Best Baker In America - General Discussion

[Omeletsmom]

30 minutes ago, stitcher73 said:

I will take Jason over that Italian guy...what's his name???  He pops up occasionally and i don't like him.   he was on one of the baking competition shows.

Damiano.  They keep putting him on shows in which he hates the featured ingredient.  He's just not judge material.

As for me, I like Jason.  Yes, he can be a bit over the top, but I find him amusing.

I'm not surprised Yolanda went; she just could not get her act together.  Didn't she have a bad first round last week?

[stitcher73]

19 minutes ago, Omeletsmom said:

Damiano.  They keep putting him on shows in which he hates the featured ingredient.  He's just not judge material.

As for me, I like Jason.  Yes, he can be a bit over the top, but I find him amusing.

I'm not surprised Yolanda went; she just could not get her act together.  Didn't she have a bad first round last week?

YES!  Damiano.   He is not judge material.  It's a fine line to walk; criticizing but being encouraging.  He lacks the "encouraging" part.    Plus, I really do think his accent is fake.  It's too....cartoonish.

[RealityCheck]

5 hours ago, stitcher73 said:

I will take Jason over that Italian guy...what's his name???  He pops up occasionally and i don't like him.   he was on one of the baking competition shows.

Damiano Carrara

[LittleIggy]

I like Jason, too.

[Irlandesa]

12 hours ago, dleighg said:

Very true. While someone who is trained or who has a lot of experience might be able to say *why* something didn't work from a technical/scientific point of view, any of us, trained or not, can have an opinion on "too sweet" or "too dense" or "too dry" or "not enough lemon" or whatever. And that's really the most important thing.

Right.  In my cooking reality show viewing, judges, trained judges, will often disagree.  One will not taste the ginger and the other thinks the ginger was the perfect notes.  One won't taste the alcohol and another will think it's too much.  The important thing is probably knowing what the "ideal" texture and/or look for an item is. 

I would not be a good judge.  For instance, I like the edges of my sugar cookies almost burnt but if I were to judge a cookie competition, I'd have to consider that overbaked. 

[mlp]

I felt a bit sorry for Yolanda.  She had to be frustrated and embarrassed because nothing she did was going well - on national television.  I liked her but she was the right one to send home.

I like Jason but not his new beard.  It's so dark that it doesn't seem to suit him IMO.  He was really toned down compared to last season for which I was grateful.  

I won't be surprised if all the women and Edet get eliminated before the other remaining men.  Based upon what we've seen so far, that's how I've seen their skills/results.

[dleighg]

4 hours ago, mlp said:

I won't be surprised if all the women and Edet get eliminated before the other remaining men.  Based upon what we've seen so far, that's how I've seen their skills/results.

it seems pretty clear that Joshua will be going far. He seems to be very talented.

[LittleIggy]

Not surprised that Edet was shown the door. I’m glad that the winner of the week title is getting spread around.

[Brookside]

Scott Conant needs to either wear a truss or a larger sized pair of trousers.  I'm as unfortunately distracted by his crotch as I am by too much cleavage.  This is not why I watch what purports to be a serious cooking show.

[Koalagirl]

5 hours ago, Brookside said:

Scott Conant needs to either wear a truss or a larger sized pair of trousers.  I'm as unfortunately distracted by his crotch as I am by too much cleavage.  This is not why I watch what purports to be a serious cooking show.

I thought he was carrying a sack of onions in those white pants last night!

[laredhead]

If i ever thought about trying to make a floating island dessert, or a flaming ice cream bombe, last night's competition by professionals convinced me not to do it.  Wow, there were some wide variations in technique, quality, and results.   

I liked that Jason and the other judge disagreed on a few of the dishes last night.  I appreciate Jason's more basic observations as opposed to what a professional judge is looking for.  

[nowornever]

Either of the bottom two could have gone, but I was a little surprised it was Edet.  The judges were more critical of Michael's work when they were rehashing things.

Julie nearly melted down.  I was glad that Scott "Tighty Whiteys" Conant convinced her not to give up.  She and Eric seem to doubt themselves sometimes, but they generally do OK.  

How many ice cream makers and blast freezers do they have there?  Getting use of one doesn't seem to be an issue, but Josh did comment about Edet opening the freezer to check on his stuff because his popsicles were in there too.  Of course even I was yelling at Edet to close the damn door.  If he had left it alone, it might have saved him.  

