Cooking Challenge (Sidequest) - Buy The TKMAXX Things

[@Wander1236]

15:47 "and I know this is a weird idea" - isn't that why we're all here?

[@AMPProf]

yes WHEN Broke in the Suburbs Tjmax for groceries. Got cereal there once, oo and some goofy old coffee

[@mrcaboosevg6089]

Back when i started truck driving i was broke, often had to spend a night at a service station with £5. I think a motorway service station challenge would be interesting considering their usually obscene prices. Also had no idea TK Max even sold food

[@gigi9301]

I live in the states, and it's called T.J Max here. They sell odds/ends, crap you have to dust, pillows, mirrors, "art", and some interesting packaged snacks . I think clothes, too. It's all new, but the price tag is double/triple stickered to make it appear as though you're getting a steal of a deal. I think it's outdated stock and/or returns? I don't understand how they stay in business ; everything they sell must be a reject from someplace else? IDK

[@margaretmc2192]

@@gigi9301it’s all donated or clothes that had problems/incorrect sizes. They sell them for cheap.

[@SentryDog22]

How you left that store without buying the easter island head at 2:39 I'll never know

[@tomr3422]

I think it was delivered later and just off camera- Cmon who could pass that up

[@chloebenn5708]

Shrimp did mention there were other items on the receipt, so it must be he did buy the head too

[@markfergerson2145]

@@chloebenn5708He will probably put it out in the garden to keep birds away.

[@Moocow2003]

I've got this disease where every time I see an easter island head for sale I buy it

[@samkestrelfilms8652]

He has his own!

[@VirtualBirdLabs]

Heya! italian here, Fusilloni are actually meant to be cooked like any other average type of pasta, but just like regular fusilli the center can stay a bit tough. The specific fusilloni you grabbed looked off to me as they were very inconsistent in shape, if that's the case that might have contributed to the inconsistent cooking and in particular to the flaps breaking off. in general fusilli and fusilloni both are very hit or miss in how uniformly you can really cook them, and it will vary from brand to brand Although i've not worked with fusilloni specifically before, i can provide the following knowledge: - Large pasta in general cooks a lot better when baked, though most of our traditional recipes have you boil it beforehand to some extent before baking (baking usually crisps up the pasta which is generally removed from the water just before it becomes al dente) - In my personal experience Finishing up the cooking of difficult or mixed pasta types in a pan (along with all of the other ingredients that will be in the final dish) tends to result in a better consistency. so long as there isn't a very liquid sauce, doing the last few minutes of cooking in the pan tends to firm up the already cooked pasta a little bit (granted that there's some fat in there to make that happen), and softens up the pasta that wasn't done cooking yet This doesn't apply to all dishes clearly, but i feel that it may have helped in your case.

[@stoverboo]

This is why I dislike farfalle. If the wings are al dente, the body is hard, and if it's cooked until the body is al dente, the wings are mushy.

[@AlissaSss23]

​@@stoverboosame

[@Danny.._]

when i saw you put the chickpea butter on the tortillas, i thought you might stew some prunes into a sort of prune jam to make a not-quite-peanut-butter-and-jelly

[@bobbyslickton4742]

shrimp caught lackin

[@redacculous]

The fact that he said "yet" about the possibility of a pet food challenge is mildly concerning

[@burningbandit]

I mean it technically has to be safe for human consumption, at least by fda guidelines I think, don't quote me on that. But I'm interested to see it.

[@kaisalmon1646]

Pet good pet food pet food! (If you feel comfortable, please dont feel pressured by silly internet comments!)

[@Luncheon23]

Awaiting the pet food challenge with equal parts curiousity and anxiety

[@adamsimmons631]

It'll be his pet project, for sure.

[@bosstowndynamics5488]

​@@burningbanditHuh, in Australia pet food is very loosely regulated and there's no real guarantee of any fitness for human consumption at least as far as I'm aware, it's pretty rare to see an area like this where even the US regulates things more tightly...

