S13.E02: Biscuit Week

[Athena]

Quote

It’s biscuit week, and the bakers tackle illusion macarons and a fruity favourite, before unleashing their creativity by making a dramatic 3D mask entirely from biscuits.

UK Original Air Date: September 20, 2022.

US Netflix Date: September 23, 2022.

[Danny Franks]

When it comes to macarons, I've found I either really like them or don't even want to touch them, depending on the flavour. These all looked pretty good, even the messy ones. I really liked the look of the little burger ones, and Janusz's watermelons were very well done.

Garibaldis? Yeah, those are always getting left until the end of any biscuit selection. They're just so boring. But at least it was a challenge that everyone understood. I did laugh at Rebs saying "that's too many flies."

Her winning the technical was a big surprise, because she seemed like one of the weaker bakers so far. Sure enough, she was completely thrown off by a mistake in the showstopper and survived by the skin of her teeth. I'm not sure she deserved to.

The masks showstopper was another kind of weak idea and it seems clear they're running out of interesting things to make out of baked stuff. This is another one that seemed designed to produce embarrassing failures, and that's pretty annoying.

I can see why Maisam left, even if it was a bit harsh. Everyone else was much more ambitious in their designs and really went the extra mile. Especially Scottish Guy No. 2, with his Pan's Labyrinth monster. She just didn't do much structural stuff.

Syabira's freaked me out. It reminded me of a Clicker from The Last of Us. Maxy's absolutely looked like something you'd see in a carnival.

[Lois Sandborne]

On 9/20/2022 at 3:52 PM, Danny Franks said:

Garibaldis? Yeah, those are always getting left until the end of any biscuit selection. They're just so boring. But at least it was a challenge that everyone understood. I did laugh at Rebs saying "that's too many flies."

That was funny, and I also laughed at Noel and his glee at getting to talk about flies while still being on topic. "On your marks, get set, flies."

Garibaldis are my least favorite British biscuit. It doesn't help that they're called "squashed fly" biscuits, but even before I learned that they were off-putting for some reason. Maybe dried fruit just doesn't go in a biscuit. But, I did think they were a good choice for the technical challenge. Something simple and "classic" that you could figure out pretty easily. Except for the chocolate feathers, lol.

All of the macarons were so pretty! I don't enjoy eating them, so I didn't pay that much attention to the details about any of them, but Maxy's did look really good, and her salted caramel flavor sounded delicious too.

I like to see the bakers helping each other out as in Bake Off days of yore. More of Janusz offering finishing touch services to the other contestants, please.

The contestants are starting to crystallize, and now I can call her Compost Carole instead of the lady with purple hair. It was surprising to see her struggle so much this week. Her mask was pretty before it collapsed.

It was sad to see Maisam leave, but I forgot, or I guess I never took on board the fact that she's only 18. She was unlucky being the least good of a not so bad week. I figured when they pointed out that her mask was only gingerbread that would be enough to cut her. I could've seen it being Rebs instead, but it'd be hard to argue against her elimination either way.

Edited September 22, 2022 by Lois Sandborne

[Aulty]

Are the producers running their challenge ideas through a 'what would Francis do with that' filter nowadays? Asking them to produce something that looks like something else in 2 of the 3 challenges is a bit much. I prefer flavour driven tasks. Macarons inspired by classic (fruit or nut) pies for example.

[Kiddvideo]

Overall, I think this group is more comparably qualified than the past few seasons. Last year’s pandemic season there were only a few excellent bakers (which was apparent from the start), and we had to spend weeks watching the others be sent home. The distance between the best and weakest bakers is closer.

Abdul: I was happy to see his showstopper turn out so well! I thought his was the most difficult project.

Carole: Perfect example of why I like the show. Paul explained why the bake failed, but they also encouraged her with the parts that’d worked well.

James’s monster: I wasn’t impressed, certainly not as much as Paul. I felt he relied on frosting rather than biscuits to create the theme.

