Blind Tasting BUDGET vs PREMIUM Ingredients | Is it worth paying extra? | Sorted Food

[@WTFoxHere]

Hear me out... A seasonal or so series where Ebbers shows us around his allotment, talks about what he's growing for the season, maybe even show us how to harvest said items. Then discuss the benefits of growing your own produce when possible, what you can grow if you don't have much space to work with. And maybe ideas on how to use the produce. Also... Pick the Premium but Ebbers finds ways to sneak his homegrown produce in with premium products. I should probably clarify and say that they would be picking the premium between Premium store bought and Premium Ebbers Homegrown.

[@kimsoer5750]

Yes please! Great idea!

[@jennyt7048]

I love this so so much as an idea! I still debate what's worth growing each year

[@sirBrouwer]

The garden of Ebbers.

[@gracelouisefindlay]

These are great ideas!!!

[@kendramoehring1407]

Oh yes!!!

[@GeekTalkVideos]

The best part about this series is that they’re not just trying A vs B and trying to isolate a premium quality. Actually incorporating it into a dish to see if the extra money is worth spending to see if a premium ingredient is actually noticeable in something you’d cook is genius.

[@Morgan13174]

I absolutely agree, it is very important to learn that "premium" does not mean it's always better. Sometimes the cheaper option is just better for a dish. A nice dinner does not have to mean breaking the bank.

[@markthmoas4419]

Yes. It's why so many people watch and the reason this series was created in the first place.

[@legendarygary2744]

Totally agree!

[@gunfighter009]

I actually disagree, I don't like the fact they put it into dishes because it puts the test as only showing if the premium is worth it or not in that specific dish. Trying the ingredients pure and being able to see how it plays in and of itself would allow consumers to work out which dishes it is and is not worth it to spend the extra money on that one ingredient for

[@AemySD]

And we get to see the amazing dishes!

[@becausereasons621]

I love the bonus "gag reel" scenes because they show the friendship between the guys. Only long term friends can make fun of each other or say such outlandish things and everyone laughs. Reminds me of me and my friends.

[@Pumpion]

Hear me out: a gag reel but it’s just them eating foods they hate, hence “gag” reel

[@kyleking6101]

Saw this comment before the blooper came on and tried to prepare myself. Didn’t work, was not prepared for that😂😂

[@huggledemon32]

@@Pumpion lol exactly what I thought- considering their unified dislike of the olives!

[@Elena-ne1ko]

@Paulson Becks I have also been trading with him , The profits are secured and over a 100% return on investment directly sent to your wallet. I am a living testimony of his work

[@davidlantigua3830]

Amazing i also just started trading with Mr Franklin C. Davis With an initial investment of $2,400 i made up to $6,700 in just a week of trading with him..his strategies are mind blowing

[@lorgaraurelian5104]

Jamie is literally like the undefeated premium champion. He seems to have a great palette

[@Aviertje]

Jamie is really making great strides with his tongue, I agree! Not just with the tasting, but also cow-jokes. If Ebbers catches the nasty, he could be a decent stand-in any day now.

[@weltenman]

I think he has figured out that premium isn't always the sharpest/biggest taste in a dish and thinks about the dish and what they are tasting, and working from there. They both fell into the trap on beef, but the previous episode where it was Barry and Jamie he would have learned that the bigger flavour isn't always the most expensive.

[@CK-jn5vj]

Reading this as he asked if it's the lamb but there is no lamb is funny but I agree he does seem to understand that premium isn't always the over the top flavor but sometimes a subtler flavor.

[@andyt2k]

Jamie is the flavour guy, barry is mostly about style and flare, which doesn't help when blindfolded tasting something

[@danflaman7268]

Jamie has been really good at explaining his reasoning. Barry didn't for a while, but in the later premium videos he's opened up about what he's tasting. Mke has always been the benchmark guy. He seems to have a great palate for tasting, but he's the guy behind the camera most of the time.

[@knicholl3333]

I'd love a version of this where both versions are just two variations of cheap products and still have them blindfolded

[@SortedFood]

Ooooooh this is a great idea!

[@aperry4489]

April fools day

[@RubyMadigan]

@@SortedFood or where they are both exactly the same thing. Just let them go on for a bit about the subtle differences then reveal both were the same

[@SheepdogSmokey]

@@SortedFood Even better, just change the brand but both brands are basic, that way it's "not cheating" since they are different. Prego vs Ragu for example.

[@HairyNun]

@@SortedFood you can do 4 products if they're that cheap. Supermarket Showdown? Not a bad title, clickbaity enough

[@lazysamare]

Ahh Jamie, that was hilarious. I almost choked at the milkshake remark and milking Barry was something else. 🤣🤣🤣

[@meinhartfrancois]

Agreed ! It was a funny pun, part of the joy of seeing the normals in action! At the same time, I kind of regret a little they didn't go into it : a cow makes milk to feed a calf, so naturally its composition isn't mechanically uniform (esp in a protected herd rather than an industrial barn). That's not even taking the maternal variation into account (like, human breastmilk in the evening contains whatchamacallit hormones to help the baby sleep... doesn't it stand to reason that cows have similar biological processes? IMO knowing these details & appreciating how it influences your product is part of an artisan's particular skill. This reality informs, imo, the price of premium ingredients, and adds to the value of the culinary arts (so to speak).

