S14.E02: Biscuit Week

[Ancaster]

On 10/7/2023 at 4:43 PM, MartyQui said:

 

Or Ring Dings?  Not sure if that’s a New England specialty.  Same size, but with crème filling, not marshmallow.  Anyway, I’d eat them!

I was in London last week, so I bought a package of Jaffa biscuits, since they’ve had to make them before.  Decent, but not something I’d buy again. :)

 

On 10/8/2023 at 12:31 AM, Mittengirl said:

How does the texture of the custard cream compare to Oreo cream filling?  
 

Aldi’s had Jaffa cakes during their October fest sale.  I bought the orange flavor, I believe they also had strawberry.  They are OK but nothing I would go out of my way for.  They do seem like something you would not make at home, though.  Too fiddly.

 

Jaffa cakes were a treat if we had visitors (rare) when I was growing up (they were shop bought!!!  With chocolate!!!).  I have never really liked them - I don't like the slightly stale cake bit.  Otherwise we had homemade ginger biscuits or oatmeal raisin biscuits, which were soft and chewy.  Oh, and only one each, for elevenses.  (Another Britishism for @iMonrey to look up!)

I remember being surprised when they had the Jaffa cake challenge, since I can't imagine anyone ever actually makes them from scratch.

 

 

[caitmcg]

15 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

Oh, and only one each, for elevenses.  (Another Britishism for @iMonrey to look up!)

For a North American, it might depend on one's consumption of childhood literature; Winnie-the-Pooh, Paddington, and the Hobbit all partake of elevenses.

15 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

I remember being surprised when they had the Jaffa cake challenge, since I can't imagine anyone ever actually makes them from scratch.

Then again, how many actually make custard creams from scratch?

Edited October 10, 2023 by caitmcg

[blueray]

6 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Jamie Finn . . . 

Yes, thank you.

[HurricaneVal]

I was sad to see Keith go, but in all honesty, I don't think he was quite cut out for this sort of competition show.  He seemed extra anxious and extra stressed over his bakes, and quite sorrowful when they didn't work out right--almost like it was life or death. 

The mocking of his tomato was uncalled for, I thought.  Josh's tomato was amazing, yes, and well deserved singling out for praise.  However, comparing it to Keith's sad little red circle with white dots was unnecessarily cruel, and Prue had a particularly witchy arch to her eyebrow when she held it up and looked Keith's way.  It was very mean for the editors to construct that sequence that way.

I did like how Tasha and Prue bonded over Milo's malted chocolate drink, that was a nice moment.  I also like how Allison is fitting in with Noel and with the show, but her session with Keith also proved that she needs a bit of seasoning and experience for her one-on-ones.  That went on too long, and got really awkward to the point that I was questioning the editing on that sequence as well. 

All in all, I think it is a good set of bakers this season.  I can see some clear front runners and some clear cannon fodder, but nobody who doesn't belong there, or who bought their way on by being a "character."

[Danny Franks]

The show has definitely gone back to basics, in a good way. Straightforward challenges that aren't completely ridiculous and over the top. 

Still seems like the technical is relying on giving them less time than they need, which isn't great. 

Alison has been a good co-host, so far. Dry and funny and she doesn't make anything about her. She seems genuinely tickled by Noel, which is nice.

Paul has been a bit more chilled out, so far in this season, and seems to be enjoying himself.

I liked the signature teacakes and wagon wheel type biscuits, and Tasha's definitely looked amazing.

Custard creams are amazing. Such an underrated biscuit, even the cheap, 60p a pack ones from the supermarket.

I'm really pleased she got star baker. She's one of the more defined personalities already, along with Rowan and the Scottish woman who seems like she's not that good.

Keith leaving? Eh. I couldn't stand that Kent accent for the whole season.

[Deskisamess]

Sad to see Keith go, but I think he was in over his head with dealing with the timings of the challenges. He does seem to be a great home baker.

I'm enjoying a softer gentler Paul H, he seems to be having fun. Alison seems a good fit with Noel.

Overall the show is back to the original charm, which is terrific after last season.

[Rinaldo]

On 10/6/2023 at 7:05 PM, caitmcg said:

Handshakes are pretty unusual in the showstopper, haven't there only been a couple? I know when he gave one to Rahul, that was the first.

My memory agrees with yours -- I recall only Rahul, but there may have been another since. But as a general practice, handshakes occur only during Signature challenges (i.e., at the individual stations), not during Showstoppers.

On 10/8/2023 at 11:00 PM, MerBearHou said:

I have really taken to Allison quickly.  The only thing that’s really bugged me so far was how long she spent with Keith trying to get him to do a standup joke.  She just wouldn’t let it go. 

I actually blame the editors for this one, i.e. for including it at all. Think of all the downtime there must be in the course of a day, while everyone is simultaneously waiting for their bakes to be finished, all of which gets skipped over for us viewers. Many inconsequential little exchanges must occur at such times, among bakers or between a host and a baker, to keep spirits up and pass the time. This was one such instance, and no harm done except that it was apt to make Allison seem insensitive and therefore might better have been omitted.

[dgpolo]

1 minute ago, Rinaldo said:

My memory agrees with yours -- I recall only Rahul, but there may have been another since.

I think Ruby, the one with the long dark hair, got one.

[peeayebee]

I didn't enjoy that bit that Alison did with Keith, either, but I can see why they editors did it. Keith was going to be eliminated, so the show needed something to highlight him in a positive way. They decided to use this conversation. It needed to go on for a while to reinforce the punchline, so to speak, which was Keith coming up with the zinger about the timer meaning the interview was over. 

