Holiday Baking Championship - General Discussion

[Madding crowd]

Carla has said she and Nancy are close friends, they don’t always agree but I don’t think Carla would be cowed by her or anyone. Everyone has their own taste and I think it would look fake if they always agree  on everything. I like the dynamic of the three judges plus Jessie and I hated it when Molly and her sprinkles were part of the mix.

[libgirl2]

4 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

Carla has said she and Nancy are close friends, they don’t always agree but I don’t think Carla would be cowed by her or anyone. Everyone has their own taste and I think it would look fake if they always agree  on everything. I like the dynamic of the three judges plus Jessie and I hated it when Molly and her sprinkles were part of the mix.

I kind of like it when they don't always agree. WE all have different palates. 

[ruffy666]

11 hours ago, kathyk2 said:

I think Sherrod is an introvert that's why he doesn't get much attention. I think he's uncomfortable talking with Jesse.

This is the impression I got as well... there was a moment when Jesse made one of his dumb jokes and Sherrod just kinda stood there and was like "..." before reacting as if it wasn't a joke.  I just get the feeling that he doesn't make "good tv" in the eyes of the production team

[libgirl2]

5 minutes ago, ruffy666 said:

This is the impression I got as well... there was a moment when Jesse made one of his dumb jokes and Sherrod just kinda stood there and was like "..." before reacting as if it wasn't a joke.  I just get the feeling that he doesn't make "good tv" in the eyes of the production team

and he won't win no matter how he bakes. 

[KittyMom4]

On 12/4/2023 at 10:11 PM, littlebennysmom said:

Idk why anyone would want uptalk Ashley to stay over ANYONE, talks and acts like a twee teenager. 

This. She has annoyed me since the first episode, her over the top cutesy grins and smirks drive me insane. I have not been impressed with her baking or decorating skills, but she seems to think she is the cat's meow.

On 12/4/2023 at 10:58 PM, springbarb said:

How did Justine wind up in the TOP TWO with that mess of a dessert?! Taste can keep her safe, but her put her in the top?! Ugh.

Sing it!!! That thing was a hot mess and not deserving of a top 2 placement, middle at best, but bottom 2 would have been more appropriate. 

On 12/5/2023 at 8:47 AM, laredhead said:

I just wish the participants would calm down and not try to show every skill they ever learned in 90 minutes.  They all have these great ideas, but not enough time to really accomplish them.

As soon as someone starts saying "it's in my wheelhouse" or "I do this all the time in my shop" my eyes roll. Then they think they'll take this "skill" and to the next level in the middle of cameras all over the place and baking equipment they are not familiar with. No. Stick to what you know and what you can accomplish in the time given.

21 hours ago, mlp said:

For some reason I don't get, the judges seem invested in Justine.  I think she's way too perky and aware that she's on TV.  The judges nitpicked most of the other desserts but went into OTT raptures about Justine's flavors and didn't even mention her messy display.  I was astonished when they gave her the win.

 

15 hours ago, jcbrown said:

Agree with everything you said. I don't care for Ashley much and I cannot stand Justine. She thinks she is adorable. She is wrong. And I know that her accent is not entirely her fault but dang, it grates on my ears. And her letter board was not one so there is no way she should have been top two. Please, show, put us out of the misery of her.

I do think Justine plays up the accent in front of the judges. When she's working on her cakes her accent is much less pronounced, in front of the judges she is pulling her aaaaaaa's like a taffy maker. Her cakes may taste great, but if I went to her shop to pick up my order and it looked like that sign cake I'd walk right back out. I haven't been as impressed with her skills as the judges have been. I don't get it. 

 

 

[tennisgurl]

Imagine my shock when I went to watch the latest episode and realized there were two episodes! Javier and Kevin make such cute sweets and are my picks to win, although Thoa is my Darkhorse competitor. She hasn't won as often as Javier, Kevin, or Justine, but she has been consistently making good looking tasty bakes throughout. Her board was my favorite, it was so adorable. 

