Season Four Talk: Spring Baking Championship

[stormy]

I'm kind of thinking this will be more of Caleb vs Nacho. Christina seems to all about drowning everything in buttercream flowers.

[Ilovecomputers]

I do not love Nacho.  His mannerisms annoy me.  Like someone else posted upthread, I was amazed that Blue Woman took one ingredient from pecan pie and made a hummingbird cake and that was considered a transformed pecan pie.  Huh?  I've wracked my brain trying to think of some way Heather could have done this with pumpkin, but I'm drawing a blank because I've only ever used pumpkin for...pumpkin pie.  Years ago I used to try recipes from Hungry Girl where she used canned pumpkin in a lot of chocolate desserts, and while I love pumpkin, pumpkin seems to overwhelm any other flavor--it completely masked any chocolate flavor.  Caleb for the win.  Christina seems to mug for the camera a lot; I'm sure she'd like her own FN show.  Duff seemed to have it out for Heather.  Last week he was all hot and bothered because you could see--gasp--a cardboard base underneath her cake.  This week he made remarks about eating her guac like a bowl of cereal.  Look, Duff, the challenges are stupid.  Given the time constraints, I'm not sure how anyone comes up with great ideas for guacamole and orange and has time to execute it.

[Rammchick]

20 hours ago, justjen said:

I'm from the south but OMGhijklmnop every single time she said "peeeecan" I was like "that's what truckers use, it's "pecahn".

We actually do say it that way in the North, although I think there are places in the South that also pronounce it that way.

I think Nacho has a very genuine quality.  It's amazing to me that he and Susanna are actually married and not brother and sister because they both seem to have the identical personality.  However, I don't think he's as talented as the other two, despite having come up with some good flavors this past week.  

Edited April 25, 2018 by Rammchick

[Destiny74]

Nacho is a nice guy.

Christina can pipe buttercream beautifully.

Caleb will only lose if he really messes up.

 

I don't know if I would want to buy bakery goods in a place that smells like raw meat.  It's unappetising.  If I go to a grocery store and they are having some odor issue I turn and walk out.  

 

Everyone got to cry this week.  I was wondering when the backstory tears would flow.

[Ilovecomputers]

1 hour ago, Destiny74 said:

I don't know if I would want to buy bakery goods in a place that smells like raw meat.  It's unappetising.  If I go to a grocery store and they are having some odor issue I turn and walk out.  

 

Everyone got to cry this week.  I was wondering when the backstory tears would flow.

That's why we stopped watching "Undercover Boss."  The "undercover boss" would be introduced to someone, and the conversation would go like this:

Undercover boss:           "Sally?  I'm George.  Nice to meet you.  How are you doing?  How long have you worked here?

Sally:                               I've worked here for a year.  I'm saving money so we don't have to live in my car.  We have to push the car every night or the cops threaten to tow it.  My arthritis flares up

                                       every time I bend, stretch, reach, or stand still, my mother's terminally ill, and my kid desperately needs a rare surgery that isn't covered by health insurance.  Other than

                                       that, things are great!"

Not to say that I don't have sympathy for anyone, it's just that people on Undercover Boss always shared deeply personal matters with a total stranger on their first meeting. 

I was hoping Heather would make it into the final three because of her cheerful attitude.  She's a single mother, and if I were a wealthy person I would give her the money to open her "brick and mortar."

[mlp]

I like Nacho a lot so I won't hate it if he wins but I really think Caleb has been the best of the bunch all along.  I will hate it if the girl with blue hair pulls it out.

I still miss Bobby Deen as host but I don't mind Ali at all.  I don't get the Cooking Channel so I've never seen him do anything but this show and had no preconceived opinion when it started.  He seems to be having fun with it.  I like him a lot better than Jesse.

[grisgris]

I would have sent Caleb home for saying, "MARS-ca-pone."

I was rooting for Heather but I guess I will pull for Nacho next week.  If he loses, each member of his and Susanna's army of kids could show up year after year until the family name is exonerated. LOL!

[LittleIggy]

On 4/24/2018 at 4:41 PM, justjen said:

I'm from the south but OMGhijklmnop every single time she said "peeeecan" I was like "that's what truckers use, it's "pecahn".

Thank you! For me, it was like fingernails on a chalkboard. Every time she said it, I yelled “puhcahn”! I’m the same about “prayleen.” It’s “prawleen.” ?

