*Afterthoughts & Addenda* *'Most Expensive' variation* - I truly appreciate all the creative suggestions people are offering for variations on this challenge. I'm sorry, I don't think a 'most expensive in category' would be a good idea in practice. Money is for spending, sure, and spending extra on what you desire is a good thing, where it's possible but 'TH-camr sets out to waste money on purpose, because he can' never quite sits right with me.
2 (ISH) years ago I bought a 500g bag of mung beans. Ive sprouting bean sprouts ever since perfect for stur fry.. Only just ran out yesterday Need to purchase more Could be a video idea?? Oh if you allow forging, more seaweed.. although I think you've too far from the coast now and rock samphire is illegal to pick (maybe, so I hear) Peace and love ❤️
@@tonyoliver4920 Mung bean porridge is also a great dish (never a fan of bean sprouts), something from my part of the world. It's a sweet dish, usually eaten for a light meal like afternoon tea.
Maybe something similar to what Barry lewis does, 'cheap vs steep' where you try to find which ingredients are worth spending a little more on to get better bang for your buck. maybe along with the normal 'cheap' products you can choose one premium one too.
i love that every time i see the ingredients i think "theres not even one meal there" and then you come up with the most creative ways to make good meals. Helps me with using stuff I have in rather than ordering take away.
I remember the time when you could go into a supermarket with a fiver in your pocket and walk out with a couple of steaks and a bottle of wine. You can't do that these days, there's too many cameras.
At least Kay doesn't feed her creations to the public. An american "cooking" chanel "Cooking with Jack" fed 14 month old, frostbitten, rotten brisket to a church chili cook off.
I would love for you to do this again and add another ingredient container type that is super common in the supermarket. The bag. It could be chips, flour, spices, candy, etc. Tons of stuff comes in bags.
ooooooo interesting idea!! but maybe flours and sugars should be disqualified, those huge and dense bags would absolutely kill all competition in price for weight, and probably dominate the entire days cooking a bit much.
@@martenmaarten Sugar would probably be to expensive, and as I live in the US I don't know how flour price compares to other things. So limiting it might be a thing.
He does seem to have some culinary flair and he's not afraid to mix some unusual foods together. I'm not sure why he's always surprised at how well his meals turn out.
One of the things I've learned from watching you and a number of other "budget challenge" cooking videos is that there isn't any "correct" way to combine ingredients, so long as you like the result. The twice-baked potatoes with everything seemed like throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks, but it all makes its own sense as it went together. Always resourceful and brave with your dishes, and I appreciate that!
There's a super tasty Korean green onion pancake called pajeon. The main ingredients are simple and cheap, so if you have excess green onions or you want a tasty vegetable dish but can't afford much, green onions are a great veg option. Maangchi has made pajeon on her channel before, so check her videos out if you'd like to make it.
@@JohnDlugosz the Chinese counterpart has more flour compared to the Korean pancakes, which has more eggs. They both go well with soy sauce and chili oil 🤤
This feels like the most relatable challenge to me! Rather than a specific budget I just buy the cheapest thing of whatever I need, its fun seeing you do this!
It would be easy for me. Where I live there's quite a large Islamic community, so most of the shops have loads of vegetables, spices & herbs at really agreeable prices. There's a lot of Caribbean places too. I'll never go hungry living around here.
Tartare sauce for potato salad is an inspired shout. I always struggle to use up tartare sauce when I buy a jar for fish and chips or scampi. Now I have an option!
Please keep making these, as a student on a tight budget with a newfound addiction to making cheap healthy food quickly I've particularly used the "16p buns" among other things like soups etc to add to my personal cookbook. Another great video, keep it up :)
yeah i am a fellow student and love these videos too ! i usually eat cheap stuff just on its own but it's really cool to see him actually cooking stuff with it
@LaurenIsherwood-ll9qw One good one ive been doing at least twice a month since mid 2023 is buying a whole chicken, roasting it, carving off the meat into a plastic pot to put in the fridge, making stock with veg and the bones+skin+fat which i then reduce, strain and freeze in a silicone ice cube tray. Any meal with it takes 5-10 mins, put some noodles in a pot with water, a couple iced cubes of the stock, some of the chicken, and a solid splash each of soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil and scissor sliced spring onion and chilli on top and youve got a weeks worth of dinner for less than a tenner. I also put some chinese five-spice in when it's boiling and throw in any other veg i have on hand like brocolli. It sounds like it takes a while but most of it is just leaving the stock to cook and stirring every hour or so for 4 hours, so as far as batch meals go it's very low maintenance
@@duallinkdvi-dcable1822 that's awesome! i knew about freezing stock, but making it into little ice cubes is so good, perfect little portions for cooking.
Really like the idea of seeing more “budget” challenges modelled on this, rather than the monetary limit ones. As you say, this yielded a much more interesting set of ingredients, a bit like the random selection one or ambient vegan challenge. I think a financial limit works best when it is a slightly higher amount over more days, like the £5 for 5 days one, but that’s a lot of work. This style is very interesting and has given me a few ideas for my own cooking going forwards; I’ll definitely not just pour away mozzarella water anymore. Thanks Shrimp!
I have to admit, I get one thing all the time from your cooking videos. The courage to experiment. What do I mean? As a single guy I pretty much have the same 7 day meal schedule. Breakfast is a couple of pieces of bacon and 2-3 (depending on hunger) eggs in a basket, cooked in the bacon grease. Lunch is leftovers from the night prior (always cook a double portion). Dinner one of 7 meals. Like a simple ramen stirfry with sausage and frozen mixed veggies. Snacks are everything from an apple to chips to candy. But, watching you do stuff with food I couldn't even dream of, well, makes me want to experiment and change up my menu. Look for things that I normally would pass up and try to see how I can add them into my weekly meals. Like, this past week I bought brie cheese to go on fuji apples. Something I wouldn't have thought of doing anytime in the past.
I think it would be an interesting shake up to follow this up with the inverse, after doing budget cooking for so long I wonder how you'd deal with a chaotic group of luxurious items
@@hdbordercollie He admitted he made a mistake by doing it late, and choosing a BP garage and having to supplement 1GBP at a Morrisons. He should redo it and pick a location more suited to what Too Good To Go was intended.
Hi Shrimp. Chef here, I've found the easiest way to tackle a pomegranate is to cut out the stem, cut into quarters, then holding a piece seeds side down in your hand, beat the absolute hell out of the skin side with a wooden spoon 😊 love watching your alternative creative process with these videos!
I wanted to keep this tip for myself and loved ones as hardly anyone knows about this... Just use a strong magnet, there's a fair bit of metal in them seeds. (You're welcome!)
If you haven't already, I'd love to see a challenge where you set a time period and see how long you can create meals using what's already in your stores. I do this every February as part of our annual Austerity February exercise where we eliminate all non-essential spending for the month as kind of a reset after the holiday season. I really enjoy trying to use up items in the pantry and freezer and seeing how little I can spend on additional grocery items. It becomes more difficult as the month goes on, but I love the challenge.
When I do that it's usually involuntary. I've been in situations that were like advanced editions of Ready, steady..cook. I've found myself attempting to create a meal from an egg that may be on the turn, a pinch of ground Cinnamon and half a bottle of Lucozade.
good idea but mr shrimp seems to me like he has loads of wares frozen, dried and stashed away, plus a flourishing garden, so I doubt it would even be a challenge for him
Atomic Shrimp does a cooking challenge = immediate watch. This was great, really loved how the changed parameters really pushed you into doing something different. Would love to see more of these (and am very tempted to give this a go myself).