Maisam: I wish Rebs had gone home. She seems lovely, but she’s had one decent bake and multiple disasters in two episodes. The “I ran out of time I ran out of time” excuse is tiresome. I thought Maisam had done well enough to get through to next week at least.

[Straycat80]

I loved how two of the bakers took ‘feathering’ literally. LOL! 
My heart broke for Carole, I’m glad she got another chance. Making those masks looked hard. Maxy deserved star baker this week. 
I think if Rebs hadn’t done so well in the technical she would have gone home. She’s screwed up a lot and the other bakers have had to help her because she then runs out of time. Maisam deserved another week. 

Edited September 23, 2022 by Straycat80

[krankydoodle]

Syabira's feathers in the technical looked amazing. I felt bad for her and Abdul, but was impressed by how they both handled the mistake so well.

Maybe I missed something, but it seemed like the only 3D element in Janusz's mask was the nose. It looked cool, but not really comparable to the way everyone else had shaped theirs.

[iMonrey]

I was glad Abdul managed to come back from that awful technical - what a mess. Clearly not everyone understood what "feathering" meant (although I wouldn't either but then I'm not a baker). I think between Maisam and Rebs it was pretty much a coin flip but Rebs did win Technical, whereas Maisam won nothing. (And honestly, the way everyone was consoling Maisam at the end felt very condescending to me, they were talking to her like she was 12, not 18.) I can't remember how Carole did with the Signature bake. 

Doesn't look like we're seeing a lot of Kevin. 

Hadn't noticed James' lisp until this episode. Really rooting for him and Maxy, they seem like front-runners, along with Janusz. And maybe Dawn?

[Jane Tuesday]

Shallow comments first.  Sandro is so gorgeous, and Maxy and her partner are a beautiful couple.  Like, stunningly so.  Janusz and his partner look like they could be twins.

Do people in Scotland really wear kilts on just an average day?  I mean, I know it's not unusual, but it seems an odd choice for walking on the beach.  All that wind!  lol

I really enjoy Noel.

What's the deal with Reb's sweater?  If it's hot, take it off!  I would think it would be an absolute annoyance having it hanging off her arms when she's trying to bake.

I guess I don't have much imagination, because I vastly preferred the macarons that were the traditional round shape.  I absolutely do not want a savory macaron.  Nope.  Two handshakes!  Well done, ladies.  Very professional.

Syabira's feathers were beautifully done!

Masks?  Blech.  I don't mind the crazy bakes, but I do think it needs to be something that someone might actually request from a bakery, or make to use as an incredible centerpiece.  I can't imagine the event for which one orders a cookie mask.  There's just something kind of gross about making a "garment" out of food.

Maisam is sweet, and perhaps deserved to stay longer than Rebs based on this week.  But neither of them are winning.  I always feel like the first few weeks of Bake-Off are just separating the wheat from the chaff, and then they get down to business.

Well done, Maxy!  Her mask was absolutely gorgeous.

[dleighg]

I agree that Rebs continued because she won the technical. While I know folks have said the technical shouldn't and doesn't usually count for much, and maybe Maisam should have continued, there's no way she was going to last more than another episode or two in any case. She just wasn't anywhere near the level needed.

2 minutes ago, Jane Tuesday said:

Do people in Scotland really wear kilts on just an average day?  I mean, I know it's not unusual, but it seems an odd choice for walking on the beach. 

I had the same thought!

[mjc570]

8 minutes ago, Jane Tuesday said:

Shallow comments first.  Sandro is so gorgeous, and Maxy and her partner are a beautiful couple.  Like, stunningly so.  Janusz and his partner look like they could be twins.

Do people in Scotland really wear kilts on just an average day?  I mean, I know it's not unusual, but it seems an odd choice for walking on the beach.  All that wind!  lol

I really enjoy Noel.

What's the deal with Reb's sweater?  If it's hot, take it off!  I would think it would be an absolute annoyance having it hanging off her arms when she's trying to bake.

