S06.E04: Desserts

[Mabinogia]

Oh she did, she very much did say "blow me". I'm sure as in blow me over, but I burst out laughing when she said it. Mary Berry is a treasure.

[AZChristian]

19 minutes ago, Jesse said:

So, I think was this episode, and not the bread one, but did I actually hear Mary Berry say "blow me" (like, "well, blow me if he didn't come up with something delicious!") during the chat-at-the-table portion of the show? I, of course, didn't rewind and did delete the episode, but the fact that the camera stayed on Sue's deadpan face for like 5 seconds afterward makes me think it was that. 

We had taped it, and just watched it.  That is absolutely what she said.  We roared . . . it was hysterical hearing that lovely Englishwoman say something that would be considered crude on this side of the pond.

[Amethyst]

2 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I didn't have a problem with the close-captioning, but both of the episodes Friday night kept breaking up and pixelating (not sure of the correct technical term but it's when the digital signal breaks up the picture into all lines, squares and rectangles and everything just stops for a second or two) on WTTW, channel 11 in Chicago. 

Yep, same here.  I live in Illinois and WTTW's feed had been glitching and pixelating for a few days.  

Count me in the party who thought Tamal should have won star baker.  I like Ian, but the judges were already skeptical about Tamal using mango, and they were blown away at how much they loved it.  I thought he made a bigger splash than Ian using herbs.  Plus, Tamal's presentation was gorgeous.

Wasn't surprised that Sandy went home.  Undercooked/raw food is always a bad sign, no matter how well anything else turns out.

Glad that Nadiya's pop can turned out OK, because I thought it would collapse.  That said, the sides of the cake looked unfinished and the pan was still visible.  Was that supposed to happen?  Surprised the judges didn't mention it.

[Jesse]

1 hour ago, Mabinogia said:

Oh she did, she very much did say "blow me". I'm sure as in blow me over, but I burst out laughing when she said it. Mary Berry is a treasure.

 

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

We had taped it, and just watched it.  That is absolutely what she said.  We roared . . . it was hysterical hearing that lovely Englishwoman say something that would be considered crude on this side of the pond.

Thank you both! When no one had commented on it here, I was afraid it was just me. 

[agnesnitt]

Just feel compelled to point out from the recap:

 

Quote

Alvin puts edible pansies in his brûlée, but it sounds like he's saying "edible pant-sies." Mel just about loses her mind, especially when he says he left some of his edible pant-sies on the train. Now I'm thinking about Alvin's rumpled slacks covered in raspberry sauce.

The pant-sies/pansies thing wasn't about slacks. "Pants" in British means "underpants", hence Mel's reaction. Source: learned the hard way.

[dubbel zout]

I was surprised the challenge recipe worked out for as many bakers as it did considering the rain. Humidity is the worst thing for meringue.

[justmehere]

too slow to respond -- everyone else said things already.

Edited July 17, 2016 by justmehere

[AZChristian]

3 hours ago, agnesnitt said:

Just feel compelled to point out from the recap:

 

The pant-sies/pansies thing wasn't about slacks. "Pants" in British means "underpants", hence Mel's reaction. Source: learned the hard way.

I always thought the British word for underpants was knickers.  Although it could be true that pants could mean the same.  Either way, I LOVE this show!!

[Rinaldo]

"Blow me" is an old innocent British expression (like the Victorian "blow me down"). But you can bet Sue is well aware that the connotations have shifted in recent decades, even if Mary isn't. Or Mary may know when she has time to think, but still unthinkingly reverted to an idiom of her youth.

Edited July 18, 2016 by Rinaldo

[Grommet]

I don't like custard or meringue or cheesecake, yet many of the bakes looked scrummy to me. I just love this show so much.

[Clanstarling]

On ‎8‎/‎27‎/‎2015 at 4:11 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Even though everyone was trying to keep an eye on their crème brûlées through the oven doors, I don't know how they were able to see when they were done. Between having them in tallish ramekins/cups and having the sheets on the highest rack, I have no idea how any of them were able to see the tops of their crème brûlées well enough to know when they were done. That said, when Alvin had his oven open and saying they weren't done enough, I was yelling, "Close the door! You're letting all the hot air out!" And then he forgot to turn on the broiler!

I was surprised that Mary, Paul, and Sue hadn't heard of ombre before.

I think that Alvin or Mat will be the next to go home.

Maybe it was the camera angle, but I had the same thought when they were checking their crème brulees.