Edited April 26, 2018 by LittleIggy

[Rammchick]

11 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Thank you! For me, it was like fingernails on a chalkboard. Every time she said it, I yelled “puhcahn”! I’m the same about “prayleen.” It’s “prawleen.” ?

LOL, you say potayto and I say potahto ;) And yep, in the north we say prayleen too!

[backgroundnoise]

I guess they should just coat everything in pastel frosting so it looks springy. 

Edited April 27, 2018 by backgroundnoise

[festivus]

I wish Heather would have made a tart with pumpkin spice mousse. I've made that before and it's a nice light taste. She could have decorated it "spring" and she might still be there. Out of the people left, I don't care who wins. Meh.

[Ilovecomputers]

Well, good luck Little Pickle Man/Snidely Whiplash.  Here's hoping I don't see the final three recycled in Guy's Grocery Games or some other Food Network show.

[Destiny74]

2 hours ago, Ilovecomputers said:

Well, good luck Little Pickle Man/Snidely Whiplash.  Here's hoping I don't see the final three recycled in Guy's Grocery Games or some other Food Network show.

They'll have a chance to be on Best Baker in America and have challenges WITHOUT stupid twists thrown in the middle of the show.

[Chit Chat]

On ‎4‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 6:28 AM, Farmfam said:

Nacho is clearly the chosen winner. I don't mind him, and his flavors when he's "on" do seem good.

You called it, Farmfam!   I wasn't as impressed with his cake (presentation-wise) as the judges were.  I thought the geode was too small.   Unfortunately, Caleb's wasn't amber enough, and apparently the almond flavoring was lacking.  For me, I like a subtle almond flavor, but I guess they needed it to hit them over the head.   I thought Christina's cake was the prettiest of the three.  Too bad it turned out too dense for the judges.  Christina's pre-heat dessert was beautiful too.   I thought I'd be okay with any of them winning, but honestly, I was pulling for Caleb.  He kind of stumbled at the end.  

As I've said before, Nancy sure seemed to have a hard-on for Nacho.  She lit up every time he came into the room.  Oh well, they're the "experts" so I'll have to take their word for it on the taste of each cake.  

[bilgistic]

Caleb made macarons, not macaroons! (Those are two different things!) And as it's been said in this forum before, it's mascarpone, not marscarpone!

I thought Caleb's geode cake looked like a bloody gash. I agree that Nacho's "geode" was too small. Christina's did look like a river. Bleh.

[Snarkastikate]

Aaarrgghhhhh!!  I nodded out at the end for a few minutes,  woke up and show was over !  Who won.....Nacho??

[bybrandy]

I thought Caleb's cake looked terrible and was red rather than Amber.  I usually like Caleb but this design did not do it for me at all.   I thought Christina's cake was beautiful.  But loved Nacho putting the crunch in the cake.  I'm good with him as a winner most especially because I really, really was surprised that Caleb didn't get more crap for how clunky his cake looked.... volcano geode.

[Maverick]

 Nacho's looked like a vajayjay cake.    He was mediocre through most of the competition and I'm disappointed he won.  While Blue Hair's blue hair bugged, I think she deserved the win.  

[Chit Chat]

Like succulent cakes, I didn't know that geode cakes were a thing.  I can't hear the word geode without thinking about The Big Bang Theory's Sheldon drunk dialing Stephen Hawking saying over and over again 'geee-ode.'   Geode - Sheldon

[LeighLeigh]

I live in Canada. We watch this show on Sunday nights. I forgot that it’s aired on Mondays in the States. I am happy for Nacho, but I miss Heather. She was my fave. 

[Farmfam]

9 hours ago, ChitChat said:

You called it, Farmfam!   I wasn't as impressed with his cake (presentation-wise) as the judges were.  I thought the geode was too small.   Unfortunately, Caleb's wasn't amber enough, and apparently the almond flavoring was lacking.  For me, I like a subtle almond flavor, but I guess they needed it to hit them over the head.   I thought Christina's cake was the prettiest of the three.  Too bad it turned out too dense for the judges.  Christina's pre-heat dessert was beautiful too.   I thought I'd be okay with any of them winning, but honestly, I was pulling for Caleb.  He kind of stumbled at the end.  

As I've said before, Nancy sure seemed to have a hard-on for Nacho.  She lit up every time he came into the room.  Oh well, they're the "experts" so I'll have to take their word for it on the taste of each cake.  

