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Post by Bearcata on Oct 20, 2023 21:27:22 GMT
Season 14 Episode 4 - Chocolate Week - October 20, 2023 Alison is bringing such a breathe of fresh air to this season, almost feels like the old Mel and Sue vibes. Even the all the nut jokes were OK. Tasha out with a migraine and a bit of heat exhaustion. Glad to see Dan recover from last week's bread. Like the baker's said why is it always the hottest day of the year during Chocolate Week? Glad to see everyone safe but looking forward to the dreaded double elimination next week. What the heck is caramelized white chocolate? buttermilkbysam.com/how-to-caramelize-white-chocolate/
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Post by MFWalkoff on Oct 20, 2023 21:55:03 GMT
Season 14 Episode 4 - Chocolate Week - October 20, 2023 Alison is bringing such a breathe of fresh air to this season, almost feels like the old Mel and Sue vibes. Even the all the nut jokes were OK. What's interesting is the Paul is the one starting it most of the time this season... then Prue tells him to stop
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ccl
FORT Regular
Posts: 441
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Post by ccl on Oct 21, 2023 1:09:59 GMT
Caramelized white chocolate is frequently called blonde chocolate. It’s got a biscuity taste and is quite nice.
I love Saku and Tasha so this was a difficult week for me. I’m glad they’ll be back next week.
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Post by Bearcata on Oct 21, 2023 1:48:26 GMT
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Post by Kao on Oct 21, 2023 4:24:03 GMT
I heard it's particularly tricky to make because you have to keep an eye on it and heat it in small stages, as too much heat will make it burn.
I watched again and can't believe I missed the part about Tasha getting heat exhaustion and Alison talking to her. I'm glad she'll be back next week and they didn't elim anyone this week because that seemed like the fair thing to do. I don't mind a double elim next week.
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Post by Kao on Oct 21, 2023 13:34:00 GMT
With that said, they really need to do something about the temperature in the tent, as it's not good for the bakes and it's not good for the bakers. Quite frankly, I'm surprised only Tasha got heat exhaustion as several other bakers looked uncomfortably hot as well. Last year during Chocolate week people's creations actually melted while waiting to be judged. Not good.
If you get a chance watch this week's "An Extra Slice" as they had "special guests" because no one was eliminated and they was great!
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Post by justCoz on Oct 21, 2023 15:17:30 GMT
Saku is hilarious. The looks she gives are great too. Sorry about Tasha. That's rough. Having had to take to my bed this week for a migraine I really felt for her. I'm sure that contributed to the heat affecting her. It's hard enough to overcome a migraine in the best of circumstances. Do they deliberately make chocolate week the hottest week? In other words, do they have a good idea it's generally a hot week, so that's the one they choose? I know they don't usually have air conditioning, but I think they should get some portable ones for that week. I want to see them do well, not be messed up because the conditions. Especially since it could be such an easy fix. I'm way over the double entendres. It's like they're still children and can't help themselves. The other day I had to explain the beaver jokes to my sister. She could tell it was inappropriate, but didn't exactly know why. That conversation was easier than explaining to my MIL why not to send eggplant emojis. One thing I really like about this show is that getting sick or injured only takes you out for one challenge, not the whole competition. I agree Bearcata that Alison is bringing the Mel and Sue vibes. It's much needed, and what's been missing.
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Post by Bearcata on Oct 21, 2023 16:03:31 GMT
Saku is hilarious. The looks she gives are great too. Sorry about Tasha. That's rough. Having had to take to my bed this week for a migraine I really felt for her. I'm sure that contributed to the heat affecting her. It's hard enough to overcome a migraine in the best of circumstances. Do they deliberately make chocolate week the hottest week? In other words, do they have a good idea it's generally a hot week, so that's the one they choose? I know they don't usually have air conditioning, but I think they should get some portable ones for that week. I want to see them do well, not be messed up because the conditions. Especially since it could be such an easy fix. I'm way over the double entendres. It's like they're still children and can't help themselves. The other day I had to explain the beaver jokes to my sister. She could tell it was inappropriate, but didn't exactly know why. That conversation was easier than explaining to my MIL why not to send eggplant emojis. One thing I really like about this show is that getting sick or injured only takes you out for one challenge, not the whole competition. I agree Bearcata that Alison is bringing the Mel and Sue vibes. It's much needed, and what's been missing. This is what I luv about GBBO, the hidden people gems. The only problem is Saku is very quiet and you have to listen to her, she is very witty.