I've really only heard ombre used in the context of colors in fabric and other fashion senses. Is it commonly used in a culinary sense?

On ‎7‎/‎16‎/‎2016 at 11:30 AM, lordonia said:

I kind of hate meringue so those were unappealing to my imaginary GBBO taste buds to start with, but it was funny to me that most of the contestants had much more trouble with baguettes as a technical challenge.

I'm right there with you, except that I absolutely hate meringue in all forms. The Wind Torte had as much appeal to me as decorated Styrofoam. Still, I expected disastrous results similar to the arlettes. The biggest mystery was why Sandy decided a wing top was necessary.

Anyone else thing that Nadya and Mat's cheesecakes were meant to be together - soda pop and candy bar cheesecakes are quite the combo.

[Quilt Fairy]

Quote

I've really only heard ombre used in the context of colors in fabric and other fashion senses. Is it commonly used in a culinary sense?

She was referring to shading her frosting from light to dark on the sides, not anything that related to the taste.

Quote

 The Wind Torte had as much appeal to me as decorated Styrofoam

So much word to this. I'm jealous, I wish I had thought of the phrase "decorated Styrofoam"!  They also never got into why it was important to know that it was an Austrian dessert.

Edited July 18, 2016 by Quilt Fairy

[Zuleikha]

I'm curious about the Windtorte. I'm not the biggest fan of the merengue, but it looked so pretty and elegant. 

I thought Nadiya should have gotten a special commendation for her fizzy pop cheesecakes given the levitating pop can and brilliance of the Italian merengue soda fizz. It was so fun and so different from everyone else's. I understand that she couldn't have been Star Baker with her poor technical and one of the cheesecake layers was off, but it seemed on another level to me.

I didn't understand Mat's candy bar inspired flavors. Honeycomb? Is this a British candy bar thing? 

On a shallow note, Tamal is really attractive. He's also been consistently excellent, and he seems to be really nice. 

[RealityCheck]

2 hours ago, Zuleikha said:

Honeycomb? Is this a British candy bar thing? 

Honeycomb toffee.  I saw Martha Stewart demonstrate making it so it is known in the US.  It appears to be very popular in Britain because I've seen it made on several British cooking competitons.

[Clanstarling]

7 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

She was referring to shading her frosting from light to dark on the sides, not anything that related to the taste.

So much word to this. I'm jealous, I wish I had thought of the phrase "decorated Styrofoam"!  They also never got into why it was important to know that it was an Austrian dessert.

I meant, but clearly didn't say anywhere but in my head, that perhaps Mary and Paul didn't understand the term because it wasn't typically used for food. I love the use of ombre shading on fabric. I did much better in conveying how I felt about meringue. :)

[dubbel zout]

12 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I always thought the British word for underpants was knickers.

For women; for men, it's pants.

I loved the discussion after the cheesecakes, when Sue told Paul to start digging in to the slices in front of them, and he gave her a kind of sickly, nauseated smile. Hee. Sometimes I wonder how Paul and Mary make it through a judging without saying "I can't go on" at some point. Especially when the baked goods are as rich as cheesecake.

[stillshimpy]

Quote

I kind of hate meringue so those were unappealing to my imaginary GBBO taste buds to start with, but it was funny to me that most of the contestants had much more trouble with baguettes as a technical challenge. Everyone certainly know the requirements going in, but the skillsets for a pastry chef vs a bread baker aren't exactly the same and the contestants have to be well versed in so many techniques.

 

I am so with you in the dislike of meringue.  I think it's actually partially visual for me, oddly enough.  It looks so appealing and pretty when piped and then the texture always seems wrong to me.  The visual read is "Oh, that looks like it will be delightfully creamy, cool and refreshing!"  the textural reality is "*CRUNCH* " and I always feel pranked by the stuff.  Add to that the whole essential absence of taste and I always take a pass on the stuff.  

However, that Windtorte was so much fun to watch being made and fits with my experience of meringues: best viewed rather than eaten. 

I was actually a little bit surprised that Ian got star baker again this week.  I like him plenty, he has a nice, dry sense of humor and a very mild manner, but this week he seem to get it for being consistently proficient in all of the challenges, vs. really having a standout.  I always imagine whoever actually took Top Male Baker in his village just gnashing his teeth about his stolen glory.  Meanwhile, the Best Female Baker (and yo, Ian's village, bit sexist to divide them, don't you think?)  is putting together her application, ready to take back the Village Pride. 

