the perfect grind for your machine etc.... You can always try the el cheapo entry level espesso machines with no pump just a prayer that the preasure vesel dosen't explode as the water heats up and expands. I started using one of these things when when my sister brought one back from Italy. These machines are finiky but given the right conditions you can make very good espresso with them. There is an added excitement of making sure you finish making the coffee and steaming the milk before the water is all gone. These machines are kind of fun. I even saw a real cheap on for $29 CAN at Zellers(Canadian K-Mart). That machine can probably last at least a year.

Hello sooyo I would like to know why your preferences are in with the King Arthur Flour. If you look at common Canadian brands bread flour, their protein content is higher. Robin Hood is 13.1% protein, King Arthur is 12.7%. Do you prefere the taste texture, whole wheat, unbleached, colour, smell of the King Arthur? I have quit a few bread making fanatic friends, I would like to know if I should recomend King Arthur.

My dip experience tells me that it is a good idea to start with allot of fresh lemon juice, lime juice and lots and lots of chopped garlic. Pull out you good olive oil and dive in. I don't like sour cream or cream cheese dips so none are in my dips. These are not complete recipes, but here are some of my standards I want to start with Tzaziki. I have become very skeptical of most Greek restaurants that serve Tzaziki that is bland and does not use proper yogurt. I have been getting kits for my friend in Tsuzuki poor cities in order to give them the right tools to get them going. Tsuzuki Kit-wire strainer big enough to hold 1 US quart of yogurt, a bag of basket coffee filters. Tsuzuki-dump 3.25% fat yogurt in strainer covered with coffee filters (usually 4-5 filters) let drain over night. In drained yogurt add salt, oregano finally chopped cucumber lots of garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. Be careful not to add too much cucumber (has lots of water). Result should be thick rich not too sour but very garlicky Guacamole-avocado, garlic, salt peeper olive oil chopped onion lemon/lime juice. Salsa-roast/broil can of tomatoes, onion, jalepeno pepper garlic. chop and add cumin, salt peeper, olive oil lemon/lime juice. I can go on for 5 or 6 more but I will stop now. These dips are made with a knife, fork and hands.

Can any one out there recommend a good cooking and or restaurant management school in the Toronto area? I am looking for information on the best schools and/or the most affordable that provides good training for professional cooking/restaurant management.

I really liked this report. I have a big beef about your scientific methodology. You cut the grilled cheese sandwich straight across. One of the only true hard rules in the culinary world is that grilled cheese sandwiches must be cut diagonally. How can you tell the results when your sample was handled incorrectly.

Fat Guy I love them. I don't see them on restaurant menus but I like to broil them or pull them off the carcass of a whole roasted lamb. I hope we do not encourage too much use of them. I wouldn't want lamb ribs to become like chicken wings that used to be super cheap and now the most expensive part of the bird. I often buy local grass fed lamb spare ribs at a local market mmmmmmm.

I think it is better to look at what Montreal does have that is almost impossible to find anywhere else like really great Greek Food. From souvlaki at Arahova to fish at Milos, I don't think you will find anywhere that will beat them. Of course if you are willing to make home made tortillas and tamales you can certainly find the ingredients. I once had a co-worker from Texas complain he could not find Mesa anywhere. I told him I saw it everyday in the stores I shopped in. It could be found in the Asian and Caribbean stores. If you want Meyer lemons grow them. My Meyer lemon tree is flowering now. Hopefully I will get some lemons soon. (They grow well and fruit indoors). I have seen some good-looking bacon in some of the European stores. Polish, Yugoslavian, Hungarian, ... Boy I miss St-Laurent Street when there were many European butcher shops on it. As for street food..... Toronto street food = Giant Hot dogs and sausages only. the great majority is real crap. I hate the smell of these carts. There is nothing else. If the only street meat is a Hot dog, a Lesters hot dog who needs it. Ottawa at leat does have chip wagons that can have very good fries, but street carts are hotdog/sausage junk.

Many of the things you list are hard to find but most for a good reason or that we are subject to the North American culture. Mexican food is not broadly available in Montreal due to a modest immigrant population of Mexicans. Montreal is now becoming a good source for Central and South American Food and restaurants. But why is the best hot dog in Montreal sold at Costco (Ok but not great). Most Hot dog joints sell the cheapest bad tasting hot dogs available. I want a good hot dog joint.

BLECHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The kiss of a beautiful Italian woman! Or what marie-louise wrote.

You definitely want the skin on the salmon. The skin will hold the salmon together when you weigh the meat down. I recently made gravalax from a frozen filet that was probably farmed and it came out really well. The filet was also perfectly prepared with no pin bones. Usually I have made gravalax with salmon I filleted myself. (Hacking as I go.) Instead of dill I used tarragon as an herb to add flavour. The taste was subtle but I find dill too powerful a taste and would not be able to eat all of the leftovers.

The last place I was in that was really good was; T&T Supermarket in the Promenade mall at Bathurst and Centre. 1 Promenade Circle, Thornhill, Ontario L4J 4P8 Phone: 905.763.8113 Fax: 905.763.8035 Of course they specialize in Chinese groceries but this store has a great variety of other things too. They had sushi by the piece, BBQ, Hot table, good meat, live fish good vegetables. The place is good for a quick cheap lunch. The place is clean and the meat and fish are fresh.

Could you be more specific. Canada produces some of the best hard wheat in the world. What is european style bread flour?

I usually make a Caribbean style goat curry. The meat is rich a tasty and hold up well to strong ingredients. Use lots of garlic, thyme, potato, chick peas, curry, scotch bonnet peppers, ...

$38 for a salad spinner! Someone is making a nice healthy profit!

Champagne and/or Milk and/or green tea

Culatello, keep going, you just got me interested. What about the sauce? What about the toppings? What cheese do you like to use? I would love to bring Naples into my kitchen. The tiles are warming in my oven and my peel is ready to go. Keep going.

I don't get how goat cheese is has ended up on so many restarant menus. I find most goat cheeses I have tried tastes the same as licking a live goat.

Mamster, I think you have stated the problem why you don't get Greek food. The places you go are mediocre. My recomendation is get yourself to "Montreal" now. I miss the accesibility to good Greek food that you can find there. Since I moved away I have had to develop my skills at cooking key greek dishes. Get to Milos for great fish, Arahova's for souvlaki on pitas, aphroditie's bakery for baked goods. When you try this stuff you will get it. There are many many others but you have to start somewhere. ie. Souvlaki is made with charcoal grilled skewers of meat with the perfect balance of lean, fat, and grissle. The meat is marinated in a well seasond mixture. On the souvlaki the generous thick garlicy tziziki blends with the raw sliced onions and tomatos. As you eat it a small stream of juice/tziziki rolls down your arm mmmm. The fish at Milos is very fresh, simply grilled to moist perfection and simply seasoned. Great Octopus. The baking oHHHH!

Cafe Italia has as good a coffee as can be had in Montreal. I have coffees at other places that are comparable and at time even better but slagging it is a bit much. I can believe that it may not be to the taste of some people, or that the coffee was not prepared the way you prefere it but hey!!! I was there this week and although the coffee in my esprsso might have been a bit long it usually is just right. This is just being picky. I was at the Bridgehead(coffee chain) in the new Mountain Equipment COOP(next to Krispy Kreme) and noticed they use FRANKE automatic machines. In my experience these machines given good ingredients and set correctly make very good espersso and capuchino. I didn't try the coffee. I had some good tea though. If there are any granola crunching coffee freaks out there that need a espresso/capuchino fix as they buy the latest in MEC fashions, how was the espresso/capuchino.

I hope all is well with all in Halifax. Hurricane Juan just passed through halifax last night. I am sure the city will be just as welcoming. today as ever.

I used to avoid braised meats. I am pretty sure it was because what I was used to being served was either over cooked and/or under seasoned. I have since been learning how to braise meat better. One of the braising recipes I have been learning is Chicken Paprikash. The key is to cook the chicken only until it is done. No more than 40 minutes usually. I usually grill chuck, but I have braised it on occasion. Like the chicken paprikash I cook the meat untill it is tender but not falling appart(I don't like fall off the bone tender). I have not made sandwiches with this but I am inspired to now. Gives me a good reason to make bread also. Jinmyo, did you have a trail of juices running down to your elbow when you where eating the sandwich? Thats how I can tell when my sandwichs are made right.

An easy way to freeze the tomatoes is to just wash them, put them in freezer bags and then freeze. This allows you to pull out one tomato at a time if they are seperated when the freeze. You do not have to blanch them to remove the skin, the skin will easily peel away when the tomato defrosts.