[@xingcat]

The varying foods at TJ/TK Maxx, where you never know what you'll get, and they go out of stock, never to return again, is apparently part of their business strategy. It's meant to get people to think that everything is special, and many stores also keep their food aisles in a bit of disarray on purpose, so there's a sense of discovery. So this definitely seemed to be a great experiment in seeing what they offered and making the best of it.

[@bumblingbe]

So like Costco (minus the messy part but the also incorporate discovery)

[@TomOConnor-BlobOpera]

I've long suspected that the massive jars of pickled things in TKM are actually decorative only.

[@AtomicShrimp]

They often have labels saying they are for decoration only - trouble is that's often on a swing tag and TK Maxx is the sort of place where that kind of label doesn't stay with the product.

[@emilyg1539]

@@AtomicShrimp I wouldn't eat that sort of thing from TJ Maxx here- I'd be scared it was either decorative or ancient. La Costena, on the other hand, has never been anything but delicious. Over here (Texas) their products are among the cheapest AND the most delicious of the Mexican food brands. I live on their hot sauce and their pickled jalapenos. I love your videos- they're always pleasant, edifying, and entertaining. (Hello Jenny! Good girl, Eva!)

[@RaunienTheFirst]

The concept of decorative food baffles me. Food is for eating, not putting on a shelf and looking at.

[@SusanForeman1963]

My mom bought one of those giant jars of pickled peppers in 2002 during the "Tuscan kitchen" decorative trend, and that jar stayed on the counter for a decade looking the exact same, like wtf was in it? Embalming fluid?

[@robert9016]

@@SusanForeman1963Pickles baby.

[@pixie706]

I love to see your experiments. Too many of us have preconceived ideas about what to eat at certain timesof day and which ingredients need to go together. Your surprises are a refreshing change.😊

[@tricky2917]

I could tell from the first two minutes this was going to be an enjoyable episode. Thanks so much.

[@Clawdragoons]

For the record, there's nothing wrong with having mushrooms as the main star of a taco. It's common for vegetarians but even beyond that, there are authentic recipes that do that. And of course, tomato and onion in a taco is plenty normal, of course, even if not quite that exactform. And salsa, also not out there. Never heard of prunes tacos before, nor chickpea butter, but I have seen some using other fruit!

[@disastrid]

Hongo tacos are amazing!

[@sarahberkner]

Chickpea butter, not to be confused with hummus I guess.

[@AlissaSss23]

Good point. Mushrooms are very similar in texture to meat

[@s_k.99]

Would be interesting to see this challenge but in a world food supermarket (middle eastern, African, Asian, etc) to see how cheap or expensive things compare say to a normal supermarket.

[@madcatjo]

I reckon Shrimpy Boi would not find that much of a challenge 🤪 He's even mentioned that he misses not having an international food market/shop nearby.

[@collette3428]

I'd be really interested to see this

[@Chad-Shakespeare]

On this topic, I'd love to see Mr Shrimp do a video that's explicitly about him trying to make fusion cuisine. Like spinning a wheel with lots of different regions twice and then having to make something that's a fusion of the two cultures that comes up on the wheel.

[@sarahberkner]

There's an Asian market near me (I live in the U.S.) and it's kind of expensive but they have some nice stuff, they had a Taro milk drink and it tasted better than usual chocolate or strawberry flavored milk because it's not as sweet.

[@AlissaSss23]

I'd love that. I live for Asian foods ❤❤❤

[@etaoinshrdlu927]

It's striking how alike the aisles of TJ/K Maxx are, across the ocean. I know they're the same store, but your grocery store safaris are always subtly exotic to an American. Knowing TJ Maxx' usual inventory, I agree about dry pasta/jarred sauce. They seem to sell a lot more "snacks" than "ingredients," but pasta is a perennial offering. "Gourmet" pasta bulks up a gift basket, I suspect.

[@AlissaSss23]

TKMaxx in England has quite exotic foods on offer, from curry bases to Greek honey and dry cured meats, jams, truffle sauces, smokes salt, etc.

[@thesehandsart]

Loved when you told Eva that you Loved her❤ A mushroom based meatless ball with the breadcrumbs and a touch of the butter as a binder! I love how these videos get my creative juices flowing.

