Shopping, shopping, shopping to turn up an ex-pat kitchen

[ChiFlyer]

19 hours ago, Jebb said:

I found that for some reason cookware is very expensive in LOS and have managed to smuggle individual pieces on different trips in my luggage but not to the extent of cast iron 555.

I have noticed that the Lodge stuff has a lesser markup compared to the US and that they manufacture some of their product in China. I would guess that the China shipping distance is what is reducing the markup compared to other product lines.

[Saddic]

On 20/06/2020 at 08:57, jimboh said:

Where can a guy get Chinese rice wine in Pattaya? 

Yah, I've been looking too...

In a pinch, Soju is available (Korean rice wine)... (I've seen it most everywhere)...

 

Found a lot of Chinese ingredients at Friendship mkt (aka Thai-Chinese owned)...  but I figure ya have to go to BKK Chinatown for the things not found down here...

Tung Kee not my fav brand for Chinese ingredients but they have it here...

 

 

Edited June 23, 2020 by Saddic

[expatdude]

On 08/06/2020 at 01:22, ChiFlyer said:

Another ingredient that is popping up that I do not think I have seen in the stores is pancetta.

Italian guy on facebook just started making his own in Pattaya, good price. I'm about to go to sleep but hopefully I'll remember to hook you up in the morning. There are also several Italian stores in Pattaya that have that stuff. (off the top of my head Bottarga Truga)

Edit: found him, have tried his salami (excellent) and have his pancetta in the fridge but haven't tried it, looks good though:

https://www.facebook.com/bottargatrogusalumithailandia/

On 20/06/2020 at 01:34, ChiFlyer said:

• I did not have Black Chinese Vinegar, so i went with the suggested substitution in the recipe.

Widely available in Thai markets, sometimes in Foodland as well.

On 20/06/2020 at 08:57, jimboh said:

Where can a guy get Chinese rice wine in Pattaya? 

Thai markets again have Chinese wine for cooking at reasonable prices.

You mentioned chicken thighs--cheap and plentiful and super fresh at the markets. Not every vendor is super clean and good, but when you find a good one it's gold.

Another example, I have a shrimp vendor who shells and deveins them for me. Top quality. Learning what the local foodies do is gold.

Edited June 24, 2020 by expatdude

[ChiFlyer]

5 hours ago, expatdude said:

Italian guy on facebook just started making his own in Pattaya, good price. I'm about to go to sleep but hopefully I'll remember to hook you up in the morning. There are also several Italian stores in Pattaya that have that stuff. (off the top of my head Bottarga Truga)

Edit: found him, have tried his salami (excellent) and have his pancetta in the fridge but haven't tried it, looks good though:

https://www.facebook.com/bottargatrogusalumithailandia/

......

Thanks - this sounds great and it is not that far from where I live. I will have to drag my butt over there to look things over. The pics on his FB page look very inviting. Wishing for the moon, and the sun, and the stars here - but any chance that he carries Sweet Italian sausage as well?

[expatdude]

4 hours ago, ChiFlyer said:

Thanks - this sounds great and it is not that far from where I live. I will have to drag my butt over there to look things over. The pics on his FB page look very inviting. Wishing for the moon, and the sun, and the stars here - but any chance that he carries Sweet Italian sausage as well?

No Italian Sausage. It's just a guy doing it from his house. Get half a kilo to see if you like it, only 600 a kilo. He'll pack it up for you as you sit on his porch with flies bothering you.

I'm still on the hunt for good Italian sausage. Only thing I've found is Johnsonville at Villa occasionally, but that's too expensive. I'm intending to figure out how to make it myself, but it's tricky.

[ChiFlyer]

6 hours ago, expatdude said:

......

I'm still on the hunt for good Italian sausage. Only thing I've found is Johnsonville at Villa occasionally, but that's too expensive. I'm intending to figure out how to make it myself, but it's tricky.

For Sweet Italian Sausage, Johnsonville was my go to brand back in the US. Very tasty. I have never seen it at Villa, but I guess I will start looking harder.

[davidge]

I did a search for ‘sweet Italian sausage’ and was a bit surprised at what appeared. 

[expatdude]

I assume it's rice wine. 120 baht at the big market next to the colloseum on Tepprasit.

[ChiFlyer]

On 26/06/2020 at 07:35, expatdude said:

I assume it's rice wine. 120 baht at the big market next to the colloseum on Tepprasit.

 

That is nearby. I will get over there  and take a look around. I think you also said that this type of place would be a good place to look for Chinese Black Vinegar. I use both of these ingredients sparingly, but it would be good to have them on hand. I have read that my Dry Sherry substitute for Chinese Rice Wine works pretty well, but the real deal kicks up the taste a bit.

