$279 vs $19 Sushi: Pro Chef & Home Cook Swap Ingredients | Epicurious

Professional chef Yuji Haraguchi and home cook Joe are swapping ingredients and hitting the kitchen to make sushi rolls. We set Joe up with $279 worth of supplies - everything he’d need for his attempt at Yuji's somewhat intimidating recipe. Meanwhile, a modest $19 worth of ingredients was sent back the other way to be elevated into something gourmet by our esteemed pro. As she’s known to do, food scientist Rose dialed in to assist Joe with a few questions he had along the way. Whose sushi are you rolling with?
Find Chef Yuji and his restaurants on Instagram at @haraguchiyuji, @okonomibk and @yujiramen_bk
Find Joe on Instagram and other social platforms at @mrjoemiles
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Director: Christopher Principe
Director of Photography: Eric Brouse
Editor: Robert Malone
Talent: Yuji Haraguchi
Talent: Joe Miles
Sr. Culinary Director: Kelly Janke
Producer: Isabel Alcantara
Culinary Producer: Jessica Do
Culinary Associate Producer: Matt Migliore
Line Producer: Jennifer McGinity
Associate Producer: Michael Cascio
Production Manager: Janine Dispensa
Production Coordinator: Elizabeth Hymes
Camera Operator: Duell Davis
Audio: Brett Van Duessen
Production Assistant: Kayla immerman
Post Production Supervisor: Andrea Farr
Post Production Coordinator: Scout Alter
Supervising Editor: Eduardo Araújo
Assistant Editor: Justin Symonds
Graphics Supervisor: Ross Rackin
Graphics, Animation, VFX: Léa Kichler
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[@fromnaras]

Yuji is the best. Explains everything and doesn’t look down on any ingredient

[@bigcheese6120]

A stand up guy for sure

[@bryanking1258]

Dawg he got so creative w them rolls

[@mainitcaldo]

@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ this is the video to be doing something like this?

[@Tropicool]

Rather eat a tuna fish sandwich

[@eryvne]

@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ im atheist baby

[@maikcampbell]

This was such a fun episode, and their personalities were so chill. They seem like great friends or coworkers to have in your life

[@EmperorOfSomething]

Agreed.

[@chinesekitchenknives2144]

YEAH

[@vennie-7097]

Yr 600th like

[@cartonofmilk2190]

Hey could you provide some help, I turned my grandma into ash, and added salt then drank it, I need psychological help.

[@cartonofmilk2190]

@the chungini man I consumed your grandad’s ashes, mr.chugini-man

[@jasonb9562]

The look on Joe’s face when he finished roll was like “I didn’t screw this up!”

[@sallybanner]

such delight, loved it

[@2ManyGoats]

That look was so genuine!

[@michaelluck8439]

[@shefrmthecity]

Lol😂

[@sebastianwilliams6651]

@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ do you really think that proselytizing in youtube comments is effective? "I was living a life of sin, but then I saw a Bible verse in a youtube comment, and I changed my life around." Just doesn't seem realistic to me.

[@tricks4wealth]

I love how yuji literally uses everything, he doesn’t waste a single thing in making his sushi

[@alandeutsch9987]

resourceful and creative - some of the qualities of an amazing chef

[@notIkigai]

@@alandeutsch9987 fr

[@instant8117]

Sanji 💯

[@aldoriarobichaud8056]

Cucumber seeds were wasted

[@kitkatsoup]

ive noticed that for a lot of the pro chefs, they really know how to utilize their ingredients

[@Hahahahaaahaahaa]

I haven't seen Joe before, what a great home-cook personality.

[@josephnation9063]

Needs to get better at food safety though.

[@TheRaptor700Rider]

@@josephnation9063 Huh?

[@josephnation9063]

@@TheRaptor700Rider has a couple of times where he uses a utensil to eat off of and then uses it again

[@alexrekzu4079]

He is chill, kinda the average Joe 🍸

[@guhb1531]

@@josephnation9063 bad habit die hard

[@CarrieArt7]

"No instructions at all, he did however draw a little sushi guy, I think that's all I need," LOL 😄😂

[@sexuallyactivetoyotaprius3454]

"So if you are in the ocean and you have a wasabi root, you can just roll right up to a shark and just do this right on their back." Joe with the absolute BEST advice

[@dinisagita8478]

also "You should get a donabe" "Don't worry about it you're not gonna get it"

[@ArielK1987]

Can we have two of the experts or home cooks swap their ingredients to make the same dish? Please

[@XxKingCraZyxX]

Actually, hear me out. I'd love to see two chefs swap ingredients, let them guess what the other one was gonna make with it and cook something completely different :D

[@tlgmc1908]

great idea!