[@Sybil_Detard]

9:59 so sweet. Her feigned indifference is quite cat-like.

[@kd1841]

so true! 🤣

[@levislayter]

Very sweet and my favorite part for sure

[@Sybil_Detard]

She looks over her shoulder and says, "Of course you do." Turns, and keeps walking.

[@styxworm]

This reminded me of the times in uni when I forgot to buy food before a bank holiday and I had to make something out of whatever was available in the shops that were still open

[@Sousyned]

I’ve ended up in the same boat a few times over the years while travelling. Small regional towns, local public holidays, places where everything closes early etc. Trying to assemble a meal from a little hotel gift shop, the random selection in a newsagent or a small petrol station. The hotel gift shop time was all dusty ancient jars of pickled/preserved veg, sardines, crackers and jam 😂. We called it an antipasto picnic.

[@AMPProf]

wtf

[@Squaretable22]

Oh god this has given me PTSD to when I went on a hike to a Petrol Station which was a Co Op food that specifically advertised fruit and veg because 4 nights in a Travelodge on a training visit was about to give me scurvy 🥲

[@neilburns3614]

Essential Shrimp = ingenuity. I like this side of Shrimp's content because of its creativity. Onion dust-brilliant. I am here for it - with bells on.

[@OhSoUnicornly]

Sainsbury's (and/or other supermarkets) used to do this thing called "feed your family for a fiver" where they'd provide a recipe that could be bought for under £5 and would make 4 portions of a delicious meal. I wonder how easy it is to do that today (and still create a decently impressive meal)?

[@J-zr9lg]

I could do it, I'm old though.

[@madcatjo]

An Australian supermarket (Coles) used to have an advertising campaign featuring celebrity chef Curtis Stone: "Feed your family for $10". Cut to 2023, and the exposure and continuing bad publicity about the obsceeeeeene profiteering by the supermarket duopoly that dominate grocery retailing and the supply chain here in Australia. The memes based on that old ad have been both hilarious and brutal. 🤪

[@OhSoUnicornly]

@@J-zr9lg Yeah fair, I don't imagine it's very difficult, but maybe could be a fun format for a budget challenge - bit more bulk cooking rather than individual meals, but still needing to get everything (sans herbs/spices perhaps) for a fiver.

[@Leanne_w]

I think that would quite achievable especially with Mike

[@Leanne_w]

@@madcatjo 😂😂

[@emilysparshott]

This has been my favourite channel for the longest time. Exactly the content I love to see. Can't wait to watch!

[@maricampari3970]

"Onion and mushroom dust...Don't breathe this!" Ahhh, I see you're a man of culture and a fellow Blendtec fan.

[@wickedwildwallace]

i bloody loved those videos when i was younger

[@Pinkstinkie]

Atomic Shrimp: Eva I love you! Eva: Shut up! I know it!

[@tomr3422]

Eva: whens the dog treat challenge

[@aveekbh]

Eva: And the toast tax?

[@Sundablakr]

"Dad you're embarrassing me!"

[@Rei-Rei]

Excellent challenge! I would love to see more of these sidequests where you pick odd limitations to work from. Wish I could think of one to suggest.

[@Rachel_M_]

Home Bargains have some strange food items in sometimes

[@woodroewriting8278]

Hey, Shrimp! I feel like you'd be really amazing at a series/episode on wartime cookery. Following rationing, saving energy, that sort of thing? WW2 UK food shortages are such a fascinating historical moment for the rest of us in terms of adapting to harsh conditions, and historical re-enactment is a great way to preserve history and learn from it.

[@kermitthepog7063]

10/10 imo. If I'm welcome to voice my opinion (again) as one of the tens of thousands of people veiwing and enjoying this video, my request/suggestion would be to continue to do whatever interests you and whatever gives you the most ideas. You're always creative and innovative, and us lot always learn at least a thing or two in the process. Ready, steady, cook!

[@frankiefranklin9761]

My other half and I were talking about our favourite KZbinrs (shrimp being a mutual one) and how the one thing they all have in common is they do the things they like to do and it feels very genuine.

