S02.E03: Self-Taught: Not So Simple

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

The self-taught bakers investigate a twist on an all-time favorite sweet treat during the safety bake round; in the elimination round, the remaining bakers must figure out the correct dessert to make to avoid elimination.

 

[mertensia]

Yeah, Michelle and Torre were definitely the right choice to send home.

Crustless cheesecake. This must be Heaven on a plate.

I've heard of Basque cheesecake - has anyone had it?

[chicagofan]

I'm good with Michelle and Torre leaving. She seemed to have a perpetual bitch face going on. Does anyone know what she said she was going to do if Steph and Cherry won the safety round again - I didn't quite catch it?

And Tarsha and Kristy are starting to bug a little with their bickering. But good for them - or one of them at least - with the call on the Basque cheesecake. I've never heard of it.

[seacliffsal]

I don't need to see the knit hats on the military wives for the rest of the season.  Saved team has one super over-antic member.  I really like the male team.  The right team was eliminated (really?  he wanted to but caramel in the creme de menthe brownie?).  I still miss the step-brothers as they just seemed so nice and fun.

I kind of felt like the brownie clues were too easy, but only one team got it right so what do I know?

[blackwing]

So for the brownies in the Safety Bake, was it really so simple as looking at all of the recipe cards and figuring out that some of them didn't have the possible ingredients?  Yolanda said that only two types had all the ingredients, the creme de menthe ones that everyone made, and the coffee streusel ones.  In this case then, it didn't matter whether the containers were opened or not?  With only two minutes, how are teams expected to find the recipe cards, read them all, and find everything in the kitchen?  That's not enough time considering there seemed to be about 10 recipes.

I'm happy for Tarsha and Kristy that Tarsha knew about a Basque cheesecake.  She was the only one to smell the burnt vanilla on the parchment paper.

10 hours ago, chicagofan said:

I'm good with Michelle and Torre leaving. She seemed to have a perpetual bitch face going on. Does anyone know what she said she was going to do if Steph and Cherry won the safety round again - I didn't quite catch it?

Michelle was by far my least favourite contestant.  She seems like a thoroughly nasty piece of work.  Extremely negative about everything.  Constant resting and active bitchface.  So unpleasantly dismissive, condescending, disagreeable and nasty to her husband.  It seems like she has this need to be in control of this marriage and wants to call all of the shots.  He seems a bit doormatish.  And he knows it too... in their exit interview he felt the unconscious need to tell everyone that "I love Michelle, and there's no one I'd rather be with to do this" because he's probably aware of how much of a beeyotch she comes across as.

When Joel mentioned that Steph and Cherry could be the first ever two-time winner of the Safety Bake (which considering it is new this year, ok), Michelle said to Torre, "if they win again, I'm going to scream".  Which made me want Steph and Cherry to win all the more.

I know the show loves to do this (cf. Bitchy Thomas from last season) but I really don't need to hear all the catty comments from others.  When the military wives (?) brought out their blondies, someone (I think it might have been Nasty Michelle) immediately gleefully exclaimed to her partner "a blondie is NOT a brownie!".  I think a blondie is a type of brownie, just because it says "brownie" doesn't necessarily mean it needs to have brown chocolate.  There were quite a number of other catty comments.

I would prefer to hear the other contestants praise the presenting team or otherwise be positive.  I really liked when the military wife said something like "when other people say it, it just seems so much more likely" in appreciation of the presenting team's deductions.

2 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I don't need to see the knit hats on the military wives for the rest of the season.  Saved team has one super over-antic member.  I really like the male team. 

My favourite team is Steph and Cherry, I think Cherry is the overly perky one.  The one that said she is from Hong Kong and they don't have ovens in Hong Kong (really?) so she had never baked anything before she moved here.

The male team is probably my least favourite remaining team of this half.  They seem like they are purposely playing up at least two stereotypes (I can do without the exclamatory shrieking/screaming) and I find them annoying.  Also, the larger one is a circus performer?  I think he said trapeze?  In the past, or still doing it?

Edited June 20, 2023 by blackwing

[pvandal]

I did like the look of T & Fadi's giant 2 tier brownie. It reminded me of a Hostess Suzy Q. I miss those.

[eel2178]

8 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I kind of felt like the brownie clues were too easy, but only one team got it right so what do I know?

I keep thinking the clues have been harder this year. The desserts also seem more abstract. Last year, it was rarely more than one team who didn't at least have the right idea even if they tried to recreate it the wrong way.

[mertensia]

20 minutes ago, eel2178 said:

I keep thinking the clues have been harder this year. The desserts also seem more abstract. Last year, it was rarely more than one team who didn't at least have the right idea even if they tried to recreate it the wrong way.

To me it seems,like the other teams are looking for fake clues and Steph and Cherry are just focusing on the clues they find. If that makes sense.

Also, I have to say, Joel is a good host.  He's interested and enthusiastic and doesn't excessively pester the bakers.

[DanaK]

I thought it was adorable when Steph and Cherry won the second round, they were so excited and one of them did a partial somersault

Edited June 21, 2023 by DanaK

[eel2178]

10 hours ago, blackwing said:

they don't have ovens in Hong Kong (really?)

