S04.E02: Cookies and Breads Week

[Jillybean]

23 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I was ready to punch Spice this week.  He was taking up valuable time with the one woman (can't remember which one) who had to physically shove him out of the way.  That kind of stuff makes me stabby.  At least Mel and Sue occasionally helped out in a crisis rather than distract an already tense person with inane chatter.  And pouring a contestant's ingredients down his gullet was just crude.

I came here just to post about how annoying Spice Adams was this week. He acts like an overgrown child who wants to come in and lick the bowl and generally pester everyone. I actually miss Nia and Ian. And I, too, find it bizarre that this is filmed in England. 

[Spunkygal]

13 minutes ago, Jillybean said:

I came here just to post about how annoying Spice Adams was this week. He acts like an overgrown child who wants to come in and lick the bowl and generally pester everyone. I actually miss Nia and Ian. And I, too, find it bizarre that this is filmed in England. 

If they’re going to film in England, why not get BOTH Mary and Paul to judge and Mel and Sue to host? Isn’t this a different franchise from GBBO or are they under the same production company?

Edited December 15, 2018 by Spunkygal

[mjc570]

Message to ABC or whoever produces/airs this show:  I have to DVR it so I can FF those awful, annoying hosts - so I FF the commercials, also.  Bet your advertisers like that.

[tobeannounced]

On ‎12‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 3:20 PM, dleighg said:

I keep getting surprised that Jiwan sounds like the absolute American he is, rather than sounding British (since so many SE Asians have appeared on the British show with their adorable accents).

I think Jiwan and Chris sound like freakin' Kardashians. It's like nails on a chalkboard to me. Part of what makes the GBBS so charming is the lovely accents. A Kardashian accent is anything but charming. I was so glad to see Chris go because his is definitely the worse of the two.

Edited December 16, 2018 by tobeannounced

[dleighg]

3 minutes ago, tobeannounced said:

I think Jiwan and Chris sound like freakin' Kardashians.

i actually don't know what the Kardashians sound like (amazing, right?) but Jiwan certainly has an American Accent (which I will maintain that I, an American myself, do not :) ) So I think I know what you mean :)

[tobeannounced]

4 minutes ago, dleighg said:

i actually don't know what the Kardashians sound like (amazing, right?) but Jiwan certainly has an American Accent (which I will maintain that I, an American myself, do not :) ) So I think I know what you mean :)

@dleighg, I would also call it a Valley girl accent, but I figured that would be showing my age, lol

Edited December 15, 2018 by tobeannounced

[rhys]

36 minutes ago, dleighg said:

i actually don't know what the Kardashians sound like (amazing, right?) but Jiwan certainly has an American Accent (which I will maintain that I, an American myself, do not :) ) So I think I know what you mean :)

 

32 minutes ago, tobeannounced said:

@dleighg, I would also call it a Valley girl accent, but I figured that would be showing my age, lol

I think both the boys just have gay "accents." I don't know what the Kards sound like either.

[RealityCheck]

3 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

If they’re going to film in England, why not get BOTH Mary and Paul to judge and Mel and Sue to host? Isn’t this a different franchise from GBBO or are they under the same production company?

GBBO and the American Baking Show are both produced by Love Productions, who moved to Channel 4 UK, so Mary, Sue, & Mel would not be available.

[Brookside]

3 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

If they’re going to film in England, why not get BOTH Mary and Paul to judge and Mel and Sue to host? 

Maybe they don't want to?

[tobeannounced]

1 hour ago, rhys said:

I think both the boys just have gay "accents." I don't know what the Kards sound like either.

There are lots of gay guys on the thoroughly ridiculous amount of baking shows I watch, and offhand I don't recall any of them having this effect on me - that is, wanting to punch someone in the face. Jason didn't speak this way. But I don't think it's a coincidence that the gay guys are the ones doing it either. 

[theatremouse]

The most conspicuous aspect of the Kardashians' voices is vocal fry, but they are also from Southern California. I don't hear vocal fry from Jiwan, but being from San Diego, it's possible he does have some SoCal vowels that might sound similar to the Kardashians. I don't hear similarities between them, but to one who does, I suspect it's just recognizing a general SoCal-ness to it.

[tobeannounced]

8 hours ago, theatremouse said:

The most conspicuous aspect of the Kardashians' voices is vocal fry, but they are also from Southern California. I don't hear vocal fry from Jiwan, but being from San Diego, it's possible he does have some SoCal vowels that might sound similar to the Kardashians. I don't hear similarities between them, but that to one who does, I suspect it's just recognizing a general SoCal-ness to it.

That's interesting, @theatremouse. I had no idea how to describe what it is that they do, but your mention of the vowels is definitely the thing that I find so unpleasant. I don't really notice vocal fry unless others point it out, but the drawing out of the vowels or whatever the hell it is just grates.