I guess I don't have much imagination, because I vastly preferred the macarons that were the traditional round shape.  I absolutely do not want a savory macaron.  Nope.  Two handshakes!  Well done, ladies.  Very professional.

Syabira's feathers were beautifully done!

Masks?  Blech.  I don't mind the crazy bakes, but I do think it needs to be something that someone might actually request from a bakery, or make to use as an incredible centerpiece.  I can't imagine the event for which one orders a cookie mask.  There's just something kind of gross about making a "garment" out of food.

Maisam is sweet, and perhaps deserved to stay longer than Rebs based on this week.  But neither of them are winning.  I always feel like the first few weeks of Bake-Off are just separating the wheat from the chaff, and then they get down to business.

Well done, Maxy!  Her mask was absolutely gorgeous.

I agree with all of this - but especially, since I am a cranky oldster, the comment about Reb's sweater.  Pull it up, take it off, borrow a shirt if you need to, but don't have it half on/half off.  I'm not a fan of the off the shoulder look, especially in a competition that is focused on competence and results, but that was just weird.

I do think Maisam was the one to go (with Rebs a close second), her show stopper was anything but.  I do think she might have improved as her confidence increased, but she clearly just isn't at the level of most of the other bakers.

I didn't realize how powerful my thoughts were - pretty literally just as I was thinking what a relief that Paul has stopped throwing out handshakes like they're confetti, he goes and gives out two.  

[MartyQui]

9 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

Carole: Perfect example of why I like the show. Paul explained why the bake failed, but they also encouraged her with the parts that’d worked well.

I loved how kind Noel was to her when she was so upset…that’s the part of the show that makes it different.

[caitmcg]

36 minutes ago, Jane Tuesday said:

Janusz and his partner look like they could be twins.

I noticed this last week, and again this time; they have the same build, same hair color, haircut, facial hair. Janusz seems like such a sweetheart.

.

[sharifa70]

Star Caker made me giggle last week, and the feather misunderstanding had me giggling this week.

Between Noel comforting Carole and Janusz helping Rebs (twice!), it’s just such a joy to watch a show where people are nice to each other.

I love this show so much.

[chaifan]

I never thought of a macaron as a cookie, so I thought it was odd that it was part of biscuit week.  Now that I think about it, I don't know what category I would put it in, but it would fall in the same one as meringues and macaroons, I suppose.  But, ok, I'll accept it as a cookie, aka biscuit.

I loved Dawn's yo-yo's.  Just from the concept drawing alone, I thought those were incredibly clever for the brief they were given.  I'm glad she got a handshake.  Maxy's were cute, but unless the taste was out of this world, I don't get the handshake for those.  Still very good, but not quite handshake worthy. 

I thought Rebs should have gone ahead and baked the bottom halves, even if the dough wasn't quite right.  Then she could have remixed the batter for the top halves, and gotten the filling piped while the tops were finishing.  The cats were cute, but of all the "don't have it look like a macaron", it still looked very much like a macaron.  After the yo-yo's, I thought the watermelons were the most clever "disguise", followed by the 2 hamburgers.

I was bored by the technical.  Nothing about that biscuit sounded appealing to me.  The design was meh.  I thought the literal interpretation of feathering was hilarious, though!   I'm glad the judges got a good laugh out of it.

I liked the mask challenge.  I thought it was something new and different, and showstopper worthy.  Much better than "do a self portrait out of biscuits".   I could see a dessert table of biscuit masks at a mardi gras party, or something like that.  Syabira's was amazing!  I can't wait to see what she does with other decorative showstoppers.  And I thought Abdul's was also incredibly good.  Reb & Maisam's just didn't compare to everyone else's.  And, to be honest, I'll put Janusz in that category, too.  Creative, but nowhere near the technical skill that the others needed.

I think Maisam was the right choice for this week.  Reb is on the chopping block now, 2 weeks in a row.  I'd be shocked if she lasts another week.  But that's ok, if baking doesn't work out for her, she can always be the stand in double for Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton). 