I have generally liked Justine, mega accent and all, but she is starting to get on my nerves. I cant believe she actually said that she hates group projects because she's afraid that the people she's with will bring her down! Sure lots of people think that, but they don't say it! Especially on national television on a cute holiday baking show! It sounds so arrogant, which is extra bad because she's so clearly the teachers pet. Nancy in particular thinks that Justine cant do no wrong, her flavors must be unbelievable if she gets to be in the top two with that sad looking bake. She picks on Sherrod for not having festive enough colors (red and green aren't festive?) and Kevin for a few out of place dots, but Justine's cake gets nothing but smiles even with its meh design.  

I missed Duff, we really need all three judges (and Jesse) to keep things balanced. With only Carla there Nancy tends to take over.

Seeing Josh go like that was so sad, he seems like such a great guy and he's done well so far, it just takes one mistake to get you sent home. He knew as soon as Nancy said he forgot the sugar that he was going home.

Should I give chestnuts another chance? 

[libgirl2]

27 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

gets nothing but smiles even with its meh design.  

 

Meh design is being kind. It was a hot mess. If I were one of the other contestants, I would have felt insulted. 

[Maya]

Ashlie’s face when receiving criticism says it all. She is probably not the right fit for a competition show where you get JUDGED. 

[carrps]

1 minute ago, Maya said:

Ashlie’s face when receiving criticism says it all. She is probably not the right fit for a competition show where you get JUDGED. 

And her pound cake with her potato "crispies" was so sad looking. Cake, yet again, too.

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, carrps said:

And her pound cake with her potato "crispies" was so sad looking. Cake, yet again, too.

Not to mention that very sadly drawn Star of David propped up on the side. I felt insulted and I'm not even Jewish! 

[dleighg]

Just now, libgirl2 said:

Not to mention that very sadly drawn Star of David propped up on the side. I felt insulted and I'm not even Jewish! 

Oh right! That was ridiculous!

[MerBearHou]

3 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

Not to mention that very sadly drawn Star of David propped up on the side. I felt insulted and I'm not even Jewish! 

I kept waiting for that to be called out -- it was a lame postcard of a Star of David just kind of propped up there.  

[libgirl2]

30 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I kept waiting for that to be called out -- it was a lame postcard of a Star of David just kind of propped up there.  

And no one said anything! Usually people get dinged for that! 

[Pallida]

I was rather annoyed by all the sweet potato contributions. They aren’t potatoes dang it! I was hoping Sharrod’s donuts would work out because I’ve had potato flour donuts that were delicious. They don’t taste like potatoes but I’d rather people use potatoes and have it not be a flavor than to use a different plant family that is way simpler. 
 

I was also annoyed by the missing apostrophes on the signs. I was glad the winner didn’t have that issue.

[2soon2tell]

13 hours ago, Pallida said:

I was rather annoyed by all the sweet potato contributions. They aren’t potatoes dang it! I was hoping Sharrod’s donuts would work out because I’ve had potato flour donuts that were delicious. They don’t taste like potatoes but I’d rather people use potatoes and have it not be a flavor than to use a different plant family that is way simpler.

Yeah, I was annoyed by this. It isn’t really a challenge to make sweet potato desserts. The other thing that annoyed me was the comment about not really tasting the potato in the donuts (I think). That’s the point of using either mashed potatoes or potato flour in baking, it doesn’t really taste of potato, so it is a good substitute.

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, 2soon2tell said:

Yeah, I was annoyed by this. It isn’t really a challenge to make sweet potato desserts. The other thing that annoyed me was the comment about not really tasting the potato in the donuts (I think). That’s the point of using either mashed potatoes or potato flour in baking, it doesn’t really taste of potato, so it is a good substitute.

Exactly! Did they want it to taste like a baked potato? 

[HyeChaps]

Duff was on Beat Bobby Flay last night and the first thing he did in preparing his dish was to put a pan of walnuts in the oven. 😉

[carrps]

18 hours ago, Pallida said:

I was hoping Sharrod’s donuts would work out because I’ve had potato flour donuts that were delicious.

Wasn't the donut chain Spudnuts called that because they used potato flour in their donuts? I don't know if they still do...or if they even exist anymore!