The Bossa Nova muzak playing while you shop has somehow become a part of my psyche, despite sounding like a Casio keyboard. The prices being above the shelf felt so wrong. Great video Mike!
You should see the cashiers in Romanian Lidl roll their eyes when you want a return because a product had a different price: "The price is placed above but aaaanywaaaaay"
Hey, don't knock Casio. I've got an MT 40 keyboard. It's awful but it's not without it's charm. Also one of my main wristwatches is Casio F-91w, the original water-resistant sports watch.
Once upon a time, Mr Shrimp used a die to choose which foods to use. I enjoyed it very much. Lovely channel. Sorry for my bad English, I'm old and had to learn English myself.
I have missed your limited budget videos so much. Thank you for this. I love how you change up the parameters as well, it really does keep things fresh and interesting.
This gave me the crazy idea of doing a challenge buying the cheapest item from every aisle in a store. Could really require a lot of creativity like this since youre locked into items that may or may not go together
yess! this challenge was so good! my thoughts: I am surprised that the lack of a limited budget inspired more creativity, I personally would not have expected that at all. I'm also glad to learn that pomegranate is versatile as it was, I had that marked as "the weakest link" of your haul and was pleasantly surprised! I don't think you messed up with the cheese moisture at all, that was a smart move and I think dinner would have been a fail if you hadn't done that. I second your idea for revisiting the potato skins and an emphatic YES! to a revisit of this challenge, i like the idea of doing it at another store or doing the same store but switching catergories, either is fine. I would like to see the return of random selection of herbs and spices, if you are still interested in that concept. I thought it was fun and i think for fairness you could decide the choices for the draw after the shop so you don't get really weird selections. I still love the limited challenge videos, but I'm glad you were able to make this concept as well as you did. Anyway, thank you for making the video! oh ps: i understand the omission of salt this time was an accident, but i think in the future it should always be available like normal.
Oh God I have been waiting for a video of this series. I discovered them a couple of months ago and watched all of them. This is the first I will watch on release and I am: excited. I have been thinking of doing a challenge of sorts myself for a week with my partner, adjusting the price to Sweden and seeing what is feasible and what not.
Food challenge (and cooking in general) are my favorite, followed closely by gardening. While I love watching the challenges, I can’t do them myself, but I do love a solid recipe. I made the butternut squash recipe you baked, and it was the first thing my future mother in law and I baked together. It’s a delicious bread, and made for a wonderful time with her!
Really nice how a slight change in rules ended up with ingredients we never normally see here (the pomegranate for example!). The "cheapest jar" being awkward because there are jars scattered around the supermarket makes me think a restriction like "the cheapest item per aisle" could be fun. Or even "the first thing alphabetically in each aisle". Or "one thing beginning with each letter of the alphabet". As always, incredibly inspiring. Thank you : )
Have you been watching Taskmaster? There have been several tasks over the years where the contestant had to come with with 26 ingredients - one for each letter of the alphabet and then assemble them into some sort of meal/dish. Usually with disastrous results, but I think there were some good outcomes. Of course, Mr. Shrimp would have more than 10 minutes to think of his ingredients.
I really love and appreciate this account. Like the varried ideas, not overedited and like hectic, it's actually damn relaxing to watch. Also, nice narration, interesting concepts that go with my personal interests. I really don't comment much, because I am tired, but genuinly, this account gives me what I crave. Informatic videos, in an entertaining yet 'gentle' setting. With data to back it up. So yeah. I like!
I've seen in other videos that you use the little glass jar things Nutella comes in as glasses. The soft plastic lids of those just so happen to fit on top of standard sized tins perfectly, and are a useful reusable way to keep the contents of partially opened tins covered up and fresh in the fridge.
Really enjoyed this episode! Definitely try this challenge again for a different store as you will get different results - I bought a pack of cooked beetroot today at Sainsburys for 31p which would have been your cheapest veg. The pomegranate with pate was a clear winner. Our family always puts fresh fruits with our meats. Pear with smoked salmon is worth trying if you haven't already. :)
What a delightful video! I feel like in this one you were genuinely having fun. There's no one else I'd rather watch, glee and giggles, eat an entire jar of tartar sauce
@@AtomicShrimp I wish you did have Patreon! You've brought so much joy to my life, cheered me up when I'm feeling down, got me through an actual global pandemic, and so much more - I would love to be able to show my support in other ways than just views, and I guarantee I'm not alone on that!
Thank you for doing these - not to downplay everything else you do, but these are my favorite kinds of videos from you, because they showcase how to think creatively with food and try different things, and to be more economical with what otherwise would be considered 'waste' (I'd never have thought to save cheese water, for instance, or bits of fat and oil and the like before I started watching these). This time, I paused the video after you'd listed all the items and tried to think about what kinds of dishes *I* could whip up with this assortment of ingredients. I'm afraid I wasn't half as inventive as you; Nevertheless, I'd like to thank you for getting me to think about food prep differently in the last few years.
Never ceases to amaze me your ability to make seemingly nonsensical ingredient combinations work together. I learn a lot about ingredient versatility from you
This was for me a very successful variation on the “shopping for cheap” theme. I definitely want to see you do it in different shops, and the loaded potato skins theme also needs a revisit. Thank you for giving me ideas that I never would have thought of.
I'd like to see a pound store shop. People in the US do dollar tree challenges quite a bit. But most of our stores do not sell veg by the pound like mushrooms and things. Mostly it comes pre packed in 2/3/5/10 pound packs. But one lady does do a $10 for a week to feed her husband and herself from dollar tree. It was very interesting and eye opening. Our dollar stores have jumped to $1.25 now. It might be interesting to see if going to a regular store and only buying items $1(or $1.25)might be fun too. I also saw that dollar general has a whole aisle with $1 deals. From food to toilet paper. Of course tho all in US
grocery shopping can be a meditative experience and a problem solving exercise. It's always nice when you can buy what you want but there's satisfaction in finding creative solutions. Thank you for sharing your process with us, as always.
@@abegarfield7030 I don't mind the shopping itself, it's doing it on a tight budget that I don't like. I need a list every time, otherwise I forget stuff too.
When you were trying to focus the camera, I thought you were offering us a seat and I was ready to take it 😭😂 because the food looks so good especially that lunch!! Wow I'm watering at the mouth watching this and I'm currently eating dinner. You never cease to surprise me with your content and I really enjoy watching these food challenges. 🥰🙏 :)
That was interesting to watch, and for fun, I priced each item that you bought, as best I could, here...in Nova Scotia, Canada. (prices in CAD, but according to currency convertor is = $16.45 UK pounds) pomegranate=$4.49, spring onions = $1.79, 2 baking potatoes @ $1.78=$3.56, roll (bagel) = $0.89, 200g mozzarella = $3.50, pork & ham pate 150g= $5.49,rice pudding 400g = $3.99, tartar or horse radish 250g = $4.49. Total is $28.20 CAD I know, our products would be different, if we used the same guideline you used, but thought you might be interested in our prices
I love this conceptual take on the “limited budget” videos. Like you’ve said repeatedly, these are about stretching your culinary skills, and having an opportunity to use different ingredients than you usually do was a great change! I love it!
Im just so shook on how cheap the food is there. A can of veggie for 19p?? 99 cents for a sale can here, notmally 1.50$. Pomegranate is on sale here for two for five dollars. Thats the sale price.... Just crazy the price difference. Love your videos, great work. Thank you.
We may have a few bargains in certain food categories, here in the UK, we get screwed in almost every other area of living. I'd gladly trade with most people and can't wait to leave this miserable shitehole of a country.
love watching these cause when I'm on a budget I suddenly lose all creativity, but youve made so many fantastic meals just off the top of your head, and with so many restrictions, its so impressive and inspiring!