I got a kick out of Flora just whipping up macarons to decorate her cheesecakes and Paul's hobby of making sugar flowers came in handy too. 

I'll miss Sandy, she had a wonderfully mischevious sense of humor and I wish I could hang out with Nadiya, drink tea and sample her cheesecakes.  

I'm not the biggest fan of creme brulee either, so the challenges didn't leave me drooling or anything,  

I think it was Mat who was watching Nadiya do something, she (very obviously teasing) told him to stop watching her and he said "It's not a technical" so that does seem to be the gig with technicals.  They aren't supposed to look around to see what other people are doing.  

Tamal helping Sandy attempt to stack her cheesecakes is one of the reasons I just love this show.  They were both laughing and whereas Sandy seemed sad to go, it seemed to be more about missing the experience of being with everyone than feeling like she'd lost a competition, if that makes sense.  

I meant, but clearly didn't say anywhere but in my head, that perhaps Mary and Paul didn't understand the term because it wasn't typically used for food. I love the use of ombre shading on fabric. I did much better in conveying how I felt about meringue. :)

For a moment I thought that Ombre shading in hair coloring must not be a thing in the UK and then I realized that even if it was, the likelihood that Paul and Mary would know about it would be fairly slim.  I did love just how stumped they both looked and Ugne turning increasingly red trying to explain it.  That woman has the best giggle.  

Edited July 18, 2016 by stillshimpy

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, stillshimpy said:

the challenges didn't leave me drooling or anything

Or me. Sometimes the challenges get too British, if you know what I mean. But I always love watching the bakers work, especially when they haven't the faintest idea what they're supposed to be baking.

[Portia]

4 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Sometimes the challenges get too British, if you know what I mean. 

I know what you mean. I have nothing against fruit, but do they have to add fruit to everything? I'm American, dammit. I stick to the four basic food additives: cheese, chocolate, caramel, and peanut butter. 

[stillshimpy]

Or me. Sometimes the challenges get too British, if you know what I mean.

Growing up I was the sole American in my family (long story) as my mother and (half) brother are both Scottish, so trust me on this, I really, really do know what you mean.  As a teenager I think I was dragged to every Highland Festival on the East Coast and I lived in fear of the food, which would have them in raptures while I watched people toss a caber and tried to avoid the meat pies stall.  

One adorably veddy-veddy-British thing was people bringing their homemade fruit wines and cordials.  I got a kick out of the inclusion of peanut butter in one of the cheesecakes too.  Quite often the things Mary chooses for the technicals are pretty far flung and from a time where one of the ways to honor a guest or a restaurant patron was to give them something that required a ton of effort to make.  Witness the Windtorte, I'd wager.  

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

Your Eyes Will Pop At These Cheesecakes On The Great British Bake Off

And your brain might spin when you trace the lineage of the Spanish wind torte!

[Kohola3]

Quote

I'm not the biggest fan of creme brulee either, so the challenges didn't leave me drooling or anything, 

Ditto for me.  And while I know it has to be baked, somehow I was surprised to find it in a baking competition.  Just doesn't seem to fit with cakes, cookies (sorry, biscuits), and bread.

And the Brits seem inordinately fond of sultanas.  Those show up everywhere.

[stillshimpy]

I've been digging Mark Blankenship's pieces for this show and he just reminded me of something.  From the recap on the homepage here:  

Oh. My. GOD. I don't know what possessed Sandy to make a crème brûlée with licorice, but the very thought of it makes my tongue curl under on both sides. Just look at this disgusting licorice candy she's holding up, as though it were something anybody would want to consume.

Aaaiiiiiiiieeeeeee! That's right. Gawd, I'd forgotten about this regrettable culinary choice, brought to you by the Mirrorverse Where BlackLicorice is an Acceptable Thing (and is apparently a "subtle" flavor, according to Sandy).  

I like Sandy, she's fun, she has a good sense of humor.  I'm sorry about whatever tragic, closed-head injury made her think that Black Licorice tastes good, but other than that, she seems a lot of fun.  However, it was all made so much worse by the concept of this black disks at the bottom, like pools of tarry Nyquil waiting to jump out and make you regret having a tongue and taste buds to go with it.  

Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh.  

 

Ugh. 