I'll take their word for it, I guess, but I was also rooting for Caleb. 

I was really turned off by Nancy this finale, she clearly loved Nacho and he could do no wrong, but barely even commented on Calebs or blue hairs cakes. My opinion, of course.

I missed Heather. 

[Kathira]

I thought Caleb's geode looked more like a lava flow, and agreed that Heather's looked like a river. Nacho was really the only one who nailed a "geode" look. It seemed like he had the least flavor issues, also, despite Duff's "donkey kick" for Caleb's. I wasn't a super fan of Nacho, but I guess he deserved the win.

[Darian]

6 hours ago, Maverick said:

 Nacho's looked like a vajayjay cake.    He was mediocre through most of the competition and I'm disappointed he won.  While Blue Hair's blue hair bugged, I think she deserved the win.  

I wasn't sure if it Nacho's cake really looked like a "vageode" cake, or if I was primed to see that from having followed this hilarious (and kinda raunchy) Facebook thread.

Nacho's a nice guy, but I felt the same about his win. Caleb was the most consistent, but I Christina did well week-to-week, too. I like watching nice people who are also good bakers bake, so overall, I enjoyed the season. 

[Ilovecomputers]

It was rather ridiculous of Duff to chide Caleb for not having 1000 variations in color (given the time constraint).  I didn't care for the gold leaf hanging off of his cake like litter.  His use of the luster dust was cool.  Blue Smurf's cake was pretty, but kind of Frozen River--that is, not SPRING--in appearance.  I don't like Nacho but his vageode cake looked the best color-wise and his geode-topper was a good idea.  Didn't care for the swirly look on the outside--he did that technique a lot.  In the preheat his dessert looked like a 70s psychedelic theme.  I've no desire to make a geode cake.  It seems like a lot of work for nothing--no one's going to eat spoonfuls of rock candy.  Next time I frost a cake, I'm going to try that upside down technique.

[Rammchick]

I say this every time, but I really wish that these competition shows had some sort of cumulative point system because you could've been fabulous all season and then lose out to someone who has a better day than you do at the finale.  A lot of what Nacho produced was very mediocre, and amateurish.  Also, would the judges please make up their minds whether it's taste or appearance they reward more highly?

So all I can say is, I'm glad to have a six-month break from Nancy Fuller.

Edited May 2, 2018 by Rammchick

[justjen]

11 hours ago, ChitChat said:

 I thought the geode was too small.  

I thought Nacho's geodo "hole" was unfortunately shaped and colored, but my inner self is a pre-teen boy sometimes...

[theatremouse]

1 hour ago, Ilovecomputers said:

It was rather ridiculous of Duff to chide Caleb for not having 1000 variations in color (given the time constraint).  

I don't think Duff's point was that it should literally be 1000 colors though. He was pointing out that Caleb had three very distinct colors that were all super uniform, and geodes don't look like that. Both of the other two contestants geode-ey pieces all were varied within the color they were assigned. It didn't just look like one big block of uniformly colored isomalt. Caleb's also wasn't amber, which bugged me. He had a very dark red, a lighter red, and pale yellow. He was spot on in choosing apricot for an amber cake...and then his isomalt wasn't anything close to the color of apricots, which would've be right for his assignment. So not only did he not have enough variation in the shades he used, it wasn't even the right color to begin with.

[3outta5]

16 hours ago, Destiny74 said:

They'll have a chance to be on Best Baker in America and have challenges WITHOUT stupid twists thrown in the middle of the show.

Agree with this.

My 12 year old son said Caleb's looked like my leg after surgery last year (I had a benign tumor removed from the back of my calf and it left about an 8 inch, very red, scar). I had to laugh - and agree, although I was rooting for him. I knew it would be Nacho because they kept him around after some pretty big gaffes. Oh well - I liked all three of the finalists and thought they did well. I HATE THE TWISTS otherwise I love this show and all of its iterations.

[stormy]

I wanted Nacho to win the end. He seems like a down to earth regular guy. Caleb and Christina seem a little too into themselves.

Besides, Nacho's cake was frosted beautifully and for me Caleb's and Christina's were interesting or pretty to look at but neither looked like a geod to me.

Edited May 1, 2018 by stormy

[lawyergal]

Does anyone know if the contestants have SOME advance notice of what the challenge will be? If not, what they come up with, within a minute of being told the challenge is really amazing. 