[@keithdosik]

They threw a party in that store when you bought those prunes

[@AlissaSss23]

I bought reduced items from TKMaxx before, I got some delicious cherry tomatoes chips (freeze dried) for £0.80!!!

[@keithdosik]

@@AlissaSss23 no way you did ma’am

[@Jhud69]

I love TKMAXX snacks. I got garlic chips from there last time that was just freeze dried garlic cloves and salt, and honestly? Surprisingly addicting, not too garlicky surprisingly but really tasty. The shiitake chips are good too.

[@AlissaSss23]

I got freeze dried cherry tomatoes chips. They were awesome ❤

[@phronsiekeys]

The California Prune Board has thought of putting prunes in salsa. The second snack is a quesadilla; the California Prune Board has that covered too!

[@jarvindriftwood]

Yeah the second snack reminded me of a quesadilla in presentation (without the queso aka cheese) and something along the lines of peanut butter and jelly in the texture/taste.

[@FriedEgg101]

There's a California Prune Board? Also salsa with prunes sounds like it could have side effects lol.

[@puffitale]

Prusadilla?

[@chemicalcowpoke307]

@@FriedEgg101And a raisin administration committee…

[@sarahdughi2779]

​@FriedEgg101 I know this is months old but yes! I grew up in the same town as a sunsweet prune dryer facility. Prune orchards all over the county. We even had a prune festival for years. Unfortunately it stopped in the early 00's. Prune cotton candy! Prune ice cream! Frozen undried prunes one stick!

[@jensgoerke3819]

The pasta might work better when slightly undercooked (more Al Capone than al dente) and then stirred into the simmering sauce/stew to soak up some of the flavor while the liquid is reducing.

[@Valveta17]

The "Will it Blend?" reference made me smile!

[@sparce206]

Me too! I hope Tom Dickson is doing alright out there, wherever he is...

[@dogomancer]

I'm a fan of this installment! I think it'd make a good introduction for a new viewer to the cooking challenges since it's much more pared down compared to the usual challenges, so you focus in on what I consider the core fun of this series: watching Shrimp select a number of bizarre ingredients and assemble tasty meals out of them. Can't wait for the next episode!

[@Bombartho]

Wow, that BlendTec Joke was a blast from the past! 😂

[@lauravs9754]

So good! Like a combo of "wierd stuff in a can" and "budget challenge." I love to see the creativity and also see foods i did not know about before.

[@alexisw28586]

often imagine myself walking on the beach with you and Jenny or exploring with you and Eva. I have an anxiety disorder and cannot shop the stores like you do. I appreciate the opportunity to tag along on your adventures. Always excited to see what we'll do next!

[@janeknisely4383]

I am so glad The Shrimp is here for you! I can close my eyes and imagine what this channel would mean to me if I had fear/anxiety.

[@Leanne_w]

I’m glad that his videos bring you comfort, if you like thinking about walking on a beach, maybe put some background music on of the beach, the sound of wakes may relax you too! ❤

[@HeidiAckermann]

Oh, I understand. I re-watch his videos. They're so calming to me when I'm feeling overwhelmed.

[@noprobllama9747]

Stay well dude.

[@ManMan-ul1pn]

Bruh that’s creepy af

[@heart_of_a_daedra3649]

TK max is always a roulette of good finds, hit and miss but the hits are fantastic

[@jessicastarmer2974]

I’d love it if you did a series just showing us what you would usually cook/ eat in a day/ week, even if it seems boring to you. I find it so interesting and it gives me a lot of inspiration or new tips even if it’s something that seems obvious or ordinary to you

[@jarvindriftwood]

The weird tacos having everything cut into little strips reminded me a little of fajitas, a Tex-Mex dish. Fajitas are meat, bell peppers and onions all cooked and sliced into strips. We add fried Portobello mushrooms to ours sometimes as they're big enough to cut into strips as well. And my family loves steak and mushrooms.

[@AlissaSss23]

Love fajitas ❤ we make it in the UK too. Not a staple, but I make it occasionally

[@GIBBO4182]

I honestly had no idea TKMAXX even sold food! Everyday is a school day

[@no-oneinparticular7264]

My local one doesn't sell food.(Northampton).

