Comments on Half the Sugar Bowl: American Baking in Zurich, Part 2: Essentials

I wish I had paid attention a few months ago to th...

2010-02-04T21:19:40.691+01:00

I wish I had paid attention a few months ago to the link about making your own vanilla extract. Now I'm almost out and really don't want to spend 20CHF on the extract at Jelmoli! I think I will do both - make and buy. I'll let you know how it goes!

www.kellyandwojtek.com

Oh, I wish I'd seen this back when I lived in Berl...

2009-12-18T06:18:10.170+01:00

Oh, I wish I'd seen this back when I lived in Berlin! I remember going all over the city trying to find vanilla extract. I even found a spice store that sold vanilla beans and some sort of "Vanille-pulver", but the man looked at me like I was crazy when I asked about a "fluessige Vanille" and said he'd never heard of it... I ended up making very sad chocolate chip cookies for a long time!

This just keeps getting better and better - more p...

2009-11-21T21:25:07.982+01:00

This just keeps getting better and better - more precise baking info and more insight into my own baking adventures here in Zurich. I have spent the past year on plenty of searches for different ingredients - both American and French - imagine if I had your posts back then! Would have saved a lot of time - and would have lightened my luggage too! haha!

In general, my go-to spots are Globus, which I have always found to be quite helpful for American ingredients. And Müller for things like molasses and organic ingredients. Jelmoli, surprisingly, always disappointed me. Ok, I'm ready for part #3 now...! :)

Hi Amanda, I'll answer you here as well just in ca...

2009-11-16T09:32:59.466+01:00

Hi Amanda, I'll answer you here as well just in case anyone else is looking for the same info.

Sweetened condensed milk is no problem - it comes in dark blue tubes at both migros and coop - gezuckerte kondensierte milch and usually in the coffee creamer/milk section.

Evaporated milk is more difficult, I have not seen it in stores. I found it here though: http://www.afoodave.ch/products/Carnation_Evaporated_Milk_12oz_354ml-998-0.html for CHF 2.95 per can so if that cake just keeps calling to you... :)

Ok - question. Have you any experience looking for...

2009-11-16T07:38:09.956+01:00

Ok - question. Have you any experience looking for a can of sweetened condensed milk
or a can of evaporated fat free milk? I am looking at a tres leches (cake) recipe right now and would love to try making it, but I'd need those 2 ingredients. Do you know if they are available here, and if so, what they are called in German? Thanks!

What a great round-up of alternatives that you hav...

2009-11-16T04:51:29.127+01:00

What a great round-up of alternatives that you have put together for other Americans in Zurich!

Ezsqueeze me... isn't that my Calumet tin?

2009-11-14T15:40:37.944+01:00

Ezsqueeze me... isn't that my Calumet tin?

Thanks for the tip on where to find Cream of Tarta...

2009-11-12T09:41:47.467+01:00

Thanks for the tip on where to find Cream of Tartar. I was so amused when I asked for natron at the apotheke, and the woman had to go to the back to get it - they probably keep it next to the dangerous narcotics :)

excellent post - I get asked these questions all t...

2009-11-12T09:03:03.519+01:00

excellent post - I get asked these questions all the time...now I can just refer people to this posting!

I have most of the same problems living in Brussel...

2009-11-10T21:59:40.344+01:00

I have most of the same problems living in Brussels. Finding chocolate is not a problem, but chocolate chips? Nope. They do have proper brown sugar here, though. In theory, you could always make your own (molasses + white sugar = brown sugar), but I have never seen molasses in Europe. One more thing - all American ingredients can be found in London! That might be an easier trip than the States.

GREAT post!! I got excited just looking at the pic...

2009-11-10T15:11:12.444+01:00

GREAT post!! I got excited just looking at the picture thinking: Ooh is that real vanilla extract! And I've been wondering what cream of tartar is called here! Thanks for the tips :-)

Yay! I have been overlooking recipes that call for...

2009-11-10T07:34:22.764+01:00

Yay! I have been overlooking recipes that call for baking soda because I didn't even want to both figuring out what it's called/where to find it, so thanks for the tip! Also, thanks for the link on how to make your own vanilla extract!

Oh, the Nielsen-Massey vanilla makes such a differ...

2009-11-10T02:02:18.654+01:00

Oh, the Nielsen-Massey vanilla makes such a difference! The price of it has dropped dramatically in the States the last few years, but I didn't know how well it would ship, so I decided not to add it to the box.

A great post! Thankfully, we have an American supe...

2009-11-09T23:36:06.613+01:00

A great post! Thankfully, we have an American supermarket here in Geneva...

Cheers,

Rosa