[MerBearHou]

7 hours ago, tobeannounced said:

That's interesting, @theatremouse. I had no idea how to describe what it is that they do, but your mention of the vowels is definitely the thing that I find so unpleasant. I don't really notice vocal fry unless others point it out, but the drawing out of the vowels or whatever the hell it is just grates.

It's also the up-talk.  I really, really, really hate up-talk.  Despite having made that strong statement, I will say that I don't mind Jiwan overall -- seems kind and very talented. 

Edited December 16, 2018 by MerBearHou

[kj4ever]

On 12/14/2018 at 6:10 PM, Destiny74 said:

She's been the most consistent baker.  She also did the quick switch in the cake round and passed with flying colors.

Mel and Sue have been in the way a few times and I remember them running around with Deborah's mousse during her season.  I agree that the hosts get a bit "handy" at times but it's not just Spice and Emma.

And there hasn't been one elbow in a bread bake or broken cookie topper this season...yet.

One of the seasons they actually broke the top of a woman's show stopper!

[Brookside]

On ‎12‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 6:09 AM, Spunkygal said:

 As someone with an unusual name, I hate it when I misspell or mispronounce a name. It’s rude to see how people just don’t care when they say your name wrong. Hey, I didn’t name myself! 

Not sure why you would think SpunkyGal is an unusual name.  I know at least three at work.  ;-}

[libgirl2]

6 hours ago, kj4ever said:

One of the seasons they actually broke the top of a woman's show stopper!

Mel and Sue were more than capable of making nuisances of themselves when necessary. Spice hasn't stumbled on to anything new. 

[proserpina65]

Rugelach are not cookies, damn it, they're pastry!  That said, a lot of those flavors sounded really good.  And all the bread flavors sounded good to me too.

 

On ‎12‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 6:42 AM, Biggie B said:

Overall, I wasn't that interested in the bread stuff. However, I can now appreciate how difficult it can be to work with bread, what with the kneading and the rising and the challenge of making sure the bread is evenly and consistently baked throughout.

I'm like Oprah - I LOVE BREAD!!!!! - so it was interesting to me, but I can see why it might not be as interesting to others.  I've never been very successful at making it though, so I'm envious of the contestants who did really well.

 

On ‎12‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 10:26 AM, NichD said:

Hi! As surreal as it is to see Jason on TV, it's even weirder to see myself in our apartment--and our cats are TV stars! Obviously a bummer not to make it to the end, but he was so thrilled just to get to bake in the tent & be a part of it all. One thing that didn't make the episode (but WAS featured in the commercials, so I think it must be OK to mention) is that Jason got a handshake from Paul Hollywood for his rugelach, which you can see in this photo.

I thought Jason had a lot of potential, so I was sorry to see him go, but it's good to know that he got a handshake for the rugelach.  It looked yummy.

 

On ‎12‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 6:42 AM, Biggie B said:

My friend is still in it!! I guess with just one episode left, I can reveal that it's Tina. It's so exciting - she's a terrific person, really talented and passionate about what she does. I was so happy that she got star baker for her cookies!

I wasn't sure about her at first, but she's grown on me, and she really does know her stuff.  She deserved the cookie win.

 

On ‎12‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 3:39 PM, dubbel zout said:

Thanks, @Biggie B. Then there's no reason not to understand what the show is about. If you're interested enough to apply and go through that process, find out what the show is about. 

On the other hand, it's the show that picks these people, so maybe there's some passive-aggressive swipe at Americans going on? Heh.

The time frame is vastly different for the British and American versions.  The American contestants film the entire season in a few days.  I think that's the major factor in why they might not seem as skilled as their British counterparts; they've had far less time to practice in between 'weeks'.

On ‎12‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 6:04 PM, RealityCheck said:

GBBO and the American Baking Show are both produced by Love Productions, who moved to Channel 4 UK, so Mary, Sue, & Mel would not be available.

To expand upon this a little, when Love Productions moved GBBO to Channel 4, Mary, Sue & Mel all left the show, and so are no longer under contract.

[dleighg]

3 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I've never been very successful at making it though, so I'm envious of the contestants who did really well.

I'll just say this-- check this out. It kind of went viral back in the day, and it's still the way I (very easily) make bread every week or so.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread

[Kohola3]

43 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

Mel and Sue were more than capable of making nuisances of themselves when necessary. Spice hasn't stumbled on to anything new. 

True but I don't recall anyone have to physically push them away from the work bench - and more than once.  

[dubbel zout]

43 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I'll just say this-- check this out. It kind of went viral back in the day, and it's still the way I (very easily) make bread every week or so.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread

My brother makes this a lot with my nieces (ages 8 and 11), and everyone loves it. 

[libgirl2]

27 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

True but I don't recall anyone have to physically push them away from the work bench - and more than once.  

I think the Brits might be more polite then us. lol! 

[Rinaldo]

23 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

On 12/17/2018 at 1:00 PM, libgirl2 said:

Mel and Sue were more than capable of making nuisances of themselves when necessary. Spice hasn't stumbled on to anything new. 

