# The Great British Baking Show is back! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 22, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584 "2018-06-22T17:29:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/21 "2018-06-26T03:36:31Z")
[quote=“zombywoof, post:20, topic:816584”] Something like “Ged-Roysh” - she says it in the first few seconds of this video [/QUOTE] Thanks for this! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/22 "2018-06-26T09:20:42Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Some of the winners have written cookbooks, have newspaper columns or appear on TV. Not just winners - Ruby Tandoh, a runner-up (and the all-time favourite contestant, apparently), has done quite well since. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/23 "2018-07-04T17:37:15Z")
I just started watching this. Getting caught up on Netflix. Here’s the question I’ve been dying to ask: why are they doing this outdoors in a tent? On some of the shows the contestants are bundled up in sweats and hoodies. And wouldn’t the outdoor humidity play havoc with some of the baking processes? It seems like they could have found a nice indoor space with constant temperature and humidity level. I like the consistent format in every show (at least the ones I’ve watched). I’m not a great baker in practice but I’ve watched a bazillion cooking shows and read my 300+ cookbooks like novels–and I’m astonished at how some of the contestants have gotten on the show without knowing the most basic things. Like the way you tell if bread dough has been proofed/proved long enough is to poke it with your finger and the indentation should remain, not spring back. I guess the point is that they’re game amateurs. It’s interesting how different their backgrounds are. Sue Perkins, the dark-haired half of the emcee team, was on another obscure but terrific (and hilarious) British food show called [“The Supersizers Eat…”](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1242512/?ref_=nv_sr_3) She and a male partner pretended to go back in time and dress and eat food in the manner/style of the ancient Romans, French royalty, war-torn Britons, 50s suburbanites, etc… Worth searching out. There were only about a dozen episodes, but they were great. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/24 "2018-07-04T18:10:31Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Here’s the question I’ve been dying to ask: why are they doing this outdoors in a tent? On some of the shows the contestants are bundled up in sweats and hoodies. The show used to move around the country, and the tent - as well as being an easy set to construct in each location - called back to the village fête vibe that the show has. They kept it when they stopped moving around. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/25 "2018-07-04T20:51:39Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > The show used to move around the country, and the tent - as well as being an easy set to construct in each location - called back to the village fête vibe that the show has. They kept it when they stopped moving around. Oh, okay. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/26 "2018-07-04T22:26:46Z")
Do village fêtes in the UK have people baking onsite? Because the country fairs I’m used to in the US have people presenting stuff they’ve made in their home kitchens. It’s gotta be a big deal to set up working ovens for all of the contestants. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/27 "2018-07-04T22:34:04Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Do village fêtes in the UK have people baking onsite? . I very much doubt any do, but it’s the judging of cakes aspect that is important. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/28 "2018-07-04T22:39:48Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Do village fêtes in the UK have people baking onsite? Because the country fairs I’m used to in the US have people presenting stuff they’ve made in their home kitchens. It’s gotta be a big deal to set up working ovens for all of the contestants. Also, people who enter the “Sexiest Marrow” competition don’t grow them right there and then. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2018, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/29 "2018-07-05T20:44:26Z")
I’m boggled at how the British have all these names for different cakes, pastries, cookies (biscuits), puddings (desserts), buns, etc. We Americans don’t have all that many names for things, do we? If we do, no one has told me. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2018, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/30 "2018-07-05T22:33:07Z")
There’s a few. Like Shoofly pie. And Layne cake. And cookies, like Haystacks and Buckeyes and Pooh Bears. But most of our names are utilitarian: pineapple upside down cake. Rhubarb pie. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2018, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/31 "2018-07-09T17:38:56Z")
Still bingeing… Do the contestants get to use oven thermometers? They seem mystified by how some of their projects burn while others are underdone. I bought my first oven thermometer in 1972 and have never been without one in the 40+ places (all different ovens) I’ve lived since then. I don’t even trust a brand new oven to be accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/32 "2018-07-09T17:56:16Z")
The ovens look like they have digital controls and I am quite sure that with cameras all around and a time limit, I’d probably forget, at least once, to hit Bake or On or whatever you need to do to actually start the thing. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2018, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/33 "2018-07-09T18:17:55Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > The ovens look like they have digital controls and I am quite sure that with cameras all around and a time limit, I’d probably forget, at least once, to hit Bake or On or whatever you need to do to actually start the thing. I’m not talking about forgetting to turn the oven on. I’m saying that when the \ has been in the oven for a while, a contestant will look into the oven and say, “Why isn’t it browning?” or “Why is it burning?” ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/34 "2018-07-21T01:15:02Z")
On tonight’s show-- “puddings” One of the contestants just said he’s not an expert on puddings, because he’d rather make desserts. I thought pudding and dessert were interchangeable in Britspeak. On the mystery shows I watch, people say, “What’s for pudding?” meaning what’s for dessert. If they’re not the same, what’s the difference? ---
**Author:** ![kbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kbear)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/35 "2018-07-21T02:05:26Z")
um…what’s wrong with the British title? (Great British Bake Off) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/36 "2018-07-21T02:14:01Z")
Pillsbury has a trademark in the US on the phrase “[bake off](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillsbury_Bake-Off)”. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/37 "2018-07-21T09:33:06Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > On tonight’s show-- “puddings” > > One of the contestants just said he’s not an expert on puddings, because he’d rather make desserts. > > I thought pudding and dessert were interchangeable in Britspeak. On the mystery shows I watch, people say, “What’s for pudding?” meaning what’s for dessert. > > If they’re not the same, what’s the difference? Some people call the dessert course “pudding”, some don’t. It always depends on context, though. Not all desserts are puddings, and not all puddings are dessert. There are savoury puddings which, obviously, you wouldn’t serve as a dessert. ---
**Author:** ![kbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kbear)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/38 "2018-07-21T12:51:38Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Pillsbury has a trademark in the US on the phrase “[bake off](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillsbury_Bake-Off)”. Did not know that. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/39 "2018-07-21T13:17:10Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > Some people call the dessert course “pudding”, some don’t. It always depends on context, though. Not all desserts are puddings, and not all puddings are dessert. There are savoury puddings which, obviously, you wouldn’t serve as a dessert. Thanks. So what is the definable difference? I guess I mean what, specifically, is a pudding? ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584/40 "2018-07-21T14:02:47Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Thanks. So what is the definable difference? I guess I mean what, specifically, is a pudding? [Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pudding) explains it as well as I could. Basically, we’be been making things called puddings since the Middle Ages, and the word’s evolved to mean a number of different things over that time; and we’ve just kept all the definitions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-baking-show-is-back/816584.md?page=3)