[@TheDovahKing]

I’d milk Barry

[@EvaLution]

That 'blooper' killed me 🤣 Barry's reaction hahaha

[@hogtownrich]

I wish they'd bring back Jamie's Dad Joke of the Week segment

[@shadowmagii]

I'm just always impressed by ebbers' little tips. Would have never thought of the pastry one. Cheap ingredients/filling = premium pastry to make it shine, (more) Expensive ingredients/filling = cheap pastry to make those shine.

[@HelloIAmJo]

There should be three dishes (sorry chefs): premium, mid-point, and budget. Give us more juicy data distribution! No more 50/50 shot!

[@mpet483]

I would love to see that! Honestly, the premium ingredients are so often out of my budget. Don’t get me wrong, I love learning about them, but it’s mostly academic for me. Having a cheap vs mid-point would be way more useful in my everyday shopping decisions.

[@AngryAlfonse]

I'm for this too. In cases where the budget product is better than the premium product, it's often because people buying the normal product want the defining flavor of that product to be apparent in a dish, whereas people buying the premium are wanting more subtle and complex flavors that are only noticed when eaten without other flavors covering them up... for example, a milder more complex parmesan cheese would be completely wasted on red sauce pasta, where you're wanting that pungent cheese flavor to stick out, but it would likely be better than the cheap parmesan if toasted directly on potatoes or zucchini. But I've noticed that if you go for products that are just slightly more expensive than the baseline, that's where you often find the highest quality products that don't come with a loss of the defining flavor.

[@BAMomggurl]

Agreed even the budget is getting out of my budget recently !

[@jimmenychristmas7208]

100% agree

[@crapstirrer]

Blind taste tests don't work so well when you go past "A or B"

[@skyeadamson8257]

Have we had a budget vs premium for butter yet? Such a staple ingredient where even spending an extra £1 can be a whole different experience and again, hugely depends on it's application.

[@SortedFood]

We have! kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2iYcqOhmbR0oNU

[@billyeveryteen7328]

Butter is one of those ingredients I'll spend a considerable premium on to have a better experience in simpler dishes. If I'm using it as one of many different ingredients, or baking, then the quality of butter doesn't matter so much, but if I'm just having butter on toast, I'll want a nice, premium butter.

[@vagabondwastrel2361]

@@billyeveryteen7328 You can just get a small paint mixer and buy some milk from a dairy.

[@mvpandrew93]

@@vagabondwastrel2361 *Everyone is near a local farm, great advice.*

[@Arahvhel]

@@billyeveryteen7328 one of the reasons I love living in France is easily accessible quality butter.

[@reinatheomni-panda7028]

The beef one was basically dooming them to failure, because their logic was absolutely correct, but what ended up being the premium mince had had most of the fat trimmed off pre-grind.

[@shellh929]

It didn't really seem like a fair apples to apples comparison because of that.

[@Marpurrsa]

@@shellh929 yeah agreed, imo they should redo that one imho it doesnt really fit the whole "everything is the same, just one is premium" thing

[@jasons2566]

I think they probably also realized that if it is mixed with a huge amount of spices & what for a burger would be overworked to make the kafka shape that the "premium" wouldn't actually taste noticeably different at the same fat content.

[@LackingUtility]

Same issue with the puff pastry - one was butter and the other was oil-based and vegan. Not really a fair comparison, although there they were guaranteed to pick the buttery one.

[@Grrness]

Agreed, I see the point they were making of fat = flavour but that could have been shown elsewhere to have the comparisons in here completely valid... I mean we still don't really have the answer of if the 20% fat mince is better cheaper or more expensive. Edit : Same with the pastry too, comparing a vegan oil option to nonvegan butter... Really takes away from the pricing comparison.

[@auntnicole1168]

I love that it's not just a competition, they are actually having meaningful conversations about food consumption.

[@rollingmetal949]

As a uni student I always get happy when there are those "well the "premium" wasn't really worth it" moments as weekly budgets are not massive.

[@philgoodinc2]

I was a little disappointed in the fact the puff pastry were not both butter versions, and the mince wasnt the same/similar fat percentage. I like the mention that different dishes should use the appropriate fat content beef, as I tend to go higher fat for burgers, but lower fat for a bolognaise. I just felt like it wasn't a fair apples to apples comparison to see if buying a more premium mince was worth it, but was more a which was the more appropriate fat content mince for this dish.

[@m.h.6470]

yeah, it would have been nice, if there were 2 different dishes, one appropriate for low fat and one for high fat and then both types of produce. That would have really shown the difference.

[@j3fr0uk]

Thx, saves me commentin same thing :)

[@marybell2897]

I agree. Once they revealed the fat content of the beef it was obvious why they liked the cheaper one more. If they had been more similar in fat content, the reason for the premium price may have been more obvious.

[@c_C_]

Wholly agree with the puff pastry thing. I thought it was kind-of strange to pick a version of the product with a completely different 'construction', so to speak, especially when they were so thoughtful about the parmesans having extremely similar processes. ...Also relevant to say that, according to Jamie and basically every other KZbin cooking show I've seen, puff pastry is pretty uniform across the board when it's made the classic (butter) way, and I think that would've been a very interesting talking point to elaborate on.