True but I don't recall anyone have to physically push them away from the work bench - and more than once.  

@libgirl2 beat me to it, but that's my reaction as well: I bet there were many many times when the British bakers longed to push Sue & Mel away (and I like Sue&Mel), but that politeness is bred deep in their bones. (I know, rampant national generalization... but dammit, it's true.)

[Quilt Fairy]

I thought these were a couple of great episodes, the first time I thought the challenges rose to the level of GBBO, and also the first time I felt they got the personalities of the bakers "right".   The cookie showstoppers looked quite complicated and if some of the bread showstoppers didn't seem as 3D or as holiday as people thought they should be, at least no one added color to the bread, which I find really off-putting.

[Adiba]

18 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I thought these were a couple of great episodes, the first time I thought the challenges rose to the level of GBBO, and also the first time I felt they got the personalities of the bakers "right".   The cookie showstoppers looked quite complicated and if some of the bread showstoppers didn't seem as 3D or as holiday as people thought they should be, at least no one added color to the bread, which I find really off-putting.

I don't like food coloring added to bread either. Even though it doesn't affect the taste, it just doesn't look appetizing to me.

I can't remember how much time the contestants got for the showstopper on this episode, but I looked at the GBBO episode where Paul made the bread lion, and they got 5 hours. I wonder if they also got 5 hours for the challenge on this show?

[dubbel zout]

6 minutes ago, Adiba said:

looked at the GBBO episode where Paul made the bread lion, and they got 5 hours. I wonder if they also got 5 hours for the challenge on this show?

They didn't. I don't remember how much time it was, but it wasn't five hours. Knowing that, it's reasonable that the finished bakes aren't as elaborate. 

[jcbrown]

13 hours ago, Adiba said:

I don't like food coloring added to bread either. Even though it doesn't affect the taste, it just doesn't look appetizing to me.

I'm not crazy about it in my current life. That said, when I was a kid, my grandmother put red or green food coloring in her bread for X-mas and sent each family (my dad was one of five) home with a loaf after dinner.  It was not close to the best bread I've ever eaten in my life but it was among the most memorable.

[rhys]

I think it can taste bitter. Maybe I've only had cheap FC in those twee bottles. I saw Alton Brown using some (maybe on reloaded??) that looked like they were in test tubes. Aha! Those were probably superb.

Edited December 20, 2018 by rhys
Haha cuz suburb & superb aren't the same

[Kohola3]

7 hours ago, rhys said:

Those were probably suburb.

I don't know about that.  Even on some of the baking shows the bakers have referenced a bitter taste with their food colors.  I  have purchased the more expensive ones and they can have a taste to them when you need an intense color.  I avoid dark red and green stuff just because of that.

[dubbel zout]

Are you using the cheap grocery store dyes or the more expensive gels? I think the gels have a more neutral flavor, and they definitely come in many more colors.

[Kohola3]

35 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Are you using the cheap grocery store dyes or the more expensive gels? I think the gels have a more neutral flavor, and they definitely come in many more colors.

The gels from a cake decorating store.

[theatremouse]

In my experience it's more about how much coloring you use, whether it adds a taste or not. Too much gel color and you'll definitely taste it, and with the gel it's really easy to use too much if you're not used to it.

[Brookside]

Why was the female judge dressed like a three-year-old bridesmaid?

Also, toothsome doesn't mean what you think it does.

Edited December 21, 2018 by Brookside

[dleighg]

58 minutes ago, Brookside said:

Why was the female judge dressed like a three-year-old bridesmaid?

 

was that on the Cookies and Breads week? Because it didn't ring a bell with me. But certainly on yesterday's Semi-final --- man, that was a frothy, pink confection that did not suit her *at all."

[Brookside]

9 minutes ago, dleighg said:

was that on the Cookies and Breads week? Because it didn't ring a bell with me. But certainly on yesterday's Semi-final --- man, that was a frothy, pink confection that did not suit her *at all."

Yes, I think you're probably right.  The show is a total hate-watch for me, I think just to remind myself how amazing the first seasons of the original (British) version were.  It does mean that I pay nothing close to full attention!

[akr]

I heard on one of these shows that red food coloring, in particular, has a bitter taste, so you have to be careful with it. ( I've been half-way watching this & the Christmas Cookie & Holiday Baking competitions on FN; I couldn't tell you who said it but I think a couple of contestants, or possibly a contestant & a judge). 

[dubbel zout]

It must be a particular ingredient they use to make it red. I have a cousin who's allergic to one of the yellow dyes, like #3. But if it's #5 or 7 (making these numbers up), he's fine. Maybe a different brand has a different taste? Or instead of using the ruby red dye, try the scarlet?

[Reality police]

As best as i remember, it's been a while since i did decorated cakes, the powdered colors are pure pigment. Gels and liquids use a base that can impart funkiness.