[ChiFlyer]

We are moving. Actually, we are staying in the same building, but taking a one year rental on what I consider to be a better condo unit. We are going from a 74 sq m 1 bathroom unit to a 130 sq m 2 bathroom unit. I guess I will give her the larger bathroom. Should I fight her over the vanity table? Probably not a winnable war IMO.

One of the things that I am most looking forward to is that the kitchen in the new condo unit is a big improvement with regard to counter and cabinet space, as well as major appliances. It has an oven. I will be able to make all of my Farang based recipes. I am looking forward to this.

Here is a pic of the new kitchen.

 

A big Lazada based credit card bill seems to be on the near horizon with regards to kitchen wear. O hell, one only lives once.

[expatdude]

The place I got the rice wine and which also has black vinegar (I believe I recall that) is not in the actual market, but in one of the stores in the ring around the market.

The store is something-or-other plastic on the west side road, right side as you face the market from Tepprasit. It's about halfway down. I've shown the location best I can on the map below with a clickable link to my best estimate on Google maps.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/12.9059734,100.8763732/12.9037317,100.8765104/@12.9040979,100.8745453,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!4m1!3e2

[ChiFlyer]

On 24/05/2020 at 23:47, ChiFlyer said:

I have an Extra Virgin Olive Oil brand that I have been using in the US for a number of years. I am quite fond of this brand. I would categorize it as a mid-range EVOO, but really good for that price range. I am referring to  California Olive Ranch.

https://californiaoliveranch.com/

It is not available on Lazada, but I see I can have it shipped to me via a service called iherb.

https://th.iherb.com/pr/California-Olive-Ranch-Fresh-California-Extra-Virgin-Olive-Oil-16-9-fl-oz-500-ml/32167?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6brvovjM6QIVCKmWCh3VigMBEAQYASABEgInXfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Anyone ever use these guys? I certainly would not make a practice out of using them as the shipping charge makes the product almost absurdly expensive. It comes to 773 THB for 16.9 fl oz. In the states I would pay under $15 or 450 THB and that is a Whole Foods price. Still I would only be ordering this a few times a year, so I am willing to pay up on this item because I like it that much.

I have been using Bertolli so far for an EVOO and I have nothing bad to say about it, but compared to California Olive Ranch it is not as clean tasting and has some bitter notes.

Since I posted about this, I thought I would give an update.

This is not going well. It got off to a flying start and I was notified On June 1st that it had arrived in Thailand and I would be receiving it shortly. It ain't here yet.

I spent about an hour in a chat session with an iHerb guy tonight. It seems that they use DHL to ship it to Thailand (great), but they have DHL ship it to the local Thai Post Office to complete the delivery (bad). I got the PO tracking number and I will ask the GF to assist me with calling the PO tomorrow.

The iHerb chat guy seemed like a decent sort and assured me that he would pass on to management that an on the ground guy considers this method to be fucked.

I want my damn California Oilve Ranch EVOO.

[cytolliver]

Lodge cast iron is regularly the equivalent of 500-700 baht for 10 inch pans with two handles and I just recently purchased a Lodge casat iron griddle for 500 baht($17).   2,500 is  a LOT more expensive(4-5 times more) than the prices in the US.  Walmart and Amazon both have excellent prices.  2,500 baht would get you a high end Lodge dutch oven with a steel handle for camp cooking.   I use cast iron for almost everything now as I seasn the pans after every use and it has almost turned into a non stick pan by now.

Shopping at Villa for all of your groceries will triple your monthly grocery bill.  Sure, its nice to get imported goods but many other grocery stores have local incredients for a LOT cheaper than Villa.   If I had a live in, I would focus entirely on learning to master Thai, Lao and Issan dishes but I can see how you would miss some American style meals while living in Pattaya.

Edited June 28, 2020 by cytolliver

[jam]

Sounds like you are on it regarding ingredients 

but a game changer for the the kitchen is the new ninja foodi xl , I did see them on Lazarda or shoppe at a very high price for an older model , the xl is the one that has 2 tops/ lids one being for the air frier and grill , the other  converts to a pressure cooker 

these cook just about anything to perfection and also hundreds of recipes/ cooking time on YouTube 

They roast  they grill they air fry , they bake , dehydrate ( one sun dried pork to perfection without oil ) 

bake bread and caked and pastries 

sausages come out crisp with a snap and crunch to the bite 

even a yogurt making feather which I won’t use , steam it just has it all going for it

the negatives you would almost defiantly need  to bring one or have a friend who travels light bring one over , about 12/15 kilo and quite bulky

not an expat there just a one month condo rental for me but would hope the day comes to be an expat

your moving to a place with an oven but this might help someone who isn’t , my Oven  at home is now redundant due the ninja   
as I say I was there for a month in a small condo and the only thing I could think to make my home cooking any better was the ninja 

like yourself I’m a keen home cook and this now my mane kitchen gadget all the one pot stews/curry’s from start to finish , roasts and fries to perfection 

does it sound like I work for ninja , I know rate this as the best ever kitchen invention

hope you or some of contributors find this helpful

jam

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/ninja-foodi-max-75l-multi-cooker-i1044790878-s2326104690.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.17.bcd65dccUgzi7q&search=1

