Season Four Talk: Spring Baking Championship

[justjen]

I have had a really terrible week starting last Tuesday, so the result of tonight's show was so perfect!

[2727]

Not sure why two of the dough baskets from the women were dinged as being "not spring-y" but Caleb's all-brown offering somehow was the winner. Bah.

[stormy]

Except for the drama with Heather, and I'm happy she didn't get eliminated, I thought this was boring.

There's a lot of criticism about things not looking like spring but sunshine, for instance, is pretty vague.

[Chit Chat]

My biggest gripe with this show is when they throw in the crap ingredients like jelly beans.  We see it again where the person who got the least desirable "twist" (black jelly bean/licorice) couldn't make it palatable enough for the judges.  I think the very first lady who got sent home got the crap ingredient of the week.   It was bad enough they had to use hard boiled eggs.  Sheesh!

I want to see these contestants be able to show off their finest baking skills without having to work around an ingredient nobody is going to ever ask for.  It's stupid, IMO.

Also, I wonder how long the baker's finished products sit out until everything is set up for judging. I've noticed on a couple of episodes where one or two of the baker's desserts fell apart by the time the judges saw it.  Just curious as to how that affects things. 

[Maya]

I agree that the dumb jellybean twist just made everything disgusting.

Also can’t believe the judges were ok with the one girl (Jessica?) making key lime eclairs when her theme was wildflowers! 

[Destiny74]

1 hour ago, Maya said:

I agree that the dumb jellybean twist just made everything disgusting.

Also can’t believe the judges were ok with the one girl (Jessica?) making key lime eclairs when her theme was wildflowers! 

She was taking inspiration from her home in Washington.  Wait!  I thought key lime was a Florida thing?  Guess I learned something today.  I think that challenge in the first episode may have helped her here, I guess not.

I did feel sorry for her with the licorice.  I hate licorice.  In fact, my father was the only person I know who liked the flavor.  The production just wanted to screw with the slowest person.  I find that distasteful.

Who was sent home?  My DVR cut out.  Thanks.

[BoffoDaWonderSheep]

It was licorice-lovin'Jessica that was sent packin'. Heather was in the bottom two and Mustachio Caleb won.

1 hour ago, Destiny74 said:

Who was sent home?  My DVR cut out.  Thanks.

[GaT]

How does making baskets out of rice krispie treats not get you sent home? 

[joanne3482]

9 minutes ago, GaT said:

 

How does making baskets out of rice krispie treats not get you sent home? 

 

You make an uninspired one out of dry pie crust containing under-baked meringues and a dry brownie? I'm okay with it because I wasn't partial to Jessica. 

[jcbrown]

3 hours ago, Maya said:

Also can’t believe the judges were ok with the one girl (Jessica?) making key lime eclairs when her theme was wildflowers! 

What is the point of assigning themes if there are no consequences for ignoring them? At least sad sack Jessica did not skate through on someone else's disaster again. I much prefer watching competent people and she is not.

[Simon47]

Destiny74, Jessica went home. I hope you're happy, because she was a mess.

 

Today's jelly bean twist I thought was also a mess. When Jessica got the licorice, I was even more disgusted. Can someone send me a picture of real licorice and how it is used in candies? I don't know if it is an actual vegetable or not.

 

Even though I didn't like Jessica, I felt bad for her getting sent home. She was a very great baker.

[theatremouse]

13 hours ago, 2727 said:

Not sure why two of the dough baskets from the women were dinged as being "not spring-y" but Caleb's all-brown offering somehow was the winner. Bah.

Because when Nancy says "it's not spring-ey" what she means is "I do not see pastel colors", but she liked the cone-basket because it looked extra basketey from the waffle pattern. And it was impressive the handle could hold the weight. She also sometimes uses "not spring-ey" to mean "this looks like crap". It's really a nothing-phrase. I sometimes wonder if she says some version of "not spring-ey" or "very spring-ey" to everyone, and they only air her saying the "not" to people she's going to criticize anyway, and they leave it out when she says it to someone who otherwise did a good job. Likewise, they leave it in when something looks good but then tastes shit. Or if she doesn't say either if Duff and/or Lorraine comments on the offering first and says something really positive, she might hold back on not bothering to call out the "non-springyness" if someone else has basically already said the thing looked great.