[@ijustexist3866]

That’ll be interesting

[@naxi5046]

@@XxKingCraZyxX really great idea!

[@ezratio1113]

YES!

[@Chanzlyn]

Joe was such a delight! Definitely would love to see him more. Yuji is always a treat, he just feels like that guy that's working a bar or a food stall and you can just sit there and have a welcoming conversation with him.

[@user-no1wi4xj7d]

Led me to think

[@jayh0086]

Joe is so comfortable in front of the camera and his sense of humour is perfect for this channel, more of him.

[@ChuckingWrenches]

the humbleness from the chef is so admirable considering the amount of training a sushi chef goes through.

[@mrmistermr1169]

I love them both. They are so wholesome, it just warms my heart up.

[@chris93122]

"If I had to get the goop out of anyones bones in a medical situation I could do it" solidified Joe as the best guest ever

[@drakkula_87]

I love how Yuji doesn’t act like Joe is an amateur home cook just that he was making a simple meal. Never made fun of it or anything, just made a great meal out of the ingredients.

[@microwavedmetal]

Joe’s fatality was killer😂

[@c0nc3ntr8d6]

Yuji is a great teacher, absolutely loved listening to him and his attitude is infectious. Joe, well done!

[@dakaodo]

The initial dismayed reactions (and Joe's periodic recurring moments) when their ingredients were taken away was a great start to set the tone of contrast throughout the video! Both chef Haraguchi and Joe were such good sports as they adapted. Joe's confidence in encountering the limits of his experience made for a humble yet positive sense of humor. Yuji's skill in improvising was amazing. (and I lurve fried salmon skin -- every time I use salmon, I'll willingly triple my meal prep time just for that extra step) P.S. I have no idea how much time it took Joe to tackle so many unknowns, but every time I've gotten in over my head on a recipe or dish it has been triple or worse my intended prep time. Big props to him, and I hope behind the scenes there was a helping staff hand or three to make sure everyone wasn't stuck on set for like 6 hours!

[@ieatdeoderant5913]

Enough bro we didn’t need a review

[@MossyMozart]

@@ieatdeoderant5913 - Isn't that what the comments are for? They aren't for being nasty, I'll tell you that.

[@coquigirl0789]

I LOVE JOE. Bring him back for more episodes!

[@sheltongolden4394]

I like that these guys are pretty chill. It makes them seem more relatable. Sometimes I get annoyed by hosts/guest that are super energetic and peppy. Just chill out people.

[@sayonichatterjee2721]

It's always a treat to watch yuji cook

[@magimerlyn9596]

I always appreciate that he doesn’t add anything, he only uses what he gets. Some pros add or even straight up replace a ton of stuff

[@Dominicana24]

I am living for Joe. Had me cracking up the whole time. More Joe please!

[@rahee9482]

I used to work as a waiter at a sushi place and would describe hand rolls as ice cream cones, I had a couple give me a bad review saying I was treating them like they were stupid. Lol will never forget that

[@Justsomewan]

insecurity issues i guess

[@pandraus]

16:30 the way he looks up and say. "i've made sushi" made me happy for him

[@ColombianLNP]

Joe was awesome!!! And yuji is a true professional so humble yet so creative. Another awesome episode!!! Thanks Epicurious! Cheers from your biggest fan in Colombia amigos !

[@toursbydee]

I'm a big fan from Colombia too!!! I'm from Cali and you?

[@ColombianLNP]

@@toursbydee hey ! I'm from Bogota ! :)

[@yardleyj9391]

Joe is so cool! The type of friend you need. Plus his sushi did pretty well according to the chef. They both have great personalities! 💚💚

[@PaolaBarrientos]

Chef Yuji is so kind and humble. He is one of my favorites in this channel ❣️

[@ShieldofTerror]

lol, I wasn't expecting Yuji to go 'the head is dragging!' because the professional chefs usually are bidding their expensive ingredients a tearful goodbye. I also really liked Joe, he's probably the most fearless home cook I've seen on this channel.

[@LEXZICODM]

😂😂”I’m an expert I can remove the fluid out of anyones spine” 🤣hell no!!