Your budget vids aren't just entertaining but useful too - they allow us to choose cheap but quality items and make delicious meals out of it all! Just the other day, I found imitation crab at a dollar store. I made low-carb, high-protein ramen using sale shirataki noodles, sale fresh taragon, sale canned sardines, sale hamburger, sale seaweed, the imitation crab, and I mixed two packets found in traditional ramen (spicy beef and beef pho). The amount of soup I made could've fed 2-3 people, tasted great, cost less than $4 USD total, and was the amount you'd get at a restaurant for $20. Of course, I was selfish and instead of sharing with 2-3 people, I ate it myself😆
I’m so so so so so happy you posted another of these challenges- I love your content but these are always my favourite! Perfect for moving back to university and looking after myself.
My absolute favorite series. You inspire me to live on a struggle and your unique dishes inspire me to cook. Especially on one of your videos where you forage. I learn what plants around me were edible and had some. Thank you good sir
This was actually a really good idea, and probably relatable for a lot of people. Not having a specific number budget per day/week, but just trying to buy cheap items, and seeing what you can do with them. So thank you for making that. And this type of challange would be nice to see again. Speaking of seeing again, I know you say you want to bring something new to the videos, but some of your ideas have been really nice, and really worth revisiting. Like, that one challange videos where you rolled dice, and went along with the randomness of the dice rolls. I would really love to see you do something like that again. It was a really neat concept, and you can really make your creativity shine through with that.
At some point it would be interesting to see you revisit your budget favorites as upscale - or at least not constrained - meals, where you take the weird things you've created and make nicer versions of them.
I’m blessed to have a pomegranate bush on my property for which I anxiously await them to ripen each year. They are very nutritious and very versatile. Great to see that you enjoyed it. I live in New Mexico USA.
I'v been a regular customer at Lidl (Germany) for over 20 years and I have never seen this kind of variety and product selection, you guys in GB have it good!
This channel is without doubt my favourite on TH-cam, no donations/patreon etc and a mix of content that appeals to a nerd like me. The fact it’s just some guy like us videoing nerdy stuff he likes but better than we could ourselves? What a channel. I always look forward to an atomic shrimp upload. He’s what a content creator on TH-cam should be. Like a throwback now though sadly. However he does prove it’s possible. Thank you atomic shrimp for your content and “keeping it real”
I'm always really impressed by your resourcefulness with these! You really know how to extract a lot from a little - and none of these meals feel 'lesser' or like compromises given how restrictive the challenge terms are. And you get such brilliant inventions as pomegranate, green onion, and tartar relish (though I'm not sure it'll catch on) Your encounter with supermarket pricing is similar to what I get irritated by - if I'm trying to buy the cheapest X, having four different ways of presenting the same price is really annoying and means I have to guess. I'll be charitable and say it's hard to calculate to a single measurement (such as by gram) rather than it being a malicious attempt to make it harder to spend less.
I really love the randomness and creativity of these videos! Suggestion/idea for another, randomly generate a maximum spend limit for each category (similar to this video or maybe the standard Carbs protein etc). Whatever the next challenge (or even video tbh) its bound to be enjoyable, thank you for continuing to make these videos =D
Im so glad you posted. I had the worst day but saw you posted a food challenge video and it has cheered me right up 😊 Please keep making these videos ❤
I absolutely loved the ingenuity of this. I don't know how many times I have been asked for a recipe to say it was what was left over items thrown together but, you gave your meals a chef's flare.
Next one you should add a math rule on the price like has to start with 0.20 or even etc. + maybe a total price. Or do a dice D10 roll for each category and that sets the first 2 digits, reroll if impossible.
it's not fun, it's harsh reality of food skyrocketing worldwide and job layoffs in perfect storm (bankruptcies, wars, Ai), there's a shortages of chicken and eggs in Russia and Turkey supply theirs, so this will affect other regions, that meat is basis of all fast food
I was reading a story today Mike,about a man that bought one of those food bags from Aldi for £3.30. He was amazed to find in the bag, a Korean Beef with Rice, and 33 blocks of cheese! Yes 33!
I admire how you managed to incorporate every last bit of usable food you had available here, feels really satisfying in a way that nothing good has to go to waste. Even the mozzarella brine that most people would just dump straight down the drain can come in handy.
For some reason, blocks of low moisture mozzarella are very difficult to find in the UK. What isn't difficult to find is sliced mozzarella, which IS low moisture mozzarella. All you need to do is stick it in the freezer for 10 minutes, and it becomes very easy to grate, and you don't have to deal with the pregrated stuff they cover in corn starch.
This is such a comforting video, the expectations are so low there is nothing to be disappointed about, there is nothing special, yet this is such a pleasure to watch. Immensely relaxing, but not in a boring way.
Very entertaining. I honestly don't know how you ate it but whatever floats your boat! I'd never buy pomegranate as I'd consider it a luxury item with little value, but you seemed to enjoy it so it worked for you. I'd have added apple instead to the rice, I used to cook this many years ago and now I've remembered it we'll be having it this weekend!! 😀 My favourite low cost foods would be milk, eggs, potato, swede, beetroot. I bought a swede recently for 99c (Euro currency) and it worked well for six meals, great value! I'll head out to Lidl in the morning to see how our local prices compare to yours. See you next time.
I could not click on this video fast enough when I got the notification! And then I had to finish work, errands, etc. before I could sit down in bliss and watch every moment. I love how you showed absolutely everything in Lidl in those sections, even how they were out of the spaghetti hoops. I thought you chose your parameters and categories well for interesting, well-rounded meals in your budget. Extremely creative and delicious looking meals. I'd LOVE to see what you could do with a 5 pound, frozen-food-only challenge for 3 meals. (Full disclosure, I'm in the US so I have no idea how achievable that is.)
Great video as always! However, as somebody that eats pomegranate everyday, I looked on in horror when you stuck the knife straight through the middle. 😂 definitely use a bowl of water and segment it into five next time 👍👍
Always fantastic and inspiring. 👍👍 Pomegranate and Rice pudding was my daily breakfast for a week in a small hotel in Sardinia where i was for work. Only difference was a dash of cinnamon.
Hi Shrimp, loved the video and this format for budget challenges. You mentioned at the end trying out this format in different shops, and I wanted to suggest doing this in an international supermarket. I think it could be interesting to try out new ingredients, similar to the appeal of weird stuff in a can, and would make an interesting video
This was so fun to watch. Approaching these very random ingredients as a creative challenge, still “plating” your meals and making them aesthetically pleasing, experimenting with unusual flavors and combinations… Kudos!
I don't have any spring onions but do have some leeks growing in a container/large-ish pot outside my flat planted them three or four years ago and they are still growing as I just cut a few tops off of them as needed which allows the bulbs to continue growing. I guess they could be called perpetual leeks. Also has some wild garlic in a pot and can't wait for them to start growing in a few months time! Leeks are getting a little sparse now (as sometimes accidentally I've pulled some up rather than cutting the tops) so maybe time to plant a few more seeds, maybe in another pot.
Oh this was a nice freshening up of the format! And also, just as someone else commented - I'm not here for the actual budget, but for the amazing food you manage to conjure up
Incredible - that lunch plate looked legitimately delicious. Granted I can’t taste it, but if that showed up at a restaurant I would be pretty happy. Love the videos man - always inspires me to get more creative in my own kitchen
Here’s another video idea. Using “scraps”. Like going into a butcher and getting the things people don’t buy like bones and offal. Then using up potato skins, carrot ends etc things you’d usually compost throughout the week. Taking leftovers and making something new.