[@sjokkoladehjerte]

They might still do! But they have to choose based on the point they're trying to make/highlight every time. So, both might show up again and I'm good with repeating ingredients, to show/test different things :)

[@katclew6160]

This is a really fascinating ongoing discussion at sorted about cost of product vs use vs taste. It's also really interesting as an american to see the food transparency y'all get in england because here it's almost impossible to understand where your food is coming from. Also you guys are one of the only channels that I watch all the videos of so cheers for the great content.

[@SortedFood]

Thanks so much for watching! Our food standards are great here in the UK.... it's a shame that it's not like that in more places across the globe.

[@SheepdogSmokey]

Texan here, you can get the data, but you have to wade through a load of fluff on the internet to find it. The producers are "required to make the information known," but in true fashion, it's "made known" on a sub-sub-sub-sub-sub-sub-sub page of their website. That said, for your meat, go to a local butcher, there's one an hour from my house that raises their own livestock. We pay a bit more, but the meat is FAR BEYOND anything in any store. Eggs, we raise chickens, and that's not too expensive. We're also about to raise out two calves.

[@Getpojke]

I'm really glad we have such good transparency & good rearing/production standards in the UK. There was a horrible moment after the stupidity of Brexit that it looked like we were going to allow some of the shoddier US meat production practices here in the UK. It would've been a real step back for animal welfare & food standards in some cases. It's one of the reason I try & use local independent butchers, fishmongers & greengrocers when I can. That way I know that the quality is good & often either the farm its from or the fishermen that caught it. It does make meat a little more expensive but I don't need to buy as much as it tends to taste a lot better. Plus I know the animals had a better quality of life.

[@faithnfire4769]

Ah yes shoddier us meat practices like water based chicken cleaning vs air based... Which was rated as performing identically by most EU food standards groups. There are certainly good measures for food safety in the UK but a lot of that was blatant protectionism.

[@visharora4934]

@sortedfood In the video you stated that even the Ocado beef mince was from high welfare farms that don't intensively farm etc. I just had a look on the Ocado website and could find no such information... all they say is their beef comes from Assured Farms, which given all the controversies in actual Red Tractor Assured farms in the UK, is not very promising. Agreed food standards are some of the highest in the world in the UK but the vast majority of animal products in the UK are from intensive farming, it cannot be avoided and I don't think you or your viewers should be lulled into thinking so! Thoughts?

[@karennoneyabeeswax7929]

I’ve become a huge Barry fan. I’m not sure whether it’s due to those long luscious tresses or his constant look of confusion during Ben’s lectures that totally cracks me up. Either way, go Baz!

[@zamnelna]

“Milkshake” and “if I was to milk you now” both had me in stitches thanks Jamie🤣🤣

[@physicsfan314]

This seems like a great take on a charcuterie board.... If I were serving a board, I'd absolutely use the premium parmesan, and olives. If I'm making tapenade and risotto, no need to spend the extra because the differences and subtleties are going to get masked or cooked out.

[@DevHawk]

I love that Ben does that with bringing up "we should recognize how fortunate we are" instead of taking it for granted, really gives the channel more caring & charm to be self-aware.

[@emilylouise3385]

hoping for a korean food challenge with the koreanenglishmen, either y’all doing a food battle and they’re the judges or them introducing you to new things/maybe a poker face spice challenge?

[@Anna_TravelsByRail]

“It’s so fishy.” My thoughts exactly when I opened my trash can and realised that throwing in packaging of fish when I had just put new liner in the bin, wasn’t the best idea I’ve had this week.

[@SortedFood]

No, that's never a good idea 😂

[@Anna_TravelsByRail]

@@SortedFood it for sure isn’t. My kitchen now smells horrible. 😂

[@betsym3708]

my cat who just tipped over the trash can to get the remnants of a tuna can would beg to differ 😂 but I'll agree with you, lol

[@Anna_TravelsByRail]

@@betsym3708 that’s brilliant. And like we say in the Netherlands: there’s a market for everything. 😂

[@bigred9428]

And yet, it happens ALL the time.

[@Friend2FriendnMA]

Jamie, Jamie, Jamie! You are THE KING when it comes to having a quick wit! That milking Barry comment was on the money. Oh, and that from-the-toes laugh…hilarious!

[@avivgalmidi]

We really need to put chef vs chef in these from time to time, I wonder how much better they'll actually do compared to the normals

[@kirstenpaff8946]

I know you touch on this a little bit in your videos, but considering how much of the premium mark up in these products is based on production practices, rather than taste, I would be interested in knowing what the actual benefits of the premium production practices are. Obviously it is very difficult to quantify these things, but is there a significant difference in the carbon footprint or the water footprint? What percentage of the price of the product goes to the farmers? There are so many different certifications out there for food products that it is very difficult to tell which ones actually have an impact, and which ones are just labels thrown on to make consumers feel good about paying extra.

[@DimT670]

its usually animal welfare standards, not environmental or labor standards

[@bigred9428]

@@DimT670 , Yeah, but I've always heard that a happier cow is a tastier cow.