28000 baht on Lazada  got mine less than 8000 in the uk 

 

Edited June 29, 2020 by jam

[Soda11111]

1 hour ago, jam said:

Sounds like you are on it regarding ingredients 

but a game changer for the the kitchen is the new ninja foodi xl , I did see them on Lazarda or shoppe at a very high price for an older model , the xl is the one that has 2 tops/ lids one being for the air frier and grill , the other  converts to a pressure cooker 

these cook just about anything to perfection and also hundreds of recipes/ cooking time on YouTube 

They roast  they grill they air fry , they bake , dehydrate ( one sun dried pork to perfection without oil ) 

bake bread and caked and pastries 

sausages come out crisp with a snap and crunch to the bite 

even a yogurt making feather which I won’t use , steam it just has it all going for it

the negatives you would almost defiantly need  to bring one or have a friend who travels light bring one over , about 12/15 kilo and quite bulky

not an expat there just a one month condo rental for me but would hope the day comes to be an expat

your moving to a place with an oven but this might help someone who isn’t , my Oven  at home is now redundant due the ninja   
as I say I was there for a month in a small condo and the only thing I could think to make my home cooking any better was the ninja 

like yourself I’m a keen home cook and this now my mane kitchen gadget all the one pot stews/curry’s from start to finish , roasts and fries to perfection 

does it sound like I work for ninja , I know rate this as the best ever kitchen invention

hope you or some of contributors find this helpful

jam

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/ninja-foodi-max-75l-multi-cooker-i1044790878-s2326104690.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.17.bcd65dccUgzi7q&search=1

28000 baht on Lazada  got mine less than 8000 in the uk 

 

Nice review, when I moved here the first 2 important purchases for me were the Instant pot pressure cooker, and the Phillips Air Fryer. I purchased the Instant pot at Central Festival, 5th floor, and the Air fryer from Lazada. It was important for me to purchase the appliances with the correct Thai voltage. I was willing to pay the increase cost for that. These two items get lots of use for me.

[ChiFlyer]

Well I am out there spending more money than most would think is necessary once again.

I just ordered two Lodge cast iron pans from Shiwa. I bought a 12" frying pan as that is the size I use with some frequency. I find it great to heat in the oven and then use it for a crispy roast chicken or a NY Strip. A 10" is too small for a 2 kg of so young chicken. I also bought an 11" grill pan. Need those grill marks.

I looked around a lot net-wise and was not finding a good price. I finally found the Shiwa site and got exactly what I wanted, though most certainly not at a good price. I dropped about 6000 for these two pieces. Could I have spent less money? Sure, of course, but I got what I wanted and that was important to me.

 

[ChiFlyer]

21 hours ago, ChiFlyer said:

Well I am out there spending more money than most would think is necessary once again.

I just ordered two Lodge cast iron pans from Shiwa.

 

Well that did not work out very well. After accepting my order Shiva cancelled it as they were out of stock on both items. Back to Lazada I guess.

[Soda11111]

On 23/06/2020 at 02:18, ChiFlyer said:

I am a fuss bottom about my cookware. I had a very nice inventory of it in the US. I decided not to ship it here due to the cost related to the weight. I figured I could slowly rebuild here. Many of the prices that I am going to discuss will sound ridiculous to most people, but like I said I am a fuss bottom about this. I am currently interested in 3 categories.

Lodge Cast Iron

IMO Lodge makes the best cast iron products in the world. Americas Test Kitchen does studies on these things and that was their finding as well. Cast Iron is slow to heat, but retains heat longer than other materials. I could not ship it because it is quite heavy. I have found some in Villa Market and will probably buy a grill pan in the near future. They have them for 2500, which is about a 30% markup of the US price. They are also carried on Lazada at a 100% markup.

 

A Le Creuset or equivalent quality 6 qt Dutch Oven

This is also a cast iron product, but it is coated with enamel. A new one in the US goes for about $300. This is quality cookware that will last a life time. I see these items as being available on the internet at a reasonable price, but the shipping costs can double that. Lazada has a 4.5 qt one for 26,000. There has got to be a better way. I use this piece to do many Farang recipes, such as a Pot Roast, 40 Cloves of Garlic Chicken, Ropa Vieja, and many more.