Not sure if you're having fun making these, but I sure am having fun watching them. Coming up with new rules and watching you work with them is very entertaining. Keep on keeping on, ya know, is you want to.
I really dislike supermarkets that no longer sell loose fruit and veg. As a single person why would I need 20 carrots,or a bag of sweaty damp parsnips? Our local co-op has started doing it. It also means I have to stand there feeling each fruit through a layer of plastic to detect the token rotten one. And plastic,plastic,bally PLASTIC!!!!!!!! OK I'm finished now.🤐
I love how this series has been evolving over time, from simple financial restrictions to more experimental limitations! Something I like to do (though am unsure of whether it could carry an entire day's worth of meals on its own) whenever I go shopping is buy the items that people have picked up but put back in the wrong place. If I can't see where the item should go, I put it in my basket. For me, it adds a little fun & mystery to the weekly shop and has gotten me to try some foods that I wouldn't have ordinarily picked up. Plus it has the added benefit of helping the shop workers out by saving them from having to spend their time tidying up after people and putting things back where they belong!
Wonderful experiment Mike! I think this would be a lot easier to accomplish in the states here all of our pricing tags has it broken down by Oz or each, for example let's say you have a pack of bananas it would have the price there and then on the bottom right-hand corner it would break down how much that was per ounce so the math would be done for you and a lot easier to accomplish so kudos to you, you always go that extra mile!
I enjoy watching these restricted ingredients meal challenges. I find your mind so more bendy than mine in terms of seeing how you can creatively combine ingredients! Please more! (any version)
Very interesting to see how it all came together. My first thought with the ingredients was a kind of pomme dauphinoise (sliced potatoes in cream basically) but with a scattering of spring onions and the rice pudding providing the 'cream' maybe with a little pate or even pomegranate. The potato salad idea would never have occured to me. Interestingly, when he grabbed the pate I thought it said sardines not ardennes. For the purchasing, over here in Australia supermarkets have to have on the price ticket the cost per 100g or 100ml (depending on the substance) so it would be easier to compare costs of differently packaged items, but I don't think it extends to things sold as 'each'. Facinating video though, thanks heaps for this!
I'm shouting "get the chorizo get the chorizo " I make a fabulous hash with fried onions , leftover potatoes and a packet of chorizo with fajita seasoning served in a bowl with the cheapest tin of tomatoes I can find, it's yummy. Well done on all your cooking. Lots of ideas x
I had some ideas if you feel the challenges are getting a bit stale: A certain number of items so - 4 of one item, 3 of another, two and finally one Everything in the challenge has to be the same color Everything in the challenge has to start with the same letter Thanks for showing that simple restrictions can really encourage creativity
i got my wisdom teeth out yesterday and am going thru it, but i am so happy to have your content to fall back into. Of course, I'm quite jealous of eating real food 🤣 i miss bread so badly already, but the calmness and sweetness of your content is just such a special treat. I discovered you years ago from the scambaiting content and am so glad I started watching your other videos. Your cooking videos are by far my favorites! Thank you for making such comforting yet interesting content. I hope someday to cook so freely like you do, but I know that will take practice and an openness to accept failures while learning, something I struggle with. Your content is so nice to watch while im biting down on my gauze and just passing the time. Thank you!
I'm always so jealous of the price of fresh mozzarella in these videos! Where I am (midwestern US), fresh mozzarella is not so cheap ($4.50 / ~3.50gbp or so for an 8oz ball).
But I guess it's better Mozzarella then. We have this very cheap stuff here, too and they're actually slightly rubbery white balls with perfectly neutral flavour. Good Mozzarella costs about as much as you pay or more.
*Afterthoughts & Addenda*
*'Most Expensive' variation* - I truly appreciate all the creative suggestions people are offering for variations on this challenge. I'm sorry, I don't think a 'most expensive in category' would be a good idea in practice. Money is for spending, sure, and spending extra on what you desire is a good thing, where it's possible but 'TH-camr sets out to waste money on purpose, because he can' never quite sits right with me.
A "best value" variation would be interesting. It would take work because it would balance cost, weight, size, etc. in the equation.
I really like this challenge because of the rather surprising ingredients you ended up working with!
2 (ISH) years ago I bought a 500g bag of mung beans.
Ive sprouting bean sprouts ever since perfect for stur fry..
Only just ran out yesterday
Need to purchase more
Could be a video idea??
Oh if you allow forging, more seaweed.. although I think you've too far from the coast now and rock samphire is illegal to pick (maybe, so I hear)
Peace and love ❤️
@@tonyoliver4920 Mung bean porridge is also a great dish (never a fan of bean sprouts), something from my part of the world. It's a sweet dish, usually eaten for a light meal like afternoon tea.
Maybe something similar to what Barry lewis does, 'cheap vs steep' where you try to find which ingredients are worth spending a little more on to get better bang for your buck. maybe along with the normal 'cheap' products you can choose one premium one too.
I enjoyed how, when carefully scooping out the cooked potatoes, you used your quiet voice so as not to frighten the potatoes.
This made me laugh an usual amount. Thank you for the laugh, you made my week.
I'm watching this bit right now! So funny 🤣
Be vewwy vewwy quiet. It’s tater season.
i love that every time i see the ingredients i think "theres not even one meal there" and then you come up with the most creative ways to make good meals. Helps me with using stuff I have in rather than ordering take away.
Yea❤
I remember the time when you could go into a supermarket with a fiver in your pocket and walk out with a couple of steaks and a bottle of wine. You can't do that these days, there's too many cameras.
Brilliant. I needed a laugh today and your comment made my day. Thanks for that 👍.
I've seen people having that and more recently and it was free🤣
Bhahaha 😂
😂😂😂😂😂
🤣🤣🤣
You single handedly destroy the English cooking stereotypes, undoing all damage done by Kay’s Cooking.
Who is Kay ?
😂😂😂
😂😂😂 I didn’t think anyone was as bad as Kay
At least Kay doesn't feed her creations to the public. An american "cooking" chanel "Cooking with Jack" fed 14 month old, frostbitten, rotten brisket to a church chili cook off.
@@BellaRainDropsShe's lovely but a terrible cook. The channel is called 'Kay's Cooking'
"[...]it's always carrots, bananas, and baked beans" -- In fairness, you could make a pretty representative british flag with those foods
this is my british diet. banana for breakfast, carrots for lunch, beans for dinner!
...if you add eggs.
I used to love my nan's carrot, banana and bean stew!
Orange and yellow aren't in the flag!
and the English Muffin lable should just be muffins
I would love for you to do this again and add another ingredient container type that is super common in the supermarket. The bag. It could be chips, flour, spices, candy, etc. Tons of stuff comes in bags.
ooooooo interesting idea!! but maybe flours and sugars should be disqualified, those huge and dense bags would absolutely kill all competition in price for weight, and probably dominate the entire days cooking a bit much.
@@martenmaarten Sugar would probably be to expensive, and as I live in the US I don't know how flour price compares to other things. So limiting it might be a thing.
Yes!
honestly I'm not even here for the budget restraints, I'm here because the food you make is actually delicious
He does seem to have some culinary flair
and he's not afraid to mix some unusual foods together.
I'm not sure why he's always surprised at how well his meals turn out.