[@InnSewerAnts]

Cows milk also tastes different from cow to cow, different nuances. The "milk" taste from your avg supermarket milk is very much like an average taste of milk, it's milk from dozens if not hundreds of cows homogenized to get the desired generic reliable taste people expect from a carton of milk. There's a dairy farm here in the Netherlands, they are packaging their milk on a per cow basis, so the milk in 1 bottle is from 1 cow and 1 milking. You can look up the individual cows via a QR code on the bottles. There's quite a lot of flavour variation between bottles from specific cows.

[@RyushiroK]

"I'll have 2L of 'Betty' and 1L of 'Janice' please and thank you" would be an interesting conversation to have when going to buy milk, but I don't think it would be a bad one by any means. xD

[@junior29557]

Wow that’s interesting! I grew up drinking one brand of milk and didn’t really like the taste of other brands later. Does that happen when each cows milk tastes different? And they won’t be producing milk always, so how does it work?

[@naratoth]

Cow milk is probably the same as human milk. Human milk taste and ingredients changes troughout the day to respond to baby needs that are different in the morning (more sugar for play) and in the evening (more fat to not get hungry at night).

[@janmay3901]

Fascinating

[@keepinitrreal]

@@naratoth exactly. You're spot on. I was thinking exactly this when they were talking about it. Because cows or any other mammals are also biological beings tending to their growing young one's needs. It's the body's natural ability to produce what the baby needs.

[@chelsea1990.]

This is the most useful episode to me right now, I have a puff pastry roll in my fridge that has 2 days left but I've not got round to using it yet, and I don't have anything in to make what I want sooo in to the freezer it will go. I was about to. Bin it

[@SortedFood]

Yay! Glad we managed to save it for you :)

[@Seamus_Mac]

I fill my almost gone puff pastry with Nutella and a few mini marshmallows, crimp it shut with a fork, egg wash it, pierce it and bake it until the inside is all melty and the pastry is cooked. Then I dust with icing sugar. My children love it. And so do I. Very quick, easy and tasty. You should try it. 😉

[@chelsea1990.]

@@Seamus_Mac I don't keep nuttella in the house it's like crack for me 😂😂😂

[@Seamus_Mac]

@@chelsea1990. oh my... well... i imagine it doesn't have quite the same negative impact on your entire life as crack does so perhaps still worth giving it a go? Ironically, were you to try crack, you would probably find yourself far more able to only consume a small amount of Nutella at a time. The pros and cons of crack addiction. Utterly life destroying vs. Incredible for your waistline... it's a toughie. 😂

[@BethyCaraBethy]

@@chelsea1990. tbf you can do it with anything, lemon curd, jam or go savoury and do caramelised onion chutney. Always my go-to when I have left overs 🤤

[@bestnarryever]

It’s so incredible to see how many “artisanal” products are waaaaaay way way more expensive in the UK than here. I’m from Brazil, live in a small town and my grocery store has like 2 name brands for each product and the rest is artisanal It’s interesting to see though that many name brands perform the same if I were to make this test at home

[@sjokkoladehjerte]

That's really cool!

[@HAbarneyWK]

I guess it has to do with a) them living in London b) the artisinal products not being local (and also being "name brand artisinal")

[@nahum3557]

The difference comes in local vs artisanal, locally produced will be cheaper than artisanal-y produced

[@LuckyDragon289]

@@nahum3557 It depends on the product and the cost of living; here in Pacific Northwest (BC, Canada) the produce at our local farmers' markets tend to cost 1.5-2x (or more) than the bulk-imported stuff you can find in a chain supermarket. For example, a bulb of locally-grown, heirloom garlic found at a farmers' market can go for $3/head, whereas you can get a 3-pack of garlic grown in China for $2 at any supermarket.

[@nahum3557]

@@LuckyDragon289 I guess in first world countries, low output means increasing the price whereas low output in third world countries means having a lower price compared with supermarkets

[@wormulous]

You guys have done so many of these that I dont know if I'll toss out items you have already done, but.... I'm also from the US so your brands will be different. I'd love to see you guys do: hot tea Oils Tomatoes Anchovies Salad dressing Vinegars Coffee/creamer Onions Also just to note if you ever get to planting new herbs your process of starting them and or trimming and caring for them would be a good even side series of gardening and the outdoors life.

[@c_C_]

Ooooh, love the idea of them doing coffee-with-creamer; since they do a lot of high-end black coffee tastings it'd be cool to see what the premium vs 'average' variations on that would be... Plus, it would be pretty funny if they did flavored versions of both, just to see how much they can be improved on.

[@Getpojke]

I think seasonality is so important with some items. Large tomatoes I'll only eat in summer. Forced winter tomatoes are pretty awful watery things. So out of season I only eat small cherry/plum types as the retain more flavour & are small enough to ripen in reduced sunlight hours. Something I think you're really lucky with in the US are Vidalia onions. Almost impossible to get in Europe but they are things of beauty. I did have a chortle at the thought of them doing hot tea as in the past both Ben & James were derided for not being able to make a simple cup of tea. Though it is something we Brits get very uptight about it getting made properly.