[LittleIggy]

We now know that Michael has feet of clay too!

[Omeletsmom]

11 hours ago, Brookside said:

Scott Conant needs to either wear a truss or a larger sized pair of trousers.  I'm as unfortunately distracted by his crotch as I am by too much cleavage.  This is not why I watch what purports to be a serious cooking show.

Oh good; I'm not the only one who noticed. WTF was up with that??

[Eliza422]

13 hours ago, Brookside said:

Scott Conant needs to either wear a truss or a larger sized pair of trousers.  I'm as unfortunately distracted by his crotch as I am by too much cleavage.  This is not why I watch what purports to be a serious cooking show.

Oh man! I'm glad I was knitting while watching last night so I didn't see that...blech...

[springbarb]

On 5/28/2019 at 9:47 AM, laredhead said:

I liked that Jason and the other judge disagreed on a few of the dishes last night.  I appreciate Jason's more basic observations as opposed to what a professional judge is looking for.  

If Jason just eliminated his over-the-top "That makes me as happy as an armadillo on the side of the road in a puddle!" comments, I could deal with him a LOT more. It was interesting seeing the two judges disagree, but I was disappointed the guest judge didn't step in with her thoughts about flavor when they did disagree. If one judge says "Too much saffron" and another says it was fine...what did the third judge think?

[Irlandesa]

I too wish that we would have seen the third judge's opinion on the dishes where Jason and Marcela disagreed.  What's the point of a third judge if they aren't used in a "tie-breaker" kind of way even if it really is mostly subjective based on tastes.

Has anyone watched the Extra Icing repeat episode that airs before each new ep.  What is the "extra icing" and is it worth watching?

[CrazyInAlabama]

The Extra Icing just has some little, trivial facts, and it's not worth watching for that.    I watch because I usually enjoy this show, and it's  a pleasant way to get ready for the new episode.  

[Irlandesa]

I loved having Florian at the table.  He was delightfully brutal.  "It tastes like whipped cream.  Flavored whipped cream." 

[LittleIggy]

Michael started out the season as seeming to be a real contender, then he collapsed (like tonight’s cake). His cake tonight looked more like Mardi Gras hangover than a view of the galaxy. I like Joshua. Good work!

Edited June 4, 2019 by LittleIggy

[ruffy666]

OMG poor Michael.  Both of his creations this week were unattractive to say the least... remind me never to dip cream puffs in cherry goo, Marcella said it looked like bacon (?!) but I thought it looked like organ meat *puke*

I gotta say, ill-fitting clothes aside, Scott is growing on me.  He was pretty funny this episode and I personally appreciate the little touch of snark:  "tell us about your baked potato."  L O L

[libgirl2]

36 minutes ago, ruffy666 said:

OMG poor Michael.  Both of his creations this week were unattractive to say the least... remind me never to dip cream puffs in cherry goo, Marcella said it looked like bacon (?!) but I thought it looked like organ meat *puke*

I gotta say, ill-fitting clothes aside, Scott is growing on me.  He was pretty funny this episode and I personally appreciate the little touch of snark:  "tell us about your baked potato."  L O L

That was a funny line because they did look like baked potatoes! 

Michael's cake could have been lovely but it turned out so sad. It looks rough, not mirrored and the top looked almost like a light brillo pad on it. Not good. 

[ShelleySue]

10 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

Michael's cake could have been lovely but it turned out so sad. It looks rough, not mirrored and the top looked almost like a light brillo pad on it. Not good. 

I'm not sure if I missed it, or if it was just edited that way.  When Michael was glazing the cake it looked good. But it looked completely different at the end.  What happened in the middle?

[Rickster]

12 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I loved having Florian at the table.  He was delightfully brutal.  "It tastes like whipped cream.  Flavored whipped cream." 

I wish Florian was a permanent judge, although I think the regular judges’ commentary this season has been better than usual.

This competition looks like it is Joshua’s to lose, but I guess disasters can happen to anyone.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I enjoyed the cakes last night.   But the failures make me sad for the bakers.   Florian was so honest, but still funny.    