This is true for most of Asia. The main method of cooking is the wok.

[Quilt Fairy]

5 hours ago, eel2178 said:

I keep thinking the clues have been harder this year. The desserts also seem more abstract. Last year, it was rarely more than one team who didn't at least have the right idea even if they tried to recreate it the wrong way.

I don't know if the clues are harder or the teams (both sets) just aren't as talented as the first season. 

[Kaycee]

 Basque Cheesecake aka blackened cheesecake, never really heard of it before. My guess was a cheesecake without a crust like one of the contestant came up with.  Steph and Cherry are very detailed orientated and good for them winning immunity again. It looks like they are going to go far in this competition. 

[7-Zark-7]

I'm thrilled this show is back. Torturing uptight bakers with one more minute detail to obsess over, like checking for every clue, is hilarious.

I do think the clues are harder this season, I think some of the desserts are harder this season, and I think some of the bakers aren't as knowledgeable as last season. 

Maybe if the show weren't so cheap, and actually had a winning team each episode that actually won money, they'd attract a stronger, more competitive group of players to choose from.

[Darian]

A friend made a Basque cheesecake, which inspired another few to try. All said they were delicious, but I was excited, because I was 100% sure that's what it was. I love this show and agree Joel McHale is doing a great job as host. Judges, too! 

 

[7-Zark-7]

On 6/19/2023 at 10:02 PM, chicagofan said:

I'm good with Michelle and Torre leaving. She seemed to have a perpetual bitch face going on.

She may not be able to help this. Full cheeks and a tiny mouth make for a permanent pout.

[chicagofan]

On 6/20/2023 at 9:50 AM, blackwing said:

Michelle was by far my least favourite contestant.  She seems like a thoroughly nasty piece of work.  Extremely negative about everything.  Constant resting and active bitchface.  So unpleasantly dismissive, condescending, disagreeable and nasty to her husband.  It seems like she has this need to be in control of this marriage and wants to call all of the shots.  He seems a bit doormatish.  And he knows it too... in their exit interview he felt the unconscious need to tell everyone that "I love Michelle, and there's no one I'd rather be with to do this" because he's probably aware of how much of a beeyotch she comes across as.

When Joel mentioned that Steph and Cherry could be the first ever two-time winner of the Safety Bake (which considering it is new this year, ok), Michelle said to Torre, "if they win again, I'm going to scream".  Which made me want Steph and Cherry to win all the more.

7 minutes ago, 7-Zark-7 said:

She may not be able to help this. Full cheeks and a tiny mouth make for a permanent pout.

It wasn't just the look on her face that made me root against her team -  I just didn't like her attitude. There is at least a little something that bugs me about most of the teams, but she bothered me the most. 

[Maya]

They sure are picking obscure desserts this season. 

[blackwing]

1 hour ago, Maya said:

They sure are picking obscure desserts this season. 

Well, a lot of the typical well known ones were used last season, so they have to find new ones.  I know at various points throughout last season, suggestions were being made on what people wanted to see, I'm curious to see what those suggestions were.  I think I had said I wanted to see a pineapple upside down cake, we got a blood orange upside down cake this season.  I would imagine at least one person wanted a pavlova, we got a pavlova.

I'd love to see an ispahan, a rose macaron filled with rose, lychee cream, and raspberries.  https://www.laduree.us/ispahan

On 6/20/2023 at 4:27 PM, mertensia said:

Joel is a good host.  He's interested and enthusiastic and doesn't excessively pester the bakers.

I think Joel is one of the best reality show personalities today.  He comes across as engaged and interested and above all, he's pretty funny.  He runs circles around the rest of Fox's stable of reality show hosts, particularly Gordon Ramsey, Nick Cannon, Ken Jeong, and Will Arnett.  I'd say he and Niecy Nash are currently my two favourite reality show hosts.  Both have great funny personalities but aren't over the top.

[tennisgurl]

These desserts are pretty obscure, at least to me. Its cool to see so many interesting things but it makes me feel bad for the bakers, especially the home bakers. Who would think of some of these things? The clues have also been harder this season, I'm guessing they have to take things up a level now that we're in the next season. It doesn't help that the bakers are keep making things up instead of just looking at the clues. 

I think the right team went home, not only has their baking not been great but the wife seems really unpleasant. 

Joel is a great host, he seems excited to be here but doesn't show boat so much that he distracts from the competition. He's got great energy.

[ruffy666]

1 hour ago, Maya said:

They sure are picking obscure desserts this season. 

I've been thinking that too although this episode I totally guessed Basque cheesecake and I was so darn proud of myself, lol

I wonder how it works... like the contestants guessed "blackened cheesecake," but since they seemed kinda unfamiliar with it, how did they come up with a recipe?  Basque cheesecakes are fairly different than a normal cheesecake so I don't think I could've come up with a reasonable recipe off the top of my head.

Joel is a good host and I love his interaction with the contestants, but when he's just standing there reading rules or making announcements he is so stiff with his arms absolutely pinned to his sides!  (it's only noteworthy to me because I've gone through so many comms classes and received the same feedback myself!)