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Post by MFWalkoff on Oct 22, 2023 9:45:43 GMT
This was cute
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Post by Bearcata on Oct 24, 2023 15:30:02 GMT
With that said, they really need to do something about the temperature in the tent, as it's not good for the bakes and it's not good for the bakers. Quite frankly, I'm surprised only Tasha got heat exhaustion as several other bakers looked uncomfortably hot as well. Last year during Chocolate week people's creations actually melted while waiting to be judged. Not good. If you get a chance watch this week's "An Extra Slice" as they had "special guests" because no one was eliminated and they was great! How are you watching "An Extra Slice"? I have a Roku but they only have season 1, 2, & 3.
Do I need a VPN?
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Post by Kao on Oct 24, 2023 16:56:49 GMT
I'm using a VPN to watch. While it works for Channel 4 it does NOT work for BBC as they have a VPN detector and will ask you for additional information.
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Post by Kao on Oct 26, 2023 13:46:47 GMT
People are tuning in again to GBBO and NPR has an interesting article why. Apparently, a lot of people weren't here for Matt Lucas, "ethnic" weeks that were done poorly, and bakes with impossible standards so they've gone back to basics. They also mention Alison as being a definite improvement. www.npr.org/2023/10/21/1207494375/great-british-baking-show-bake-off-netflixI can say there's a lot of truth to this because while I used to rewatch episodes I haven't had any desire to do so in the past few years. While I enjoyed Matt Lucas on Dr Who I did NOT enjoy him on GBBO. This season, I'm watching each episode at least twice and I can honestly say it's because it's enjoyable again. Not sure if it was the pandemic or what but the last few seasons it was like they were under a dark cloud and now the sunlight is coming out.
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Post by MFWalkoff on Oct 26, 2023 21:41:06 GMT
I think the pandemic had a lot to do with it. It limited their casting, because they had to find bakers who could stay through the entire season's filming, as opposed to only filming on weekends and going home for the rest of the week.
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Post by Bearcata on Oct 26, 2023 22:16:35 GMT
People are tuning in again to GBBO and NPR has an interesting article why. Apparently, a lot of people weren't here for Matt Lucas, "ethnic" weeks that were done poorly, and bakes with impossible standards so they've gone back to basics. They also mention Alison as being a definite improvement. www.npr.org/2023/10/21/1207494375/great-british-baking-show-bake-off-netflixI can say there's a lot of truth to this because while I used to rewatch episodes I haven't had any desire to do so in the past few years. While I enjoyed Matt Lucas on Dr Who I did NOT enjoy him on GBBO. This season, I'm watching each episode at least twice and I can honestly say it's because it's enjoyable again. Not sure if it was the pandemic or what but the last few seasons it was like they were under a dark cloud and now the sunlight is coming out. I didn't get the upset with the ethnic weeks. So many of the bakers explore and excel in other cultures cooking. How many of the bakers have used Moroccan's flavors, Middle Eastern flavors, Indian flavors, Italian, Spanish and Indonesian? It just adds to the show. Maybe the producers can do it another way as to not offend?
I am shocked how much Alison has added to the show. I was all for getting rid of Noel and Sandy and Matt.
I do l like the show was able to get back it's mojo.
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Post by Bearcata on Oct 27, 2023 21:11:58 GMT
Season 14 Episode 5 - Pastry Week - October 27, 2023 The signature dish was bake Savoury Picnic Pies. To me they all looked delicious. Christy was so upset with her Creamy Mushroom and Leek yet she gets a handshake from Paul. That handshake meant so much to Christy. Tasha is back from last week's heat exhaustion with her Christmas stuffing of sausage, apple, and cranberry for her pies. Dana's was fun as she was doing a "dauphinoise" which is potatoes cooked in cream and she added onions. Paul asks if she is doing a pithivier? Dana answers "What?". Guess what the technical is?