[@wormulous]

@@Getpojke that's why I had said tea. For me there are a ton of intricacies with tea and I'll be honest I am no expert. But a good cup of tea is a wonderful experience. Some of it is super pricey too. Vidalia onions are great and can confirm. I was thinking even different varieties and if there are any expensive. Leeks scallions shallots all of those.

[@MrMaisey61]

Since watching the Pick the Premium series, I have had a few dinners where I have prepped loads of ingredients both cheap and premium and had friends round to blind taste test. The tips and information from these videos have been really helpful in crafting the menus and looking at what makes an ingredient quality or not.

[@barchenbox5393]

I'd love a jar vs can episode. I recently noticed that chickpeas from a jar seem to be way better than canned. Maybe it's because of the canning process?

[@janmay3901]

I'm going to look for jarred chickpeas next time I need some. Fascinating

[@WintrBorn]

Does other canned food taste off to you? I can't stand anything tinned, it tastes like metal.

[@bigred9428]

Jarred carrots are way better too, only I can't find them anymore. As kids, we liked them better than fresh.

[@livingthelife9155]

I think it’s just great that these videos promote such a fantastic discussion over food production, taste and pricing. Go, Ebbers, I’m always interested in the food stories, as it’s always informative.

[@mikebaker2436]

Another interesting curve is to consider how difficult it would be if Pick the Premium was not side by side but done on totally different days a week apart. Without immediate and direct contrasting, I don't think most people could identify premium ingredients. This would be terrible content, but as a thought experiment it kind of shows that many of these taste experiences are even harder to quantify and judge in the real world where what is bought is not being directly lab tested by consumers against its competition.

[@Luckeux]

I'd argue that while that may be true for some ingredients, especially when incorporated in a recipe, would indeed be hard to identify, but for more stand alone ingredients that can be enjoyed on their own as well like (and I'm using a very, very obvious to spot example here) fresh bread for example, contrasting ingredients can allow you to learn what establishes a higher quality ingredient's defining characteristics. and from there you just know that x is of a specific quality because you've learned to identify quality. to go back to the fresh bread example, the crisp/chewy qualities of the crust, the structure and texture of the breadcrumb etc. when you know what to look for between bread from a bakery and one from like the grocery store you just can tell the difference

[@DimT670]

nah, if you can tell, you can tell

[@amyrotella1219]

I can't say enough how fun it is to watch you all have fun while doing your videos. I agree with the choices Jamie and Mike chose. Expensive ingredients does not always mean it is better🥰

[@NetanelKleinman]

Love this videos but I feel like this has left behind the sense of being helpful in deciding when it is worth buying the more expensive option. A lot of the premiums are fun to see/interesting to here about but miles above the budget of any normal person. Would be much more interested if there was a third tier of something that's a bit more expensive but not super premium to sit in the middle (to help inform us better about our shopping decisions)

[@rebeccas2801]

Like a Sainsburys basics, vs Sainsburys Taste the Difference vs Super premium product

[@theAhrBee]

If I might ask, in regards to the beef mince, what is the price difference between the price per kilo dependent on the fat content from the premium company? I'm rather curious how the third option (that I assume would be in-between the other two price-wise, but closer to the premium side) would stack up against both of the options tried.

[@kwebst1]

I love hearing about how the products are made or processed. Never knew about Parm. I love olives but not sure I would pay more for the expensive ones (maybe once to taste them)

[@TheHeraldOfChange]

Having worked in Milk Harvesting Research in Australia almost 30 years ago, the difference in milk quality is somewhat simple. Between morning and evening milking there is a shorter time for milk secretion cf evening to morning. milking by machine causes cellular damage which manifests itself in the milk, also the amount of cream in the milk gets diluted with milk fluid accumulation which impacts taste. For this reason fat, protein, lactose, and cell count are common sampling and testing regimes in the dairy, and at the milk factory. Cell count is used as a indicator for mastitis (udder infection) and fat, protein, lactose are used as quality measures that impact farmer payment. See, simple.

[@nikkivanzanen]

Jamie is on such a roll, first beating Barry by a landslide and now Mike. I want to see him vs Ben, that'd be hilarious.

[@Rockancrime]

That outtake was absolute gold! Ongoing thanks for all your content. The thoughtfulness and intentionality in your approach is always evident and appreciated!

[@soul_asmr]

I’m ngl I love the videos but I always look forward to the bits at the end the most 😭 Jamie absolutely killed me today 😭😂😂😂 I know you guys have to keep it clean but I just want to be your guys’ friend and hear all of the naughty unedited British humor 😂♥️ it’s my favorite

[@StreetFoodTVCambodia]

I'm ready. Bring it on.

[@JimUSCM]

We absolutely love you guys and tried multiple of your recipes and loved them however due to a certain pandemic and other factors quite a few people are unemployed and As food prices are rocketing and more and more people are unfortunately relying on budget shopping and food parcels due to numerous reasons, could you to do some recipes for people who are struggling to find a balance between eating more healthily and are on a budget. 😊❤

[@philliptrzcinski5243]

I always love watching the non-eating normal in these episodes, who had to stand next to Ebbers and put on their "thoughtful face". Jamie's "I'm thinking" face is my favourite.

[@celticecho]

Mike deserves a badge for being able to pick out the fat differences between the 2 koftas! That was amazing!!!