We all suffer from insecurity…😢
@@PlayaSinNombre lol no
Good to know! Been having a cook burn out everything I make sucks so I look forward to trying his dishes now
I'm sat watching whilst eating asdas own noodles with a tin of asdas own baked beans 😂
These are simply my favourite videos on the internet. Wholesome, comforting, nerdy, creative and supremely satisfying to my frugal soul.
couldn't agree more, there is just something so relaxing about the videos he does. Its always a lucky day when he post's a video.
One of the things I've learned from watching you and a number of other "budget challenge" cooking videos is that there isn't any "correct" way to combine ingredients, so long as you like the result. The twice-baked potatoes with everything seemed like throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks, but it all makes its own sense as it went together. Always resourceful and brave with your dishes, and I appreciate that!
Yupp, that's the secret to budget cooking, combine what you have or what's cheap in a way that isn't horrendous
@@Rullstolsboken Horrendous can be subjective.
What other channels do you watch?
There's a super tasty Korean green onion pancake called pajeon. The main ingredients are simple and cheap, so if you have excess green onions or you want a tasty vegetable dish but can't afford much, green onions are a great veg option. Maangchi has made pajeon on her channel before, so check her videos out if you'd like to make it.
There's a Chinese version that's probably similar.
Kimchi pancakes are also wonderful😊
He could make sooooo many Asian dishes out of these ingredients, but he never strays from soup and just mixing everything together
@@JohnDlugosz the Chinese counterpart has more flour compared to the Korean pancakes, which has more eggs. They both go well with soy sauce and chili oil 🤤
They sound similar to Chinese scallion pancakes which I can attest to being delicious.
The pomegranate, tartar sauce, spring onion and rice pudding concoction at the end really cracked me up, worth a shot
This feels like the most relatable challenge to me! Rather than a specific budget I just buy the cheapest thing of whatever I need, its fun seeing you do this!
It would be easy for me.
Where I live there's quite a large Islamic community,
so most of the shops have
loads of vegetables,
spices & herbs at really agreeable prices.
There's a lot of Caribbean places too.
I'll never go hungry living around here.
It's a pity Lidl doesn't do much loose fruit and veg. It seemed like those potatoes were the only loose veg.
I agree, fun to see someone else do this!
Tartare sauce for potato salad is an inspired shout. I always struggle to use up tartare sauce when I buy a jar for fish and chips or scampi. Now I have an option!
It's good in pasta salad, too! 😉
Wow, shopped the 9th, cooked the 10th, ready the 11th. Very good job, i love all your cooking videos
Please keep making these, as a student on a tight budget with a newfound addiction to making cheap healthy food quickly I've particularly used the "16p buns" among other things like soups etc to add to my personal cookbook. Another great video, keep it up :)
I wonder if many students
watch this channel.
These kind of videos would be ideal.
yeah i am a fellow student and love these videos too ! i usually eat cheap stuff just on its own but it's really cool to see him actually cooking stuff with it
@LaurenIsherwood-ll9qw One good one ive been doing at least twice a month since mid 2023 is buying a whole chicken, roasting it, carving off the meat into a plastic pot to put in the fridge, making stock with veg and the bones+skin+fat which i then reduce, strain and freeze in a silicone ice cube tray. Any meal with it takes 5-10 mins, put some noodles in a pot with water, a couple iced cubes of the stock, some of the chicken, and a solid splash each of soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil and scissor sliced spring onion and chilli on top and youve got a weeks worth of dinner for less than a tenner. I also put some chinese five-spice in when it's boiling and throw in any other veg i have on hand like brocolli. It sounds like it takes a while but most of it is just leaving the stock to cook and stirring every hour or so for 4 hours, so as far as batch meals go it's very low maintenance
@@duallinkdvi-dcable1822 that's awesome! i knew about freezing stock, but making it into little ice cubes is so good, perfect little portions for cooking.
Really like the idea of seeing more “budget” challenges modelled on this, rather than the monetary limit ones. As you say, this yielded a much more interesting set of ingredients, a bit like the random selection one or ambient vegan challenge. I think a financial limit works best when it is a slightly higher amount over more days, like the £5 for 5 days one, but that’s a lot of work. This style is very interesting and has given me a few ideas for my own cooking going forwards; I’ll definitely not just pour away mozzarella water anymore. Thanks Shrimp!
I have to admit, I get one thing all the time from your cooking videos. The courage to experiment. What do I mean? As a single guy I pretty much have the same 7 day meal schedule. Breakfast is a couple of pieces of bacon and 2-3 (depending on hunger) eggs in a basket, cooked in the bacon grease. Lunch is leftovers from the night prior (always cook a double portion). Dinner one of 7 meals. Like a simple ramen stirfry with sausage and frozen mixed veggies. Snacks are everything from an apple to chips to candy. But, watching you do stuff with food I couldn't even dream of, well, makes me want to experiment and change up my menu. Look for things that I normally would pass up and try to see how I can add them into my weekly meals. Like, this past week I bought brie cheese to go on fuji apples. Something I wouldn't have thought of doing anytime in the past.
very clever to use the bacon grease!
I think it would be an interesting shake up to follow this up with the inverse, after doing budget cooking for so long I wonder how you'd deal with a chaotic group of luxurious items
Last time anything similar happened, it was the dreaded Too Good To Go challenge.
I was thinking "Most Expensive Packages/Items in ALDI"
that way it can be directly compared to the same store
Force Shrimp to make a dish using caviar and truffles lmao
Maybe for 1 million subs
@@hdbordercollie He admitted he made a mistake by doing it late, and choosing a BP garage and having to supplement 1GBP at a Morrisons. He should redo it and pick a location more suited to what Too Good To Go was intended.
Hi Shrimp. Chef here, I've found the easiest way to tackle a pomegranate is to cut out the stem, cut into quarters, then holding a piece seeds side down in your hand, beat the absolute hell out of the skin side with a wooden spoon 😊 love watching your alternative creative process with these videos!
I wanted to keep this tip for myself and loved ones as hardly anyone knows about this...
Just use a strong magnet, there's a fair bit of metal in them seeds. (You're welcome!)
Your creativity is quite astonishing. I love seeing what you come up with.
If you haven't already, I'd love to see a challenge where you set a time period and see how long you can create meals using what's already in your stores. I do this every February as part of our annual Austerity February exercise where we eliminate all non-essential spending for the month as kind of a reset after the holiday season. I really enjoy trying to use up items in the pantry and freezer and seeing how little I can spend on additional grocery items. It becomes more difficult as the month goes on, but I love the challenge.
That’s a great idea! I should try that, my kitchen is always full of all weird stuff and could use some cleaning 😅
Ohhh like the Australian tv show “back in time for dinner”
When I do that
it's usually involuntary.
I've been in situations that were like advanced editions of
Ready, steady..cook.
I've found myself attempting to create a meal from
an egg that may be on the turn,
a pinch of ground Cinnamon
and half a bottle of Lucozade.
good idea but mr shrimp seems to me like he has loads of wares frozen, dried and stashed away, plus a flourishing garden, so I doubt it would even be a challenge for him
@@abegarfield7030 I've got to know how the Lucozade-cinnamon-egg went
My absolute favourite content from Sir Shrimp! Always interested to see the things you come up with in these challenges!
Atomic Shrimp does a cooking challenge = immediate watch. This was great, really loved how the changed parameters really pushed you into doing something different. Would love to see more of these (and am very tempted to give this a go myself).
The Bossa Nova muzak playing while you shop has somehow become a part of my psyche, despite sounding like a Casio keyboard. The prices being above the shelf felt so wrong. Great video Mike!
That's the Lidl trick, ha ha.