Many of the other bakers were having problems with their pies from soggy bottoms, too thick crusts, air pockets inside the fillings, under cooked dough, under cooked fillings, or too dry. Rowan, Nicky, Josh, and Saku all were in trouble and it is a double elimination this week.
The technical was a Dauphinoise Pithivier, some of the bakers gave Dana the side eye about the dauphinoise filling. Christy and Dan had great bakes. Christy is having a very good week but many others still are struggling.
The showstopper was a Decorative Sweet Pie Display with many of the bakers making at least three pies. They were allowed to use colored dough and almost all were simply stunning. Josh made a sunflower plant with two huge sunflower looking pies with the other pies decorated as the leaves of the plant. Josh saved himself with that bake, it looked amazing and the judges loved the flavors. Saku's also looked amazing but it was dry. I was very worried about Saku's fate. Dana pies also looked wonderful but the taste not so much. Rowan's was a disaster full of gloop and Nicky's were dry. I could already see were this was going. Poor Rowan disaster after disaster and Nicky just had a horrible bake for the signature, for the technical, and for the showstopper.
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Post by Kao on Oct 28, 2023 14:42:49 GMT
You pretty much knew who was at the top and who was on bottom this week. Christy had a smashing week from Signature to Showstopper, while the people who went home had everything from the bottoms falling off their Picnic Pies to a Showstopper that was a gooey mess that had to be scooped out of the tin. The other person who went home unfortunately had a horrible week all the way through, while Josh and Saku pulled themselves out of the danger zone with their Showstoppers. I think pretty much everyone except for a couple struggled with the Pithvier.
I'm continuing to enjoy Alison and Noel. The skit with the cake at the beginning (that landed on Prue's head) was amusing, as well as the two keeping the baker's spirits up. I especially enjoyed the "genie of the kettle."
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ccl
FORT Regular
Posts: 441
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Post by ccl on Oct 28, 2023 17:07:48 GMT
Relieved Saku was safe. Josh’s sunflowers were really impressive.
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Post by Bearcata on Nov 4, 2023 1:50:04 GMT
Season 14 Episode 6 - Botanical Week - November 3, 2023
So scared Saku would not make it. Oh, my goodness during the signature bake the faces Paul and Prud made when Saku told them she was making Cinnamon Sticky Buns. They really expect these punchy Sri Lankan spices and cinnamon is from Asia but the expectation they had and not getting it was funny.
Luv'ing Tasha that girl stands up to Paul and almost puts him in his place. That showstopper was stunning.
So many of the bakers were all over the place, so many were in peril.
Glad to see Dan and Josh back doing good bakes. Well, Dan is always a tad sloppy.
For the showstopper they have to constantly put their bakes into the freezer to set the jellies and mousses that their sponges can dry out and that is exactly what happened to Dana. I lov'ed her botanical box, but that couldn't save her.
This weeks bakes were:
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Post by Kao on Nov 9, 2023 15:43:12 GMT
I enjoyed Botanical Week. I was very scared for certain bakers, including Saku and especially Cristy. I felt so bad for her when her white chocolate mold broke and she melted down. I was glad when she rallied and made another one in time. Matty, Dana, and Saku were on the struggle bus this week, but it was Dana who got the chop, which was sad because she is one of the most positive people to ever bake under that tent. I'm sad she didn't get her handshake from Paul or place first in the technicals the way she wanted to.
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Post by Bearcata on Nov 11, 2023 0:44:26 GMT
Season 14 Episode 7 - Dessert Week - November 10, 2023
No say it isn't so! Saku is GONE! The last couple of episodes its as if her flavors were gone.
The technical was a complete disaster for everyone. Paul said it would take 40 minutes to bake a steamed pudding and everyone had the time wrong with folks baking them for 20 and 30 minutes.