[kittykat]

Agreed that the technical win was what put Rebs over Maisam.  Both seem nice but clearly aren't on the level of the other bakers. Carole's may have collapsed but they loved her flavors.

While the Garibaldi's don't sound very appealing I can see why it was chosen for a Technical.

I actually liked the mask challenge.  I think it's better than a biscuit portrait or sculpture.  Glad Abdul saved himself with his awesome mask.  Maxy's star baker was well deserved.

Noel and Maisam comforting poor Carole and Janusz helping Rebs out is why I love this show.

[loki310]

1) I had always thought “biscuit” was one of those britishisms that meant cookie, but today for the first time I heard them refer to cookies which left me gobsmacked. What exactly is a biscuit? In England? Haha

2) How does Sandro look like that and bake like that? I know he mentioned going to the gym twice a day, but many super fit people act like sugar is the worst thing in the planet, so I was surprised to see him in the tent. Maybe he bakes things and takes them into work, I don’t know… 🤔

[SemiCharmedLife]

I enjoyed the bakes this week, though I've never seen a Garibaldi before.  GBBO is expanding my horizons!  I enjoyed the macaron challenge- there were some really sweet looking results.  My favorite mask biscuits were Syabira's and Abdul's- just stunning!  And, ironically, they were the two that took the chocolate feathering literally.  That was cute.  😊 I thought Januz's mask was colorful and interesting, though I can see how it may not have been as difficult to create as others.  I'm glad Carole will be around for more baking. Best of luck to sweet Maisam, who should be very proud of her accomplishment.

[GaT]

19 minutes ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

I enjoyed the bakes this week, though I've never seen a Garibaldi before.  GBBO is expanding my horizons!  

I never even heard of them before, so before I saw your comment, I thought the name was the "Gary Baldy" biscuit. 🤣 Kind of like a tea/lemonade drink is called an "Arnold Palmer" Did the judges mention that nobody got the chocolate correct? (never mind the feathers)

Edited September 24, 2022 by GaT

[dleighg]

5 hours ago, loki310 said:

I had always thought “biscuit” was one of those britishisms that meant cookie, but today for the first time I heard them refer to cookies which left me gobsmacked.

I noticed that as well. As an American I have always mentally translated "biscuit" as "cookie." But then Paul went and said "this is more like a cookie than a biscuit."

Is a cookie (to Brits) more soft, and a biscuit more crunchy? 

[AZChristian]

59 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I noticed that as well. As an American I have always mentally translated "biscuit" as "cookie." But then Paul went and said "this is more like a cookie than a biscuit."

Is a cookie (to Brits) more soft, and a biscuit more crunchy? 

Found this online:  "Much like cake, cookies are made from a soft, thick dough and are denser than an English biscuit. When they are finished, cookies are larger, softer, and chunkier than their biscuit cousins."

[MsMalin]

I have made mask cookies for Mardi Gras, so yes, people do make mask cookies.  I was very impressed with most of the masks, especially given the time constraints. That is my only pet peeve with most cooking competitions: not enough time.

[blueray]

This is definetly an interesting group. I'm glad Maxy won, however I feel like this time it wasn't obvious who was going to win star baker, as they were all pretty good. The same can't be said for the bottom however. It was clearly between Rebs, Carol and Maxon (sp). But I feel that Rebs saved herself by winning the technical as the should count. I would have personally sent Carol home. Her bake was not the right kind and was the problem. Where as Maxon's was to simple. That being said I don't see the other two lasting much longer.

As for the bakes. The technical reminded me of a something that I got in Aruba (it's a Dutch product). But there was no chocolate on it. It is just dried fruit between two cracker/cookie things. Not to sweet but good. 

16 hours ago, krankydoodle said:

Syabira's feathers in the technical looked amazing. I felt bad for her and Abdul, but was impressed by how they both handled the mistake so well.

I wonder if this was a language thing. As it seemed like they didn't know the term so thought they were referring to feathers. 

[Enigma X]

I am an American and have always thought that macarons were a form of a French cookie. Also, I have had packaged garibaldi's before.