[@skawn]

5% and 20% is a pretty significant difference though.

[@Chuck_Huckler]

You know what i'd like to see? Not budget vs premium, but cheap vs. absolute cheapest.

[@skilletborne]

Based on my experience as a home cook, we'd, for the most part, be talking about absolute cheapest vs absolute cheapest in a trench coat. Most cheap and mid-range products are exactly the same as the total basics but with nicer labels.

[@Matt-dc8lp]

Would love to see this series combined with homemade: cheap vs premium vs homemade. Mostly because I'm an evil person and want to make the kitchen team make puff pastry from scratch.

[@phoenixgate007]

I have genuinely missed Jamie’s dad jokes! Happy to see when you come back. Please bring back dad joke of the week 🙏

[@CurtisEats]

Since Jamie’s been killing it at these lately, let’s see him go up against Ebber’s!

[@taheera8849]

I wonder if we can up this series and discuss budget, premium, homemade, for things such as sauerkraut, pesto, etc. Where are the benefits, what is the cost? I think you've done it in the past with things like strawberry jam and mulled wine, so it would be interesting to see where you might be saving, like with the pastry you're saving time, and where you could be actually upping it by making it yourself, should you be in a position to choose to do so.

[@lizziehalfpenny7077]

I'd be interested in a supermarket standard range (not basics) vs premium range video, for example aldi standard parmesan vs aldi specially selected parmesan. I feel like although these videos are good to watch, the 'premium' versions arent in a lot of peoples budgets, and some people can literally only afford to shop at our standard supermarkets.

[@ReaperGR1M]

Jamie's Laugh in the Blooper is so intoxicating HAHAHAHA. He got Barry good with that one. Awesome video

[@lifeisbutadreamsodreamon]

Ahhh, disappointed in this one, I'm afraid... comparing premium pastry made with butter, and the other isn't (even when it is available in the more basic range) and same for the beef at 5% premium and the fatty 20% standard beef when you can get 5% basic beef in any shop. I get mine from Aldi. Fat content in meat makes a massive change in taste as does butter. Shame. I have enjoyed your other premium taste challenges -> when they are like for like. Why not have a comparison with same price / brand / manufacturer with these types of products? As obviously some buy the non butter or lower fat versions for health reasons, etc. As this was all ocado... I am wondering if ocado sent the wrong mince and there was no time to switch/rebuy the correct 5%...

[@Nostalgia1709]

It was to make a point about application -- what's right for the dish, which might be more fat, even in the cheaper for. It was a curveball for the tasting and I think very much on purpose.

[@lifeisbutadreamsodreamon]

@@Nostalgia1709 sorry, will stick to my opinion on this... this is a comparison between premium and less/middle range ingredients. Other episodes have been consistent with similar products... these are different enough that comparing more and less expensive made it worthless (in my opnion) 🤔

[@jeanneferguson7124]

Love Barry's hair, going for a Veronica Lake, "peek-a-boo" look? I love these comparison shows. We did a honey sampler taste test, from lightest to darkest and were surprised by the preferences we each had.

[@Getpojke]

Jamie's comedy timing came to the fore with the end clip. waiting 'till Barry had a mouthful of water to tell the joke so it came out of his nose. Brilliant Took me years to find olives I actually liked. I wanted to like tem, they played such an important part in history, but many tasted awful to me.

[@robertbuth]

Great video, I am impressed at how well Mike explains and describes his analysis of each item.

[@alastairwood7277]

Would love to see Sorted go back to their routes where they could invite a student on with the help of the food team go up again Barry, Jamie and Mike combined or Ben to prove the simplicity of cooking and the quality anyone can produce. Think it would be a really cool concept

[@goaway5408]

Roots*

[@jono6379]

Looks like someones got a party on the mind when picking these ingredients. You've got tapas, meatballs and puff pastry all good one handed snacks! 😃

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I am WHEEZING at the thought of an EBBERS Date includes Blindfolds and Risotto. Mike’s did himself in 😂

[@sophieOT7]

Reminds me of the good ol’ sorted days way back when there were more such “gags” 😂 i cant find those old videos on here anymore. I loved those red shorts days, and the frozen parody mike and ben did. Those were sorted gold 💕

[@achillesandhispal4196]

Maaaan I wish I could get those $1 puff pastry rolls. The only ONE we have here costs $5 USD and it's not even premium - it's just regular oil, corn syrup, and ingredients around the world.

[@SortedFood]

WOW! That is expensive!

[@WintrBorn]

Same. I just checked my local store, $5.39 for Pepridge Farm, the only one they have on offer.

[@DimT670]

corn syrup? in puff pastry? ew

[@Emma-td8bb]

Jamie has been doing so well lately! Well done 🙌🏻

[@heidilee_13]

Barry's primary role today is laughing at Mike and Jamie.

[@SortedFood]

He's had an easy day!

[@janmay3901]

@@SortedFood was he "benched" for getting a big fat goose egg last time?