 

An All Clad D5 Stainless Steel Set

This is the one that I really screwed up on by not paying the shipping costs from the US. It is not nearly as heavy as the cast iron stuff. This is expensive gear, but again it should last a life time. I saw a very nice set on Ubuy for 35,000 (that is a 10 piece set), but the Ubuy shipping and handling will easily double the cost. I view this type of equipment as necessary to cook anything that you intend to build a sauce with. Reason being is that you can not build much of a fond with non stick pans.

Anyway, I guess I am trying to solicit ideas for places to shop. I realize that these items do not fit well with Asian cooking, which makes them difficult to find.

Probably better to purchase the Lodge pan at Villa based on your research. I bought a off brand cast iron 12” fry pan from Lazada and truthfully I can’t tell the difference from the lodge pan other then it was way less expensive. Best of luck.

[Soda11111]

This is the one I bought. Sorry I noticed it was also out of stock so keep checking. Just trying to help.

[Rick Blaine]

On 25/05/2020 at 23:55, ChiFlyer said:

one would not normally see in a Thai supermarket?

In talking with a couple of friends the other day, the words "Thai supermarket came up and I  suggested there's hardly such an animal in existence.  Thailand has wet markets and places like 7 and Family Mart.

Thoughts?

[Soda11111]

I think he means the markets on Pattaya Tai opposite the Temple. They sell meats, fruits, vegetables, fish, and eggs.

[ChiFlyer]

8 hours ago, Rick Blaine said:

In talking with a couple of friends the other day, the words "Thai supermarket came up and I  suggested there's hardly such an animal in existence.  Thailand has wet markets and places like 7 and Family Mart.

Thoughts?

I am guessing a bit here, as I do not remember the original context. What I think I meant were places such as Big C, Villa Market, Foodland, Tesco Lotus, and Makro. Although these places do have deep stocks and many Farang oriented products, there are things one has some difficulty finding (at least I do).

Examples that come to mind are more healthy soups, pancetta, Chuck Beef Roasts, .... Since I wrote that comment, I have been exploring and now can find more of them, although that took some work. I have focused in on Villa Market and Makro as being better for this purpose. I still need to try Foodland. Central Festival has some good specialty items, including pancetta I hear. Going to cook with it next weekend. The home cook supplier, mentioned above, is currently out. 

I increasingly use the Thai local Markets for fruits and fresh veg. The one at Rompho is very good with regard to range and quality. I like the Cambodian lady's line up near the center of the place. She is very personable and seems to always be wearing a smile.

I cook usually two nights a week and try and focus on Farang and Asian (not Thai) dishes that the GF does not hate. She usually cooks 3 nights a week and I leave all of the Thai grocery shopping and cooking up to her.

Edited July 3, 2020 by ChiFlyer

[ChiFlyer]

9 hours ago, Cheetos said:

This is the one I bought. Sorry I noticed it was also out of stock so keep checking. Just trying to help.

 

That is a decent looking cast iron pan. I suspect that many products are currently out of stock due to the pandemic.

I have purchased a 12" Lodge frying pan from Lazada. To be honest, I am not sure that I am going to be able to tell the difference on the electronic range that I have in the condo, but I also use it in the oven and I have more confidence that a Lodge product is safer for that purpose. And well, I am just spoiled.  I am still looking at Grill Pan options. 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/lodge-3366-cm-cast-iron-skillet-l12sk3-i707948678-s1359166562.html?mp=1

I have given up on the All Clad product lines for stainless steel pans that I wanted. The price and availability just do not work in Thailand at this time. I did order the following stainless steel pan, as it looked a little better.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/i569718625-s1045806622.html?urlFlag=true&mp=1

Also still looking at Dutch Oven options and may give up on the Le Creuset approach. 

 

Edited July 3, 2020 by ChiFlyer

[robert6996]

On 01/07/2020 at 11:57, ChiFlyer said:

Well I am out there spending more money than most would think is necessary once again.

Could I have spent less money? Sure, of course, but I got what I wanted and that was important to me.

I'm not sure why you just don't have a friend or family member send you the supplies that you want from the States, sure it's going to cost double because of the shipping cost, but it's a one time buy. The pots, pans, ovens and grills would last you a lifetime. 

The difference in price that you pay from doing the above, would be worth while to me to have something I wanted that is going to last me a lifetime.

From reading some of your prior posts, I don't think that added cost would affect you too much, better to have what you want versus wishing you had it.

[ChiFlyer]

4 minutes ago, robert6996 said:

I'm not sure why you just don't have a friend or family member send you the supplies that you want from the States, sure it's going to cost double because of the shipping cost, but it's a one time buy. The pots, pans, ovens and grills would last you a lifetime. 

......

Actually, many of these items are now sitting in my son's basement. The problem with having them shipped here is that because many of them are cast iron, the shipping costs would be quite expensive due to the weight. The stainless steel items may have been a good idea, but that ship has sailed as I gave them to my ex-wife. Talk about desperation.