[dgpolo]

12 hours ago, chaifan said:

I loved Dawn's yo-yo's.  Just from the concept drawing alone, I thought those were incredibly clever for the brief they were given. 

My daughter and I felt she should have been marked down because they looked like macarons, they weren't really disguised in any way, just decorated differently. We felt all the ones that were only round should have been marked down.

12 hours ago, chaifan said:

The cats were cute, but of all the "don't have it look like a macaron", it still looked very much like a macaron.

Less so than the yo-yo's which were perfectly round.

12 hours ago, chaifan said:

I liked the mask challenge.  I thought it was something new and different, and showstopper worthy.  Much better than "do a self portrait out of biscuits".  

I felt they got the whole idea for the masks from Terry's self portrait in biscuits where he used brandy snaps to mold his face.

I feel they get a lot of their ideas from the contestants themselves, like one contestant early on baked some Langues de Chat and a couple of seasons later everyone had to bake some. Or Nadiya's 'impossible' fizzy pop pouring down, a few seasons after that everyone had to do one.

8 hours ago, GaT said:

Did the judges mention that nobody got the chocolate correct? (never mind the feathers)

I did not hear them mention it and I thought since -every single one of them- got it wrong it was more Prue's mistake in writing the recipe than the bakers.

1 hour ago, blueray said:

Maxon (sp).

Maisam. You can always google gbbo season 13 to see the names, here they are on Wikipedia, or you can just scroll up to someone else post that mentions the person you're talking about. That's usually what I do.

[Kiddvideo]

The feathers have me questioning some things. First, I’ve always wondered if the immigrant bakers faced a greater challenge. I’d never heard of a Gary Baldy (TM @GaT) before, and that’s not unusual for me especially on the technicals. Show me a photo with the partial recipe and I’ll get you an approximate, but just a partial recipe? Not a chance in hell.

Second, previous bakers have said they had no idea what a bake was and they’ve come close, so I figured they helped each other out or the producers gave them more direction. I’m remembering the Princess Cake specifically which is the domed layer cake with a fruit layer and the whole thing is covered by green fondant. If you don’t know what that is, how would you ever come close without some help?

Third, so now I question how they got the feathers so wrong. If previous contestants can get unknown bakes right, why didn’t Abdul and Syabira? What help did previous bakers receive that they didn’t? Is it just a matter of asking other contestants about the output?

[blueray]

26 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

Maisam. You can always google gbbo season 13 to see the names, here they are on Wikipedia, or you can just scroll up to someone else post that mentions the person you're talking about. That's usually what I do.

I do this too when I'm not being lazy lol. 

As for the feathers. Maybe it was the way it was worded. Like the directions then said something vague like "now take the white chocolate and feather it". If you aren't aware of the decoration technique they took it literally. 

Edited September 24, 2022 by blueray

[iMonrey]

Quote

While I know folks have said the technical shouldn't and doesn't usually count for much

If it comes down to two people and it's dead even, the technical can be a tie-breaker, especially if one of them actually came in first like Rebs did.

Some of the masks were gorgeous, but I'm just now watching the first season and it strikes me how the show has come to overly rely on gimmicky bakes like this. I miss the good old days when they were just expected to bake a perfect whatever without trying to be all artsy and creative. This is supposed to be a baking competition, not a crafts show.

[dgpolo]

57 minutes ago, Kiddvideo said:

Third, so now I question how they got the feathers so wrong. If previous contestants can get unknown bakes right, why didn’t Abdul and Syabira? What help did previous bakers receive that they didn’t? Is it just a matter of asking other contestants about the output?

A few times when a contestant has actually shown the recipe for the technical, usually to show how minimalist it is, there is a line at the top that says something like  -you may not consult or ask another contestant for help-. So no, I don't think they do ask the others. I think there are some additional instructions to help with things like the Princess cake. I also remember one of the older? I think, contestants didn't see the 3rd page of instructions at all and still managed something similar just based on instinct and knowledge. One of the favorite things for me is when the baker is working things out in their heads, like -if I do this and this then that will happen. Some of these bakers are amazing like that. they know how the ingredients behave and can figure out what to do with them.

