butterisbetter

They are serving house made corned beef again at the main branch too.

I had one this morning. It is truly amazing to find good Jewish corn beef on tasty light rye bread in Thailand.

With caraway seeds or without? I like with, but have had a lot of difficulty finding it.

With.

I have tried some bread but it is not my taste, I prefer the (whole wheat) bread from Rimping.

My guess is that is because they mix whole wheat with white flour as most places do here. Butter is Better uses 100% whole wheat flour which is not what some folks like. I normally prefer whole grain bread with no white flour.

The multi grain bread and whole wheat bread from B is B is exactly what you name for Rimping. The B is B bread is like cake without sugar. Rimping has many choices of the real whole wheat bread.

The whole wheat breadyou are referring to is a 100% whole wheat sandwich bread. Sandwich bread is supposed to be soft and not have anespecially strong flavor. The flour itself is freshly milled in Bangkokfrom high gluten Australian wheat berries and can't help but be flavorful despiteour best attempts to subdue it. It's great toasted.

As for it tasting like "cake without thesugar", I can only suspect that you grew up in one of those impoverished nationsmy parents were always reproaching me about in pep talks like “don’t you know that thereare countries with children so deprived that they believe cakes taste like sweet wholewheat bread and you should be grateful that your plate is chock full of succotash and if you didn't eat every lastparticle of it, there'll be no Twinkies tonight for you, young man!!!”

50 yearsago I shrugged that kind of guilt-tripping off off but now I feel just awful. And I feel evenworse about filching all that cash from my Unicef Halloween collection box. I probablyam the reason that no crates of Twinkies were ever airdropped into yourvillage. Forgive me.

But nowyou're in Thailand. You’re free! Get over your PTSD. You should try someof our cake and experience what the stuff actually tastes like. It’s truethat, unlike the bakers of Twinkies, we use ingredients such as cream, sweetbutter, couverture chocolate, and real vanilla extract. So I can't promise you that our versionsare in exactly the same league as Twinkies,but they will have to do until the Real Thingcomes to this nation.

By the way, according to a recent poll, 73 percent of American children believe thatcream comes from Twinkies. I blame theAmerican educational system for this. Americans have got to buckle down and dowhatever it takes to reach that recalcitrant and ignorant 27%. Are you listening, Tea Partyers?

They are serving house made corned beef again at the main branch too.

If I ever get around to steaming the stuff. Just in time to miss St. Patrick's day. But it's not Irish style corned beef. It's what it euphemistically called New York Style which everyone knows means Jewish. It's supposed to age at least 21 days. Now it's been 23. . If you want to know more about pickling corned beef, and why wouldn't you, you can visit my blog at www.butterisbetterbakery.com

Both caster sugar and icing sugar are available at most supermarkets or at Bakersmart or Yok. Because of the current shortage of sugar, caster sugar may be a little bit difficult to locate. As noted above, if you have a blender or food processor it's easy enough to make. You might especially want to do that if you get an off brand of granulated sugar. They tend to be quite coarse.

They are ready to use. No need to dilute them. I highly recommend helios.co.uk as a source for the remedies.

Hi..

I am now using Homeopathy and interested to take the training course in Bangkok. ( I am in Bangkok).

Homeopathy is kind of new for me, I just read one book about it. And using hoemopathy from a practitioner.

My aim is to have ability for self-use. Pls kindly advice.

And when you mean you get the remedies from abroad, it's ready to be used or we must process by dilute?

Thank you very much for your advice.

I use remedies, but get them from abroad. Takes 6 to 10 days to be send.

I know of at least one person who has follow a homeopathic course at a respectable institute in India. I do not know, though, if she uses dry (Organon 4th edition) or wet doses (Organon 5th and 6th edition). This is for me of major importance and tells me a lot about the skills of the homeopath. This person has a kind of machine that makes remedies which I've used before in emergency cases. Machine made remedies aren't as good as the ones made by Helios or the like. This person is also Thailand's distributor for remedies made by a respectable institute in India.

There's another lady in Chiang Rai who makes machine made remedies, and there seems to be a guy in CM. But for those details you have to PM vitalgirl. She seems to be unwilling to tell me, although she offered to PM his details on the health forum.

Furthermore, there is a health shop close to the Rimping on the Rom Chok market, who sells remedies. She's a niece of a customer of mine who told me, but haven't checked it out yet.

