american indregients....

tfak85

i need to source some american ingredients for things..
the one i want most is nabisco/nilla wafers...
does anyone know where i might get me some of these, i'm having absolutely no luck googling!
there is a whole bunch of stuff i'd like to get... any good website tips?

supermommy

I would love to find a source for some american ingredients..
Im in the process of doing a home based american style bakery and finding some items can be so hard!
I usually make a load of pumpkin based items this time of the year andd since there is no canned here I have been making the puree on my own, which, in fairness is loads better!
I have even considered making my own graham crackers but find digestives are close enough. And I would never be able to find the right flour here for em..
I get irrirated mostly when i cant find things like cheesecloth!

Nilla wafers would be a tough one I would think as they arent hugely popular. Mebbie you can find a copycat recipe?

Sorry Im not much help!


*edit*
http://cgi.ebay.ie/340g-Nabisco-NILLA-WAFERS-Vanilla-Cookies-Biscuits_W0QQitemZ330282378643QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Home_Garden_Food_SM?hash=item4ce65d2593
very dear tho! my god!

Possum66

http://www.cakedeco.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_main.html

Pfeil and Holing - not sure they ship to Ireland, though. Cheap and very good.

Kitchen Complement in Dublin has cheesecloths.

brianthebard

Isn't cheesecloth just muslin?

supermommy

Im in Limerick..
I found 9 yards of it on ebay for a decent price tho..

Its more like gauze than muslin I would say..

Possum66

supermommy wrote: »

Im in Limerick..

Did not know where are you.

Probably ebay was cheaper, too, than Kitchen Complement. Good shop, but pricey.

washiskin

I get some stuff in KC and it is very pricey - but for things like muslin, I go around the corner to Murphy Sheehy and buy it by the metre.

Also, there is a particular member of staff in KC who is quite rude and some of these days I'll get the courage to say it to her.

I hate the way Wilton on line is waaaaay cheaper for the stuff they are charging a mint for, but they don't ship to here.

Possum66

washiskin wrote: »

I get some stuff in KC and it is very pricey - but for things like muslin, I go around the corner to Murphy Sheehy and buy it by the metre.

Also, there is a particular member of staff in KC who is quite rude and some of these days I'll get the courage to say it to her.

I hate the way Wilton on line is waaaaay cheaper for the stuff they are charging a mint for, but they don't ship to here.

Wilton is very expensive there! Shamelessy so, I would say. Also I use a German online shop, KC stocks the same stuff, for almost twice the price...

I think I know which staff member you mean. Oldish woman, isn't she? I try to avoid her if I can. Prefer the Japanese (?) woman, she is very nice and courteous.

washiskin

Possum66 wrote: »

I think I know which staff member you mean. Oldish woman, isn't she? I try to avoid her if I can. Prefer the Japanese (?) woman, she is very nice and courteous.

Care to share the on-line shops name?

Yes,Possum66, you are spot on - she never says please or thank-you which really grinds my gears and she can be so condescending. There is also a middle aged one who just snaps "can I help you?" almost as soon as you get downstairs.

There is a lovely lady called Joy works there one day a week and she is sooo nice and really knows her stuff about decorating - her demos are brilliant. Also there is a girl with long dark hair who's really sound. But I kind of try to avoid being served by the other one.

Possum66

It is www.tortissimo.de, they have an English version of the site, they accept credit card, and ship your stuff to Ireland with UPS. Most of my cutters, tins are from them.

You know what I hate particularly in KC? You go downstairs, to have a good look, and one the "nice ones" you mentioned comes after you, and keeps an eye on you. Maybe I just look suspicious I don't know, but it is a very uncomfortable feeling, me walking around, browsing, and this woman is just there... watching... And she doesn't even do it discreetly at all.

Maybe they have many shoplifters, I do not know, but they could do it more discreetly.

yank_in_eire

www.americansweets.co.uk

washiskin

Possum66 wrote: »

Maybe I just look suspicious I don't know, but it is a very uncomfortable feeling, me walking around, browsing, and this woman is just there... watching... And she doesn't even do it discreetly at all.

Maybe they have many shoplifters, I do not know, but they could do it more discreetly.

A few years ago there was a bloke working there and he was incredibly rude.
I went in looking for a "Silverwood" baking tin I'd seen in Good Food Magazine and he couldn't have been more sneery and sarcastic if he tried.