Edited December 7, 2023 by carrps
no such thing as "spudnets"

[ShelleySue]

On 12/4/2023 at 9:01 PM, Frost said:

During the preheat, Ashley's hair was touching Santa's face!  Gross!

I used to work for a board of health, so I know all about sanitary codes. I'm not sure why I watch shows that make me cringe so much, but I'm hooked. Here are some of the things that I see that make me glad I'm not tasting the food. The first, as Frost mentioned, is the loose hair (see 2-402 in the attached link). I also always see people wearing rings (Section 2-303). And have we ever seen anyone washing their hands (or wearing gloves regularly) or even if there is a handwashing sink (Sections 3-301 and 6-301)? Maybe I should make BINGO cards with all of the violations and we'll see which on of us fills up a row first.

On 12/5/2023 at 8:45 AM, bilgistic said:

A couple weeks ago, I was musing about how wild it is that people think us Southerners sound so uneducated with our accents. Meanwhile, there's Justine's accent.😫

Justine must be from "Southie" because the people I know here in the Boston suburbs do not sound like that. 

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, ShelleySue said:

I used to work for a board of health, so I know all about sanitary codes. I'm not sure why I watch shows that make me cringe so much, but I'm hooked. Here are some of the things that I see that make me glad I'm not tasting the food. The first, as Frost mentioned, is the loose hair (see 2-402 in the attached link). I also always see people wearing rings (Section 2-303). And have we ever seen anyone washing their hands (or wearing gloves regularly) or even if there is a handwashing sink (Sections 3-301 and 6-301)? Maybe I should make BINGO cards with all of the violations and we'll see which on of us fills up a row first.

 

I certainly hope they do better in their workplaces. 

[kirklandia]

2 hours ago, ShelleySue said:

I'm not sure why I watch shows that make me cringe so much, but I'm hooked. Here are some of the things that I see that make me glad I'm not tasting the food.

The first thing on my bingo card would be those chefs dripping with sweat as they lean over the food they are preparing or plating.

And I took the test - my score is pretty low.

Edited December 7, 2023 by kirklandia

[TVbitch]

Ahhh, I really liked Josh. Such a sunny attitude. As other's pointed out, Ashlie totally has resting "I am so over being judged by these people" face. 😒 I mean, I probably would too, but girlfriend, you got to disguise that sour puss if you want to stand a chance of winning.

[proserpina65]

On 12/5/2023 at 8:25 AM, BookWitch said:

Judges complaining they can't taste the eggnog. It's a bunch of milk and sugar baked into MORE sugar! I wouldn't think it would be obvious.

Well, if you put enough rum into it . . . 

 

[Salacious Kitty]

Just now, proserpina65 said:

Well, if you put enough rum into it . . . 

 

Well then Nancy will taste it. 🙄

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

Well, if you put enough rum into it . . . 

 

The Aldi grocery store I go to just brought out eggnog flavored coffee and people are saying they can't taste the eggnog. 

[proserpina65]

14 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

The Aldi grocery store I go to just brought out eggnog flavored coffee and people are saying they can't taste the eggnog. 

Sounds like a positive to me. 😄

[libgirl2]

2 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Sounds like a positive to me. 😄

lol! I am one of those people who LOVES eggnog.

[kirklandia]

"The Aldi grocery store I go to just brought out eggnog flavored coffee and people are saying they can't taste the eggnog."

As soon as eggnog hits the shelves, I buy it to pour in my coffee instead of milk. I don't know if I'm tasting eggnog - but it taste great.
If I'm out and about, I've been known to indulge in an eggnog latte, but they are getting harder to find. Starbucks discontinued them a couple years ago.  
They are definitely a splurge in calories and in dollars.

 

Edited December 8, 2023 by kirklandia

[CheshireCat]

On 12/4/2023 at 10:42 PM, kathyk2 said:

I thought Justine was going home. I wonder if Duff missed the taping because he was on the Elf on the Shelf show.

Jesse said he was under the weather. Maybe I'm naive but why lie? They could simply have said he had a previous engagement if he did have a previous engagement.

Quote

I think Javier will win since the judges seem to like whatever he does.