[@PhantomObserver]

Suggestions for B vs P in future (though I haven’t seen many episodes so I’m not sure if they’re already done): - San Marzano tomato brands in a cream of tomato soup - Dried navy bean brands in a cassoulet (chicken and sausage) - Long pasta brands in a cacio e pepe - Different smoked paprika brands in a goulash

[@margowsky]

Jamie can make something as mundane as milk funny!! Damn, I laughed hard. At milk jokes. Of course Mike, that doesn't particularly like cheese, picks the wrong one! The beef one really was a trick question. I knew it was A because grass fed is always less fatty than the cheap stuff and fat is flavor. I'd like to volunteer to do any and ALL olive taste tests for your normals in the future!

[@Southpaw535]

This has always been a really fascinating series to watch and I'm super happy you guys dive into all the other info beyond flavour like animal welfare and the environment. Its been so interesting watching these and learning how complex the issues are. As someone on a budget its also made me think a lot about my purchases not just from flavour, but in whether I'm happy with the ethics behind certain products and if its still worth buying cheaper. Thank you for using your platform not just to entertain us, but to make us better consumers

[@hansw15]

With the beef being mistaken for lamb, I think this is a good opportunity to suggest a topic. Cheaper alternatives to replace ingredients with, that are not the same ingredient. Here in Norway I can get Lamb Mince for half the price of pork mince, and less again than beef mince. I don't know how it is in England but could a pork mince replace a beef mince, or perhaps a chicken mince would be cheaper still? As they all provide that minced meat, but at different prices and with different ingredients, what would be the impact on a dish. I am sure there are other similar situations where you can replace an ingredient with a different kind of ingredient and get a similar end result and save yourself some money.

[@Dddsasul]

In case of minced meat, a lot of the times it really matters what type of animal it is, we don't have a lot of lamb in Romania but when it comes to beef, pork and chicken it's a night and day difference. I would almost never use minced chicken for anything, texture's weird and the flavor doesn't go well with anything that I need minced meat. I always use beef only when I make burgers, for pasta and "mici" (idk how to translate that, it's a type of spiced minced meat that you grill) I always go with a 50-50% beef & pork, it tends to be a little more moist and softer, goes better with the dish. Also in our case beef is the most expensive. You could 100% just use another type of minced meat but it will 100% have a different taste & texture.

[@amandajones7097]

I use ground turkey instead of ground beef in most dishes. It tastes about the same, is cheaper in my area, and is leaner

[@wormsontoast9311]

I recently read a great book called A Cheesemonger's Guide To The British Isles, which is a super good read to learn about cheesemaking like how Ebbers explained the parmesan! I highly recommend for any cheese loving sorted fans :D

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I’m upset at not seeing The Spaff wearing his glasses over the blindfold lmao

[@SortedFood]

Standards are slipping for the Spaff 🤓

[@PokhrajRoy.]

@@SortedFood Where’s the Stripey Referee Top? We haven’t seen it in a while 😂

[@lovelokest2]

Thank you for all the videos you do. I get bad anxiety at times and you've helped me through some rough patches,

[@blinkernolfaria]

Love parmessan cheese, not going to buy a 50pounds of it... but maybe try it once? I think could change things a little but alone, like with the more premium ingridients if you cant buy it "regularly" maybe try it alone, experiment and share it

[@pippagt5430]

I will never get over this series! love you guys and these videos

[@varunkunchala]

Context for ingredients is so important, the Parmesan for example would be amazing on a cheese board but not necessarily in a Pasta dish where the complex flavors of the sauce hide the cheese. Perhaps the Parmesan might also do really well in a Ciaco de Pepe for instance where the cheese sauce is the highlight. I think the sames goes for the Olives but not the pastry or the beef. I think for beef as long as it is raised well and was taken care off you don't have to necessarily buy the premium unless you are trying to recreate perhaps a regional dish.

[@BethyCaraBethy]

I was thinking cheaper to cook with and the premium for a cheeseboard 🤤

[@aliceloosley1519]

I’d loved to see a video about supermarket meal deals maybe even challenge yourselves to chef them up maybe using your favourite meal deals and turning them into a cheffy dish using the items themselves. LOVE YOUR VIDEOS

[@PokhrajRoy.]

5:28 Considering Mike detests cheese, I’m happy to hear he can be cool with it. Or maybe it’s just on camera lol

[@CaptainMetal92]

Wasn't it just raw cheese? I was always under the impression as soon as it was baked or whatever it was okay, just don't give him a cheese board

[@PokhrajRoy.]

@@CaptainMetal92 You’re right.

[@asmith8692]

I think part of it is his lactose intolerance, and an aged cheese (like parmesan) has less lactose to react to.

[@eve6225]

Barry's laughter is a thing of joy 😀

[@lostsock9852]

So the first wasn't a fair comparison, because you used Jus-Rol's non-butter version. No wonder they tasted different. 🙄

[@TheBigk1964]

Another good video. The point of both the Olives and the mince meat , are well made. As a home cook, I always have a trade of between budget versus quality, and it isn't always obvious which one is the better option!

[@fliernate3290]

You would think that Barry would be eating since he scored a perfect 0 on the last Taste the Premium video and Spaff would be the “guest” host… 🤣😂 Unless the punishment is not getting to eat!

[@janmay3901]

I thought instantly that he was benched because he scored so poorly last time. Lolololol

[@fliernate3290]

@@janmay3901 he should be! That score was terrible! 😂🤣 For shame!!! He is usually really good!