For details on the Homeopath or where I buy the remedies, please, PM me or if you need only 1 or 2 pills of a specific remedy with a specific potency, then I can have a look what I have in stock (which isn't much yet )

Nienke

Thanks for the totally unsolicited and spontaneous endorsement and if I say that the "package" can be found under the rock behind the Finnish consulate that has absolutely no bearing on anything. Just chalk it down to graphomania.

The good thing about yeasted waffles is that they have more flavor than baking powder/baking soda waffles. The bad is that they have to rise for at least 12 hours in the fridge to develop that flavor. So if we run out, that's pretty much it for the day.

As for the waffles themselves, they are so light that sometimes we have to fasten them to the plate with grappling hooks. And it's not easy getting grappling hooks in these parts. The only people I know who have them on offer are Somali pirates. Or Vikings. Or cat burglars.

Kelly's is located in Mee Chok Plaza. That's on the way to Mae Jo university. It's where one of the Rim Ping Supermarkets is located.

If you drive in the entrance off the Mae Jo Road just head straight into the parking lot and past the front of Rim Ping about 30 meters further on. It's got good signage so it's hard to miss.

Rob, the owner, borders on obsessive about the quality of his fish & chips. Actually, just make that obsessive. In fact, he's pretty much that way about all his food. Very high quality stuff and very nice people. His wife is extremely charming. A very pleasant pass to pass the time.

You know you shouldn't consume this much mayo to be franticly hunting down different brands online? It really isn't good for and esp not in large quanitys, chuck a egg in your mouth and pour some oil down your throats, wala we have heart disease.

I think that you are exactly right. Mayo is great stuff, but it is not healthy. I have looked at the recipies on the internet, which produce about 1 cup, which say that it will keep in the frig for 1 week. I use 1 cup of mayo in 2 or 3 months, so it is not really practical to make it at home. The store bought stuff allows me to keep it until it is used up (1 liter will easily last me 1 year). All of the local varieties, including Kewpee, taste awful. Most taste more like salad dressing than mayonnaise and most are too sweet. My salvation has been Macro, which sells Heinz mayonnaise (about B105 for a 1 liter plastic bag). Heinz is not as good as some of the brands available in the US (you haven't had mayonnaise until you've tried Duke's Mayonnaise), but is very acceptable (and certainly as good as Kraft). I transfer it into a glass jar with a rubber seal and it keeps indefinitely in the frig. Never a mayo crisis again. If anyone else in my family starts eating mayo, I may try making it at home. Until then, I have the "perfect" solution.

Actually, I have tried Dukes mayonnaise and it is delicious. As is Kewpies in the blue bag. It definitely does not taste like salad dressing since it has no sugar and has 13 percent egg. A lot higher quality product than Heinz.

As for mayonnaise or egg being unhealthful, only in the sense that they have lots of of calories. But there was recently a massive review of all the dietary research on the health benefits and detriments of food high in cholesterol. It turns out only for diabetics are eggs a problem as far as creating plaque in the circulatory system. Actually, refined carbohydrates seem to be the chief villains in this regard.

First off, my favorite store-bought mayonnaise in thailand or anywhere, for that matter, is Kewpie brand in the blue bag. It's got 13 percent egg (i think kraft and hellmans have 8 or 9 percent) and absolutely no sugar. But it has to be the kind in the blue bag.

As for the question of which is superior: homemade mayonnaise or store-bought, i think the 2 products are so divergent that comparing them is pointless. If they didn't share the same name, it wouldn't even be an issue. homemade mayonnaise is more like a sauce and the commercial stuff is more like, well, mayonnaise.

My wife owns a bakery and we've run through pretty much all the flours available here. Neither of the flours you mention is self raising. Unless a flour explicitly says it's self raising (or rising) it isn't.

Does anybody know where I can go to get a fire extinguisher recharged?

Makro has exactly what you are looking for and at a great price. The scales run between 550 and 750 baht. You can also get more expensive scales there but in our extensive experience they are no better and not any more durable. I also saw these scales at Bakersmart.

I had it done at Dentaland. It definitely takes more than a month. The hole that gets drilled in your jaw has to heal. That takes more than a month. And if it doesn't heal strongly, the dentist won't install the implant. For what it's worth, the dental surgeon did an excellent job. I've had nothing but good experiences with Thai dentists.