[@BlueSunYoutube]

Me neither, I guess like alot of places they are trying to do a bit of everything and become a Home Bargains/ B&M/ The Range sort of clone. They'll have a garden centre next I bet. 😋

[@robertinogochev3682]

@@no-oneinparticular7264 Depends on what you eat.

[@thany3]

I'm still having a hard time understanding what kind of shop it is. I'm Dutch, and I guess, maybe, the closest thing we have is Xenos?

[@GIBBO4182]

@@thany3it was mainly a clothes outlet last time I went there!

[@cheriblossom983]

This is the coolest one yet. The bob ross of cooking is amazingly wholesome ❤

[@hildevandingenen-md4jy]

I really like this kind of videos. Your open mind and inventiveness are boundless. This is the kind of experiment that I too regularly try out. I wish we also had such a Tkmaxx in Belgium. I was immediately sold for the onion chips.

[@chriscarpenter337]

This was a really fun one! Suggestion for a future video: use whatever meats, vedge, fruits you have at home, but only use seasonings, sauces and dressings you can obtain from fast food chains, coffee houses etc… (I.e. honey packets, salt and pepper, bbq sauce, hot sauce, etc…). I recall that being done in one of your earlier food challenge/foraging videos, but I think scaling it up would be fun!

[@corvidcall]

I love your videos. I especially enjoy each time you explain and detail your thought processes. Fantastic video as usual.

[@mandym2808]

So is this a green pepper or a red tomato contestant????😂😂😂. Ready Steady Cook!!!!

[@kimvibk9242]

I used to love that show!

[@gameslayer1498]

its always fascinating to see what your going to do with these challenge i love watching what things you put together and always find myself inspired to get back in the kitchen after watching these which really helps for somebody who struggles with getting the motivation to do everyday things

[@KnittingFoole]

I sort of remember from my childhood that prunes figured prominently in Polish food. Like prune pierogi was a popular thing. Maybe during Lent? Although I seem to remember them from around Christmas time. Maybe Advent, which would still have been a kind of "little Lent" just before I was born, I think.

[@oz_jones]

Lent sounds about right. Good substitute for meat texture

[@CGR89]

Always found it weird that it's TKmaxx in the UK but it's TJMaxx in the USA, but then I figured out that it's K because U"K" and J because "J"America.

[@andymerrett]

Apparently it's a trademark thing but I don't know if the clash is in the US or the UK. I can't think of any "TJ" companies in the UK, unless I'm missing something blindingly obvious. (Edit: OK it's to avoid confusion with "T. J. Hughes" although TK Maxx would arguably be the bigger of the two companies now)

[@Robutube1]

The change of name is apparently to avoid confusion with a (minor) department store called TJ Hughes.

[@elias3782]

@@andymerrett considering there’s only 14 TJ Hughes stores left, I don’t think even they would disagree

[@SierraNovemberKilo]

TJ Morris in the UK owns a number of bargain/discount stores with various names including Home Bargains. I suspect its because of them the TKMaxx is so called in the UK.

[@Hextextile]

Can you explain what you mean by Jamerica?

[@yokeloeulci8001]

What made this episode so great was the pairing of (slightly) unusual ingredients. I love mixing things up and putting strange ingredients together, and - if you have a little understanding of flavours - pretting much everything can be made into a tasty, if unusual dish. I'd love to see some meals made of unusual pairing of ingredients. The more unusual the better. (I mean we are watching for entertainment 😉). I just wish my family would be willing to try the stranger things I whip together. 😅

[@VividNation]

Best way to describe Brittish food 20:12 : "I have no idea what to call this or what i am even doing here really."

[@K.J-LaMon]

Over here in the U.S. I also go to Ross, and they have the random reduced "fancy" foods just like TJ Maxx. I love shopping there every once in a while. The things are so darn random.😅😅😅

[@a.joyfulnoise]

I just love your creativity in these challenges, thank you :)

[@evancoutts9658]

I feel that this is one of the best and most fun food challenges in ages. I looked at the haul and thought there's nothing in this that can be done. Your ideas were brilliant.