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Post by Kao on Nov 11, 2023 3:35:55 GMT
Signature: Question– Is a “creme caramel” the same thing as flan? Because it looks like flan to me, and it’s confusing. What I found interesting about this dessert is the wild variety of flavors the bakers used; everything from lemongrass to chai to honey to cardamon. I’m also a fan of plums so Josh’s caramels really sounded interesting.
Technical: I think that giving them only 90 minutes for a bake that requires a lot of fiddly prep work plus a minimum 40 minute oven time shouldn’t be allowed. To make matters worse, they weren't told bake times so everyone had to guesstimate, and after all the chopping, caramel making, and other things that needed to be done it's understandable that everyone's baking time was north of the time needed to actually bake. It’s not good for the bakers because they struggle horribly, and it’s not that much fun to watch as a spectator either. When every single baker has issues with a bake, it’s not the bakers at fault. I think it was a fair call for the judges to ignore the Technical this week and only judge the bakers on the Signature and Showstoppers.
Showstopper: Some of those Meringue Bombes were quite elaborate. I especially liked Tasha’s Plum blossoms, Christy’s Multicolored Bombe with meringue kisses all over it, and Josh’s sporty green strawberry beehive thingy. I felt really badly for everyone’s Bombe that cracked and felt especially bad for Saku, whose bottom part of her Bombe broke into pieces.
Was sad about who went home but it was time. “It’s a privilege to be part of this lovely family” was such a lovely thing to say.
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Post by MFWalkoff on Nov 11, 2023 4:42:00 GMT
Biggest Technical Trainwreck ever! Yes, the problem was not giving them enough time. They had to execute every step perfectly in order to JUST make the time limit. There was no room for starting over at any point. That's just mean. I will miss Saku! She was such a great presence in the tent, even if her baking was a little chaotic lol. We're at the quarterfinals already -- these seasons go by way too fast.
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Post by Kao on Nov 11, 2023 4:57:29 GMT
What got me was "minimum 40 minute bake." That means it actually takes a longer time to bake properly but 40 minutes is the bare minimum so you don't get collapsing desserts. I'm irritated because this isn't the first time this season that they didn't allow enough time for the bakers to implement a Technical properly. We don't need manufactured drama; just give them enough time to bake, and all will be well!
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Post by Bearcata on Nov 11, 2023 7:12:49 GMT
What got me was "minimum 40 minute bake." That means it actually takes a longer time to bake properly but 40 minutes is the bare minimum so you don't get collapsing desserts. I'm irritated because this isn't the first time this season that they didn't allow enough time for the bakers to implement a Technical properly. We don't need manufactured drama; just give them enough time to bake, and all will be well! The premise of the show is the find the BEST amateur baker in Britain. That implies that person knows how to bake classic British bakes such as steamed pudding and should know the approximate baking time. Just saying.
The second I heard Paul say "40 minute bake" I knew that technical was doomed especially when you heard the bakers say they will bake for 20 or 30 minutes.
The only thing the judges could do was consider that technical a wash and not even consider it in the judging. The only person even mildly successful in that technical was Tasha and if she was in danger of leaving I could see the judges saving her based on that bake. Thankfully, Tasha and Matty were middle of this pack this week.
Next week is Party Cakes.
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ccl
FORT Regular
Posts: 441
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Post by ccl on Nov 11, 2023 14:56:25 GMT
I enjoyed the technical train wreck. All the bakers seemed to take it in good spirits and it was funny. Interesting how the only one who really had edible puddings was Tasha who determined they were not baking in time and disregarded the instructions and took them out of the water.
I will miss Saku in the tent as well. She was a joy to watch. Still rooting for Tasha first and foremost.
