Lorraine Pascale – Worst Bakers In America

By starrymag | November 5, 2016

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

 

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I am a baking fanatic. Whether it be cookies, muffins, cheesecake, pie, etc.—I am the baker in our house. So, you can imagine my excitement when I had the chance to chat with Lorraine Pascale, Master Baker and co-host of “Worst Bakers in America.” I was over the moon! We had the chance to talk about everything from her new cookbook, baking tips, working with Duff Goldman and everything in between!

 

Q) I know you have a new cookbook coming out and I want to know what inspired you to write a book about show-stopping recipes?

 

A) I wanted to have a book that had every recipe look amazing and tasted amazing and was very simple to cook. It’s so much like a—baking Bible (I don’t know what we call them over here) with every single baking recipe you’d ever want. So, that’s what I’ve written.

 

Q) Aside from the cookbook, do you have any new projects that you’re working on?

 

A) At the moment, I’ve just finished filming the “Spring Baking Championship” and I’m doing a little work in the UK as well. So, yeah, that’s keeping me busy at the moment. And I just finished shooting the book so that was hard work, too.

 

Q) I was on your blog; which I have to admit I absolutely love because food blogs are cool to read. What made you decide to start the food blog?

 

A) I just think it’s nice to have things that I’m actually writing, not just posting a recipe with no voice in it. You know, just kind of my day to day things (what I’m doing) are quite interesting to read.

 

Q) I know our lovely editors are big fans of “Worst Bakers in America” so I’m wondering that has been one of your favorite moments of working on the show?

 

A) My favorite moment is the finale, which is this Sunday. It was exhausting and long trying to get my final baker to cook because we weren’t allowed to touch and we weren’t allowed to help or anything. We’re just allowed to talk to them. It was very challenging.

 

Q) Oh, I can imagine! And what was it like working with Duff Goldman? My husband and I absolutely love you and we love him so I can imagine it must have been so much fun getting to work with him.

 

A) Oh, I love working with Duff! I mean, I’ve worked with him so much. He’s so easy to work with, so relaxed and just so much fun.

 

Q) I’m wondering, because you did the “Worst Bakers” and seeing you’re training them to get better, why is it so important to educate those who aren’t natural bakers?

 

A) I think because baking is something that takes a while to learn. It takes practice and it takes confidence and the more you practice the more confident you get and the more competent you get. So, it’s nice to be able to teach people and be on their shoulder every step of the way.

 

Q) With the holidays coming up, what are some of your favorite holiday traditions or holiday baking essentials?

 

A) Well, I bake a lot with pumpkin. I would make sure I got the canned pumpkin and make like pumpkin brownies or pumpkin muffins. I like baking then taking the food around to family and friends. Always nice to have a baking gift.

 

Q) My goodness, I feel like I could use that at home right now. My husband can’t bake to save his life! He doesn’t consider baking a science and he tried to make chocolate chip cookies without measuring the flour.

 

A) Oh, it is.

 

Q) What are some common mistakes that bakers make and what would you suggest fixing them?

 

A) I always recommend reading the recipe through once before you start making it and don’t freestyle. If you start freestyling it and doing your own thing then, as your husband found out, things are going to go wrong. So, it’s really important to stick to the recipe, do what it says, make sure you measure and weigh everything perfectly and also things like when it says the oven temperature make sure that’s accurate. Oven temperature and the right shelf in the oven, just everything has to be right – the pan shape! Some people think, “Oh it doesn’t matter what pan shape. If it’s round I’ll just use 8-inch square instead.” It does matter!

 

Q) I know you love to cook, when you need to de-stress what are your go-to recipes?

 

A) I like making either a muffin or a cupcake, something not too trying and something I can share with people. So, I just tend to focus on very simple recipes – recipes where you’re just putting everything into the bowl and mixing it together. And I also like making bread to distress.

 

Q) I know that you were first a model and then you decided to get into the culinary arts to supplement what you were doing. When you started, what was the best advice you were given?

 

A) Always listen and if you can’t do something, just make sure you say, “Don’t try and do something,” if they ask you to do something. Don’t try and be confident before you can be. Don’t walk before you can run.

 

Q) I was checking out your website and I saw you had the #bakeandshare and you’re into lots of healthy eating. I absolutely love the hashtags and sharing recipes. Do you feel social media has played a large part in the increase of sharing recipes and cooking at home and baking?

 

A) Yeah, I do. I think it’s great when people post recipes and they post how it looks and then people at home go, “Oh, I could actually do that myself” and they’ve got a visual picture. I just think it really helps people build their confidence when you can see what other people have made?

 

Q) I do have a couple food questions for you. What is your favorite guilty pleasure food?

 

A) I like bleu cheese. All bleu cheese, my favorite.

 

Q) We all tend to have the one dish and you never seem to get quite right, you’re always trying to make it better and improve it. So what was that one dish for you?

 

A) Oh, I haven’t found a dish yet that I can’t make. I don’t know the answer to that one.

 

Q) I’m actually impressed! I can imagine you must be one amazing cook then! And since you are the Master Baker, what is the best dessert you have ever had?

 

A) I think I went to Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant. I don’t know if you know him here, he has a restaurant outside of London called The Fat Duck. It was amazing, this kind of orange dessert. It was beautiful. I can’t even remember because it was one of those gastronomy restaurants, all very high-end cuisine. But it was beautiful, every dish was beautiful.

 

For some fun baking tips, recipes and up-to-date information on her cookbooks, you can check out Lorraine Pascale’s website at http://www.lorrainepascale.com/. Also, be sure to tune in to Food Network this Sunday, November 6^th at 10/9c for the Worst Bakers in America Season Finale!