Where to find soda chargers

[dada]

I am looking for soda chargers to make soda water. Help! Where can I find them around here?

[artgeek]

Golda's Kitchen stocks them for $12.50CAD per box of 10 - www.goldaskitchen.com

[embee]

You don't give your location. Cayne's in Thornhill is usually a good source. Many high end kitchenware shops and places like Kitchen Stuff Plus sometimes have them. Always call first, since they appear and disappear from stores regularly.

[Moimoi]

I'd like to know where I can get a glass bottle with soda charger on it for my own use... I was at a party and the host had one - I've always liked the idea. Please let me know. Thanks.

[embee]

Most of these bottles are now aluminum. Check the kinds of places I mention below. If Cayne's has them. they will usually be cheaper than anywhere else.

Frankly, though these bottles have a certain retro elegance, there is no comparison between the sparkling water these can produce and what you get with a Soda Club unit.

[dada]

Thank you so much. I found them at Cayne's.

[Moimoi]

Does it make a difference to taste if the bottle is glass versus aluminium? Is one better? I'm sorry, but I wasn't clear on your comments... Are you saying the soda water these bottles produce is better than club soda in a can? Thanks.

[embee]

Soda water is acidic. The acid reacts with aluminum to produce a very distinct off taste. My wife doesn't notice this - I do. So yes, you would be better off with a glass bottle than a metal one. Of course, metal ones don't break easily. Glass, obviously, does. The wire netting around most glass bottles has some safety value, but won't actually prevent the glass from breaking.

Club soda in a can will also have a metallic taste. Of course, many cans have a plastic liner. If a can is lined with plastic, you may be getting bisphenol A from the liner :-)

Glass is unequivocally better than aluminum if you can find it. Most glass seltzer bottles were made in Czechoslovakia. I don't think they are made in that area any more. The glass siphon bottles that used to be delivered by professional "seltzer men" in cities with large Jewish populations are no longer made. They are considered to be "antiques" and can be worth a quite a bit of cash.

The soda produced with the small chargers is very weak. The major manufacturer, iSi, describes the beverage produced by all of its systems as "a lightly bubbly drink". These are fine when you want a lightly bubbly drink. Other, less commonly found, brands are similar. It's mainly a style thing. If you want a NY egg cream, they don't do a good job.

If you spring for the soda club system, you can make your soda water as strong as you want. You can keep adding CO2 until the water physically cannot accept any more gas. The basic bottles are a strong plastic that holds the charge indefinitely. There is also a glass bottle version, which is much more expensive. None of these is a siphon. You get much better soda water, but none of the style.

With any of the cartridge/siphon bottle systems, you can't use more than one cartridge since safety systems will just vent away the excess.

[artgeek]

We got a wire-encased glass one from Williams Sonoma a year or so back - does a great job and looks great. They're not showing on the website now, but I think I saw one in the Eaton Centre store not so long ago. Might be worth a look if you're in the GTA area. Good luck.

[lsk]

If you mean something like the Soda Club (SodaStream), water treatment stores, that is, the ones that sells water softening systems, etc. might have them. The only one where I've seen them at is Hague Quality Water in Richmond Hill on Leslie, above Hwy 7.

[normalheightsfoodie]

HAve you tried Williams Sonoma. They have them on their catalog for 11.95us fir a box of ten.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/produc...