[@dnsoulx]

similar to the snack 2, sometimes with tortillas i like to make a sort of tart wrap, where i use jam, cream cheese, and butter brush the top with sugar and bake. it's honestly really good

[@joefization]

I knew you'd macgyver something up. Very creative! I noticed that you carefully examined your ingredients and made some experimental appetizers before committing to a main course. A lesson on how to proceed in this kind of pioneering.

[@tsurugizaki]

I always loved looking through the food area of TK Maxx and seeing what niche products they have. Great idea and great video.

[@HerRoliness]

Ahhhhh your mismatched socks made me so happy! (and the whole video of course, but the socks made me grin)

[@derrmeister]

I had a wide grin appear on my face when the camera went to two differently colored socks in the middle of a store

[@jacquelineshelagh]

yeah My Kind of shopper!

[@gigi3242]

You are such an adventurous eater, I would never be mad at you for trying the strangest things or combination thereof; the only time I'd be mad at you, is if you tried to make me eat that stuff. These videos are always great fun, thanks. Have an awesome weekend.

[@jasonheneghan8364]

Shrimp….I’m sorry but….you said it…we need a dog food cooking challenge

[@thegeekconservative6593]

Tjmaxx is probably my favorite store, I can always find something interesting in the food section and I tend to find most of my jellies and jams there as I can find flavors I can't find anywhere else.

[@crocsmart5115]

A random “Highlander” film nod in a cooking challenge. Well played sir.

[@asherpeachy]

I don’t know if you’ve tried soaking pasta before cooking, as you might rice or beans, but it can lead to a speedy and even cook. This might be useful to try with your remaining girthy spirals.

[@LudwigsUnholySpade]

I can imagine Italians worldwide took 100 points of psychological damage from that idea.

[@pheart2381]

I find it goes mushy if I soak pasta

[@asherpeachy]

@@LudwigsUnholySpade it’s controversial but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. I learned about it from Ideas in Food

[@bcostin]

The condiment and snack selection at TJ Maxx here in the states are also surprisingly tasty. Whenever I happen to be shopping there with the wife, I wander over and pick up a basket of items that look interesting.

[@cynthiajohnson6747]

Flashback to the video that first brought me to Atomic Shrimp. The DIY Moai 🗿 head. Been watching ever since

[@crazyhans]

15:00 Write that down! Mr Shrimp has delivered a 'maybe' on doing a meal challenge with dog treats.

[@kenreeve32]

No matter what the outcome, your cooking videos are always so much fun!

[@TheRenoReviews]

That "don't breathe this" reference was a nice throwback

[@joshow926]

I'm really interested in trying out some snacks from TKMAXX. Everything always looks so interesting,; even if some things can be bought at a normal store, it's often an unfamiliar brand or flavour option. Will pick up a couple of things when I'm next there!

[@Savoy1984]

One of my favourite things I’ve ever brought was from TK Maxx a Ben Hur box set that I sold to CEX when I needed some money and brought it back again… I liked that library music at the start by the way.

[@janeknisely4383]

Chickpea flour is my go-to for thickening and sweetening instead of white flour or cornstarch. Good video! I love cooking by the seat of my pants!

[@dookiepost]

I remember unintentionally buying my first sparkling water from a TJ Maxx, because I was intrigued by the glass bottle (Voss water). I had no idea it was carbonated so it was quite jarring on my first taste. Still don't care for sparkling water.

[@memestealer2561]

over here in the US they're called marshalls and tjmaxx (technically tjmaxx is slightly upscale, but they carry pretty much all the same things). i like to frequent their spices and kitchen utensils, it's hard to find quality spices out in rural US and it's the best place for that for me

[@DRay-eu7mw]

That turned out better than I expected! Very interesting combinations. Would you ever do a challenge where someone else bought the ingredients? Maybe one ingredient from 5 preset groups, for example. Could lead to some fun experiments.

[@OGKenG]

I suggested that a couple of times. Have Jenny buy things with only a couple of instructions.

[@andymerrett]

I've often perused the small collection of food at TK Max; some of it looks quite interesting. I imagine it changes over time depending on what they can source.

