Clutch on Ace of Cakes

[slowgraffiti]

unless it's mario batali, i usually want the iron chef to lose. bobby flay is such a punchable face... i really hate him for "throwdown," where the premise is that he tricks cooks -most of them amateurs or professionals that have specialized in whatever thing- into thinking they've been featured in a special and then challenges them with a recipie he's developed that's usually coated in chipotle or ancho.
 alton brown, however, is redeeming enough to balance out how much i hate bobby flay. i get upset when i miss an episode of good eats that i haven't seen before. (last night's espresso episode)

[godsshoeshine]

oh man, espresso! cant wait to catch that one
 
 i usually watch throw down to root against bobby flay or make fun of his moobs

[Venerable Bede]

Originally posted by slowgraffiti:
  alton brown, however, is redeeming enough to balance out how much i hate bobby flay. i get upset when i miss an episode of good eats that i haven't seen before. (last night's espresso episode)

yeah, that episode almost made it seem like something i'd want to try.

[saintangelsin]

Originally posted by god's shoeshine:
  bourdain's show rules over anything on food network, but i do like good eats, ace of cakes, feasting on asphalt and dinner impossible

I'm with you on that one!
 
 As for the episode of Ace of Cakes, I now must watch this episode! Anytime the 930 club is mentioned on tv, I just get super happy.
 
 And for the person who was questioning DC love... First of all, The owner of Cake Love, Warren Brown (I think that's his name), had a show on Food Network. Secondly, there was an episode of Ace of Cakes where they collaborated with Warren Brown and Cake Love.

[bikerchickdc]

Originally posted by distance:
 
 
 as far as ace of cakes go, i guess some of the cakes look interesting and all that, but let's see them make a cake without using fondant?  it just looks like they're making cakes with playdough.  let's actually see some interesting plain old cake / icing structures.  i know that's possible.
 

I think for the show at least, they use fondant and not a buttercream icing or similar, because the lighting makes it warmer in the kitchen or wherever they are making and serving the cake, causing the buttercream to melt. Fondant is less fragile and looks prettier when it gets warm.

[danknugz]

bourdain's show is great, and i liked the one he had before even better - "a cook's tour." tony is an old school chef, i've worked for guys like that before in some pretty chaotic kitchens.
 
 alton brown is good. not a chef, per se, but he's excellent at conveying basic cooking principles, and the how's and why's to home cooks.
 
 and for the people who dont like bobby flay, but hate throwdown - you totally missed the point of that show. bobby flay is a cocky bastard, this show was all about taking him down a notch or two.
 
 i still like iron chef, although i must admit i prefer the old japanses version. wish they still showed that late night. getting baked and watching them braise baby octopus eyes was always good fun at 2 in the morning.

[danknugz]

Originally posted by bikerchickdc:
   

Originally posted by distance:
 
 
 as far as ace of cakes go, i guess some of the cakes look interesting and all that, but let's see them make a cake without using fondant?  it just looks like they're making cakes with playdough.  let's actually see some interesting plain old cake / icing structures.  i know that's possible.
 

I think for the show at least, they use fondant and not a buttercream icing or similar, because the lighting makes it warmer in the kitchen or wherever they are making and serving the cake, causing the buttercream to melt. Fondant is less fragile and looks prettier when it gets warm. [/b]

you cant do any real designs with a buttercream icing cake. you have to have a clean, smooth platform to work on (like a blank canvas to a painter.)
 
 the problem with those novelty cakes is i often wonder, what the fuck is going on beneath the 2 inch later of fondant. ive heard from a few people that had a cake from there, that it was "utterly tasteless and dry."
 
 if you want a cake to eat, go to a real bakery. if you want an artistic cake, with a custom design, go to charm city cakes. just be prepared to spend at least $500 (minimum.)
 
 buttercream icing sucks, btw. i prefer a nice creamy dark chocolate ganache