[SemiCharmedLife]

2 hours ago, dgpolo said:

I did not hear them mention it and I thought since -every single one of them- got it wrong it was more Prue's mistake in writing the recipe than the bakers.

When they were reading the recipe for the Garibaldis, it said to dip "each end" of the biscuit in chocolate and use the white chocolate for feathering.  That is what the bakers did (or attempted to, in some cases 😉), but Prue's model biscuit had the chocolate on one side.  The bakers could not rely on their previous knowledge of a Garibaldi either because Prue pointed out that they don't have this feature and she added it for interest and difficulty.

When they interviewed Maisam on Extra Slice, she was also confused by the term "feathering" and snuck a peak at what Dawn was doing.  I think that is a no-no, but it would be very hard not to check out other bakers, especially when confused.

I'm glad they factored in the technical bake finally.  It would have been a shame for the winner of the technical to have been sent home.  I agree, it was probably used as a tie breaker this week.

[dleighg]

1 hour ago, dgpolo said:

A few times when a contestant has actually shown the recipe for the technical, usually to show how minimalist it is, there is a line at the top that says something like  -you may not consult or ask another contestant for help

and one of the other bakers (one of the Scottish guys I think) said that he saw the thing they were doing with the feathers and felt bad that he couldn't set them straight.

[dgpolo]

42 minutes ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

it said to dip "each end" of the biscuit in chocolate and use the white chocolate for feathering.

Well, that also explains why some of them dipped both ends!

[Deskisamess]

Why does Kevin look so familiar?

I do love this show, and need to watch this episode again before making any comments.

[dgpolo]

37 minutes ago, Deskisamess said:

Why does Kevin look so familiar?

Reminds me of Simon Pegg, but then Janusz reminds me of Daniel Ryan and Syabira reminds me a bit of Debbie Chazen. It's been very odd, I keep having thinking, I've seen that person before. 

[Danny Franks]

9 hours ago, dleighg said:

I noticed that as well. As an American I have always mentally translated "biscuit" as "cookie." But then Paul went and said "this is more like a cookie than a biscuit."

Is a cookie (to Brits) more soft, and a biscuit more crunchy? 

Depends. I would say freshly baked cookies are generally soft, but the pre-packaged, mass produced ones, like Maryland Cookies, are hard and crunchy. Maybe they use the same dough but are baked differently. Usually, they only get called cookies if they have some kind of chocolate chips in them.

Garibaldis are definitely not cookies, so I don't know what Paul is on about. They're biscuits, and crap ones at that. And, in case anyone was wondering, they are named after a person - Giuseppe Garibaldi, an Italian revolutionary who lived in the 19th century. They were thought up and baked in his honour, or something. I'm sure he was truly touched.

[J-Man]

12 hours ago, loki310 said:

Maybe he bakes things and takes them into work, I don’t know… 🤔

Well, his work is as a nanny, so ...

12 hours ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

I enjoyed the bakes this week, though I've never seen a Garibaldi before.

Sunshine used to sell them in the US as Golden Raisin (later Golden Fruit) Biscuits. I remember eating them in the '60s.

[libgirl2]

22 hours ago, chaifan said:

I never thought of a macaron as a cookie, so I thought it was odd that it was part of biscuit week.  Now that I think about it, I don't know what category I would put it in, but it would fall in the same one as meringues and macaroons, I suppose.  But, ok, I'll accept it as a cookie, aka biscuit.

I loved Dawn's yo-yo's.  Just from the concept drawing alone, I thought those were incredibly clever for the brief they were given.  I'm glad she got a handshake.  Maxy's were cute, but unless the taste was out of this world, I don't get the handshake for those.  Still very good, but not quite handshake worthy. 