[@emilyg1539]

Here in the US, it changes all the time- due to sourcing and by the season. Everything edible thing I've purchased from TJ Max (or Ross, which is similar) has always tasted a little off or stale. Standing by to see how Shrimp fares here. I love this sort of video- and all his videos.

[@goldfishwishes]

I love the throw back to Will it Blend in there

[@eloquentsarcasm]

Outstanding! Just got home from work, and Mike has a shopping video up. Former coworker of mine now raises chickens and gave me a dozen literally hours after they were laid, hopefully your excursion will give me some ideas. Work boots off, whisky poured, time to settle in and relax.

[@brightscales197]

Had to watch as soon as i saw it. Love these videos! You are always so creative:)

[@cphilips502]

Because of where I live, I've never stepped foot inside a TKMaxx, but from what I can see, it looks...oddly eclectic. The food looks interesting but a little expensive, even with the discounts, but good job making it work like that. You have a skill to turn anything into gourmet meals.

[@bethenecampbell6463]

It's a discount retailer. They certainly do have an eclectic variety of goods! The food is always crazy, but heavy on snacks and sweets. And there's usually some weird shape of pasta on offer.

[@Lakonas313]

This was such an enjoyable video! Thank you for brightening my day with it. Well wishes.

[@igotes]

Very creative... I'm off to Txmaxx tomorrow to see if they have those onion chips; they look great, if a little pricey!

[@sandra127100]

Snack #2 was quite reminiscent of a quesadilla, minus the queso of course. We wouldn’t have put that in the oven but warmed the (typically flour) tortilla sandwich (with cheese always but optional chicken, peppers / onions, whatever) on a grill or a cast iron skillet. Greetings from Texas.

[@serioushex3893]

oh man, for the holidays, you should make the most luxurious christmas breakfast. Panettone french toast. (with the fruit panettone of course). it makes absolutely fantastic french toast.

[@CuteSkyler]

I'm always watching for your gargantuan creativity with outright random ingredients; really inspiring.

[@hingefallen8260]

I always love these videos. Just exploring food makes me happy

[@lyndseybeaumont7301]

I’ve found you recently and I’m loving this channel. You are incredibly inventive and slightly mad lol. Catch you soon xx

[@lord_rainbowman]

14:39 im waiting for the pet food cooking challenge now 😂😂

[@intractablemaskvpmGy]

Snack 2 is called a quesadilla. If you did it open-faced it would be called a chalupa. Some of my best improvised meals are scrounged from the pantry because I don't want to go to the store. Salsa is versatile. I often make pasta with it. A pinch of oregano or thyme and suddenly it's Italian!

[@trizzyt4323]

Hi Shrimp! Hope you're well. I think it would be interesting to see a colour cooking challenge video - ie only green, or you could do one item of each colour. Or one item for each letter of the alphabet.

[@iMarbot]

Regarding the week-long challenge overhead, what if you only did it for one day a week for 7 weeks (or 2 days for 3.5 weeks)? Obviously that doesn't sound like week-long but what I mean if you do the shopping on the first week for your budget, and then that first week you only use a certain portion of those ingredients. Then you can keep any non-perishables for next week, and consume the perishable leftovers with your usual diet over the following days. Then the following week, re-buy any perishables (of the same quality ofc), and do another day or two (keeping track not to over-use any perishable you might've partially used previously). Then repeat until you've got 7 days worth of challenge. I don't even think you need to buy everything on day/week 1 anyway, maybe just "price-lock" what you plan to buy so that it's actually a "fair" week and not getting lucky with something being cheaper one week and then something else cheaper the next week, while the first cheap thing went up in price. I'm not sure how you'd plan your rules for this, if you'd be doing it as a challenge but without making it into a video, but you could realistically not limit yourself to just a single shop, but instead two at two different stores (e.g., Monday and Thursday) and based on experience and gut feeling, skip stuff on Monday you think would be cheaper in another store for your Thursday shop. This would also make the perishable re-buying feel less like "cheating". Ultimately, it's up to you if you think splitting it up across more than a week, due to video production overhead, is not being faithful to the challenge. However, in my opinion, if you price-lock based on the initial week and fairly track your usage of anything you need to re-buy in future weeks, I don't see that as making the challenge any easier on the creativity side. The only thing I do see being easier is that you don't end up with the potentially declining mental state of having to come up with unique meals every day for a week to avoid the pitfall of eating the same thing all week.