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Post by libgirl2 on Nov 11, 2023 17:38:31 GMT
Signature: Question– Is a “creme caramel” the same thing as flan? Because it looks like flan to me, and it’s confusing. What I found interesting about this dessert is the wild variety of flavors the bakers used; everything from lemongrass to chai to honey to cardamon. I’m also a fan of plums so Josh’s caramels really sounded interesting. Technical: I think that giving them only 90 minutes for a bake that requires a lot of fiddly prep work plus a minimum 40 minute oven time shouldn’t be allowed. To make matters worse, they weren't told bake times so everyone had to guesstimate, and after all the chopping, caramel making, and other things that needed to be done it's understandable that everyone's baking time was north of the time needed to actually bake. It’s not good for the bakers because they struggle horribly, and it’s not that much fun to watch as a spectator either. When every single baker has issues with a bake, it’s not the bakers at fault. I think it was a fair call for the judges to ignore the Technical this week and only judge the bakers on the Signature and Showstoppers. Showstopper: Some of those Meringue Bombes were quite elaborate. I especially liked Tasha’s Plum blossoms, Christy’s Multicolored Bombe with meringue kisses all over it, and Josh’s sporty green strawberry beehive thingy. I felt really badly for everyone’s Bombe that cracked and felt especially bad for Saku, whose bottom part of her Bombe broke into pieces. Was sad about who went home but it was time. “It’s a privilege to be part of this lovely family” was such a lovely thing to say. I grew up on flan, my mom made the best ever. I brought one to a work holiday party and everyone wanted the recipe. One woman said it was like eating heaven. My husband and I looked at the caramels and said "that's flan".
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Post by justCoz on Nov 11, 2023 21:02:36 GMT
Signature: Question– Is a “creme caramel” the same thing as flan? Because it looks like flan to me, and it’s confusing. What I found interesting about this dessert is the wild variety of flavors the bakers used; everything from lemongrass to chai to honey to cardamon. I’m also a fan of plums so Josh’s caramels really sounded interesting. Technical: I think that giving them only 90 minutes for a bake that requires a lot of fiddly prep work plus a minimum 40 minute oven time shouldn’t be allowed. To make matters worse, they weren't told bake times so everyone had to guesstimate, and after all the chopping, caramel making, and other things that needed to be done it's understandable that everyone's baking time was north of the time needed to actually bake. It’s not good for the bakers because they struggle horribly, and it’s not that much fun to watch as a spectator either. When every single baker has issues with a bake, it’s not the bakers at fault. I think it was a fair call for the judges to ignore the Technical this week and only judge the bakers on the Signature and Showstoppers. Showstopper: Some of those Meringue Bombes were quite elaborate. I especially liked Tasha’s Plum blossoms, Christy’s Multicolored Bombe with meringue kisses all over it, and Josh’s sporty green strawberry beehive thingy. I felt really badly for everyone’s Bombe that cracked and felt especially bad for Saku, whose bottom part of her Bombe broke into pieces. Was sad about who went home but it was time. “It’s a privilege to be part of this lovely family” was such a lovely thing to say. I completely agree that they definitely did not give them enough time for that challenge. Several of them knew they hadn't cooked long enough but there wasn't enough time to cook them longer. When it's that big of a disaster it wasn't enough time. I also agree it's not much fun to watch. I do not watch this show for manufactured drama. Things happen all the time in the tent so there is really no reason to try to manufacture bad things. That's not what I want to see. Sad to see Saku go. I really enjoyed watching her and her sense of humor.
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Post by Kao on Nov 11, 2023 23:32:38 GMT
What got me was "minimum 40 minute bake." That means it actually takes a longer time to bake properly but 40 minutes is the bare minimum so you don't get collapsing desserts. I'm irritated because this isn't the first time this season that they didn't allow enough time for the bakers to implement a Technical properly. We don't need manufactured drama; just give them enough time to bake, and all will be well! The premise of the show is the find the BEST amateur baker in Britain. That implies that person knows how to bake classic British bakes such as steamed pudding and should know the approximate baking time. Just saying.
The second I heard Paul say "40 minute bake" I knew that technical was doomed especially when you heard the bakers say they will bake for 20 or 30 minutes.
The only thing the judges could do was consider that technical a wash and not even consider it in the judging. The only person even mildly successful in that technical was Tasha and if she was in danger of leaving I could see the judges saving her based on that bake. Thankfully, Tasha and Matty were middle of this pack this week.
Next week is Party Cakes.
I would agree with this on principle but every single baker had issues with that bake. If it was just a couple of them having issues it would be different. Besides the fact that it's an old school dessert not a lot of people make these days, they simply weren't given enough time for this bake.