[@harpy2602]

Would love too see more of Joe, he has a great presence! and always a good day when Yuji's around :)

[@daftdevil2623]

this just proves that it doesn't matter how rich the ingredients its about how skilled the chef is

[@mrlebanon6055]

Bruh it proves the exact opposite 😂 that dude who doesn’t know how to make a sushi did one of the best sushi rolls the pro chef has ever tasted

[@hellochristimbouttasinagain]

Nobody's gonna talk about Joes fatality??? It was on point!!! 😂

[@HeyHey-yf9ft]

Yessssss

[@Angrymonkey2489]

Best voice too😂

[@streeterbuilds]

Yuji is a sweetheart! Joe is funny as hell. Both are great and I’m a fan of this style of video. More please!!

[@Rikity]

Wow the Pro Chef looked at what he got and said, "I think I can do a lot with this!". I'm going to have to watch the rest later, I'm at work but thats inspiring for sure :D

[@snikersa23]

Joe is hilarious ,another great episode

[@MilkyCollective]

“What’s a Donabe?” “Don’t worry about it, you wouldn’t understand” 😂

[@aidan5598]

Joe seems like such a cool guy

[@515aleon]

Fun episode Don't recall Joe before but he seems like a great guy who really is skilled in the kitchen. Yuji is a sweet guy, seems to respect the ingredients (regardless). I loved the crisp skin in the sushi roll.

[@lianparsons-thomason2575]

This was delightful! Both Joe and Yuji have wonderful personalities; I'd love to see more of them!

[@d1rkSMATHERS]

It'd be cool to see two professional chefs of completely different foods swap ingredients. Like get chef Yuji making some italian food!

[@KelBell2009]

I love Joe! This is a formal petition for more Joe 👏

[@Kayinmars]

Joe is hilarious “you wouldn’t get it” 😂😂😂 that is so me I’ll suggest something and if they don’t know about it I just be like “well someone doesn’t need to be a chef” 😭😭😭

[@popadjcassie]

Yuji!!! LOVE HIM!! Joe is a new face [to me], looking forward to this episode. 🍣 🍣

[@SC-ko9nk]

I like when the pro cook is actually able to accurately guess the average cost of the cheaper ingredients. Shows that they're familiar with the cheap, not just the expensive.

[@phil_matic]

great people here, Joe's final product ended up looking amazing, he deserves a job in a high end spot for sure

[@whyioughta178]

I had no idea there was that jelly like substance in spines, let alone that we eat it! Learned something new today

[@jodicastillo4695]

The look on Rose's face when Joe says he has a huge tuna in front of him.... priceless 🤣🤣🤣

[@TestarossaF110]

The respect, the workmanship, the love... what an episode!!!! I loved it! 🙌

[@pooh_scotty9811]

Both participants are so wholesome😅

[@smitluvyou]

Loved Joe's genuine reaction when he finally made the sushi!

[@alexander.tahtadjian]

This video was posted during my early recovery period after I went to the hospital for jaw surgery and I just got to watching it today and it was very calm and relaxing and really made me feel good during my recovery period...so thank you.

[@artrdytdd]

I love Yuji being so explanatory and helpful and Joe is like learning as he goes

[@TraciPeteyforlife]

I adore Yuji, he is so down to earth and a sweet guy. Doesn't look down on ingredients good man.

[@HieuNguyen-qr5qq]

Joe's "FATALITY" is so perfect lmao

[@laurenwilkinson1795]

Joe’s vibe is how I imagine Noel miller in like 10 years, he is so funny

[@djwriterkp]

I LOVE JOE The new guy is hilarious! Please use him more !!!

[@-clara-9795]

Wait as a med student this is the first time I actually saw synovial fluid, this is crazy 😂

[@mnels5214]

I've been hoping to see Yuji on one of these, he is so sweet natured and such a great cook. And Joe is a great companion.

[@SleepySkullhead]

My favorite part of every episode is when the home cook gets validation from the pro chef at the end.

[@dontbescaredhomie3137]

4:42 puts spoon in mouth, and back in bowl, truly a home cook.

[@jakesacchetti3340]

When I saw the ingredients and what they wanted Joe to make I thought they did him dirty but he rose to the challenge.

[@g0mikese]

More of both these guys please! This was a great one.

[@ZHL242]

Yuji's legit impressed reaction at 17:50 is the most wholesome and satisfying thing I've ever seen lol what a great episode

[@daveawb]

This episode had me smiling all the way through, both Yuji and Joe were fantastic to watch and the result was mouthwatering on both counts.