[@robjchristopher]

XXX dust, don't breathe this - that was a blast from the past!!!

[@magicemeryball]

OMG I was inspired by your usual videos and made a video doing this exact challenge a few months ago! Your TJMaxx seems to have a much better selection than my Ross (similar store here in the US). I ran into similar problems with a lack of vegetables. I bought a lot less (the lesser selection helped with that lol), but it came out cheaper even considering exchange rates. I had the same issues regarding making a “complete” meal. I was particularly lacking in vegetables at my store. Your takeaways are pretty much the same as mine. I think it’s cool that on the other side of the planet we had a very similar experience. Your video is much better though!

[@MsNosis]

fun video! suggestion for a MONTHLY (roughly) challenge: each day, only ingredients beginning with that letter. So day 1 only A's, day 2 only B's and so on. Alternatively, just a random letter randomly pulled from a hat or something :)

[@alexisw28586]

I like the random letter idea!

[@molybdomancer195]

X could be a bit challenging

[@MsNosis]

@@molybdomancer195 there are a couple of letters that would be too limiting. but overall I think it is a doable challenge.

[@rwrigley85]

As a Brit living in Mexico, you did a great job with the products available. The tortillas fried are a staple of my mother in law. You could even drown them in the salsa roja (the brand is readily available here) and make chiliquiles! You'd just need a fried egg on top of them!

[@kevinbell9255]

Loved the "Will it Blend" reference!!

[@ddsv7184]

The transition from blue to yellow tone at 2:43 was beautifully cinematic. If there was someone who'd appreciate such a small detail and possibly dedicate a minute of his video talking about something like that, it'd have to be Atomic Shrimp.

[@AtomicShrimp]

If only I'd done any of it on purpose!

[@trashcubed4788]

These kinds of dishes remind me of when I had to spend weekends or weeks alone when I was fourteen, before I really knew how to cook and with whatever was left in the pantry... I'm a good cook now but I ate some weeeiird stuff.

[@lymb3914]

Another cooking challenge and it's vegetarian! Very impressed with what you came up with, always an inspiration!

[@ArizenVision]

Always been a fan of TK maxx, A big problem with them that always occurs for me is they never have the clothes i want in my size 😆 Didnt know they did food! Aha :)

[@AtomicShrimp]

Yeah, I've often found an amazing jacket or something, only to discover they have it in three sizes that are not mine

[@ArizenVision]

@@AtomicShrimp So true! A lot of mis matching going on, There stockrooms must be packed! Lol

[@AtomicShrimp]

I think it used to be the case that a lot of their stock came from catalogue returns - people buying stuff mail order and trying it on, then returning it with a torn bag or something, but given the number of stores and their size, I don't think it can be just that

[@ArizenVision]

@@AtomicShrimp Ah, Well as long as that returned stock gets re stocked then service should be at optimal function and distribution will follow! Retail can be a tricky biz, Working as a stock boy for some time, Theres a lack of work focus and a fair bit of carelessness, Could be another factoring complication to what would be an otherwise smooth flow of stock control! :) Also sorry for late reply, Took a break from YT lol

[@JS32986]

Seeing the tortilla shells and pasta together in the beginning made me a bit nervous. Very impressed with your results though. Thanks for posting, these videos are always enjoyable.

[@sushicat999]

I love this much! There is something so nice about watching one of these while i have lunch

[@applegal3058]

That place looks like what we would call a Winners store here...same kind of speciality shelf-stable foods that cost too much, housewares, decorations, and clothes, supposedly at a reduced price.

[@yokeloeulci8001]

Tell me you're from Canada without telling me .... 😂

[@applegal3058]

@@yokeloeulci8001 haha, indeed I am! 🤣 Newfoundland, Canada

[@johnmorris4003]

Well done , a nice video . Bless the doggo . Eva is so cool.