I really hope that by the time this year and the badge competition are over, we won't get just a 2-minute celebration, but a full conversation (maybe even a video) about each normal's strengths and weaknesses, with Ben's criticism and tips/guidance as to what they could focus on to further develop their skills. Maybe even a little funny moment where Ben would tell them (based on their strengths, weaknesses, skills and attitude) what positions they would hold in a restaurant kitchen.
+1 to this, not only would that give a great cap to the end of the competition but it would keep the momentum going in terms of what comes next for the normals. Also it would just be fun as heck
Y’all should do a version where the chef’s budget is exactly half of the normals, so the higher the normal chooses to go the higher his risk of the chef being able to get better ingredients.
@@cameronpolite2199 Just because something doesn't meet the legal requirements to be labelled and sold as organic, doesn't mean it's not organic. The colloquial definition is separate from the legal requirements for labelling.
Mike should have gotten the Specialist badge: Monkfish edition, just like Barry got it for Squid. Along with the basic seafood badge. He butchered that whole monkfish himself and prepped and cooked other seafood as well.
I think he did cut his finger though, if you pay close attention you can see that after the 7 minute "mark" in the video he has a blue band aid on his left middle finger ;) :p
i think the problem is adding in being able to get 2 badges in a normal vid all of a sudden halfway through a competition where not everyone gets equal chances for badges will probably through off the balance
… so cooking? The only electric tools I use are a stand mixer because I bake for large groups , tea kettle and a blender for smoothies (i do use my oven). My stove is gas but even if you take that away I can cook 90% over a fire. I don’t really see no appliances as a challenge.
@@Sunny-ot1vo Maybe not a challenge, but a lot of recipes they (and other food creators/bloggers) post require ovens, stand mixers, food processors, blenders and so on, and as such make them not accessible for a portion of their viewers. I love Sorted vids and recipes but me and my lonely gas stove just can't make a lot of them. I hate finding great sounding recipes only to discover that somewhere in the middle they require you to roast or blend something and just assume you have them. Sorry for a rant, I just wish that more recipes would have required equipment listed.
Ben is so full of heart. Every time I’ve seen him lose a battle he’s always so proud of the normals or James. I also loved when Jamie and Mike complimented Ben on his dish and it made him smile at 12:55. Like, we’ll deserved Ebbers! Good job both you guys! Now I’m craving some fish and chips
I really like this format. It definitely changes the playing field and does highlight that money for QUALITY drastically skews the playing field. I love Ben showing awesome tricks that we can use at home while not breaking our budgets! And it’s really fun watching the guys get to play with premium foods.
In a lot of ways, these types of battles flip the script. The normal has to go well outside their comfort zone and take on techniques outside their weight class, and the chef has to go for the quick and dirty solutions to hit the same area. Plus, nice to see the "normals" g be the ones explaining concepts that they've learned pretty much the same way we do. By self-teaching. And if nothing else, Mike's now done something that nobody else in the studio can say they've done. Sure it was expensive, but that experience is worth its weight in gold.
Really? Cause i feel it's the opposite. The fact that the low budget can hang with 10 or 20 times more expensive stuff shows how important care and techniques are, and how money is often irrelevant
@@DimT670 for me its a bit of both? Technique and care is definitely an important aspect of cooking cause it elevates dishes to new heights, but then this video shows that having quality ingredients also gives you a headstart when it comes to delivering amazing dishes. This series really shows me how both technique and quality ingredients each have their own role to play in an amazing dish
It wasn't a dish it was an array of expensive ingredients. Anyone could do that if they had enough money. Try and figure out what that plate of food would cost wherever you are.
@@AlanHope2013 how insulting. Cooking those various seafoods takes skill and knowledge. I certainly couldn't do the same dish. I dare say most people have never fried a monkfish or those specific shrimp, let alone squid.
Yeah, genuinely! When Ben was sizzling off his food and Mike was still PREPPING? I was so worried he wouldn't have the time or mental focus to do those pricey ingredients right.
Monkfish is really delicate, and even seasoned chefs can mess it up. Give mike the intermediate badge, or at least a food prep badge for the monkfish. More than earned that basic seafood badge. I always love Ben's hacks that I can use, and how unique the expensive meal ends up being
I'd love to see a twist on the "Budget Battle" concept where instead of a set amount of money, they do Expensive vs. Cheap ingredients, and the Normal gets to pick the ingredients. So (for example) in a burger battle if the Normal picks Prime Rib, the chef gets ground sirloin. Then if the normal picks brioche buns, the chef gets the mass-produced burger buns. Basically, everything the normal chooses has a counterpart for the chef. "You want expensive prawns? Okay, but that means the chef gets frozen shrimp. You want a nice beer for your beer batter? The chef gets a can of Budweiser" etc.
As I said last time, I’ll never have the money or access to the ingredients used by Mike, and Ben’s hacks are amazingly useful for people like me, who strive to cook delicious food on a tight budget, so I think Ben deserves a lot of recognition. Having said that, Mike’s platter seemed incredibly appetizing and he handled his seafood like a consummate pro, so kudos to him. He deserves more than the Basic Seafood Badge, and I don’t think he could be called a normal anymore.
