Paola

Thanks for your input! I will definitely check out the Forum Thermomix. In your opinion is it redundant to have both a Sumeet and a TMX? Do you find yourself gravitating more to one or the other for particular tasks? Any thoughts on particular advantages that the Sumeet would have over TMX?

I'm hoping that some of you Thermomix experts can give me some advice. The machine sounds fascinating, and I am very curious to try it. Right now I have a couple of projects that need my immediate attention, and I though I have been researching other machines, I think the Thermomix might be the best. First, I am looking for a wet-grinder for processing all the whole grains and pulses used in Indian cuisine. Second, I am looking for a grinder with which to make pure nut butters. Third, I am looking for a grinder to finely process chiles and spices, for example for Mexican mole. Can the Thermomix do a good job with all these tasks? I've also looked into Vita-mix and Sumeet (which I understand now have manufacturing problems and are difficult to order). Any thoughts or suggestions? Have any of you compared these products? How smooth does the Thermomix process things such as nut butters, gianduja, and simpler stuff like soups? How finely does it grind? Thanks so much for your help! I am totally confused and the sums are too big for me to take the plunge without input from the experts!

This sounds fabulous! I just emailed for a reservation. Could you give me some further advice for a Copenhagen trip? I posted this question on the Copenhagen thread and maybe it's best to have the discussion there? Thanks so much for the tip!

I'm trying to plan a 4-day stay in Copenhagen and I want to eat well (but not necessarily crazy expensive every time). I saw the dissapointing review for Ida Davidsen in this thread. Where to go for great smorgasbord then? Noma still worth it? How about MR? Do Schultz & Passagens Spisehus still exist? Is Cofoco still good? Does Spisellopen have good food, or is it just an interesting place? Where else to go? I like to eat my main meal at lunch, so preferable some good lunches and light dinners. Would love your advice! Thank you!

Pristina has very good food. Talented cooks, good ingredients. Without a doubt my favorite dish in town is the yogurt chicken @ Tiffany's.

wow! that manila breakfast sounds incredible! it's interesting that most "typical" breakfasts are on the heavier side...no granola with nonfat yogurt! other breakfasts i've really enjoyed: NYC: Everything bagels with smoked salmon, plain cream cheese, capers, tomatoes, onions and a squeeze of lemon juice. Breakfast tacos with potato, egg, and cheese in South Texas. In Belgium, slices of fresh bread with a slew of jams and spreads and a tartine with some greens and a nice bit of protein. I've always been a little disappointed by breakfasts in Italy. It's a pastry and a cappuccino. delicious but not very nutritious-- loads of sugar with nothing to balance it out so early in the day.

I had a delicious breakfast today in Istanbul that got me thinking about all the great breakfasts to be had around the world. What's your favorite? Today I had menemem-- tomatoes, sweet green pepper, and juicy scrambled eggs baked in a copper bowl with a side of fresh cheeses, olive, and cucumbers. hot black tea and freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. yummm. In Mexico I love the breakfast often served at baptisms and first communions-- tamales with all sorts of filling, both savory and sweet, a cup of piping hot guava atole + a plate of whatever fruit is in season. But there are a millions breakfast options available. Same in the US, so much to choose from. What are your favorites? I've come up with a bunch of European options but would love to hear your favorite breakfasts from around the world. Asia? Africa? South America?

I've found something new to me: Zein, made from corn. now I just have to get my hands on some. Turns out that shellac IS actually a naturally product-- from some sleuthing online, it appears this is what Sweetriot uses. it's made from lac beetle excretions.

thanks for all your tips. We are trying with arabica gum and have achieved a little sheen, but it's pretty dull. When compared to the product panned with shellac, there is just no comparison. Have you guys seen the Sweetriot chocolate covered nibs? They claim to be all natural and shine like crazy-- any ideas? The label simply says "glazing agent."

Hi- Does anyone know of a natural glazing agent that can be used for making chocolate covered confections (e.g. almonds, raisins, coffee beans, etc.)? I'm not talking about confectionary glaze, as I'd like for the end result to be chocolate-only. I'd also like to stay away from shellac or any other chemical agent. Basically, I'd like to make an all-natural chocolate covered unit that is glossy, doesn't crack or shatter easily (as shellac does), and isn't sticky. I know this exists, I just haven't figured out what it is. Any thoughts? Thanks for your help.

Years ago I looked for evaporated milk in Paris but never found it-- any idea what it's called in France or elsewhere in Europe?

I have been making some chocolates with colored cocoa butter (from chefrubber, jewel & artisan collections) and also using plain cocoa butter with "metallic" luster dust. A food engineer just recently expressed some concern regarding the use of these colors, telling me that completely covering a bonbon in color would be unsafe. I started out experimenting with colors after reading through the "Chocolate with a showroom finish" thread, and haven't done anything more "colorful" than other chocolates posted in that thread. I also haven't seen many references to a health safety concern of these products in the forum. Does anyone have any scientific information about the health impact of using colored cocoa butter or luster dust? Thanks!

Randi, That cake looks amazing! Black Forest is my husband's all time favorite cake, I'd really like to make it for his birthday. I've been poking around for this recipe but can't find it anywhere. Would you mind sharing it? Thanks!

How about some yuzu madeleine with the zest and a delicious "yuzuade" with the juice? Speaking of yuzu, I have been on the hunt for some yuzu powder (freeze-dried). Does anyone have any idea of where I can get some? I have been looking for a good quality supplier in Japan that can export but have not succeeded, largely due to my lack of Japanese language skills I think. Any tips would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

Hi guys-- I've just joined eGullet and am very excited to be a part of this community. I'm going to jump in with a technical question. I am new to the world of airbrushed chocolates and very antsy to produce something beautiful. Yesterday we were attempting to airbrush some chocolates with the colored cocoa butter from chefrubber and failed miserably. We were using the Badger 250 airbrush to paint the butter onto the molds priors to molding the chocolate. The problem is that the butter would not feed through airbrush. We managed to get a couple spritzes, but overall it was a failure. It seems the butter was just not coming up the little tube. We had heated the butters to 31C and kept them warm using a yogurt maker. We were able to use some other very liquid paints with the airbrush, so I think that the problem stems from our attempts to simply use the warmed colored cocoa butter. I had done some research on the issue, particularly reading the very informative posts here, and thought we were following the best practices. Should I be mixing the cocoa butter with something prior to airbrushing? I would appreciate any advice you might be able to share.