Well, Nancy definitely does as of late, anyway. (The past three or four episodes). The others seem more objective.

I do think Javier deserved to win the letter board challenge/episode but that wrapping paper was boring, unoriginal and not clean at all. There were much better looking ones which also tasted good and yes, editing and all that but the judges critiqued that the stripes were not straight on one cake (I think the one which also had the polka dots) but Javier's weren't either and as far as we know, no one said a word and I think if you have a striped cake it's far worse if the stripes aren't straight because the entire cake is made up of stripes.

Generally, there was the one wrapping paper cake with the Christmas trees which I thought was okay and Thoa's snowflakes were okay as well. But the rest? I wasn't a fan.
I also thought the cakes were far too big in diameter and didn't look like a double-barrel cake at all. I think they should have used at least one if not two inch smaller pans and stacked them higher (with support, of course).

Or they could have made one of those roll-up cakes (don't know what they're called in English) and then stood them up vertically. That would have fit the theme of wrapping paper as well. (Of course, that would only have been possible if they had had enough time to chill the cakes).

 

On 12/4/2023 at 9:16 PM, HyeChaps said:

Anyone who has watched Duff on Kids Baking Championship knows ALWAYS TOAST YOUR NUTS.

With pistachios, it may not have made a huge difference. They're just a very neutral flavor. I like them but it's hard to bring them out as a flavor.

 

On 12/5/2023 at 8:25 AM, BookWitch said:

Judges complaining they can't taste the eggnog. It's a bunch of milk and sugar baked into MORE sugar! I wouldn't think it would be obvious.

And more eggs and butter (which is made of milk).

Eggnog, just like potato flour or potatoes would change the structure of the baked good more than the flavor or anything else. Egg yolks are fat, so the baked good would be creamer. Potato contains more starch, so if you use flour, the baked is likely to be lighter in structure as in possibly more crumbly. If you use potatoes, it's likely to be denser as potatoes contain a lot of water, so there'd be more liquid in the dough.

I've recently had to make vegan, gluten-free and regular cookies for the same customer and you don't taste the buttery-spread and applesauce or rice flour, potato and tapioca starch or butter, regular flour and eggs. But there is a difference in dough structure, consistency and mouth-feel. The vegan cookie is a lot more dense even with leavening agent and the flour substitute makes the cookie a lot lighter in structure as in, it breaks a lot easier and it's a lot drier. It's the consistency that kind of changes the taste because it's either drier or denser but they all taste of chocolate and gingerbread spice.

Or my Vanilla Custard Cookie is creamier in dough texture/structure than my regular Vanilla Cookie because it has custard added but they both taste equally of vanilla.

 

On 12/5/2023 at 12:21 PM, dleighg said:

It was Justine. It struck me as an arrogant thing to say. Go ahead and think it, but for pete's sake don't say it!

Well, I agree that to phrase it like that makes it sound arrogant. At the same time, I can understand where she comes from. I've never been a fan of team work because I like things done in a particular way and there is no guarantee that a partner has the same standards as I do.

 

On 12/5/2023 at 7:22 PM, Splashy said:

OMG I know. I was yelling at the tv. The red, green & black combo actually reminded me of Kwanzaa, which IS part of the holiday season, Nancy!

I didn't think Kwanzaa but it definitely looked rustic.

Just like the star mosaic from, I believe, the first episode, first challenge. I really don't know what Nancy's problem with that star was because it looked more or less exactly like Christmas decoration you'd find in Germany (and possibly Austria, Switzerland and France). Has Nancy ever heard of the Erzgebirge? They're popular for their woodwork. Has she ever heard of straw stars which are very popular in Germany? Back in the days, entire trees would be decorated with decorations made out of straw and/or wood.

Christmas exists outside the US and decorations come in many shapes, forms, sizes and colors (and that's before we take into account that it's called "Holiday Baking Championship" and there are a number of holidays with different color schemes during the holiday season: Thanksgiving, Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa. It's not the first time that I'm under the impression that for Nancy, only the traditional red, green and white color scheme is a "holiday" color scheme.