[justjen]

2 hours ago, GaT said:

How does making baskets out of rice krispie treats not get you sent home? 

When the other contestant is Jessica!! :)

 

From now on I think I will commit to interpreting "not spring-y" as "not bouncy." It should make the results much more fun!

Edited April 3, 2018 by justjen

[Jillybean]

This season is very disappointing so far.

[Destiny74]

5 hours ago, BoffoDaWonderSheep said:

It was licorice-lovin'Jessica that was sent packin'. Heather was in the bottom two and Mustachio Caleb won.

Thanks!

[CrazyDog]

I didn't mind Jessica going home. Her "everything I do sucks" attitude in front of the judges was annoying. It was nice to see Duff nicely call her out for it. Heather was a mess, but at least she tried to just be neutral presenting her dish. 

I like most of the bakers - Christina, Caleb, Nacho and the Canadian guy (I'm drawing a blank on his name!) who seems pretty talented. I would have voted for Nacho to get the win though, his basket was so neat and Spring-y! lol At least he seems to be having a good time. I'm kind of meh on Ruby, and I'm not sure why. She seems like a front-runner though, apart from last night.

[Rammchick]

11 hours ago, Destiny74 said:

She was taking inspiration from her home in Washington.  Wait!  I thought key lime was a Florida thing?  Guess I learned something today.  I think that challenge in the first episode may have helped her here, I guess not.

My adopted home is Washington State and let me tell you, if any flavor could be less appropriate than key lime, I can't imagine what it would be.  I really wanted to root for Jessica just for the fact that we're both from the same state, and even I had to throw in the towel this week.

[LittleIggy]

I thought eclairs had the filling piped into them. Some of those eclairs looked split with the icing piped onto one half.

[backgroundnoise]

I did enjoy seeing the different techniques of making a basket.  I did not enjoy the stupid twists.  I thought Nacho's was the prettiest.

[Omeletsmom]

11 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I thought eclairs had the filling piped into them. Some of those eclairs looked split with the icing piped onto one half.

I've seen them done both ways.  You tend to see the piped in ones more, but I've seen the split ones as well as split cream puffs/profiteroles.  It may be a regional thing.

[theatremouse]

It's a technique thing. It's harder to pipe it and get even filling the whole length. You split it and fill it, it's easier to ensure every bite has the same amount of cream. If two contestants made the exact same thing, same flavors, same bake, everything tasted identical, but one piped it in and one cut it lengthwise to fill it, the first person should win (unless they did a really crappy job filling it so every other bite had no cream, for example).

[tobeannounced]

22 hours ago, Jillybean said:

This season is very disappointing so far.

I hear ya. These adults don't seem to be doing much better than the kids competition we just saw. And I'm just really over crazy time constraints, stupid twists, and ugly bakes. Might have to start watching reruns of Great British Baking Show.

[Simon47]

26 minutes ago, tobeannounced said:

I hear ya. These adults don't seem to be doing much better than the kids competition we just saw. And I'm just really over crazy time constraints, stupid twists, and ugly bakes. Might have to start watching reruns of Great British Baking Show.

Who won Kids?

[Jillybean]

1 hour ago, tobeannounced said:

 And I'm just really over crazy time constraints, stupid twists, 

 

This is the part that really bugs me.  These things prevent us from seeing what the bakers can really do. 

And I am not a fan of two of the judges.

[Ilovecomputers]

On ‎4‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 2:21 PM, joanne3482 said:

You make an uninspired one out of dry pie crust containing under-baked meringues and a dry brownie? I'm okay with it because I wasn't partial to Jessica. 

And the color of the filling of her meringues reminded me of a Mucinex commercial.

[Jaded]

On 4/4/2018 at 4:17 PM, tobeannounced said:

I hear ya. These adults don't seem to be doing much better than the kids competition we just saw. And I'm just really over crazy time constraints, stupid twists, and ugly bakes. Might have to start watching reruns of Great British Baking Show.