I was curious about the average baking time for a traditional British steamed pudding and did a quick search. My top 3 results:
BBC Good Food: 3 hr 15 minutes
Bigger Bolder Baking: 2 hr 20 minutes
Taste: 2 hr 10 minutes
I also checked the British Food: A History site and while they didn't give a full prep/baking time for their pudding they did make a point that the total cook time minus prep for their medium pudding is 90 minutes. I also noticed that this pudding was pretty plain and required only the mixing of ingredients before going in the tin, whereas the bakers on GBBO had to make caramel, chop up ginger and oranges, etc in addition to mixing things.
edit: Here's a recap about this week that explains in more detail. Also, the writer isn't thrilled about Paul's blatant favoritism and lets it all out.
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Post by Bearcata on Nov 12, 2023 3:28:49 GMT
The premise of the show is the find the BEST amateur baker in Britain. That implies that person knows how to bake classic British bakes such as steamed pudding and should know the approximate baking time. Just saying.
The second I heard Paul say "40 minute bake" I knew that technical was doomed especially when you heard the bakers say they will bake for 20 or 30 minutes.
The only thing the judges could do was consider that technical a wash and not even consider it in the judging. The only person even mildly successful in that technical was Tasha and if she was in danger of leaving I could see the judges saving her based on that bake. Thankfully, Tasha and Matty were middle of this pack this week.
Next week is Party Cakes.
I would agree with this on principle but every single baker had issues with that bake. If it was just a couple of them having issues it would be different. Besides the fact that it's an old school dessert not a lot of people make these days, they simply weren't given enough time for this bake. I was curious about the average baking time for a traditional British steamed pudding and did a quick search. My top 3 results: BBC Good Food: 3 hr 15 minutes Bigger Bolder Baking: 2 hr 20 minutes Taste: 2 hr 10 minutes I also checked the British Food: A History site and while they didn't give a full prep/baking time for their pudding they did make a point that the total cook time minus prep for their medium pudding is 90 minutes. I also noticed that this pudding was pretty plain and required only the mixing of ingredients before going in the tin, whereas the bakers on GBBO had to make caramel, chop up ginger and oranges, etc in addition to mixing things. edit: Here's a recap about this week that explains in more detail. Also, the writer isn't thrilled about Paul's blatant favoritism and lets it all out. I looked up the time also, these were smaller puddings, individual sizes so the bake times were shorter and the source I read stated 40 minutes.
Read the article on the link. Who the heck is Jason? There is no one named Jason on the cast yet the writer states this person has been star baker.
Prue is the one who I have seen in an interview who does not mind National Theme week and liked Mexico Week.
Paul is the show.
OMG arguing about the judging again.
Cooking/Baking judging is based on three criteria:
If you example all three bakes and create a grid based on the judging criteria, Paul and Prue are usually pretty spot on who stays or goes.
In that article the writer uses Dan's Green Curry Caramels as and example of Paul saying it is a triumph while it does look a mess. OMG Mr. Stupid Writer, Paul states that the flavor/taste is a triumph not necessarily the overall bake. LISTEN, Dude.
That is the problem with these writers they focus only on what they want to focus on. I get having favorites as a viewer and being upset when the best baker goes home because they have a bad week. Prue and Paul have stated before they have to judge on what the baker has produced this week.
The one who is really biased it the writer. It is obvious he hates Paul.
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Post by Kao on Nov 12, 2023 7:06:10 GMT
I didn't look up the baking times of individual portions vs full size puddings, so that makes sense. I still think if everyone fails at a task maybe the problem is the task. From the looks of it, they used an alternative version of the recipe on the British Food: A History site (which is 90 minutes) but didn't allow for the extra prep time for more ingredients. Oh, that writer totally hates Paul; I just posted that link because of the lol of it all. I think he meant Josh but said Jason? I like Dan a lot, but the writer wasn't all wrong as he should have went home for serving the judges raw dough a couple of weeks ago. While I mostly agree with the judges, there have been some judging decisions over the seasons that I've side eyed.
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