Do you try Nitrite Brine Salt? In Bangkok and Pattaya you can buy it at Royal Exquisite Food Ltd. Part. 1kg/130 Baht

Phone Bangkok (02) 664 0021 / Pattaya (038) 425 096

Actually, that sounds like the same thing as Prague Powder #1 which is 6.75 % sodium nitrite and 93.25% salt. Of course, if pink food coloring is added, the percentages change very slightly.

Rimping near the Airport Plaza and Kuhn Mohr's both have great coffee, and I believe their beans are from Doi Tung. (I'm not a coffee expert, but my euro friends really like Rimping's as well.)

I'll second Rimping near the Airport Plaza (Nim City). It's known as Thom, which I think is the name of the owner. You will sometimes see him roasting the beans over there. Can't speak for the other employees, but himself and one of his employees (a plump guy) serves excellent coffee (at the right temperature too). That is what he can do, totally impressed.

actually, the peaberry coffee Butter is Better uses for its espresso, cappuccino and latte comes from Thom. For what it's worth, our barista can do at least some of those decorations. Of course, when she trains our staff to make espresso etc. the first thing they want to learn, being Thais, is how to make the beautiful designs. How the stuff tastes is a secondary issue.,

Good coffee is indeed in the eyes of the drinker...

"For the best espresso based coffee (Latte, Cappucino etc) go to Butter is Better, Changkhlan Road diagonally opposite Pantip Plaza. They use two different types of Thai coffee, both freshly roasted and 100% Arabica (verified). The barista knows what she is doing."

Thanks for the vote of confidence. Our espresso, cappuccino, and any other espresso based drinks are made from Arabica Peaberry beans. On the wildly improbable chance that not everybody knows what a peaberry bean is and those who don't are boycotting Wikipedia (its entry about the Olsen twins is unadulterated libel), peaberry beans are beans that that don't grow paired with another. Most coffee beans grow as twins. Peaberry beans are singletons. Supposedly, they are more flavorful than ordinary beans. I write "supposedly" because I can't stand the taste of coffee. and it gives my wife the jitters. For that reason, we've probably overcompensated by buying these beans. All peaberry beans are expensive but these are expensive even for peaberry beans. We charge only 50 baht per cup of cappuccino. If we were a coffee shop we couldn't make a living doing that. But we hope the coffee will tempt people to try our cakes and pastries. And yes, our barista is a coffee zealot and perfectionist.

We also offer drip brewed coffee. We use Arabica for that as well but not peaberry beans. At any rate, our Arabica beans are very high quality too. They would taste good brewed in just about any serviceable coffee machine. But we have a secret weapon in that we use a Technivorm machine (otherwise known as Mokkamaster). It seems universally to be rated as the best drip brew machine in the world. At least I haven't found a review that says otherwise. So any coffee that is brewed in the Technivorm will taste better than if it were brewed in another machine. If you want to know why, you can look it up. But, please, not on Wikipedia. Grrrr...

It's also the world's ugliest coffee machine; so if you bring children to the store, shield their eyes.

Anyway, thanks for asking.

It's not real scrapple unless it has all the disgusting organs.

The best recipe is this:

Add some cornmeal and seasonings to what's left over after making sausage and hot dogs.

They keep those varieties perfectly intact for display in museums because no one is ever tempted to eat it.

Scrapple is one of those foods that has so few rules it's the standard fare for anarchists.

maybe B is B can enlighten us.

How is their Scrapple made? from their own scraps? or delivered pile of scraps?

I

Any noteworthy details or is it better left unknown?

Our scrapple is a Philadelphia scrapple. Which means it's for people who use knives and forks. So the only meat we use is pork shoulder. I also went lighter on the corn meal than is usual. Maybe it could use some lung meat, though. But of what can't that be said?

I should add that I invented the term "Philadelphia Scrapple" to make it seem as though I knew what I was doing. Only it turns out that someone else beat me to it. It turns out there is a real Philadelphia scrapple made from pig's knuckles. I think there is an entire scrapple universe out there that encompasses all possible scrapples including even scrapple made with transistors. Just as long as it includes something that was at least in the vicinity of a pig and cornmeal.

maybe B is B can enlighten us.