 

On 12/6/2023 at 10:52 AM, libgirl2 said:

I kind of like it when they don't always agree. WE all have different palates. 

Palates are only part of it though, and determine preference more than anything else. If any sommelier tasted wine, chocolate, coffee or whatever else you can taste professionally then they look at more than taste. They look at color, bouquet, roasting degree, melting point, mouthfeel and any of the other elements that their are to their respective fields and they are unlikely to differ or differ much on any of that. Where they will then differ is whether the combination of the elements works or not and/or where they think is room for improvement.
But that is not what the judges are judging. Carla and Duff sometimes go into that direction but Nancy judges with preference in taste only and that is not how you judge things.

[libgirl2]

13 hours ago, kirklandia said:

As soon as eggnog hits the shelves, I buy it to pour in my coffee instead of milk. I don't know if I'm tasting eggnog - but it taste great.
If I'm out and about, I've been known to indulge in an eggnog latte, but they are getting harder to find. Starbucks discontinued them a couple years ago.  
They are definitely a splurge in calories and in dollars.

 

I remember that latte and it was really delicious. 

[laredhead]

14 hours ago, kirklandia said:

As soon as eggnog hits the shelves, I buy it to pour in my coffee instead of milk. I don't know if I'm tasting eggnog - but it taste great.

Count me as one of the eggnog lovers of the world.  I also buy it when it hits the shelves, and since I discovered that it can be frozen for a few months and used later, I fill plastic ice trays with it, and then plop a cube or two into my morning coffee, or hot cocoa to extend the holiday season into March - lol.  I also use it in bread pudding, and in pancake mix instead of milk. 

[Madding crowd]

14 hours ago, kirklandia said:

"The Aldi grocery store I go to just brought out eggnog flavored coffee and people are saying they can't taste the eggnog."

As soon as eggnog hits the shelves, I buy it to pour in my coffee instead of milk. I don't know if I'm tasting eggnog - but it taste great.
If I'm out and about, I've been known to indulge in an eggnog latte, but they are getting harder to find. Starbucks discontinued them a couple years ago.  
They are definitely a splurge in calories and in dollars.

 

The Starbucks here in Chicago still make eggnog lattes and I’m willing to have the calories because they are delicious!

[AZChristian]

7 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

Jesse said he was under the weather. Maybe I'm naive but why lie? They could simply have said he had a previous engagement if he did have a previous engagement.

My initial thought is that Elf on the Shelf and Holiday Baking are both on the same network.  If they wanted Duff on both, they would have scheduled the production at different times.

I think he was probably under the weather.

[Salacious Kitty]

12 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

My initial thought is that Elf on the Shelf and Holiday Baking are both on the same network.  If they wanted Duff on both, they would have scheduled the production at different times.

I think he was probably under the weather.

Not to mention, he would have needed more than two days to film Elf on the Shelf, even as short a,series as it is. 

[proserpina65]

On 12/9/2023 at 2:45 AM, CheshireCat said:

Has Nancy ever heard of the Erzgebirge? They're popular for their woodwork. Has she ever heard of straw stars which are very popular in Germany?

Nancy has an extremely limited idea of what looks holiday and it clearly does not include anything from outside the US.  It either has to look like something Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer would've included or it isn't holiday to her.

On 12/9/2023 at 8:56 AM, laredhead said:

I also use it in bread pudding, and in pancake mix instead of milk. 

I can see maybe using it to replace the milk/egg batter element for french toast, but other than that, yuck.

[libgirl2]

2 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

Nancy has an extremely limited idea of what looks holiday and it clearly does not include anything from outside the US.  It either has to look like something Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer would've included or it isn't holiday to her.

 

She is also inconsistent. One person's brown blob looks festive, the other person's not "holiday". 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved the ornament challenge, and I love the flavors for the Christmas tree challenge.    

 

Edited December 12, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[Frost]

Javier!  No!  Such a bad time to have an off bake!  I wonder if the failure of his isomalt dome was sticking with him.

As soon as Justine named their team "The Winners" you knew they were doomed.  I felt so bad for Javier when attempt after attempt failed.