[@jape3812]

I didn't know the bone narrow was actually a thing, I thought I was weird for being the only one that was fishing for the white stuff in the middle of the spine when we eat fish. Admittedly it's such a small amount for the small fishes we have but when I get the spine I always separate the vertebrae to get that good stuff.

[@GamingSerb]

It is weird

[@scotthustus8337]

I hope Joe actually got a job training under Chef Yuji cause that was one excellent blind interview!

[@MrAsaqe]

Ah the biggest challenge of them all, good thing it was not rigged horribly. Though Yuji gave Joe a challenge in making a kaiseki tier sushi piece rather than playing it safe and testing his knife work with just nigiri and Sashimi

[@andreichurakov2097]

I’ll watch any video that has this duo in it. So wholesome.

[@Chrisahoyy]

I loved how chill each individual was. Learned a lot from Yuji!

[@Tonecrafte]

If ever there were somebody destined to be a food scientist… Introducing Ms. Rosemary Trout.

[@Cyril29a]

Joe was made for this, he has a great voice and is very personable. You would do well to keep him around.

[@kevinmosteller7279]

This was a fantastic episode. Both chefs are so chill. Vibes off the charts. Bring them back for another PLEASE

[@jakeyounan2980]

I love how nice yuji was to Joe at the end

[@KatieLiora]

the dynamic in this video was just so so wholesome. loved this one, need to see more of these two together :)

[@AustinGamingXD]

I love how Joe looks like he’s learning surgery as he is breaking down the tuna spine

[@myHuge249]

imo your best episode yet, felt like a dish that was meant to be that expensive, as opposed to just adding random expensive ingredients for the sake of it

[@christinep327]

We always learn something from these videos - fish marrow, that's a new one! Plus, Joe is a riot, looking forward to seeing more of him!

[@madyhatter17]

Joe was a great personality! Hope to see more of him

[@LuisSalgado1993]

How awesome! Yuji and Joe are the best! They made this so great to watch! Thank you

[@1tiptip187]

Picks up wasabi and says it's intimidating. Me thinking "Yep, that's expensive and hard to get."

[@emilybedford8559]

Can we please have joe on more often hes so funny

[@matthewdawson9131]

All I accomplished by watching this video was that I now have a raging craving for some sushi 😂

[@jamiekenny4063]

So disappointed that Joe doesn't have a cooking show on KZbin omg

[@ROBLOXlover500]

Two great chefs, with absolute humbleness, this warms my heart greatly

[@amikastarr2909]

YES! Bring Yugi on more please, he's my favorite chef in this series

[@miniyoongles]

theyre so cool omg, this is well done. i wanna eat sushi now.

[@aleksandradjordjevic7415]

i looove this chef! he's such a beautiful soul and unlike all of the other chefs he doesn't look down on any of the cheaper ingredients and that is why he manages to make a masterpiece like that!

[@grizzlyplant4570]

great vibes during the whole vid and of course great cooking

[@bahumatneo]

3 seconds into the video and I already like joe.

[@Timmycoo]

Lmao I laughed pretty hard when he was all "These are .. uh... leaves?"

[@AlexXDiety]

This is one of my favorite episodes, no question.

[@jharedcruzada479]

The warmth and lightheartedness of the playful banter at the end was the perfect way to start my morning

[@danielskriptchenko5566]

Really cool concept for a video. They both seem like amazing people, and perfectly charismatic too. But I'd also like to see Joe trying this with less guidance - just his own amateur take on what to do with the ingredients. I think that'd be fun!

[@charlielan9287]

I love these videos. Joe is hilarious 😂 and Chef Yuji with a lot of great tips on how to take simple home ingredients to another level. Well done gents.

[@zelphiaellerson6283]

I love it when the chefs include a cute sketch with the ingredient list!

[@noahelzas1819]

They were like awesome. The chef was so chill and nice and they had such a friendly vibe to them!!

[@misterdayne2792]

I really need to see Yuji and Emily make a dish, they would be the perfect combo

[@SuperPeterok]

The love and positivity between these two was so awesome to see. I hope they get their own show!

[@joyajohnson2767]

I enjoyed learning from you both. Thank you for sharing. ❤

[@mon6745]

Chef yuji is always so amazing

[@CJvanLissa]

More Yuji please! He's brilliant, creative, and charming. And he makes sure that the home chefs have a good time!