[dubbel zout]

3 hours ago, stillshimpy said:

this regrettable culinary choice, brought to you by the Mirrorverse Where BlackLicorice is an Acceptable Thing

I beg to differ. Obviously. ;-) 

Sandy's crème brulée was a disaster from start to finish. Licorice was the least of her problems.

Edited July 18, 2016 by dubbel zout
Spelling!

[Kohola3]

I have to wonder if the licorice has some sort of chemical properties that was toxic to that poor, sad brulée.  I did like Sandy, loved her sense of humor. I will miss her.

[Quilt Fairy]

I was confused about the licorice as well. If you wanted to add a licorice flavor wouldn't you just add anise instead of actual processed candies? I had the same issue with Nadiya's cheesecake flavors. She took soda and re-processed it down to syrup, so points for that, but wouldn't it have been better to recreate the flavors with the actual herbs/plants/spices they came from? I only bring this up because in the past people have gotten dinged (and eventually sent home) for using stuff like commercially bought fondant or baking molds. But in this episode that didn't come up at all.

[Kohola3]

Well, to be fair, I'm not sure that Cream Soda has any equivalent in nature  And she said that she had to boil the pop for hours, as I recall, so there was prep (and some science) involved. Not quite like buying a bottle of artificial flavoring.

[stillshimpy]

Quote

I beg to differ. Obviously. ;-)

*gauntlet thrown* 

Oh yeah? Oh yeah?!? Come over here and say that!!! 

Unless, of course, you are wielding Black Licorice, in which case, I agree wholeheartedly with you as long as you agree to not make me eat it.  You? Are right. Entirely.  I say this without reservation (as long as you eat that stuff and do not force me to be near it, or have occasion to smell it).  

I do, however, like Star Anise in sane quantities.  Black licorice is like the Death Star of Star Anise though.  Highly concentrated evil.  

Well, to be fair, I'm not sure that Cream Soda has any equivalent in nature  And she said that she had to boil the pop for hours, as I recall, so there was prep (and some science) involved. Not quite like buying a bottle of artificial flavoring.

I remember someone coming up with a Butterbeer recipe that made the rounds on the internet that was Cream Soda and Butterscotch Schnapps.   A friend of mine who had never had Cream Soda asked and couldn't get it where she was (France) asked me to help her figure out how to make it  "What does Cream Soda taste like?" and for the life of me, I couldn't come up with a description that incorporated a food item she knew.  I just kept saying, "Uh...well....it's like....uh....cream soda."    

 

 

 

 

 1

Edited July 18, 2016 by stillshimpy

[Kohola3]

Quote

"Uh...well....it's like....uh....cream soda."  

I know, right?  Trying to describe tastes is just impossible unless they are somewhat related - like licorice and star anise.  Hey, that worked!

[Christina]

During the original airing of this episode, it seemed to me that there was something wrong with Sandy's oven with the way her creme brulee and the meringues had baked. An article or two about this episode said the same thing about Paul's oven, and that his failure of his creme brulee and meringue issues could be attributed to the oven not heating correctly. From memory, it was a bit of a thing with people feeling that Sandy's brulees were obvious failures of the ovens and therefore, she was cheated.

Fast forward to the end of the season, and GBBO released an article that discussed the behind the scenes stuff, like the fact that they test each oven by baking the exact same cake in each on for the same amount of time to make sure they were all working correctly. As true as that may be, 30 minutes in the oven and her brulee being soup was either a bad oven or the licorice has some kind of chemical powers. She had another issue with her meringues that makes me believe the theory of a faulty heat sensor not keeping the heat stable. The only article I found during a quick search had several spoilers for this season, so I don't suggest googling if you don't want to be spoiled.

[Zuleikha]

People have made mistakes with their oven settings due to nerves before... maybe Sandy did that and somehow didn't notice. She didn't appear to have heat-related issues with the rest of her desserts, and I think she or the show would have made an issue of the oven being fixed between her signature and technical.

[stillshimpy]

Also, Sandy plunged her fresh-from-the-oven creme brulees into the freezer for reasons I can even begin to guess at. Although she said it was because they had too much wobble, I'm not sure why she thought trying to remove heat from the equation could possibly help.   I'm pretty sure she did this prior to sticking them under the broiler, so she was pretty sorely testing the ramekins heat-range-capabilities as it was.    I'm not sure what precisely went wrong with Sandy's creme brulee, but just judging by that I'm going to guess it was more than one thing.  Egads. 

