Me Time!

[janet88]

phtthp:

does the electric steamer steam fish very fast ? consume a lot of voltage ?

steaming fish is about 8-9 min depending on the size. the cost of installing a sliding door is $1000. using electrical appliances won't cost that amount. the wind from the living room is quite strong, so if using the stove to steam fish, the fire will be affected.

[phtthp]

hi janet,


then how u stir fry food ? use what to fry, to prevent smoke from drifting into the living hall, because u have a family of four, sometimes need to fry food for family, cannot be eating out all the time ?

[.010675zeit]

Is it because janet88’s new kitchen has no top hung cabinets and no cooker hood to suck up the smoke and smell? I don’t think open concept kitchen is the problem. You can have open concept, but you must install a powerful cooker hood like those you see in Korea BBQ restaurants.


Wet kitchen at backyard does have its problems. Can be dusty if you’re seldom at home to maintain it, as it’s exposed to the elements and living things out there.

[.010675zeit]

The No 1 brand vinegar for dumplings is 恒顺镇江香醋. If you can get 恒顺饺子醋 from Yue Hwa, all the better. I use the 恒顺6年陈醋.

[Nebbermind]

Is this oily food smell a very mommy kind of thing? Do your husband also complain about the after-cooking smell as often?

[FantasyLandDreams]

.zeit:

FantasyLandDreams:

Need to ask the expert cooks here;

Which brand of 醋is nice for steam dumplings and fried gyoza? Available at ntuc? Thanks.

The No 1 brand vinegar for dumplings is 恒顺镇江香醋. If you can get 恒顺饺子醋 from Yue Hwa, all the better. I use the 恒顺6年陈醋.

But for 红油抄手、口水鸡 , I prefer to use 保宁醋 from Sichuan to derive the condiment. If you use 恒顺 浙醋 from Zhejiang, the taste is 'salah'. I tried before and had to mix 1 tsp 八珍添丁甜醋 to make it as similar as possible to the real taste. Still a bit off after mixing.

For cold crabs, rabbit fish and seafood, can try 永春醋 (from Fujian).

For green bean sad noodles, can use 东湖山西陈醋.

These are the TOP 4 vinegars in China with a long history. All diff tastes for diff cuisines.

Thanks .zeit. Will pop down to Yue Hwa to buy one day. I don’t know how to cook the rest of the dishes you mentioned actually.

[Jennifer]

janet88:

phtthp:

does the electric steamer steam fish very fast ? consume a lot of voltage ?

steaming fish is about 8-9 min depending on the size. the cost of installing a sliding door is $1000. using electrical appliances won't cost that amount. the wind from the living room is quite strong, so if using the stove to steam fish, the fire will be affected.

Close the windows at the living room?

I hv a glass door at the kitchen. When it is very windy, this glass door will sway ajar and the stove fire will dance. I will then yell for someone to close the balcony door. Once I finish cooking, which could be 15mins or so, I will tell someone to go open the balcony doors. Most times, no one is in the living room to suffer the warmth due to closed doors, they are all inside their own work rooms under the ceiling fan or own windows open. Besides, it is at most 15 mins or so. No big deal at all.

[Jennifer]

Wet kitchen is a great idea, only if one is ready to bear the weather, hot or cold, raining, gusty winds, or has the wet kitchen designed in such a configuration that one is protected from these factors.

MIL’s wet kitchen faces the West, no direct noon Sun, has afternoon Sun, has no screen to protect from gusty wind and rain. I had rain splattered on one side while I stood cooking at the stove when the rain came in sideways (due to the wind direction), FIL got s/s plate bended into a half circle to protect the stove fire from the wind.

Btw, also has more “ visitors”.

Another set of issues to face.

[FantasyLandDreams]

At Taka mooncake fair now. Wanted to try pan pacific hotel mooncakes but no booth there. May end up buying peninsula custard mooncake again…

Don’t know why, I seem to have impression that Peony Jade increase prices every year??

[Estéema]

I gave up buying moon cakes these days. Went to Taka thot I’ll buy a few boxes but found that all contains food coloring &/or flavouring. Came back decided to do my own snowskin moon cakes. It’s so easy, cost way diff （very cheap evenbif I do lychee moonckes). So far tried the pandan red bean paste ones. Tmr making some to giveaway to in-laws.