[RoxiP]

On 10/10/2023 at 10:57 AM, AZChristian said:

So does old age. Google has become my best friend. 

Well I wasn't going to go there...I think chemo mixed with being 65 has exacerbated the problem!

[Johnny Dollar]

Allotting ninety minutes to a technical that requires the bakers to decipher the recipe, make two components that both need to be chilled, bake a biscuit at unknown degrees for beats me minutes and then assemble seems more than a little unfair. And then to judge the lack of definition to the stamped out pattern on the cookie was just piling on. I wonder how long it took an entire backstage crew of professional bakers to make the custards that P&P were shown eating and if they all even came from the same batch. 

[Rinaldo]

15 hours ago, Johnny Dollar said:

Allotting ninety minutes to a technical that requires the bakers to decipher the recipe, make two components that both need to be chilled, bake a biscuit at unknown degrees for beats me minutes and then assemble seems more than a little unfair.

I guess I disagree. It's certainly possible for those who test the recipe to misjudge the proper amount of time to be allowed in a given challenge, but in general I think the principle of a pretty strict time limit for the Technical is a good one. One of the main things a Technical challenge tests is whether a baker has the standard procedures and principles instantly ready to apply: do you know how to combine a given set of ingredients to make a proper biscuit dough? Do you know the temperature such dough needs, and how long to bake it for? Do you know best methods for chilling and stamping out? Can you do all those activities one after the other without wasting time on pondering? (The same principle as paring down the written instructions to just such summaries and indications as an experienced professional baker would need.)

It's the sum of all those choices that results in a spread of results to be judged from better to worse, and shows who really knows their stuff. We saw the opposite last week, when plenty of time seems to have been allowed, with the result that all the cakes were close to identical and the judges had to (by their own admission) nitpick to differentiate among them. I don't say that the challenge-setters never make mistakes, but I think setting a pretty strict time limit is perfectly fair.

Edited October 12, 2023 by Rinaldo

[Ancaster]

On 10/10/2023 at 10:55 AM, caitmcg said:

For a North American, it might depend on one's consumption of childhood literature; Winnie-the-Pooh, Paddington, and the Hobbit all partake of elevenses.

Then again, how many actually make custard creams from scratch?

Well, Pru did reiterate how much better they were homemade than shop bought, which couldn't necessarily be said for Jaffa Cakes, and custard creams seem far more straightforward, plus you get to use the cute stamp, which would impress visitors!  And also be fun for small helpers.

Edited October 14, 2023 by Ancaster

[LouiseIndy]

Is it just me or did Saku drop some cookies off the sheet, onto the floor, and then pick them up and use them?  Yuck!

[sharifa70]

39 minutes ago, LouiseIndy said:

Is it just me or did Saku drop some cookies off the sheet, onto the floor, and then pick them up and use them?  Yuck!

Nope, not just you. She did that!

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, LouiseIndy said:

Is it just me or did Saku drop some cookies off the sheet, onto the floor, and then pick them up and use them?  Yuck!

I saw the same thing and sure did wonder!!

And speaking of that kind of thing, wonder how TPTB handled that shattered glass mixer bowl?  Did they give her extra time (I forget her name) due to the down time of getting her work area totally cleaned?  

Edited October 15, 2023 by MerBearHou

[peeayebee]

I was wondering about the broken bowl, too. Had she prepared anything yet? If so, I would think it would have to be thrown out because of possible glass bits.

[Mittengirl]

It seems to me that at least once per season someone drops something.  I have a hunch when they are presented, the judges are told not to eat those (which would suck if they are the best ones).

[J-Man]

I've never had a custard cream, but based on the description, it seems like the American equivalent would be a Vienna Finger. Mother's Cookies used to have something similar called English Tea Cookies.

[peeayebee]

I loved Mother's Taffy cookies.

[J-Man]

On 10/14/2023 at 8:01 PM, MerBearHou said:

And speaking of that kind of thing, wonder how TPTB handled that shattered glass mixer bowl?  Did they give her extra time (I forget her name) due to the down time of getting her work area totally cleaned?  

I couldn't figure out what this was about until I watched episode 3. The broken bowl didn't happen on Biscuit Week.

[MerBearHou]

2 hours ago, J-Man said:

I couldn't figure out what this was about until I watched episode 3. The broken bowl didn't happen on Biscuit Week.

My original post appeared on a different thread about GBBO mishaps that were noticed on different episodes (dropping things on the floor, broken mixers, etc).  That thread got shut down, I believe, and all of the responses on that thread got moved over here to this episode.  You’re right!

Edited October 20, 2023 by MerBearHou

[Ancaster]

On 10/14/2023 at 6:06 PM, LouiseIndy said:

Is it just me or did Saku drop some cookies off the sheet, onto the floor, and then pick them up and use them?  Yuck!

 

On 10/14/2023 at 6:46 PM, sharifa70 said:

Nope, not just you. She did that!

As a dirty European/Brit I'm a strong proponent of the 5 second rule.

[cynicat]

49 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

 

As a dirty European/Brit I'm a strong proponent of the 5 second rule.

Plus, wasn't it during Baked AlaskaGate that we learned if it's in the trash it basically doesn't exist?  Get it on the plate at all costs.

[oliviabenson]

I really like all the bakers and Alison the host. Paul is still a massive hunk.