It certainly makes their frequent use of the statement that people cast are some of "the best bakers" laughable. Everytime it gets mentioned it spurs my interest when it comes to how they cast these baking shows. I was watching old episodes from when Bobby Deen was host and at the end of each one he'd tell people how they could apply for the next series. 

[TomGirl]

This is definitely Caleb’s to lose.

[staphdude]

Licorice is a wonderful flavour! There are so many tired flavours used over and over that having that should have been a home run. Hell tone it down and think anise and you are golden.

[CrazyDog]

Yay for Nacho! I like him, so I am happy to see him get a win. I just like his attitude. And wow for Heather redeeming herself after last week. I actually thought she had this challenge won.

Ruby really had Jordan help with something not necessary for the challenge? Yikes.

I do think despite tonight, it will be Caleb and Christina duking it out at the end.

I'm so glad Aaron was safe...he was not having a good day. I want the recipe for his cookies (not that I'd be able to make them)..they were so pretty and must have been awesome.

Edited April 10, 2018 by CrazyDog

[TomGirl]

I’m not sorry to see Ruby go.  The judges seemed to have some kind of love for her that I could never really understand, and I think they had already cut her some slack more than once.

Aaron’s cookies were drop-dead gorgeous.  I want both the recipe and the frosting technique.

Nacho is adorable.

[BusyOctober]

Nacho may be a very nice man and a good baker, but...he annoys me with all his "surprise" faces, followed by his "shocked" face and his "OMG!" face.  

I've already stated many times how stupid the twists are.  They do nothing to enhance the show, just derail it.  And speaking of 'surprise/shock/OMG reactions....why do all the bakers consistently seem unprepared for these twists?  The host du jour presents one...every. single. challenge.  And yet when he appears on set with the latest ruinous idea, the bakers are always "Oh no!  I didn't see that coming!"

I'm still unclear on the judges and their critiques.  There isn't any consistency, especially with Nancy (who I like the least).  Her main complaint is always "It isn't 'spring-y' enough".  Yet she applies that in a seemingly random way.  Brown pastry basket = OK.  Yet chocolate items are not? Unless the final results are covered in whatever color Nancy finds seasonal enough to her liking, she reprimands the baker.  I would rather have a simple, amazing looking & tasting chocolate bon-bon over a lemon verbena parsley-sage-rosemary & thyme cupcake with elderberry extract, and smothered in pink, green and yellow buttercream roses. 

I loved the patterned rolled cakes!  So pretty!  I have made buche de noel & jelly rolls before, but never one of these beauties.  Do they use colored cake batter for the decorations or colored chocolate melts?  I may try to do one of these if I can find the technique.  If I fail, I can always cover it in buttercream roses, right?

[Ilovecomputers]

I've never seen rolled cakes with cake batter poured onto frozen flowers--kind of cool.  The woman who talks about her son a lot and the non-mustachioed guy both said they had never made one before, but darned if they didn't get a recipe from somewhere and come up with some nice looking cakes.  I've made Yule logs a few times, and while I'm not expert baker, mine never looked like rolled-up throw rugs.

Scott  ("You didn't rinse that pasta, did you?") Conant will be hosting a show about America's Best Bakers.  I'm so confused--aren't America's best bakers on the Spring Baking Championship?  I used to find cooking/baking shows relaxing to watch, but I have to admit I'm getting a little tired of them.  Maybe it's the surprise twists that suck all the enjoyment out of the room.

 

2 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

Nacho may be a very nice man and a good baker, but...he annoys me with all his "surprise" faces, followed by his "shocked" face and his "OMG!" face.  

I thought I was alone in thinking this.

I loved the patterned rolled cakes!  So pretty!  I have made buche de noel & jelly rolls before, but never one of these beauties.  Do they use colored cake batter for the decorations or colored chocolate melts?  I may try to do one of these if I can find the technique.  If I fail, I can always cover it in buttercream roses, right?

As long as you use royal icing.

While I admire blue-haired woman's piping techniques, that seems to be her only skill.  She's been a pastry chef for years, but the home baker from Canada seems to have more all-around skills.