@@SierraNovemberKilo sneaky. 🤣
I was just thinking this sounds like music like I would expect in a British show in about the 1960's. Lol
You should see the cashiers in Romanian Lidl roll their eyes when you want a return because a product had a different price: "The price is placed above but aaaanywaaaaay"
Hey, don't knock Casio.
I've got an MT 40 keyboard.
It's awful
but it's not without it's charm.
Also one of my main wristwatches is Casio F-91w,
the original water-resistant
sports watch.
Once upon a time, Mr Shrimp used a die to choose which foods to use. I enjoyed it very much. Lovely channel. Sorry for my bad English, I'm old and had to learn English myself.
Your English is as good as any native-born Brit!
@@janfoster9583 Thank you!
@@maidsua4208i loved the dice directed dining too! And the cube-chosen cooking.
@@basilbrush9075 Agreed!
I have missed your limited budget videos so much. Thank you for this. I love how you change up the parameters as well, it really does keep things fresh and interesting.
This gave me the crazy idea of doing a challenge buying the cheapest item from every aisle in a store. Could really require a lot of creativity like this since youre locked into items that may or may not go together
Looking forward to seeing what you cook with the washing powder, shoe polish and tinfoil 😂
"Setting focus...nailed it" love this guys sense of humour, always cracks me up.
yess! this challenge was so good! my thoughts: I am surprised that the lack of a limited budget inspired more creativity, I personally would not have expected that at all. I'm also glad to learn that pomegranate is versatile as it was, I had that marked as "the weakest link" of your haul and was pleasantly surprised! I don't think you messed up with the cheese moisture at all, that was a smart move and I think dinner would have been a fail if you hadn't done that. I second your idea for revisiting the potato skins and an emphatic YES! to a revisit of this challenge, i like the idea of doing it at another store or doing the same store but switching catergories, either is fine. I would like to see the return of random selection of herbs and spices, if you are still interested in that concept. I thought it was fun and i think for fairness you could decide the choices for the draw after the shop so you don't get really weird selections. I still love the limited challenge videos, but I'm glad you were able to make this concept as well as you did. Anyway, thank you for making the video! oh ps: i understand the omission of salt this time was an accident, but i think in the future it should always be available like normal.
Oh God I have been waiting for a video of this series. I discovered them a couple of months ago and watched all of them. This is the first I will watch on release and I am: excited.
I have been thinking of doing a challenge of sorts myself for a week with my partner, adjusting the price to Sweden and seeing what is feasible and what not.
Show us !
As a couple challenge for both of you to try just to see what you come up with, or as a competition between you? Either way it sounds like fun.
I appreciate the grounded attitude in this video so much in this era when TH-cam has so much buy-buy-buy content.
Food challenge (and cooking in general) are my favorite, followed closely by gardening. While I love watching the challenges, I can’t do them myself, but I do love a solid recipe. I made the butternut squash recipe you baked, and it was the first thing my future mother in law and I baked together. It’s a delicious bread, and made for a wonderful time with her!
Really nice how a slight change in rules ended up with ingredients we never normally see here (the pomegranate for example!). The "cheapest jar" being awkward because there are jars scattered around the supermarket makes me think a restriction like "the cheapest item per aisle" could be fun. Or even "the first thing alphabetically in each aisle". Or "one thing beginning with each letter of the alphabet". As always, incredibly inspiring. Thank you : )
Have you been watching Taskmaster? There have been several tasks over the years where the contestant had to come with with 26 ingredients - one for each letter of the alphabet and then assemble them into some sort of meal/dish. Usually with disastrous results, but I think there were some good outcomes. Of course, Mr. Shrimp would have more than 10 minutes to think of his ingredients.
I really love and appreciate this account. Like the varried ideas, not overedited and like hectic, it's actually damn relaxing to watch. Also, nice narration, interesting concepts that go with my personal interests. I really don't comment much, because I am tired, but genuinly, this account gives me what I crave. Informatic videos, in an entertaining yet 'gentle' setting. With data to back it up. So yeah. I like!
I've seen in other videos that you use the little glass jar things Nutella comes in as glasses. The soft plastic lids of those just so happen to fit on top of standard sized tins perfectly, and are a useful reusable way to keep the contents of partially opened tins covered up and fresh in the fridge.
I never knew the lids fit on tins. I actually bought plastic lids for my tins 😂😂😂
I use pringles can lids!
@@andrewwebb917 Good one! I never buy Pringles, myself.
Really enjoyed this episode! Definitely try this challenge again for a different store as you will get different results - I bought a pack of cooked beetroot today at Sainsburys for 31p which would have been your cheapest veg. The pomegranate with pate was a clear winner. Our family always puts fresh fruits with our meats. Pear with smoked salmon is worth trying if you haven't already. :)
I came to comment about different shops, could be a series! Also salmon and pear? I'm intrigued.
What a delightful video! I feel like in this one you were genuinely having fun. There's no one else I'd rather watch, glee and giggles, eat an entire jar of tartar sauce
A clever use of ingredients as usual, really enjoyed this
How the hell did you manage to reply a day ago when it's only been uploaded 15 mins ago :D
Probably a patreon supporter with earlier access.@@orokanamame
Discord members get free early access. I don't do patreon.
@@AtomicShrimpoh, I see! Glad to know.
@@AtomicShrimp I wish you did have Patreon! You've brought so much joy to my life, cheered me up when I'm feeling down, got me through an actual global pandemic, and so much more - I would love to be able to show my support in other ways than just views, and I guarantee I'm not alone on that!
That leek and potato soup simulacrum was an awesome idea! Love leek and potato soup
This is how I shop every month!! On a fixed income so I shop at dollar tree, dollar general and Aldi. It's all perfectly good and gets us through.
Thank you for doing these - not to downplay everything else you do, but these are my favorite kinds of videos from you, because they showcase how to think creatively with food and try different things, and to be more economical with what otherwise would be considered 'waste' (I'd never have thought to save cheese water, for instance, or bits of fat and oil and the like before I started watching these). This time, I paused the video after you'd listed all the items and tried to think about what kinds of dishes *I* could whip up with this assortment of ingredients. I'm afraid I wasn't half as inventive as you; Nevertheless, I'd like to thank you for getting me to think about food prep differently in the last few years.
I love these so much. They tickle just the right part of my brain.
Never ceases to amaze me your ability to make seemingly nonsensical ingredient combinations work together. I learn a lot about ingredient versatility from you
This was for me a very successful variation on the “shopping for cheap” theme. I definitely want to see you do it in different shops, and the loaded potato skins theme also needs a revisit.
Thank you for giving me ideas that I never would have thought of.
I'd like to see a pound store shop.
People in the US do dollar tree challenges quite a bit. But most of our stores do not sell veg by the pound like mushrooms and things. Mostly it comes pre packed in 2/3/5/10 pound packs.
But one lady does do a $10 for a week to feed her husband and herself from dollar tree. It was very interesting and eye opening.
Our dollar stores have jumped to $1.25 now. It might be interesting to see if going to a regular store and only buying items $1(or $1.25)might be fun too.
I also saw that dollar general has a whole aisle with $1 deals. From food to toilet paper.
Of course tho all in US
grocery shopping can be a meditative experience and a problem solving exercise. It's always nice when you can buy what you want but there's satisfaction in finding creative solutions. Thank you for sharing your process with us, as always.
Personally I find it extremely stressful trying to make sure I get everything I need on a very limited budget.
I do mending if I feel like meditating.
That's really interesting! I am terrible at mending and find it extremely stressful lol
@@kiddiedeathpool How about you do my shopping and I'll do your mending then 😁😉?
@@theclumsyprepper
I know how you feel.
I have an extremely low
frustration tolerance
and shopping just winds me up.