Edited July 19, 2016 by stillshimpy

[paramitch]

This episode was my kryptonite! I don't really care for most desserts and can happily go without them for eons, but I am a total sucker for creamy vanilla-type custardy things -- creme brulees (although I prefer them without the sugar on top), puddings, Boston creams -- you get the idea. Oh, and eggnogs (the liquid version of a custard, and which I would drink like ambrosia by the vat if I were allowed. Sigh.). It's so embarrassing.

So my favorite moment of this episode was the sight of Sue (who evidently shares my love for custards) eating Tamal's brulee as fast as she could while Paul and Mary were judging. It was hilarious to rewatch -- Sue is just eating them as fast as she can. So funny! And then I loved it when she stacked up 5 or 6 more of them and calmly walked off. They must have been way better than they sounded -- the rhubarb sounded utterly unappealing to me but Sue and the judges were rhapsodic so they must have been delightful.

On 7/16/2016 at 1:04 PM, tvchick said:

The WaPo recap this week covers both Episodes 3 and 4, so I'm putting the link here.
recap of Episodes 3 and 4

Thanks so much for posting these links each week! I didn't enjoy this WaPo recap nearly as much as usual, though. For one thing, the guest baker in the recap this week came across as dour, hypercritical, dismissive, and kind of a jerk. I totally get that he's a pro baker, but I felt like he took the WaPo blog as an opportunity put down what he was seeing, instead of joining in with some enjoyment and positive criticism.

On 8/27/2015 at 4:11 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

There are some weeks where I'm only interested in eating one of the three challenge assignments but this week I was like OMG! Crème brûlée, cheesecake, and those strawberry/raspberry cream meringue cakes? HELL YEAH!

Count me in! I wanted one of those brulees so so badly!

On 8/27/2015 at 0:28 PM, Pallida said:

I'm going to miss Sandy.  I know she kept having missteps, but she made me smile.  I also loved the Attenborough comment.  It's quite fitting for all the camera shots of the bakers staring into the ovens.  

I adored Sandy. She was so sweet and funny, and I got a kick out of her not only demonstrating the jiggle to Sue, but also her adorable good-natured reactions to Paul's critiques (and how she laughed outright when he told her next time to "turn the oven on"). I'll definitely miss her -- such a delightful person, who I have no doubt is changing many children's lives in her incredibly difficult job. I feel weirdly happy knowing children and families in difficult circumstances have such a kind person to deal with.

On 7/16/2016 at 7:27 AM, Rinaldo said:

Thanks for the explanation about Sandy's meringue lid. I understand her reasoning now, even if it didn't work out as intended.

I could not figure that out! And bless her heart, Sue was really trying to help Sandy there, practically saying it in all caps, "BUT IT SAYS A DISK. IT SHOULD PROBABLY BE A FLAT DISK...?"

On 7/16/2016 at 2:56 PM, Athena said:

Mel & Sue are loved by the contestants to a ridiculous degree. Many past bakers have said their days in the tent would be much more stressful and longer. They shoot up to 12 hours a day so the levity of Mel & Sue help. They are outsiders in a way that remind the contestants to smile and enjoy the process.

I love hearing this, because it is exactly what I would hope for from the two of them, and it's great that Mel and Sue are every bit as kind and supportive of the contestants as they appear to be. I think they're an essential part of the process -- they're there as a buffer between the contestants and the process (and judging) and I think their humor and warmth must surely make a stressful situation much easier. And they palpably adore most of the contestants (and judges).

19 hours ago, stillshimpy said:

(Edited for space!)

I was actually a little bit surprised that Ian got star baker again this week.  I like him plenty, he has a nice, dry sense of humor and a very mild manner, but this week he seem to get it for being consistently proficient in all of the challenges, vs. really having a standout.  I always imagine whoever actually took Top Male Baker in his village just gnashing his teeth about his stolen glory.

I think it was Mat who was watching Nadiya do something, she (very obviously teasing) told him to stop watching her and he said "It's not a technical" so that does seem to be the gig with technicals.  They aren't supposed to look around to see what other people are doing.  

Tamal helping Sandy attempt to stack her cheesecakes is one of the reasons I just love this show.  They were both laughing and whereas Sandy seemed sad to go, it seemed to be more about missing the experience of being with everyone than feeling like she'd lost a competition, if that makes sense.    

I do like the kind of meringue that is on a lemon meringue pie -- provided it's not too sweet. The fluffy soft textured meringue. Love it. And I admit that while I wouldn't have wanted to eat the crunchy meringue on those windtortes, man oh man, I could have totally eaten the strawberries and cream interior. Good times!