I was about to chastise Justine for making yet another raspberry dessert, but then I remembered that she was actually assigned that flavor! 😁

[libgirl2]

Yes. I felt so bad for Javier but his dough was raw. At this point, it couldn't be overlooked. And I agree, he seemed shaken up after the whole dome issue. 

[kathyk2]

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I was annoyed with Jesse tonight. He had a scholarship to play college football at the University of Florida I'm sure Javier struggled more than that. I also thought he was trying to stir things up during the team challenge.  I was surprised Javier went home.

[MerBearHou]

I’m no baking expert but the minute they started pulling apart Javier’s tree, I said “that’s so raw”.  Rough back to back losses of Josh and Javier, but both were the fair, right call.  

[Frost]

Just now, kathyk2 said:

He had a scholarship to play college football at the University of Florida I'm sure Javier struggled more than that. I also thought he was trying to stir things up during the team challenge. 

I agree.  Comparing himself as an "immigrant" to Javier was insensitive.  And he was definitely trying to stir the pot during the team challenge.

[libgirl2]

Just now, Frost said:

I agree.  Comparing himself as an "immigrant" to Javier was insensitive.  And he was definitely trying to stir the pot during the team challenge.

My thought on Jesse being an immigrant, dude its Canada, try being Hispanic in some parts of this country. 

I also didn't care for some of the comments during the team challenge. It felt mean 

[Grizzly]

Darn it, Justine is winning this thing, isn't she? We can't get rid of her. Ashley either. At this point I'm rooting for either Kevin or Thoa. Love Sherrod but he always makes little mistakes.

[libgirl2]

4 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Darn it, Justine is winning this thing, isn't she? We can't get rid of her. Ashley either. At this point I'm rooting for either Kevin or Thoa. Love Sherrod but he always makes little mistakes.

I was over Justine last week. She is really annoying. Ashley is a bit less annoying because Justine overtook her. 

I want any of the other three to win. I like Sherrod but Nancy has it out for him. He didn't  meet the challenge.... did Justine when she made that non sign cake? Or Ashley"s non opera cake ? 

Edited December 12, 2023 by libgirl2

[Snarkastikate]

As soon as Justine declared her team was the "winnas" I think we all knew they wouldn't be, that's just the manufactured drama we've come to expect on this show.  And BTW that accent seems a bit exaggerated.  Funny how the judges thought their ornament was lacking sparkles & "internal structure" 🤔, but I didn't notice any sparkles on the winna either.  

[Salacious Kitty]

In what world does Ashley outlast Javier? I weep. 

[kathyk2]

14 minutes ago, Snarkastikate said:

As soon as Justine declared her team was the "winnas" I think we all knew they wouldn't be, that's just the manufactured drama we've come to expect on this show.  And BTW that accent seems a bit exaggerated.  Funny how the judges thought their ornament was lacking sparkles & "internal structure" 🤔, but I didn't notice any sparkles on the winna either.  

Justine didn't name her team the winners until Jesse asked her if the team had a name. She has a strong Boston accent but that's no different than someone having a midwestern or southern accent.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Frost said:

Javier!  No!  Such a bad time to have an off bake!  I wonder if the failure of his isomalt dome was sticking with him.

He just had an off day completely.  It wasn't just the dome that wasn't working but he got criticisms for taste/execution on his cobbler as well even though it got raves for its look. 

I don't blame Justine for immediately picking Kevin and Javier.  I would have picked them as well but I also knew they'd be doomed because the "best on paper" team seems to always falter. 

I was curious as to why Javier was doing the dome.  I know they highlighted Kevin's skill with chocolate but I seem to recall he has done a lot of beautiful sugar work as well and thought for sure he'd be in charge of it.

I was a little annoyed that the winning team's ornament was half a dome.  I know ornaments come in all shapes and sizes but that felt like a bit of a cop out. 

[libgirl2]

6 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

 

I don't blame Justine for immediately picking Kevin and Javier.  I would have picked them as well but I also knew they'd be doomed because the "best on paper" team seems to always falter. 

 

I felt bad for the other three, it was like getting picked last in gym. I saw them winning it even before it started.