Anyone up for a Great British Bake Off Thread? My piping bag is poised!

[Roussette]

That's it really! I love GBBO and I'm sat here waiting....

just wish I had some chocolate to enjoy it with

(I apologise if someone has started a thread, just link me to it and ignore this if so! )

there’s a still a reliable and warm and old-fashioned part of the show which will reject on sight hipsters with nose piercings with full-arm tattoos who sing in bands and don’t serve their food on plates.

Made me actually laugh out loud :)

Dd's just informed me there's a new controvesy this year. Apparently the star baker last week has food training in Paris.
ANyone else heard this?

Puff pant puff pant...... Just found you all!!!
Some posts did make me laugh ????
Happy: they haven't mucked about with the format & the contestants are a good mix
Sad: Forked out £300 for a kitchenaid mixer on the strength of the GBBO and now they're not using them, noooooooo!!!????

Yeah my DH told me that this morning, think he saw it in the Mirror

Exactly Davros

Are all the contestants supposed to be untrained amateurs DeeWee? I reckon there was a bloke in last years' who looked like he had baked professionally. He didn't win

Just marking my place if I may!

I read the BBC statement about that, and apparently she did a week-long course in Paris over 30 years ago, and the rules specify that you can't have done professional training in the past 10 years, so she was OK. She ran some catering operation at a hotel and a cupcake business or something too, but again, the rules say that you can't have worked professionally as a cook or baker, not that you haven't been involved in the trade in some way (manager or whatever) or that you haven't made any money from it (e.g., cake selling), just that it wasn't your main occupation. Someone commented that at the level of baking that is needed to be on the show, it would be surprising if people hadn't done courses, workshops, night classes, etc., nor ever tried to sell cupcakes or cake stalls, or been involved in some kind of foody-stuff, because that's what people who are passionate about baking tend to do, because they enjoy it! And I think that's a fair point.

Apparently she did a one-week course in 1984.
I also think if someone comes across as too professional and doesn't have the required "journey".

It would be impossible difficult to make it a completely level playing field I suppose.

If they were all beginners it would be boring.

Agreed - mind it's been instructive, because say Ruby Tandoh had very poor techniques (seeing her folding in flour into cakes with a wooden spoon...) yet she was a natural baker and produced some amazing stuff.

Yes Ruby has done very well since last year too with her article in the Grauniad and other stuff probably (I don't read the mainstream media)

Are you not supposed to fold flour in with a wooden spoon??

I think you're supposed to use metal spoons. Not sure why. Probably science, or something.

DH and I made the technical challenge cake, not that difficult but the frosting was grainy, despite mixing it for way longer than specified. It's nice but the frosting is too sweet for me. I will try the frosting with icing sugar the next time and see what happens. We may attempt the technical bake every week, until it gets too hard or too weird.
And you should always fold flour in with a metal spoon according to my (cooking teacher) mother.

The reason for using a metal spoon is that it has a sharer edge, so you can cut and fold, for folding in, which keeps the air in the cake - the blunt edge of a wooden spoon would in theory beat out air.

sharper edge

I always fold with a knife.

Yaaay it's tonight!!! (I must get a life )

There have been complaints about the new formulation of Tate and Lyle's icing sugar as it makes some icing grainy.

But surely icing sugar is a powder (couldn't be grainy) caster sugar is the grainy one.

They have changed the anti-caking agent to corn starch, I think, which is apparently making butter cream go gritty. The guardian had a report on it on Monday.

Oh I didn't know, thanks chemenger . I wonder why they have to meddle with the ingredients of icing sugar? If it ain't broke why 'fix' it? Unless it's cheaper, gm corn is very cheap in America.

Thanks for the spoon info, never knew that :)

I did know that rumbelina If you need basic help with baking have a look at the Delia Smith books they're fab.

Getting ready
Have been babysitting for a few days but tonight I'm child free and have the remote ( and wine!)