Great American Baking Contest!

[aaronatthedoublef]

It's back for the holidays starting tonight (Dec 6). Paul Hollywood has come across the pond. Not sure who his co-hosts will be.

Anyone watched the Netflix shows? I've watched the seasons 5 and 6 (the two Netflix produced ones) and Paul and Pru (the Mary Berry replacement) seem old, and stodgy, and mean. The technical are really mean.

The bakers are young and very skilled. Sure things go wrong some times but many of them make some really good looking baked goods.

A couple of things surprised me. In season 5 they had an Italian week and no one thought to practice pizza. So when it appeared in the technical they were ALL baffled!

Also, the judging is not good and I think the winner of season 6 was decided around the third or fourth week. But I won't say anymore so as not to spoil it.

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[BakerAunt]

I checked, and it's on ABC. Guess which station cannot be picked up on digital antenna where we live? 🙁 After reading about the hosts, however, I'm not sure that I am missing that much. Let's see what the rest of you think.

I've not watched Netflix, so I have not seen the British ones.

[RiversideLen]

BakerAunt, with an Amazon Fire Stick you can stream ABC, including live content, for no charge.

[BakerAunt]

Interesting, Len. I think it would also have to wait for us to replace the television I bought twenty years ago. (It has a great picture, and I even had it repaired ten years ago--yes, I found someone who fixed televisions!) We're waiting on buying a modern television until the remodeling is complete. We also have never become Amazon Prime members. I'm going to have to investigate this brave new world of streaming.

[aaronatthedoublef]

This is why I love this site! We start talking about a baking show and evolve into televisions and streaming.

BA, the next set you by will likely be a smart television and will allow you to connect to Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, and whatever else is out there without an additional device like an Amazon Fire.

Another observation from the two seasons of Netflix GBBS is how many people have accidents or near accidents because they are using cookie sheets and "bakes" slide off. I haven't used a cookie sheet in years, even for cookies. The last time I used a cookie sheet was as a peel for pizza.

How about you all? Do you still use cookie sheets?

[RiversideLen]

I have 2 streaming devices (Roku and Amazon Fire Stick) as well as one smart TV. The streaming devices are better than the smart TV as it provides more apps. The Roku and Fire Stick are almost six of one and a half dozen of the other but the Fire Stick gets the edge. It offers apps like CBS (requires a fee), NBC and ABC both include live streaming for no fee, and it has 2 web browsers. So, you can visit some of your fav internet sites that way (it's not exactly a substitute for a computer and some sites show better on it than others). The Fire Stick is definitely optimized for Amazon Prime but you can view Amazon Prime easily on a smart TV and Roku. Roku has a 3 Stooges app that Fire Stick doesn't have, so there are differences. I have a TV that I don't use often and it's not connected to cable and the antenna reception is not good at all. So, when Amazon Prime day came around I saw the Fire Stick for half price ($20) I bought it for that TV. I'm glad I did. Since I got streaming devices, I've been watching a lot more on YouTube. There's all kinds of stuff there.

[RiversideLen]

I use half sheet pans for cookies.

[BakerAunt]

Yes, I use cookie sheets, often with parchment. It is important to grip the parchment as well as the pan when removing it from the oven, as the parchment can slide off with the contents. I have once or twice lost the occasional cookie, so I am careful.

I'm not sure that I like the ovens that GBBS contestants must use. First, there is no window, so they can't see just how their product is baking unless they open the door. (Paul likes technical challenges that will be ruined if you open the door.) The ovens are also rather low to the ground, and I think that might be one reason for the tipping of contents. I also think that the time limits are unreasonable.

Len--Thanks for the overview. I will have to start wrapping my head around it after the first of the year. For my husband, Formula One racing is a must-have. The only online streaming is from the SKY network, and it is too expensive. I've been watching a lot less TV, since the only place we get reception without cable is in the garage apt. We're moving into it this weekend and will live there while the house renovations are in process, so we shall see if proximity increased my TV time.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by BakerAunt.

[Joan Simpson]

I use cookie sheets and jelly roll size pans for baking cookies.
I recorded and watched the GBBS show last night and they just don't give enough time.

[Mike Nolan]

I haven't watched GBBS in a few seasons, but the ovens they used to use had small windows. Those were the ones where the doors could be slid out of the way under the oven, a feature I've never seen in ovens in the USA.

I really dislike the timed aspect of most cooking shows, because rushing just to meet an arbitrary time budget is unnecessary. It also impacts taste and appearance. That's why I've pretty much stopped watching cooking competition shows. I occasionally watch Chopped, but mostly because they tend to use interesting ingredients that nobody knows. Chopped is responsible for a dramatic increase in interest in geoduck, which used to be essentially unknown outside of the pacific northwest, and their price has nearly doubled over the last 10 years.

[BakerAunt]

Tonight I watched GBBS Masterclass Christmas. It wasn't a competition but featured Paul and Mary making British Christmas recipes. Mary Berry's creations are not what I associate with Christmas. I'm not a pavlova or a trifle person. I did like Paul's Chelsea Bun Christmas tree and his puff pastry pie that used leftover turkey and ham. He had a lovely pie bird--larger than ones I've seen in the U.S.

While the show was interesting, most of the items do not connect with Christmas for me, perhaps because I come out of the rolled sugar cookie tradition, as well as the breads and cookies of Germany and Scandinavia.

[Mike Nolan]

We've made trifle for Christmas many times, it's a great 'presentation piece'.

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