I thought Rebs should have gone ahead and baked the bottom halves, even if the dough wasn't quite right.  Then she could have remixed the batter for the top halves, and gotten the filling piped while the tops were finishing.  The cats were cute, but of all the "don't have it look like a macaron", it still looked very much like a macaron.  After the yo-yo's, I thought the watermelons were the most clever "disguise", followed by the 2 hamburgers.

I was bored by the technical.  Nothing about that biscuit sounded appealing to me.  The design was meh.  I thought the literal interpretation of feathering was hilarious, though!   I'm glad the judges got a good laugh out of it.

I liked the mask challenge.  I thought it was something new and different, and showstopper worthy.  Much better than "do a self portrait out of biscuits".   I could see a dessert table of biscuit masks at a mardi gras party, or something like that.  Syabira's was amazing!  I can't wait to see what she does with other decorative showstoppers.  And I thought Abdul's was also incredibly good.  Reb & Maisam's just didn't compare to everyone else's.  And, to be honest, I'll put Janusz in that category, too.  Creative, but nowhere near the technical skill that the others needed.

I think Maisam was the right choice for this week.  Reb is on the chopping block now, 2 weeks in a row.  I'd be shocked if she lasts another week.  But that's ok, if baking doesn't work out for her, she can always be the stand in double for Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton). 

I so agree she looks like Daphne!

[Rickster]

13 hours ago, J-Man said:

Well, his work is as a nanny, so ...

Sunshine used to sell them in the US as Golden Raisin (later Golden Fruit) Biscuits. I remember eating them in the '60s.

I grew up in the NY area and remember these as a kid, plus I think another manufacturer made them as well, maybe under a slightly different name in a clear wrapper. I thought they had disappeared off the face of the earth until I was shocked to find them about 5 years ago in an imported food store under the name Garibaldi biscuits. I actually like them, but would not wreck them with a chocolate coating, which seems gross.

I always wonder, when someone is so off base in understanding a concept like feathering, that they don’t look around and see what everyone else is doing and try to copy it.

[AZChristian]

4 hours ago, Rickster said:

I always wonder, when someone is so off base in understanding a concept like feathering, that they don’t look around and see what everyone else is doing and try to copy it.

It is my understanding that - TECHNICALLY - during the Technical Challenge bakers are supposed to focus on their own project (using their own technical skills) and NOT look around.  You'll occasionally see them helping each other during the Signature and Showstopper rounds, but not during the Technical.  There are production people around who monitor them during these bakes (since the Technical is a "blind bake" and Paul and Prue are not in the tent.

[kay1864]

21 hours ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

When they were reading the recipe for the Garibaldis, it said to dip "each end" of the biscuit in chocolate

Actually the screenshot of the recipe said to dip each side—which nobody did!

[MisterGlass]

I liked the yo-yo macarons because of the little fondant string.  I thought that was a perfect whimsical addition.  A lot of the shaped macarons were quite large, and as sweet as they are I couldn't imagine finishing one.

Dried fruit is rarely for me, and even less so when it is metaphorical flies.  I was glad that Paul complemented Syabira's feathers, because they were beautiful even if off target.  If they do a chocolate week I'm curious to see what she does.

I've never seen a cookie recipe using lard, only butter or vegetable shortening.  I've only seen lard in American biscuit/scone type recipes, which are supposed to be fluffy.

Which character from Pan's Labyrinth was that brandy snap mask supposed to be?  Was it the Pale Man?  For me that is the single most horrifying movie creature ever, and it is not green.

[SnapHappy]

At this point, they can go ahead and re-use some of the showstopper ideas from the earlier seasons.  Really, it's ok, Producers!  We won't think you're uncreative or lacking in imagination.  There are just so many themes you can have with cookies.  No, I didn't say biscuits!

I didn't care for the mask challenge as a showstopper because it relied so heavily on the icings & decorations.  Just a bunch of flat shapes iced & attached to each other.  

I did think the Macaron challenge was good.  Obviously they give these folks plenty of time in advance to come up with their idea.  The hamburger concept is a pretty tired one though. 