How is their Scrapple made? from their own scraps? or delivered pile of scraps?

Any noteworthy details or is it better left unknown?

Our scrapple is a Philadelphia scrapple. Which means it's for people who use knives and forks. So the only meat we use is pork shoulder. I also went lighter on the corn meal than is usual. Maybe it could use some lung meat, though. But of what can't that be said?

SCRAPPLE!!!!!! Possiblythe most exciting breakfast side dish ever created, scrapple has made the Pennsylvania Dutchfeared and admired everywhere. And by “everywhere” we mean, of course, the severalcounties that compose Central Pennsylvania. On the off chance you don’t knowwhat scrapple is, it consists of finely chopped pork and cornmeal flavored withherbs & spices and shaped into a loaf. A serving consists of 2 slices . 35 Baht

Available at Butter is Better is Better Restaurant.

A very good new French Bistro has just opened within the past month. It's called La Fourchette and is located on Propaklao Rd, almost opposite the entrance to Wat Chedi Luang and whatever the wooden wat next to it is called. Not only was the food very good, but the prices were very low.

The owner's father is a French/Swiss French who spends a lot of time at the restaurant and is also the pastry and desert chef. He was one of the original founders of a French Restaurant here in Chiang Mai that is now at the top end at least in prices. I haven't eaten there so I can't comment on the food.

The waitress is the owner's girl friend. She is extremely charming and helpful. She's Japanese with an English mother so her English is perfect. I can't vouch for her Japanese but since she grew up there I suspect that it is at least okay.

Lovely decor, too. These people know what they are doing. Right now the wine list is quite sparse. I was told that it's okay to bring your own. Not sure about a corkage fee.

They do have them in Robinson's and in Central. But they are very costly. I think the smallest ones go for about 150 baht. What I do is take used plastic water bottles and just fill them with water and freeze. Or I get ziploc bags from bakersmart (because they are much cheaper and stronger than those for sale in the supermarkets) and fill one bag with water and then insert it in another bag. You could glue them shut too.

livinlos

re ... Kinda thought rimping might have them but didnt see any in the airport side one

mince pies i didnt notice ... but xmas puddings / cakes etc in airport plaza rimping are on top of the new cabinet where they make all the in house ready to eat stuff 6 foot opposite the fresh meat counter

hope you find them ... dave2

Thanks for the endorsement. Right now, we have our hands full just trying to fulfill one order from one hotel. So until that's taken care of, we won't be offering any at our stores. It's a difficult dough to work with. Because it has things like almond powder and lemon rind in it, as well as butter and flour, it's very crumbly. (And yes, I know, traditionally mince pie dough was made with lard for shortening and only lard. With but one exception, all of the British and Australians we tested it on much preferred it made with butter. Some blend the two, but I don't get it. Not for a sweet thing) And we can't get the proper mince tart molds here in thailand. They are very shallow and much easier to work with given the crumbly nature of the dough. We'll try to have them by next year.

Anyway, if we don't exhausted our supply of mince in supplying the hotel, we will offer the rest to the public.

I use Yok, Macro, Rimping, all those afore mentioned shops, none of them stock lard, the only suggestion is to make your own. You could use shortening, but it's made with Vegetable oils

Resurrecting an old one here, but has anyone been able to track down lard in Chiang Mai. Desparate to make some pork pies and it can't be done with any alternative. Also, dried peas (to make mushy peas) availability??? I've seen split green peas, but think they might be some kind of lentil. If anyone could shed any light on either topic I will be grateful.

I make my own. Buy, say, 2 kilos of fatback from Makro or wherever. Trim off as much of the residual meat as you can. Put it in a heavy pot along with a cup of water. Heat it up over low heat. You want the melted fat to just simmer. Eventually, you end up with melted fat and cracklings. Pour off the fat. It will be brown. Mix it up with some fresh water and boil it up again. The brown particles should fall into the water. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator and skim the fat off top. It should be white.This is lard. It won't be exactly like the lard you buy in supermarkets. As noted earlier, that stuff has been hydrogenated to give it a higher melting point. But I've used it to make a few pie crusts and it works great.

The ice cream at Butter is Better is better and much cheaper, but they usually only have 2 or 3 flavors at a time.

Actually, we now offer 4 flavors: Dulce de Leche, French Vanilla, Dark Chocolate, & Passion Fruit.