[luvapickle]

54 minutes ago, ShelleySue said:

I'm not sure if I missed it, or if it was just edited that way.  When Michael was glazing the cake it looked good. But it looked completely different at the end.  What happened in the middle?

Because it wasn't set up as much as it needed to be. But you're right it looked great when he first started glazing it.

[libgirl2]

2 minutes ago, luvapickle said:

Because it wasn't set up as much as it needed to be. But you're right it looked great when he first started glazing it.

It looked really pretty at first so when he brought it out I was like "what the heck?" 

[luvapickle]

I have to say the éclair "redo" segment was odd. There's not much one can do to redo it as it still needs to be pate choux, & a filling....and something on top. Which is what they all did. And most of those I've seen before. Plus while making it round changed up the one, that makes it more cream puff/profiterole then.  Not really changing it. But I have to say, I still would have liked to try every single one 🙂

[libgirl2]

5 minutes ago, luvapickle said:

I have to say the éclair "redo" segment was odd. There's not much one can do to redo it as it still needs to be pate choux, & a filling....and something on top. Which is what they all did. And most of those I've seen before. Plus while making it round changed up the one, that makes it more cream puff/profiterole then.  Not really changing it. But I have to say, I still would have liked to try every single one 🙂

I thought that challenge was odd too. An eclair is an eclair. I would rather have seen well made ones with a bit of a twist than a redo. 

[ruffy666]

1 hour ago, ShelleySue said:

I'm not sure if I missed it, or if it was just edited that way.  When Michael was glazing the cake it looked good. But it looked completely different at the end.  What happened in the middle?

I don't think they showed it... his mirror glaze looked fine, and then he was probably trying to compensate for the sinking middle by putting an Unidentified Baked Object on top.  and then either crumbs or a shitload of disco dust all over everything?  It definitely didn't help the situation!

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, ruffy666 said:

I don't think they showed it... his mirror glaze looked fine, and then he was probably trying to compensate for the sinking middle by putting an Unidentified Baked Object on top.  and then either crumbs or a shitload of disco dust all over everything?  It definitely didn't help the situation!

That is for sure! It made it look crumb-y. 

[Frost]

I loved Joshua during his Great America Bake Off (or whichever show) season and I love him here.  No drama, just a pleasant personality and fabulous looking desserts.

I hit the Mute button every time the camera zooms in on Jason.  His witticisms are so labored and obviously rehearsed I can't even stand to listen to them.  I like the idea of a good, but not classically trained, baker being a judge.  I just wish it was almost anyone other than Jason.

[dleighg]

25 minutes ago, Frost said:

I loved Joshua during his Great America Bake Off (or whichever show) season and I love him here.  No drama, just a pleasant personality and fabulous looking desserts.

I really like him too. He seems like such a happy soul! And he rarely misses on his desserts. I (intentionally) ate at his restaurant in Cambridge a year and a half ago--it was great (including of course the desserts)!

[kirklandia]

7 hours ago, luvapickle said:

I have to say the éclair "redo" segment was odd. There's not much one can do to redo it as it still needs to be pate choux, & a filling....and something on top. Which is what they all did. And most of those I've seen before.  🙂

I was hoping to see these!

Edited June 5, 2019 by kirklandia

[Mrs Huffnagle]

22 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I loved having Florian at the table.  He was delightfully brutal.  "It tastes like whipped cream.  Flavored whipped cream." 

I've always enjoyed Florian as a judge, and would love him as an addition here.

Would someone please either give Scott some comedy training or stop having him make those awful "jokes."  It's embarrassing.

[bkathi]

9 hours ago, Mrs Huffnagle said:

I've always enjoyed Florian as a judge, and would love him as an addition here.

Would someone please either give Scott some comedy training or stop having him make those awful "jokes."  It's embarrassing.

I much prefer the corny Conant versus the super dick he used to be. I think becoming a dad has softened him, hence the dad jokes.

[luvapickle]

13 hours ago, Mrs Huffnagle said:

I've always enjoyed Florian as a judge, and would love him as an addition here.

Would someone please either give Scott some comedy training or stop having him make those awful "jokes."  It's embarrassing.

It's funny because I like Scott making the dumb jokes. He's so "ON" on Chopped, but relaxed everywhere else.

[Rammchick]

21 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

That is for sure! It made it look crumb-y. 