I'm really starting to like Ian. There is something so gentle and humble about him -- he's got this quiet proficiency. My impression was that he did VERY well in the signature ("perfect" custard and caramel, even if they didn't like the pomegranate), he came in 4th on the technical, and he aced the Showstopper challenge (I think what swayed Mary and Paul was the fact that he did the three separate cheesecakes and they were so superb).

It was interesting that Nadiya actually said that during the challenge -- this moment, combined with a similar one last season, made me think that they can't watch each other outright during tech challenges.

I loved seeing Tamal helping Sandy. We see so many of those moments on this show and they're so heartwarming.

16 hours ago, stillshimpy said:

Aaaiiiiiiiieeeeeee! That's right. Gawd, I'd forgotten about this regrettable culinary choice, brought to you by the Mirrorverse Where BlackLicorice is an Acceptable Thing (and is apparently a "subtle" flavor, according to Sandy).  

I like Sandy, she's fun, she has a good sense of humor.  I'm sorry about whatever tragic, closed-head injury made her think that Black Licorice tastes good, but other than that, she seems a lot of fun.  However, it was all made so much worse by the concept of this black disks at the bottom, like pools of tarry Nyquil waiting to jump out and make you regret having a tongue and taste buds to go with it.  

Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh.  

Ugh. 

Black licorice is one of the worst tastes in my entire universe. Just the thought of it makes me make all sorts of horrid faces at my desk.  EEEYEAGHGHGHGH! Bleah. Bleah. Bleah. So awful!

12 hours ago, stillshimpy said:

I remember someone coming up with a Butterbeer recipe that made the rounds on the internet that was Cream Soda and Butterscotch Schnapps.   A friend of mine who had never had Cream Soda asked and couldn't get it where she was (France) asked me to help her figure out how to make it  "What does Cream Soda taste like?" and for the life of me, I couldn't come up with a description that incorporated a food item she knew.  I just kept saying, "Uh...well....it's like....uh....cream soda."   

I always think cream soda tastes like vanilla soda to me. I'm a sucker for anything vanilla-y.

[dubbel zout]

43 minutes ago, paramitch said:

even if they didn't like the pomegranate

I like that they don't hold their personal tastes against the bakers. If a combination doesn't work they'll say something, but if Paul or Mary personally don't like pomegranate but the rest of the dessert is good, the dessert passes. And I love that they always make sure to say "Oh, that turned out well" when they've been initially skeptical.

45 minutes ago, paramitch said:

Black licorice is one of the worst tastes in my entire universe.

More for me, haters! Hee.

[jpgr]

Oh I loved Sandy, too, for all the reasons mentioned already, and hers was my favorite accent in the tent. I'll really miss her. What the hell was Flora thinking in the showstopper? All one flavor, and a pretty boring/mild/unimaginative one at that? I'm glad she thought to whip up those macarons, but really dear. It's right there in the title of that round - SHOWSTOPPER!

This show kills me because I love all the bakers so very much. Every week I can't bear to think who will be asked to leave. I'll have a little sigh of relief that it's not the person I love most, but then I'll be like "Oh, no, I really like that person too! Can't they all just stay and bake and come visit my house and we'll live in a house of meringue together happily ever after?"

[Lamb18]

So do they say "pop" for pop in the UK? We do here in Minnesota, but I think "soda" is used more in the US. I remember in Texas (30 years ago) it was "Coke" no matter what you were buying.

[Kohola3]

Pop is more of a midwestern thing.  I live in MI and all the surrounding states say pop until you get to Missouri.  But they aren't normal there anyway.

[snarktini]

2 minutes ago, Lamb18 said:

So do they say "pop" for pop in the UK? We do here in Minnesota, but I think "soda" is used more in the US. I remember in Texas (30 years ago) it was "Coke" no matter what you were buying.

Check this out: http://popvssoda.com/

[swanjun]

@adhoc

I'm watching through a PBS app on a Roku TV, and I also had the same issue with the fleeting closed captions.

[Quilt Fairy]

28 minutes ago, snarktini said:

Check this out: http://popvssoda.com/

That's a fantastic visual. Here in Chicago it's "pop" but get 100 miles south and it's "sodie".  And check out New Mexico! We are a divided country.