[Quilt Fairy]

They've also made donuts and brownies - those are hardly obscure desserts.

It seems that Curtis Stone's taste in brownies is the same as Paul Hollywood's: they like them chewy and (IMO) under-baked. 

[eel2178]

15 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

They've also made donuts and brownies - those are hardly obscure desserts.

It seems that Curtis Stone's taste in brownies is the same as Paul Hollywood's: they like them chewy and (IMO) under-baked. 

However, they were specific flavors of donuts and brownies that would never be considered to be commonplace.

[Lurk]

10 hours ago, eel2178 said:

However, they were specific flavors of donuts and brownies that would never be considered to be commonplace.

I agree. Who would eat a cinnamon coffee cake crumble of oats on top of a chocolate brownie?  Caramel and pecans I could see. 

 

[anniebird]

On 6/22/2023 at 10:39 AM, ruffy666 said:

I've been thinking that too although this episode I totally guessed Basque cheesecake and I was so darn proud of myself, lol

I wonder how it works... like the contestants guessed "blackened cheesecake," but since they seemed kinda unfamiliar with it, how did they come up with a recipe?  Basque cheesecakes are fairly different than a normal cheesecake so I don't think I could've come up with a reasonable recipe off the top of my head.

 

I wonder if they have to tell production what dessert they have decided to make and then they're given a recipe for it. 

[freeser]

On 6/22/2023 at 9:39 AM, ruffy666 said:

I wonder how it works... like the contestants guessed "blackened cheesecake," but since they seemed kinda unfamiliar with it, how did they come up with a recipe?  Basque cheesecakes are fairly different than a normal cheesecake so I don't think I could've come up with a reasonable recipe off the top of my head.

I have always wondered about this also.  Even if the dessert is a regular cheesecake or a key lime pie or whatever - I wouldn't think they are expected to know the exact ingredients for every possible recipe.  They would know there is sugar, flour, vanilla, baking powder, etc - but it would be a bit much to expect them to know the exact amount of everything that goes into the dessert.  Maybe they are allowed to look it up on a web site or something?!?  

I also wonder what ingredients are in the cabinets and fridge in each kitchen.  Not knowing what dessert the contestants will try to make, how is it determined what items are available for them to use.  

I would like it if they took a few minutes on an upcoming show and explained these things to us.  

[lh25]

I'm new to this show, and enjoying it a lot.  However, do they really have to keep saying "If the dessert is (whatever they made), you could win".  Well, yeah, that's kind of the idea.  I once heard a sports announcer say "Whoever scores the most points could win today".

[eel2178]

On 6/24/2023 at 11:54 AM, freeser said:

 it would be a bit much to expect them to know the exact amount of everything that goes into the dessert.  Maybe they are allowed to look it up on a web site or something?!?  

My best guess is that there is some time that elapses in between them viewing the crime scene and when they have to start baking so that they can look up recipes.

[The Crazed Spruce]

I just assumed they google the recipes off-screen.

[Driad]

12 hours ago, eel2178 said:

My best guess is that there is some time that elapses in between them viewing the crime scene and when they have to start baking so that they can look up recipes.

That makes sense.  During that time they can also do the interviews about how they decided which dessert to make.

[proserpina65]

On 6/20/2023 at 8:39 AM, seacliffsal said:

I kind of felt like the brownie clues were too easy, but only one team got it right so what do I know?

I was curious to know why turtle brownies didn't fit the recipes clue.  All the ingredients were there (caramel and pecans) and appeared to have been used, so how were the contestants supposed to know that wasn't what they were supposed to make?

On 6/21/2023 at 5:42 PM, Kaycee said:

Basque Cheesecake aka blackened cheesecake, never really heard of it before.

I hadn't either, but I assume it comes across as sort of bruleed in flavor.  Wouldn't mind trying it sometime.

On 6/22/2023 at 10:55 PM, Quilt Fairy said:

It seems that Curtis Stone's taste in brownies is the same as Paul Hollywood's: they like them chewy and (IMO) under-baked. 

Chewy, fudgy brownies are the only kind worth eating, imo.

[Haley17]

I was surprised more of the contestants did not guess Basque cheesecake. It's been having "a moment" over the past year. I've seen it on other cooking shows, blogs and the cover of ATK's Cooks Country. As an aside, it really is delicious and much, much easier to make than regular cheesecake. 

[The Crazed Spruce]

18 hours ago, Haley17 said:

I was surprised more of the contestants did not guess Basque cheesecake. It's been having "a moment" over the past year. I've seen it on other cooking shows, blogs and the cover of ATK's Cooks Country. As an aside, it really is delicious and much, much easier to make than regular cheesecake. 

This season was taped more than a year ago. It probably would've been shot before that moment.

[eel2178]

On 6/27/2023 at 10:15 AM, proserpina65 said:

Chewy, fudgy brownies are the only kind worth eating, imo.

Center cut only. Leave the edges for someone who likes to gnaw on bricks.

[proserpina65]

1 hour ago, eel2178 said:

Center cut only. Leave the edges for someone who likes to gnaw on bricks.

Fair enough.  That way everyone gets what they enjoy.