I love the technical challenge most because of the unpredictability and randomness of some of the creations they pull out.  You have to KNOW your baking and have solid skills to succeed.  I'd really like to see more on-the-fly rounds though, without all the time in advance for them to rehearse & prepare.  But it is what it is.....

And if they were so concerned about them peeking at each other's stuff during the technical, they'd put up little partitions for privacy.  I think it's just a loosely interpreted "rule". 

Edited September 25, 2022 by SnapHappy

[hendersonrocks]

Rebs was laser beamed into the tent straight from 1993, style wise. I am baffled by her choices!

Sandro and Janusz bring me joy, albeit for different reasons. I'm glad it seems like they'll both be around for the long haul.

[Cetacean]

"Fly graveyard" cracked me up.

[Kiddvideo]

I want to know more of Sando’s story. He’s a nanny who works out 2x a day. What are his life goals? It’s certainly not to be a nanny with an 8 pack.

[SnapHappy]

8 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

I want to know more of Sando’s story. He’s a nanny who works out 2x a day. What are his life goals? It’s certainly not to be a nanny with an 8 pack.

Sounds like a pretty good job, especially for a young guy looking for his path in life.  There are always going to be kids to take care of.  And a good nanny can make some decent bucks, sometimes gets a sweet live-in situation, meals, transportation, etc.  And time to work out while the kids are in school.      

I like him.  And he's pretty to look at.....*LOL*

Edited September 26, 2022 by SnapHappy

[jpgr]

On 9/24/2022 at 7:19 AM, blueray said:

I wonder if this was a language thing. As it seemed like they didn't know the term so thought they were referring to feathers. 

Both of them had feathers in their showstoppers, so probably had that kind of feather in their minds. Between that, the pressure of the tent, and a possibly unfamiliar term, I can understand the confusion.

[RoxiP]

I've never feathered anything in my life but even I know after watching GBBO what feathering means...did these people not watch the show previously?

The Garibaldis reminded me a little of Fig Newtons.  

Maisam seemed like a sweet girl but she just didn't seem to have much personality and was in way over her head.  It seems the producers like Rebs considering how much camera time she gets.  That lipstick though...

When the judges were talking about the macarons they mentioned that simple was the way to go, which is why I think they were pleased by Dawn's efforts.  They have criticized contestants in the past for overthinking things.

[Kiddvideo]

11 hours ago, SnapHappy said:

Sounds like a pretty good job, especially for a young guy looking for his path in life.  There are always going to be kids to take care of.  And a good nanny can make some decent bucks, sometimes gets a sweet live-in situation, meals, transportation, etc.  And time to work out while the kids are in school.      

I like him.  And he's pretty to look at.....*LOL*

You mentioned “looking for his path” and that’s what I’m wondering. I was a live-in nanny for a year or so after college. I used it to move myself across the country to an area I wanted to live. They paid for my plane ticket, I had a bedroom and private bath, went on (working) vacations with them, had no living expenses and use of a car. It wasn’t my goal in life, but it provided me with a soft landing I could use to pivot to the next step.

Edited September 27, 2022 by Kiddvideo

[Ms Lark]

On 9/24/2022 at 5:02 PM, J-Man said:

Sunshine used to sell them in the US as Golden Raisin (later Golden Fruit) Biscuits. I remember eating them in the '60s.

and

On 9/25/2022 at 6:26 AM, Rickster said:

I grew up in the NY area and remember these as a kid, plus I think another manufacturer made them as well, maybe under a slightly different name in a clear wrapper. I thought they had disappeared off the face of the earth until I was shocked to find them about 5 years ago in an imported food store under the name Garibaldi biscuits. I actually like them, but would not wreck them with a chocolate coating, which seems gross.

Yep. I was thinking I had these in the 50s (eep!) when we stayed with my Grandparents (also NYC area). No one in the following generations liked them! And with chocolate? Ick. I don't give a fig for a newton, either!

I liked Janusz's mask biscuit a lot. I think he's becoming my favorite.