I always forget something too.
@@abegarfield7030 I don't mind the shopping itself, it's doing it on a tight budget that I don't like.
I need a list every time, otherwise I forget stuff too.
When you were trying to focus the camera, I thought you were offering us a seat and I was ready to take it 😭😂 because the food looks so good especially that lunch!! Wow I'm watering at the mouth watching this and I'm currently eating dinner. You never cease to surprise me with your content and I really enjoy watching these food challenges. 🥰🙏 :)
That was interesting to watch, and for fun, I priced each item that you bought, as best I could, here...in Nova Scotia, Canada. (prices in CAD, but according to currency convertor is = $16.45 UK pounds)
pomegranate=$4.49, spring onions = $1.79, 2 baking potatoes @ $1.78=$3.56, roll (bagel) = $0.89, 200g mozzarella = $3.50, pork & ham pate 150g= $5.49,rice pudding 400g = $3.99, tartar or horse radish 250g = $4.49. Total is $28.20 CAD
I know, our products would be different, if we used the same guideline you used, but thought you might be interested in our prices
I love this conceptual take on the “limited budget” videos. Like you’ve said repeatedly, these are about stretching your culinary skills, and having an opportunity to use different ingredients than you usually do was a great change! I love it!
Made some of the best scrambled eggs w/ corned beef hash I’ve had to date, using your neat yolk sauce trick. Thanks for the content Shrimp!
I love doing this kinda tinkering in the kitchen. Although I do it as a consequence of being broke.
Love the content, so calming.
Im just so shook on how cheap the food is there. A can of veggie for 19p?? 99 cents for a sale can here, notmally 1.50$. Pomegranate is on sale here for two for five dollars. Thats the sale price.... Just crazy the price difference. Love your videos, great work. Thank you.
Agreed, while noting the current exchange rate is 1 pound = $1.27USD. So it's not quite as big a difference.
We may have a few bargains in certain food categories, here in the UK, we get screwed in almost every other area of living.
I'd gladly trade with most people and can't wait to leave this miserable shitehole of a country.
@@rjnash2610 im with you
love watching these cause when I'm on a budget I suddenly lose all creativity, but youve made so many fantastic meals just off the top of your head, and with so many restrictions, its so impressive and inspiring!
Your budget vids aren't just entertaining but useful too - they allow us to choose cheap but quality items and make delicious meals out of it all!
Just the other day, I found imitation crab at a dollar store. I made low-carb, high-protein ramen using sale shirataki noodles, sale fresh taragon, sale canned sardines, sale hamburger, sale seaweed, the imitation crab, and I mixed two packets found in traditional ramen (spicy beef and beef pho). The amount of soup I made could've fed 2-3 people, tasted great, cost less than $4 USD total, and was the amount you'd get at a restaurant for $20. Of course, I was selfish and instead of sharing with 2-3 people, I ate it myself😆
I always admire your inventiveness and ability to think outside the box with challenges like these. Please never stop making them!
I’m so so so so so happy you posted another of these challenges- I love your content but these are always my favourite! Perfect for moving back to university and looking after myself.
My absolute favorite series. You inspire me to live on a struggle and your unique dishes inspire me to cook. Especially on one of your videos where you forage. I learn what plants around me were edible and had some. Thank you good sir
This was actually a really good idea, and probably relatable for a lot of people. Not having a specific number budget per day/week, but just trying to buy cheap items, and seeing what you can do with them. So thank you for making that. And this type of challange would be nice to see again.
Speaking of seeing again, I know you say you want to bring something new to the videos, but some of your ideas have been really nice, and really worth revisiting. Like, that one challange videos where you rolled dice, and went along with the randomness of the dice rolls. I would really love to see you do something like that again. It was a really neat concept, and you can really make your creativity shine through with that.
I agree with you about the dice. It was very interesting to see what Mr Shrimp got out of it.
@@maidsua4208 those gummy bears, lol. I still remember that.
@@wariolandgoldpiramid Yes, he is creative 😅
Super video. I love the “let’s try this” attitude and you using every last bit, like the breadcrumbs.
At some point it would be interesting to see you revisit your budget favorites as upscale - or at least not constrained - meals, where you take the weird things you've created and make nicer versions of them.
I’m blessed to have a pomegranate bush on my property for which I anxiously await them to ripen each year. They are very nutritious and very versatile. Great to see that you enjoyed it. I live in New Mexico USA.
amazed to watch you take that lot of ingredients and make three actual meals, you get a 10/10! Have a lovely weekend
I'v been a regular customer at Lidl (Germany) for over 20 years and I have never seen this kind of variety and product selection, you guys in GB have it good!
This channel is without doubt my favourite on TH-cam, no donations/patreon etc and a mix of content that appeals to a nerd like me. The fact it’s just some guy like us videoing nerdy stuff he likes but better than we could ourselves? What a channel.
I always look forward to an atomic shrimp upload. He’s what a content creator on TH-cam should be. Like a throwback now though sadly. However he does prove it’s possible.
Thank you atomic shrimp for your content and “keeping it real”
Yes please, more videos like this one. I thought the haul was trash at the beginning....but the meals were super interesting!
I'm always really impressed by your resourcefulness with these! You really know how to extract a lot from a little - and none of these meals feel 'lesser' or like compromises given how restrictive the challenge terms are. And you get such brilliant inventions as pomegranate, green onion, and tartar relish (though I'm not sure it'll catch on)
Your encounter with supermarket pricing is similar to what I get irritated by - if I'm trying to buy the cheapest X, having four different ways of presenting the same price is really annoying and means I have to guess. I'll be charitable and say it's hard to calculate to a single measurement (such as by gram) rather than it being a malicious attempt to make it harder to spend less.
When most cooking shows are out of reach from most people, Mike manages a realistic and tasty meal from a low budget. Well done 👍!
I really love the randomness and creativity of these videos!
Suggestion/idea for another, randomly generate a maximum spend limit for each category (similar to this video or maybe the standard Carbs protein etc).
Whatever the next challenge (or even video tbh) its bound to be enjoyable, thank you for continuing to make these videos =D
These vids are always cozy no matter the restraints you choose
Im so glad you posted. I had the worst day but saw you posted a food challenge video and it has cheered me right up 😊 Please keep making these videos ❤
I absolutely loved the ingenuity of this. I don't know how many times I have been asked for a recipe to say it was what was left over items thrown together but, you gave your meals a chef's flare.
Next one you should add a math rule on the price like has to start with 0.20 or even etc. + maybe a total price. Or do a dice D10 roll for each category and that sets the first 2 digits, reroll if impossible.
I like this. The more arbitrary the criteria, the more it seems the selection of items is not just baked beans and carrots.
This sounds like a really fun challenge. I'm glad you're thinking of new ways to do my favorite.
it's not fun, it's harsh reality of food skyrocketing worldwide and job layoffs in perfect storm (bankruptcies, wars, Ai), there's a shortages of chicken and eggs in Russia and Turkey supply theirs, so this will affect other regions, that meat is basis of all fast food
I was reading a story today Mike,about a man that bought one of those food bags from Aldi for £3.30. He was amazed to find in the bag, a Korean Beef with Rice, and 33 blocks of cheese! Yes 33!
I admire how you managed to incorporate every last bit of usable food you had available here, feels really satisfying in a way that nothing good has to go to waste. Even the mozzarella brine that most people would just dump straight down the drain can come in handy.
For some reason, blocks of low moisture mozzarella are very difficult to find in the UK. What isn't difficult to find is sliced mozzarella, which IS low moisture mozzarella. All you need to do is stick it in the freezer for 10 minutes, and it becomes very easy to grate, and you don't have to deal with the pregrated stuff they cover in corn starch.
