Well, as I said, I have a large size “toaster” oven, but it really is a small counter top oven, you can adjust the temperature all the way up to 250 degrees C, but it has a 60 minute timer that doubles as power on, so anything that takes longer than 60 minutes to cook, you have to go and wind the timer up again. I’ve done a couple of roasts in it, but it doesn’t take anything huge, but I only paid NT$1700 for it in Geant and I’ve seen it stocked in most supermarkets here.
I think the biggest problem with a western style oven is the fact that most places don’t have 220V in the kitchen, but I found a place online that sells ovens, have a look here. They cost from about NT$20,000 and up. There’s a 110V version, but it’s very expensive at over NT$52,000. You can also get some fancier microwaves here with a built in grill and oven, but they’re quite expensive and I dunno if they’re any good for baking.
You’ll only have a double gas burner in most cases, I’ve seen very few places, even brand new, that has more than two burners, although if you’re lucky you might get 3 or 4. Just about everyone here got a rice cooker and a steamer, so I think the gas burners are mostly used for woks or boiling water here. Speaking of water, you can’t drink the tap water here, at least not without boiling it first and then filtering it. So it might be wise to rent one of those water dispensers you find in most offices, they’re quite affordable, we’re paying something like NT$6,000 for ours, but that includes the deposit and something like 30 bottles of water (the deposit was 3k).
You might also want to buy some quick drying clothes and some waterproof gear (goretex etc.) as you’ll be happy to have then when it’s pouring down here and you’re on your way to work and get soaked. Umbrellas aren’t always that useful, as it gets really wet here quickly and it’s easy to get splashed by passing cars and scooters. Goretex shoes wouldn’t be a bad call either, I need to get a new pair as I’ve worn out my old ones, but I haven’t found any I really like here so I might get some next time I go abroad. The good thing is that it’s not that expensive to go to Hong Kong for a shopping trip once or twice a year, as there’s a bigger selection of stuff there and from what I’ve seen, they seem to have larger sizes in some stores there.
No, ovens have been around, especially in the expat community, for a while. Once Forumosa’s classifieds (Taiwanted) are back up and running, you’ll be able to find one there from someone who’s leaving, but expats tend to overprice their items, and $3k isn’t much anyway, so for your needs, it sounds like a new oven from any of the big chain appliance stores or superstores would be fine. As sulavaca notes, they’re not well insulated. I bought some cork sheeting at a stationery store and put two layers atop mine. If you’re going to be here a while and plan to bake a lot, you should look at the $7k range, I think.
It sounds like we’ll want to look in second-hand stores for an oven – the good ones sounds pricey and 220. Funny, in many ways Taiwan sounds like Korea, where such ovens are cheap. In Japan, they’re quite expensive, though second-hand stores sometimes have them very cheaply.
Speaking of second-hand stores, are they a good options for small appliances.
I just remembered about coffee supplies! Are good beans available? Paper filters for the basic top-of-the-carafe cone? (I think I’ll post this in food.)
Yes, it really is best if you separate the questions, search for the appropriate thread, and if after reading it you still have a question, post it there. One reason is that this keeps the resulting information in the respective relevant areas , which really makes searches easier for everyone. Oh, and yes, coffee beans we have, and filters. More details in a coffee thread, I’m sure.
I’ve never been to that library, but a search of its electronic catalogue indicates that it has English language children’s chapter books (or something along those lines) by children’s authors such as Judy Blume, Robert Kimmel Smith, Louis Sachar, Ron Roy (A to Z Mysteries series) and Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House series). It also appears to have some Harry Potter books.
Caves Books, a bookstore in Taipei, also has children’s books in English.
You could use your passport or driving license, anything really. My mother was a library haunter and never had an ARC card. They were very nice to her and she never had problems borrowing books.