[joanne3482]

2 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

I loved the patterned rolled cakes!  So pretty!  I have made buche de noel & jelly rolls before, but never one of these beauties.  Do they use colored cake batter for the decorations or colored chocolate melts?  I may try to do one of these if I can find the technique.  If I fail, I can always cover it in buttercream roses, right?

Either Caleb or Aaron mentioned using a different kind of cake for the piped part and then a lighter cake for the rolled part so I think his was all cake. This explanation seems to agree. 

[stormy]

I'm so hoping Christina doesn't make it to the finals. She has no creativity or imagination. Everything looks the same and I'm glad Lorraine called her out on that.

[TomGirl]

1 hour ago, joanne3482 said:

This explanation seems to agree. 

Thanks for posting this.  The unrolled cake in Step 6 is almost prettier than the rolled version.  I imagine you could use the same technique with a sheet cake or layers.

Now if you can find a link to the technique for glazing those gorgeous cookies, please post!  ?

[Lura]

I don't know what to make of the episodes this season, but the show seems to be headed for Amateur Hour fast.  Previously, we've been given some pretty talented bakers and good hosts, but this Season 4 group is fairly novice, and I can barely stand the host.  The challenges are equally bothersome, sometimes being what I would call just plain silly.  I think the writers put their ideas together during a quick lunch break.  Could we please see some pretty Springtime cookies, pies and cakes, along with the recipes so that if we see something appealing we might make it at home?  Could we maybe raise the level of contestants and not simply take everyone who applies?

[CrazyDog]

Another note on last night - I'm really over Lorraine, but Nancy is the worst. The "bickering" last night wasn't fun to watch and added nothing to the show. I like Duff, but hope he gets some new co-judges at some point. And for all that Nancy goes off about things not being Spring-y, I think it was Lorraine that dinged Nacho for his chocolate dessert in the preheat because it was too dark? Sigh. I don't mind the new host, but I'll always miss Bobby Deen.

[Spunkygal]

10 hours ago, TomGirl said:

I’m not sorry to see Ruby go.  The judges seemed to have some kind of love for her that I could never really understand, and I think they had already cut her some slack more than once.

Aaron’s cookies were drop-dead gorgeous.  I want both the recipe and the frosting technique.

Nacho is adorable.

I wonder if Aaron's cookies are Meltaways. He put cornstarch and powdered sugar in the batter. If so, they are really good. If you google Meltaways, there are many recipes for them. His decoration was brilliant.

[justjen]

I don't think this is a judge thing, but it does relate to the judge table. Last night I noticed little black books next to each judge. Kind of like the check at the end of a meal booklet, but it looked more book-like.

Do we know what that is? Do they secretly take notes, does someone else take notes, is it decoration? What kind of notes are they? The cold medicine I had to take last night had me obsessed with these books! And also Christina should know better than to make the same cookies she made in the pre-heat...that has never ever EVER worked for anyone! Ever.

[Destiny74]

I was glad Aaron was safe.  I like him.  Not to mention I've had some rolls that have split.  Usually they can be covered by a decoration but I figure the pre bake piping was the decoration, so that's that.

I don't know what I would do with gooseberries.  I'd have run up and grabbed what I really wanted, I guess.  Elbows, headlocks, and body slams to get a berry I knew would taste good.

I agree about the twists.  They are dumb.  But, they are always there.  No surprise to have Random Host show up half way through and announce a twist.

Does Scott Conant even bake?  I liked the show last year and will tune in again but I am Leary about his baking knowledge.  As long as no one tries to serve him a raw red onion....

[bioprof]

Agree that this season, with a few exceptions, is amateur hour......with Nacho heading the list. Yes, he’s adorable, pleasant, likeable....but the stuff he puts out looks ridiculous. I’ve done better on an off day....nothing really looks professionally done with him. Maybe it tastes ok, but the judging is on both taste and looks ( including creativity...which he also has in short supply...especially compared to Caleb ).  Just don’t get the fawning over him (Nancy’s the worst).  Aaron, Caleb and Heather are head and shoulders above everyone else....hope they make it to the end.  Totally echo that this can’t compare to the Great British Baking Show....no comparison....