Crummy as well 😉

[40Love]

16 hours ago, Mrs Huffnagle said:

Would someone please either give Scott some comedy training or stop having him make those awful "jokes."  It's embarrassing.

I don't mind the "jokes" so much. But I do hate the cheesy staged set-up at the beginning of the show to explain the technical challenge. That set up works fine on the holiday cooking shoes because those shows are basically game shows with all the twists and everything. 

I like Scott, but kind of preferred the more studious, reserved original host of the show. I think he gave the competition a little more weight as a serious cooking show... like the GBBS.

This show is getting cheesier and cheesier with every episode. Makes me think we're just one season away from them throwing in twists for the second challenge.

[Maya]

2 hours ago, 40Love said:

I don't mind the "jokes" so much. But I do hate the cheesy staged set-up at the beginning of the show to explain the technical challenge. That set up works fine on the holiday cooking shoes because those shows are basically game shows with all the twists and everything. 

I like Scott, but kind of preferred the more studious, reserved original host of the show. I think he gave the competition a little more weight as a serious cooking show... like the GBBS.

This show is getting cheesier and cheesier with every episode. Makes me think we're just one season away from them throwing in twists for the second challenge.

I think the phrase “Best Baker in America” is used pretty loosely here too... 

[TomGirl]

Julie may be a fine pastry chef, but what a sour puss!  Maybe she’s just stressed or disappointed, but she doesn’t seem to accept criticism very well, and seems affronted when anyone else wins.  Don’t care for her.  Love Joshua!

[dleighg]

8 minutes ago, TomGirl said:

Julie may be a fine pastry chef, but what a sour puss!

I had exactly the same feeling. I couldn't remember her name so I didn't comment on it, LOL. She seems to think anyone who criticizes her is an idiot. Such a contrast to my crush Joshua.

[mlp]

I hope they have Florian on more often.  I've always liked him even when he was crotchety on Cupcake Wars (and I often didn't blame him).  He somehow looks much younger than he did years ago.  

Scott Conant seems like a very peculiar choice to host a baking competition.  I much preferred Adam Rapoport who hosted the first season.

I was surprised to see Michael go before the two remaining women but he really fell apart at the end.  He's probably still kicking himself.

[buttercupia]

Michael needed to go, if for no other reason than continually calling it MAR-sca-pone.  Ugh, that drives me crazy. it's a major dessert ingredient, say it right.

[Biosynth]

5 hours ago, buttercupia said:

Michael needed to go, if for no other reason than continually calling it MAR-sca-pone.  Ugh, that drives me crazy. it's a major dessert ingredient, say it right.

LOL I say the same thing!  Any time someone says MAR-scar-pown I automatically want them to lose.  It's not THAT hard to say, sheesh.

[skipnjump]

Am I the only one who thinks that Jason and Marcela are trying to imitate Tara and Johnny with the matching outfits?  I really can't stand Jason and the "corny" sayings of his.  I would rather have Florian as the other judge.

[BigBingerBro]

Is it just me or does Florian look completely different?  I though his hair was much whiter and he appears to have put on quite a bit of weight.  I didn't recognize him until he opened his mouth.

Michael pretty much checked out after failing to be "on point" in the previous episode.  He basically gave up and it was apparent in his attitude this week.  

Jason just gets worse and worse.  He made some comment about how an entremet should be and all I could think is that he probably never heard of an entremet until he got on Food Network.  

I hope this is the end of the "recreate", "reimagine", "redesign" challenges.

YooLee can go home.  She's such a downer.  Also, if I hear "ça va?" one more time, I am going to scream.

[littlebennysmom]

On 6/9/2019 at 6:18 PM, BigBingerBro said:

YooLee can go home.  She's such a downer.  Also, if I hear "ça va?" one more time, I am going to scream.

YooLee is a sow-ware poos.  Also, she is bettair than vous, moi and toutes les personnes.

Edited June 11, 2019 by littlebennysmom
Originally read like I was ripping on Bigbingerbro.

[Popcorn22]

I wish they would put the Wedding  Cake challenge on at 9 and this awful show on at 10!

i cant stand Jason and his annoying Huckleberry voice snd stupid sayings ! And how is he qualified to judge pastry chefs?   He is annoying, just like Damiano who also had. Or business judging bakers !

[TomGirl]

Au revoir, YooLee!