May 12, 2010 - 7:52pm
Supplies from Taiwan
Hello everyone.
Brilliant website. I have been baking for just over a year, and like any hobby, it requires practice. I liive between the UK and Taiwan. In the UK, supplies or ingredients are easy as everything is clearly marked as for what purpose the baking supply is for, but here in Taiwan, it s difficult, not the language, but the supplies. I seem to find mostly 'all in one' ingredients, especially the flour.
I am after good quality flour. In the UK I used Caudwell's Flour, Rowsley, Derbyshire.
Does anyone know of some good baking suppliers in Taiwan. I live about 45 mins from Tainan. Or 90 mins from koahsiung.
So sorry for being a nusience.
Very best, and kind regards
Ian
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Hi Ian, it's not a nuisance at all! :) Where exactly are you located? I can set you up with some contact info of DIY baking supply shops near you. http://forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?p=1127688#p1127688 If you need help transliterating any of those addresses or don't see your location's name in Romanization just let me know where you are and I'll find it on the list in Chinese for you.
There are actually a lot in Taiwan but the info is not easy to find for foreigners who don't speak Chinese. Of course, there's more choice if you head into a larger city near you than out in the countryside.
If I can be of any further help finding baking stuff in Taiwan please don't hesitate to ask.
Thanks for your speedy reply. I live in Shin Ying, and lucky for me I am married to a a Taiwanese, so she doesn't mind translating.
Going to Carrefour is pretty rubbish, and would love to get my hands on the real deal!
Again, thanks for the reply. My wife is just checking the link that's in your reply.
Best regards
Ian
Mail order is also an option in Taiwan, with your wife's help, and as you probably know, courier delivery is dirt cheap here. Someone (chiaoapple?) sent me a link to an online baking supply store in Taiwan long ago, but since I have good stores nearby (in Taibei) I have misplaced the link. But you can ask your wife to run a search on online sites like Ruten (http://www.ruten.com.tw/ lu4tian1, in pinyin) for whatever you need.
EDIT: just found that other link for mail-order supply courtesy of chiaoapple: http://miaolin.myweb.hinet.net/
Thanks for the links. From your expertise, what company produces really good quality flour/ In the UK, I always used Caudwell and that always gave excellent results.
Again, thanks for your kind help.
Best regards
Ian
If cost isn't an object,
then the Japanese flours may be higher quality and certainly have more variety, but I haven't had any complaints about the bulk flour available at local DIY baking shops; they normally carry low (pastry & cake), medium (all-purpose & bread) and high gluten (bagel) varieties plus whole rye and whole wheat. For bread I usually use the medium, or medium with a bit of the high added. At one shop they said the flour brand is Luotuo (camel), and a bystander overhearing this told me that that is Taiwan's best brand of flour. I have no idea whether that's true or not, but it works fine for me. The other shop I go to sells a different brand, I can't recall what because they get it in huge sacks then divvy it up, and I've also had no complaints about it.
The main thing to consider in Taiwan is the heat and humidity, which means that whole grain flours, wheat germ and seeds and nuts go off very quickly and should best be purchased in small amounts and refrigerated. I also purchase flour in relatively small amounts, and keep it tightly sealed to avoid bug infestations.
here's the link to a great flour supplier --
http://tw.user.bid.yahoo.com/tw/user/danny_0305
i've lived in the States, where i used King Arthur, and no offense to KA, but the variety of flour you can get in Taiwan (mostly imported from Japan) is just amazing.
Have fun browsing!
That's what I thought (and still think so) when I first found out you've had access to such a great variety of Japanese flours that I can't get my hands on.
Yippee
Thanks for your advice, and help.
Much appreciated.
Kind regards
Ian
Ian, here are a couple of web sites of baking stores in Kaohsiung. I buy from both of them a lot. The first one has recently started to stock at least one variety of imported flour. I haven't bought any yet because I have good results with the local flour and the imported stuff is twice the price. There is a third shop that I frequent but they don't seem to have a website. It is on the corner of Sanduo and Guanghua Roads.
http://wlcnet.com.tw/
http://www.wlscook.com.tw/
Syd
Hi Mkati,
I actually posted that info a few days ago in this thread -- see further up. I bought mine off a seller on Ruten, pichen1102, as well as a cast iron grill. It would have cost just as much or more to get one shipped from the States. I wanted one with a flat lid with two side handles so that it could double as a deep dish for pizza and the like. If it has a top central knob it can't do that.