[TomGirl]

I think maybe part of the judges’ Nacho Love is because they loved his wife, Susanna, on an earlier series.

Meanwhile, watching Heather stir batter with both hands simultaneously was... interesting.  Nice floor show!

[hilaryvm]

I've never really understood why shows like this make you choose one ingredient to the exclusion of your competitors.  Why don't you have a selection of berries, and everyone can choose what they want?  Who cares if you do six strawberry desserts?  It seemed a little unfair that some people get something like gooseberries, while everyone else gets a very standard, common berry.  Similar to the herbs, where cilantro is way harder than mint, for example.  

[starlightlost]

* I reallllyyy want Aaron's recipe for those cookies

* I had forgotten how cute Jordan was from last season

* I knew they wouldn't let go of Christina. They think she's the bestest. She is good but that roll cake sucked.

[Chit Chat]

Quote

I've made Yule logs a few times, and while I'm not expert baker, mine never looked like rolled-up throw rugs.

I'm no pastry chef, but the first time I ever tried making a Yule Log, it turned out like the picture!  I was surprised that some of these bakers couldn't make their rolled cakes look a little better, given their baking skill.   Okay, I'll quit patting myself on the back now!  ;)

I like all of the bakers this season, so it's been sad to see them get eliminated - especially over "brain-fart" type of errors.  If they were given the right amount of time and no twists, I'm sure that they'd all have put out goodies superior to some of what we've seen.   

[Ilovecomputers]

Quote

5 hours ago, hilaryvm said:

I've never really understood why shows like this make you choose one ingredient to the exclusion of your competitors.  Why don't you have a selection of berries, and everyone can choose what they want?  Who cares if you do six strawberry desserts?  It seemed a little unfair that some people get something like gooseberries, while everyone else gets a very standard, common berry.  Similar to the herbs, where cilantro is way harder than mint, for example.  

It seems to me they got to choose their berry in the preheat with the stipulation that they could not choose the same berry for the challenge.  Ruby chose the golden berry for the challenge even though she’d never eaten one before the preheat. If memory serves me, she combined lemon, golden berry and some other sour flavor for her rolled-up towel, er, cake.  

Nacho’s chocolate ganache was a hot liquid in the bag in the last seconds of the challenge but looked remarkably chilled and neat/tidy when presented to his fans.  

[Maya]

I don’t know what golden berry tastes like but if it’s as sour as they say, she should have treated it like rhubarb (which I think is delicious!) 

Edited April 11, 2018 by Maya

[grisgris]

On 4/10/2018 at 4:51 PM, TomGirl said:

I think maybe part of the judges’ Nacho Love is because they loved his wife, Susanna, on an earlier series.

Meanwhile, watching Heather stir batter with both hands simultaneously was... interesting.  Nice floor show!

I personally find Nacho likeable but yeah, just because his wife was a previous contestant and lost, shouldn't give him an automatic pass to try to redeem the family name in an upcoming season.  I am sure Susanna was not the first contestant who had a spouse/sibling/SO/family member, etc., who they might have had a baking business with.

That said, I don't see Nacho winning the whole thing. I am rooting for Heather, then Aaron. I don't care for Caleb. I think it's his hideous mustache that turns me off.

[ruffy666]

On 4/10/2018 at 4:32 AM, BusyOctober said:

Nacho may be a very nice man and a good baker, but...he annoys me with all his "surprise" faces, followed by his "shocked" face and his "OMG!" face.  

LOL!  I kept pausing the DVR because his faces were so contrived and some producer said "ok now look shocked.  ok now surprised.  ok now make your "O" face."  He does seem like a nice guy but, like, just take it down a notch-o, Nacho.

[bkathi]

On ‎4‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 11:33 AM, Maya said:

I don’t know what golden berry tastes like but if it’s as sour as they say, she should have treated it like rhubarb (which I think is delicious!) 

Rhubarb is one of my favorite dessert 'fruits'!!!