And guess what brand they stock there big time now? "Silverwood"

BTW I found a recipe for making your own edible glitter so if anyone can point me in the direction of Gum Arabic, I would be forever grateful.

supermommy

washiskin wrote: »

BTW I found a recipe for making your own edible glitter so if anyone can point me in the direction of Gum Arabic, I would be forever grateful.

http://www.cakecraftshop.co.uk/shop/8/109/index.htm#CUL5504

This site is excellent! I got a bunch of stuff to decorate halloween goodies with there as well as some edible gold stars! They ship to Ireland and dont charge an arm and a leg to do so

Possum66

yank_in_eire wrote: »

www.americansweets.co.uk

Great site, although they charge a lot for deliveries... "Official Nigella supplier" lol.

Possum66

washiskin wrote: »

A few years ago there was a bloke working there and he was incredibly rude.
I went in looking for a "Silverwood" baking tin I'd seen in Good Food Magazine and he couldn't have been more sneery and sarcastic if he tried.

And guess what brand they stock there big time now? "Silverwood"

BTW I found a recipe for making your own edible glitter so if anyone can point me in the direction of Gum Arabic, I would be forever grateful.

Luckily, I have never met him. Nowadays I only go there, if I have to. I wish they would know how many people avoid their store because of rude behaviour...

I would give Cakebox (Dun Laoghaire) a call about Gum Arabic, they are very nice and they stock all kind of baking stuff, too. Maybe they have it...

washiskin

Thanks a mil, Possum66. I loathe paying a fiver for less that a teaspoon full.

I'm off to London on a day trip next month and I'm going to a shop called Surbiton Sugarcraft, so I'll check them for it too.

BTW I'm doing a cake decorting course in the local tech - the teacher said that the denture fixing powder "Polident" acts as a replacement for GUM TRAGACANTH.

As for KC being avoided because of some of the staff, unfortunately they don't give a toss as they are right in the middle of a toffs shopping area. I've seen people lash out a fortune for feck all and not bat an eyelid.

If you have a good poke at the back of the utensil racks in TK Maxx, they sometimes have PME and Wilton stuff at a snip - eg 9'' PME non stick rolling pin

KC 9.85 TKMaxx 5.99

tscul32

http://cakestuff.bpweb.net/

This place is in scotland, one of the cheapest online and charges per weight for deliveries to Ireland, but the weight of everything is listed so you can easily get the right combination to optimise your delivery charge.
I love looking at the stuff in KC but the prices are beyond a joke. And yes, they do follow you/watch you, especially if you're young (not that I am any more, but I used to be..).

tscul32

..and on the canned pumpking, Fallon and Byrne in Dublin were selling this last week when I was in. They also sell Karo syrup, light and dark and jars of marshmallow fluff.

Magic Monkey

supermommy wrote: »

I have even considered making my own graham crackers but find digestives are close enough. And I would never be able to find the right flour here for em..

Here's a recipe for Graham Flour; it follows the same processes that Sylvester Graham used to make his. You can buy plain flour, wheat germ, and wheat bran here, so it's worth a shot to see if you could get an acceptable substitute!

Magic Monkey

tscul32 wrote: »

..and on the canned pumpking, Fallon and Byrne in Dublin were selling this last week when I was in. They also sell Karo syrup, light and dark and jars of marshmallow fluff.

Their corn syrup is very expensive. With a temperature probe or sugar thermometer you can make your own by combining:

400g sugar
190ml water
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Pinch of salt

Bring everything to boil, simmer until it reaches 118-121c (soft-ball stage).

The marshmallow fluff is just like an Italian meringue, which is similar to a normal French meringue, except the sugar is made into a syrup first, brought to the soft-ball stage, then poured onto the whites while they're being whipped. It's great for lemon meringue pies. It's very easy to make all this stuff, and for a lot less money...

Possum66

tscul32 wrote: »

http://cakestuff.bpweb.net/

This place is in scotland, one of the cheapest online and charges per weight for deliveries to Ireland, but the weight of everything is listed so you can easily get the right combination to optimise your delivery charge.

Thanks a lot! They will be handy around Christmas, I am sure :-)

Possum66

supermommy wrote: »

http://www.cakecraftshop.co.uk/shop/8/109/index.htm#CUL5504

Oh, they have cellophane bags! You just solved my biggest problem - I could not find a supplier for clear bags - thanks a lot!

(Note to self: MUST spend more time online, using Google, Bing etc.... )

allandanyways

yank_in_eire wrote: »

www.americansweets.co.uk

that site is like food porn, i want everything on it!

Possum66

allandanyways wrote: »

that site is like food porn, i want everything on it!

Do you know these guys? http://www.sweettoothcandy.ie/ Ordered some sweets off them for decorating gingerbread houses - and ate half of the sweets