You can find low moisture mozzarella blocks pretty easily they're called pizza mozzarella and they're usually overpriced
This is such a comforting video, the expectations are so low there is nothing to be disappointed about, there is nothing special, yet this is such a pleasure to watch. Immensely relaxing, but not in a boring way.
Very entertaining. I honestly don't know how you ate it but whatever floats your boat! I'd never buy pomegranate as I'd consider it a luxury item with little value, but you seemed to enjoy it so it worked for you. I'd have added apple instead to the rice, I used to cook this many years ago and now I've remembered it we'll be having it this weekend!! 😀 My favourite low cost foods would be milk, eggs, potato, swede, beetroot. I bought a swede recently for 99c (Euro currency) and it worked well for six meals, great value! I'll head out to Lidl in the morning to see how our local prices compare to yours. See you next time.
I could not click on this video fast enough when I got the notification! And then I had to finish work, errands, etc. before I could sit down in bliss and watch every moment. I love how you showed absolutely everything in Lidl in those sections, even how they were out of the spaghetti hoops. I thought you chose your parameters and categories well for interesting, well-rounded meals in your budget. Extremely creative and delicious looking meals. I'd LOVE to see what you could do with a 5 pound, frozen-food-only challenge for 3 meals. (Full disclosure, I'm in the US so I have no idea how achievable that is.)
Great video as always! However, as somebody that eats pomegranate everyday, I looked on in horror when you stuck the knife straight through the middle. 😂 definitely use a bowl of water and segment it into five next time 👍👍
Thanks for so clearly crediting the music. Found the outro song on Spotify which is now part of my like list there. 🥰
Always fantastic and inspiring. 👍👍
Pomegranate and Rice pudding was my daily breakfast for a week in a small hotel in Sardinia where i was for work. Only difference was a dash of cinnamon.
Green onion, the savior of my budget life. Glad to see you've used it in so many ways too.
Hi Shrimp, loved the video and this format for budget challenges. You mentioned at the end trying out this format in different shops, and I wanted to suggest doing this in an international supermarket. I think it could be interesting to try out new ingredients, similar to the appeal of weird stuff in a can, and would make an interesting video
This was so fun to watch. Approaching these very random ingredients as a creative challenge, still “plating” your meals and making them aesthetically pleasing, experimenting with unusual flavors and combinations… Kudos!
I don't have any spring onions but do have some leeks growing in a container/large-ish pot outside my flat planted them three or four years ago and they are still growing as I just cut a few tops off of them as needed which allows the bulbs to continue growing. I guess they could be called perpetual leeks. Also has some wild garlic in a pot and can't wait for them to start growing in a few months time!
Leeks are getting a little sparse now (as sometimes accidentally I've pulled some up rather than cutting the tops) so maybe time to plant a few more seeds, maybe in another pot.
Oh this was a nice freshening up of the format!
And also, just as someone else commented - I'm not here for the actual budget, but for the amazing food you manage to conjure up
Always amazed to see all the cheap food, don’t find those options in America. Canned vegetables from Walmart is about the only options we have.
Their food prices are much better than ours in America. Once in a while I can find a few good deals in Aldi but nothing like UK prices.
Walmart has 66 cent cans of veggies often, other then that, nothing compares to UK prices. @@survivinglife__unplugged
Incredible - that lunch plate looked legitimately delicious. Granted I can’t taste it, but if that showed up at a restaurant I would be pretty happy. Love the videos man - always inspires me to get more creative in my own kitchen
Here’s another video idea. Using “scraps”. Like going into a butcher and getting the things people don’t buy like bones and offal. Then using up potato skins, carrot ends etc things you’d usually compost throughout the week. Taking leftovers and making something new.
Not sure if you're having fun making these, but I sure am having fun watching them. Coming up with new rules and watching you work with them is very entertaining. Keep on keeping on, ya know, is you want to.
I really dislike supermarkets that no longer sell loose fruit and veg. As a single person why would I need 20 carrots,or a bag of sweaty damp parsnips? Our local co-op has started doing it. It also means I have to stand there feeling each fruit through a layer of plastic to detect the token rotten one. And plastic,plastic,bally PLASTIC!!!!!!!!
OK I'm finished now.🤐
Same in USA! WE single folk have t waste money to eat sometimes. I always try to get sale items and share with friends.
I love how this series has been evolving over time, from simple financial restrictions to more experimental limitations!
Something I like to do (though am unsure of whether it could carry an entire day's worth of meals on its own) whenever I go shopping is buy the items that people have picked up but put back in the wrong place. If I can't see where the item should go, I put it in my basket.
For me, it adds a little fun & mystery to the weekly shop and has gotten me to try some foods that I wouldn't have ordinarily picked up. Plus it has the added benefit of helping the shop workers out by saving them from having to spend their time tidying up after people and putting things back where they belong!
Wonderful experiment Mike! I think this would be a lot easier to accomplish in the states here all of our pricing tags has it broken down by Oz or each, for example let's say you have a pack of bananas it would have the price there and then on the bottom right-hand corner it would break down how much that was per ounce so the math would be done for you and a lot easier to accomplish so kudos to you, you always go that extra mile!
I enjoy watching these restricted ingredients meal challenges. I find your mind so more bendy than mine in terms of seeing how you can creatively combine ingredients! Please more! (any version)
Very interesting to see how it all came together. My first thought with the ingredients was a kind of pomme dauphinoise (sliced potatoes in cream basically) but with a scattering of spring onions and the rice pudding providing the 'cream' maybe with a little pate or even pomegranate. The potato salad idea would never have occured to me. Interestingly, when he grabbed the pate I thought it said sardines not ardennes. For the purchasing, over here in Australia supermarkets have to have on the price ticket the cost per 100g or 100ml (depending on the substance) so it would be easier to compare costs of differently packaged items, but I don't think it extends to things sold as 'each'. Facinating video though, thanks heaps for this!
I'm shouting "get the chorizo get the chorizo " I make a fabulous hash with fried onions , leftover potatoes and a packet of chorizo with fajita seasoning served in a bowl with the cheapest tin of tomatoes I can find, it's yummy. Well done on all your cooking. Lots of ideas x
The chorizo would have been way better in the potato skins, but alas, it was not nearly the cheapest thing.
I had some ideas if you feel the challenges are getting a bit stale:
A certain number of items so - 4 of one item, 3 of another, two and finally one
Everything in the challenge has to be the same color
Everything in the challenge has to start with the same letter
Thanks for showing that simple restrictions can really encourage creativity
i got my wisdom teeth out yesterday and am going thru it, but i am so happy to have your content to fall back into. Of course, I'm quite jealous of eating real food 🤣 i miss bread so badly already, but the calmness and sweetness of your content is just such a special treat. I discovered you years ago from the scambaiting content and am so glad I started watching your other videos. Your cooking videos are by far my favorites! Thank you for making such comforting yet interesting content. I hope someday to cook so freely like you do, but I know that will take practice and an openness to accept failures while learning, something I struggle with. Your content is so nice to watch while im biting down on my gauze and just passing the time. Thank you!
I'm always so jealous of the price of fresh mozzarella in these videos! Where I am (midwestern US), fresh mozzarella is not so cheap ($4.50 / ~3.50gbp or so for an 8oz ball).
But I guess it's better Mozzarella then. We have this very cheap stuff here, too and they're actually slightly rubbery white balls with perfectly neutral flavour.
Good Mozzarella costs about as much as you pay or more.