Back to Marie, someone mentioned that it was only this week that she was having trouble with her oven, so the oven couldn't be the problem. Don't forget that they move them from station to station every week, as well as losing a station every week. Of course, they're the same type of oven (sold only in the UK IIRC) so by now everyone should be familiar with the basics.

[Mabinogia]

1 hour ago, jpgr said:

This show kills me because I love all the bakers so very much. Every week I can't bear to think who will be asked to leave. I'll have a little sigh of relief that it's not the person I love most, but then I'll be like "Oh, no, I really like that person too! Can't they all just stay and bake and come visit my house and we'll live in a house of meringue together happily ever after?"

I do that every time. I'm all "oh, good, so and so is safe...but, wait, that means so and so has to leave!" It is far more compelling for me, and stressful, to watch a bunch of people I like. I would rather root for everyone to stay than root for the "villain" to go.

And at least the voting seems pretty spot on here. I will miss Sandy dearly. Her personality was just so fun and inviting, but I can't argue that it wasn't her turn to go, and I can't say "well, it should have ben this person instead". There is no one there I want to throw under the bus to save a favorite.

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

Pop is more of a midwestern thing.  I live in MI and all the surrounding states say pop until you get to Missouri.

Unless you live in E/SE WI, where we say soda. It can get extremely regional.

That map is great.

[Quilt Fairy]

5 hours ago, paramitch said:

Black licorice is one of the worst tastes in my entire universe.

I am thrilled to find so many people who hate black licorice as much as I do. I thought I was the only one. Really. Because it's everywhere.

We should start a support group.

[Rinaldo]

5 hours ago, paramitch said:

I am a total sucker for creamy vanilla-type custardy things -- creme brulees (although I prefer them without the sugar on top)...

They aren't very brulée-y in that case, are they? :)

58 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

I would rather root for everyone to stay than root for the "villain" to go.

It does help that for the one who has to go, it's not "you loser, hang up your oven mitts and get out!" but Mel or Sue saying in essence, "We love you all and wish you could all stay, but that's the deal, somebody has to leave, so this week it has to be...". There's no disgrace attached, it's just a necessity in a competition.

[Quilt Fairy]

8 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

It does help that for the one who has to go, it's not "you loser, hang up your oven mitts and get out!" but Mel or Sue saying in essence, "We love you all and wish you could all stay, but that's the deal, somebody has to leave, so this week it has to be...". There's no disgrace attached, it's just a necessity in a competition.

And you always get to be the filling in a Sue and Mel sandwich. How many other shows hug the contestants that leave?

[dubbel zout]

I also like (well, not like, but you know what I mean) that when it gets down to the final five or six, there are tears from the other bakers. You can tell everyone has gotten genuinely close.

[Rinaldo]

In a funny way, I think the weekends-only scheduling of the competition helps with that. Rather than being stuck in a forced "OMG, if I have to stand their company another day!" togetherness for an extended time, they can resume their normal life for a bit. They have time to miss the others and want to see them again, if that makes sense.

[mishy]

Quote

Unless you live in E/SE WI, where we say soda. It can get extremely regional.

I was just coming here to say that. I live in SE WI and I say soda. Also I found Sandy to be a hoot but black licorice is the devil, she had clearly been enjoying pieces of it (before we saw her eat a piece) because her mouth was stained and I found that funny.

[Lamb18]

It must be fun to spend time with people who share the same passion you do. In your every day world you're surrounded by people who mostly don't care or are only interested because it's a passion of yours. Which is OK, but it's bonus to be with others who share your passion for awhile.

[jpgr]

6 hours ago, paramitch said:

I am a total sucker for creamy vanilla-type custardy things -- creme brulees (although I prefer them without the sugar on top), puddings, Boston creams -- you get the idea. Oh, and eggnogs (the liquid version of a custard, and which I would drink like ambrosia by the vat if I were allowed. Sigh.). It's so embarrassing.

Black licorice is one of the worst tastes in my entire universe. Just the thought of it makes me make all sorts of horrid faces at my desk.  EEEYEAGHGHGHGH! Bleah. Bleah. Bleah. So awful!

I always think cream soda tastes like vanilla soda to me. I'm a sucker for anything vanilla-y.

I, too, am a total sucker for creamy vanilla-type things, which is also why I love cream soda. It is, in essence, creamy vanilla soda.

I might have been able to impress on the crème brulée challenge -- my "showstopper" dessert for company is crème brulée baked in apples. So delicious, and you can eat the container, too.

Black licorice is evil and icky.