[Bobcatkitten]

I can't believe Nacho won given how small his geode was. And he was terrible in the preheat. That's still part of the finale right? 

I agree Caleb's wasn't really Amber and was too much like stripes. I loved the colors of Christina's. I guess all of them had small technical issues but I just wasn't impressed with Nacho and felt a tad let down. 

Edited May 1, 2018 by Bobcatkitten

[penbrat]

I liked all three finalists for the most part and was okay with any of them winning.   Another blah season.  I thing a big part of it (for me) was not liking the host (never heard of him before this).  I wish they would bring back Bobby Dean.   He embraced the cheesiness.

Edited May 1, 2018 by penbrat

[CrazyDog]

10 hours ago, Darian said:

I wasn't sure if it Nacho's cake really looked like a "vageode" cake, or if I was primed to see that from having followed this hilarious (and kinda raunchy) Facebook thread.

That thread is the only thing I can think of when geode cake gets mentioned. Absolutely hilarious and that social media person handled it like a champ. "We looked this cake right in the crotch and didn't see a vagina either. 
I mean, we see it now tho." LOL

I couldn't even look at any of the 3 final cakes without giggling. I'm fine with Nacho winning, they seemed to think his flavors were amazing. 

I thought Christina's cake was very pretty though.

[Chit Chat]

14 hours ago, Farmfam said:

I was really turned off by Nancy this finale, she clearly loved Nacho and he could do no wrong, but barely even commented on Calebs or blue hairs cakes. My opinion, of course.

I agree.  She lit up every time Nacho walked into the room.  That's why I question her critique of said cakes.  I thought that Christina's cake was the prettiest, with Caleb a close second.  I did not like Nacho's cake as much as I liked the other two.   The geode was too small, IMO.  I didn't get what the doughnut thing was on the top of his cake.  I thought the fondant-covered cakes looked more professional than his buttercream one.  YMMV.

Caleb did have some light amber on his cake, but it was overshadowed with the darker colors, but his cake was delicious (according to Duff.)  I also question just how dense Christina's cake actually was.  I thought her decorating skills were top notch, especially with that pre-heat dessert, yet that didn't seem to count towards the entire finale.  I agree with the previous poster on getting some kind of point system to help in this competition.  

[Rammchick]

18 hours ago, Farmfam said:

I'll take their word for it, I guess, but I was also rooting for Caleb. 

I was really turned off by Nancy this finale, she clearly loved Nacho and he could do no wrong, but barely even commented on Calebs or blue hairs cakes. My opinion, of course.

I missed Heather. 

I wouldn't read anything into how much a judge comments on this or that baker.  Keep in mind that this is edited.  If we saw every comment they made, each episode would be 2 hours long or more, especially given how much Nancy and Lorraine bicker.

Edited May 2, 2018 by Rammchick

[BusyOctober]

Nacho's looked like a gaping, open wound.  I have seen the Facebook thread mentioned above, and it is very funny.  Not only do I think of bedazzled vajayjays when I hear "geode cake", but I just don't get the appeal of them. I guess it is a way to show off technique (carving/crystal work), but they just don't look 'yummy' to me.  And that's what I want in a cake.  I can admire the beautiful sculpting or the amazing flowers or the realistic looking doo-dads hanging off any of these over the top designer cakes.  But at the end of the day, I want to EAT the cake, not put it under glass like an art installation.  To partially paraphrase Joey Tribbiani -"Cake? Good! Frosting? Good!"

[Refresh]

On 4/10/2018 at 1:01 AM, 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.

Aaron posted the shortbread cookie recipe on his website . Going to try Making it tomorrow - it’s a rolled melt away cookie but Duff basically drooled over them so im in. http://manversuscake.com/recipe/melt-in-your-mouth-shortbreads/

[TomGirl]

5 hours ago, Refresh said:

Aaron posted the shortbread cookie recipe on his website . Going to try Making it tomorrow - it’s a rolled melt away cookie but Duff basically drooled over them so im in. http://manversuscake.com/recipe/melt-in-your-mouth-shortbreads/

Thanks so much, Refresh!!

[Simon47]

On 4/30/2018 at 11:05 PM, Snarkastikate said:

Aaarrgghhhhh!!  I nodded out at the end for a few minutes,  woke up and show was over !  Who won.....Nacho??

Nacho won.