[@89198321]

Can we take a second to appreciate how far Jamie has evolved in all these years? From the guy with 'the music' to the guy who is way way more than a 'normal' now

[@Nossieuk]

so why are you comparing oil pastry to butter pastry?

[@juno81]

That blooper at the end made my LAUGH laugh.... lol Love seeing how you guys have such a close connection in all the years I've been watching SORTED :)

[@Anna_TravelsByRail]

That blooper. 😂

[@makaylagavin3796]

Excited to see more content from you guys. Haven't been this early ever 😂

[@parsamns6677]

I’ve never clicked faster on a video

[@SpiegelDasKaetzchen]

Damn, I thought I was quick! XD

[@organizedbykat]

Can we please get an hour long cook along special with Ebbers about rissotto? I've actually started making it every couple of weeks now because of him 😅

[@lonelysailer5774]

The cheaper parmigiano also seemed aged for less! The longer aging period literally can lead to double or triple the price of a 12 month aged wheel

[@greezen]

They are used differently aswell. Using 36mo parmesan in a risotto is like using a 15yo rum for baking a cake.

[@MidnightAge]

That extra scene. XD I love all you guys but there's a reason Jamie is my favorite XD

[@ytnewhandlesystem42]

Guga: "Fat is flavor!" So yeah, the minced beef having a different fat percentage doesn't make it a good comparison. Then again, if price point is the only difference and the ingredient is considered the same as long as it's marketed in the same way, I suppose that's the missing preface that we should have in mind before heading into these videos...

[@jeffreypalumbo8667]

Boys, cheers to you on being over a month ahead on filming, editing, etc! I saw the beef had an expiry date on Jan 14th, 2022 so I'm impressed! I have trouble staying a week ahead on my main channel! Keep up the good work!

[@alisonpahlkotter3013]

The beef feels like a bit of a cheat since 95% lean is a massively different ingredient from 80% lean. I think doing it again but with the same fat level would be good

[@MaZEEZaM]

I think I remember reading this episode as a suggestion in the comments on a previous video, well done for sorted team taking on your viewers ideas 🤔

[@tompugh5566]

I absolutely loved when you guys were revisiting old recpies and vidoes. I also liked the mystery box vidoes. You should have a 2022 version where you're given the same boxes from 7 years ago. Interesting to see if normals can do better the a smoothie this time around.

[@SortedFood]

Haha, that's a great idea.... what we would do with those ingredients now.

[@kristymunro9032]

OMG. Excites to find out about the beef. Interesting information. Thank you.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Mike: “Ugh, I’m not saying it’s not tasty.” Ben: “Your face says otherwise.” Yes, I’m back to watching one of my favourite Workplace Sitcoms. 😂

[@HoshikoStarz]

Man... I love the bloopers. 😂😂😂 I like how Jamie make Barry spat his water

[@AlexanderTrefz]

Comparing a 5% fat mince with a 20% fat mince is pretty pointless. Unless you put Kobe on the 5% one, everybody will pick the 20% version, its just gonna be better in basically every way, as mike pointed out. It will be more flavourful (especially in a bad comparison like a Köfte, which has way too many spices) and jucier.

[@stuart207]

Have to say that the risotto looked absolutely delicious 😋 I'd have to try the premium for a special occasion. Beef I buy 5% for mince and tatties and 10% for burgers, anymore is a waste and greasy unless I use an emulsifier like gravy granules. I love olives but haven't found a tapinade I like 😂

[@scurvydog20]

So with the puff pastry you're saying you had the choice to go with a basic that was still low cost but chose to go with the inferior vegan version rather than a fair comparison.

[@Em-by9ez]

yeah that was weird to me too

[@rebeccas2801]

It’s because most cheap pastry’s are vegan due to vegetable fat being cheaper than butter. Jus-rol have been using vegetable fat for years without advertising it as vegan. It’s only recently they advertised it that way. They picked the “vegan” pastry because it’s the classic cheap pastry most people will buy in their supermarket. If we had all ingredients identical there wouldn’t be these talking points about whether it’s worth spending the extra to buy all butter pastry, like they discussed today.

[@PhoebeHB]

@@rebeccas2801 Yeah, jus rol is far and away the most popular pastry brand here so it makes sense that they used that to compare since it's what a lot of people are familiar with. The fact that it's vegan is completely incidental.

[@rebeccas2801]

@@PhoebeHB Exactly

[@Karma-qt4ji]

I love this comparison where the food is not necessarily the stand out hero of this dish, or is so processed to make it's 'premium' status a little less of a sell. I am quite happy to spend money on premium food, but in all 4 cases here, I would go for the bog standard version. This type of comparison also opens up the potential "pretentious" factor where the only benefit of buying the premium is the bragging right.

[@jasminpovey49]

Think the 1st one wasn't as fair of a test as it could be. You put a butter pastry against a non butter one, cmon guys 😂

[@stevenrobinson2136]

I came to say this, the premium had them saying how nice and buttery it was, and it was compared to a vegan one. The vegan one isn't going to be the same

[@Lopperopoly]

I liked how Barry and Jamie leaned in to listen to Ben during Mike’s bit. I’ve been watching you guys for a while, remembered where you would slap each other with a fish because.