Darienne

Ah! The simple uncomplicated joys of second-hand shopping!

When I was a little girl, my Aunt Eileen made butter balls with a cross hatch design on them. I was enchanted by the process and loved to go to her house to watch her make the butter balls.

Very sad to report that Amazon does not carry very much in its Canadian version, and no kitchen stuff. Had I but known when I was in Moab... I will look at the Oxo chuan, but seeing as Ed does most of the lifting part of the cooking, he may prefer the stainless steel one. Thanks all.

This sesame oil IS unrefined. Strange that the directions on the clear, untoasted, unrefined, bland taste, etc sesame oil say to keep it in the fridge after opening...while the toasted, pungent, etc sesame oil says not to put it in the fridge.

Thanks all. Turns out Ed has not been looking in his twice weekly visits to the second hand stores looking for some other bits and bobs. We do see the occasional used wok so we might well see the wok spatula. Plus we are heading out for a major tour of Markham (north of Toronto) which is predominantly Chinese very soon. Thanks again. Who knew?

This stainless steel utensil with missing handle came into our lives at some point during the last 50 years...well, March 2010 will be 50 years for us...probably from a second hand outlet. It's DH's favorite. Good for taking Chinese dishes from the pan to the dish. DH would like to find/buy another one, with handle, but so far I have been unable to find one anywhere online, in catalogs, etc. Can someone help? (This sounds like a job for Wonder Ginger Lady, Andie )

Hi Jenni, Clear: I should have specified both untoasted and colorless, like water, that kind of clear. The bottle says: 'medium heat', thus not for deep frying.

Ed loves spicy things and although I would doubt that I could get gochugaru locally, I see that according to Wikipedia regular chili powder would make a suitable substitute. Thanks.

The sesame oil is completely clear. Uncolored. Expeller pressed. Unrefined. 100% sesame oil. Company: Spectrum. Imported by Hain Celestial, British Columbia. Refrigerate after opening. www.spectrumorganics.com. I'll look it up. http://www.spectrumorganics.com/?id=6#p65 No idea of where it comes from...

Thanks Tim. We eat a lot of roasted vegetables, summer and winter varieties. Will try it next time. Maybe a smallish amount first time round. The DH is pretty easy going as to foods...but not completely.

I googled the completely unknown 'Bibimbap' to find out what it is and while it does look good, I am without the requisite stone bowl. It's true, I was looking for something which wasn't Asian...like salad dressings, etc. Humdrum, perhaps, but useful.

Gotcha. Thanks.

I bought it to make a version of Halvah which was a disaster...mine, only mine, no doubt...which ended up in the trash. Now I have a goodly number of halvah recipes to try, not to mention a gift of Israeli halvah coming from Ilana (Lior), and a nearly full bottle of sesame oil left. It's not familiar dark amber, pungent Asian sesame oil which one uses in Chinese cooking. You could never mistake it for that sesame oil. However, the label on the side says: 'adds potent flavour to your Asian dishes'. I tasted it and it's quite bland although definitely 'sesame' and clear in color. It says 'medium heat'. What else can I use it for? Salad dressing? Other? Thanks.

Thank you,jk1002. I had found the Wikipedia article before but was in no mood to plow through it and you sent me back. I read it this time properly. However...do you use to thicken anything? Or is it mostly used commercially in large manufacturing situations? And what exactly is 'molten' ice cream? Do you make it? Buy it? As one question leads to another..........

Nope. But I would be interested in hearing the results.

Oldest daughter is always sure that whatever I make has been designed to make her fat. Oldest son is thrilled with anything made by Mom. Youngest son cooks for his wife, but I make him supremely happy when I make cheese blintzes. DH loves beyond all reason Chinese food, especially Szechwan dishes. Lunch today was Egg Foo Yong, Orange Beef and Mapo Dofu with Jasmine rice and tea. Ed is my willing sous-chef.

I am assuming that the above Greek yoghurts cost more than regular yoghurt...supermarket or not. Here's my puzzle: In Canada there is a dairy, Astro, which produces several kinds of yoghurt: regular fat, medium fat, low fat...I don't know. Granted this is all supermarket yoghurt and thus not meant for dedicated foodies. Our dogs have yoghurt every day and they are not fussy. However, for the same low price as the other varieties, Astro also produces Balkan style yoghurt which tastes much better than the rest. How do they do it? And do I really want to know in this case, seeing as it's the same price...

I have used both for making gumdrops...a total disaster - no doubt my error...and chocolates. My quarrel with them is that they are so deep and take a considerable amount of chocolate, which is more than I usually want to use.

Looks divine. There is nothing more wonderful than warm fresh bread with cold butter. Would you please be a bit more specific than 'cream'? Was it heavy cream? Thanks.

I think the topping is coming right out of the computer and into my greedy mouth!

Chinese dishes. A few sous-chefs underfoot is always fun. We have done this a number of times.

I accept with joy. There are few things in this world of eating that can compare with halvah. Well, for me. I think the wonderful memories of such a few years knowing my Bubi are a big part of that. (Perhaps a thread of remembered memories of food plus events, people, etc might work well. ) Now I have about 10 different recipes for halvah, not counting the desserty, carroty kind. It might be good to work through all the recipes and note what I can come up with. The first batch was finally tossed just this morning. A sort of halvah cook-off. And yes, I would love your recipe. I'll send you my address PM. Again, my thanks.

I still have a Sunset Chinese Cook Book in my collection, 1979. And a Sunset Oriental Cook Book, 1970.

Hi Stuartlikesstrudel (aka SLS I guess). That looks like an easy recipe. Doesn't even call for anything which I have to go out and buy. I'll try it also and we can compare notes. Please feel free to PM or email me any of your halva recipes and I can send you the ones I have found. Thanks. Interesting. Went back and re-read all my downloaded halvah recipes and not one of them calls for kneading. All the recipes in your selection call for pulling, folding and/or kneading to give the halvah the flaky texture. I am looking forward to trying your recipes. Thanks.

I would be interested in the parfait recipe, if it doesn't call for the inclusion of halvah. I mean if it ends up being a halvah-type flavor, good. But if it calls for halvah per se, then nope.