I work as the fry chef in a professional seafood restaurant. Being able to understand each type of seafood, how to break it down, how to bread it correctly, and then fry it to the perfect temperature is something what we spend WEEKS teaching chefs to do at a consistent level. Mike 100% went above and beyond just a basic badge considering the lengths he went to, and the skill he demonstrated. I think Mike deserves an intermediate badge, especially if he continues to use what he learned today in future dishes.
Sometime close to the end of the year there should be a “final exam” battle where the boys gotta show they still have the knowledge from the badges they’ve earned, as many as they can, either rescinding any that they have forgotten about or in the end awarding the final badge to whoever scored the highest percentage!
Would love to see a little behind the scenes of the normals and the food team when they are developing the recipes! Interested to know how good the normals are at developing the recipes themselves from scratch :)
The Gribiche sauce made me realize: wouldn't the "testing normals spice blend knowledge" format also work wonderfully with sauces? Why haven't you made this a thing?
Honestly I think Mike should’ve gotten an advanced seafood badge for this haha. Not only did he perfectly prep the monkfish, he also prepared a range of very different types of seafood. And then cooked them perfectly, which shows he knows how to cook a variety of seafood. Hats off to you man. And to Ben as well, for giving me ideas about how to cook fish and chips on my “fresh out of college budget
I believe Mike has earned his place as the winner. Yet despite that, Ebbers' Rosti and breaded-battered fish combo with curry sauce (a sauce that disappointingly Australian fish and chip shops don't do btw) is the one I was drooling over
@@jinja-ninga97c21 not normally, the normal thing is tartare and a wedge of lemon with the fish, and just salt or chicken salt for the chips, though tomato sauce is offered. Some places do 'chips, cheese and gravy', now that's amazing though! I'm excited to try replicating Ebbers' curry sauce to see what I've been missing out on!
@@jinja-ninga97c21 over here you can order gravy (our chip shop/pub gravy is more of a dark beef/pork powdered demiglace ripoff) as a side tub or drizzled over your chips/breaded chicken fillet specifically, might get some 'gravy' as a finishing sauce on a steak/roast dinner, that's about it. We have other sauces, BBQ sauce in a bottle (think sweet vinegar American BBQ, some like smoky some like spicy too), tomato sauce in a bottle (a mix between American ketchup and Italian tomato paste, not as sweet and sacrilege as ketchup, not as raw and tomato-ey as a can of chopped tomatoes), aioli, souvlaki, Aussies love a good peanut satay, butter chicken, Korean BBQ or Caribbean/Jamaican jerk sauce too, lots of African restaurants opening up too with products in supermarkets, have yet to see an Aussie that doesn't go ham for a Filipino Adobo sauce. lots of variety here, never wanting for much.
Ya, I think Mike's was well cooked and prepped but he was heavily relying on just having better quality seafood. Ben's flavor combinations sound really good and its the sort of thing anyone could put together any time and without any special equipment (fryer).
Wow! Impressed with Mike not freaking out. He was so calm the entire time. Great job both Ben and Mike! Way to go filleting the Monk fish Mike. 💥💥💥👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Let’s be real, they’d probably spend it on cheese. Let’s see them do vegan, and hopefully improve on the sad seitan in the KFC video. I know they can do better!
I love Ben's face at 11:38, so much pride in Mike's work. These guys may give each other a hard time but they are friends/brothers to the core. This is the quality content I am here for.
I like how these budget battles tie into the intent of the chef skills badges, in that they show off how much the normals have learned about the importance of quality ingredients over the years. Yes they have unlimited budget, but they are spending their money where it counts most. Which is a chef skill all on it's own. As Jaimie points out, Mike uses a cheap vodka despite being able to afford a better one. Because the quality of the vodka won't make much difference in the taste of the finished dish, but the expensive prawns will.
I love it how Ben praises the others when they do things right and how he is willing to give them badges when they earn it. That's how a good teacher should be.
With all that seafood, Mike absolutely deserved a badge and win for everything being cooked perfect. Bravo! And "Bravo, Ebbers👏" on an awesome budget meal! It's just hard to compete when one prawn was 3x your budget 😂
Agreed as both did a good job. Only thing I'm not sure about is the egg added to the grabiche (spelling?). Though if it's being used strictly as a salad and not as a tartar sauce replacement it may be fine.
I loved this battle! Mike totally earned the intermediate seafood badge with prepping that fish! How about a cheap vs expensive crockpot/instapot battle?
Loving this series to see how Ebbers can make things chefy in a way I may be able to do at home. Also waiting for a Quintessential British cookbook from the boys. Anyone with me?
I gotta say the normals who aren't very normal anymore by this point have been knocking it out of the park lately. Ben also does some amazing stuff on no budget. Loving this series.
Budget battle idea: so simple but something many of us probably eat every day: salads..??! I struggle to keep it exciting and would be fun to see what the two extremes would be! Thanks for another brilliant video!
Ben spent a good deal of time watching Mike, like, really interested in what he was doing. I take that as a sign Ben was learning something. That's a win for Mike in itself, on top of that fireworks of a platter of deliciousness.
I like how Mike has turned an irritated "Comment below." into a kinder, gentler stand-in for "Piss off!" ... and maintained his penchant for trying to pop Ebbers' chef jacket off.
Love that I keep learning watching these. “Monkfish is basically a coin, it only has a head and a tail.” It’s things like this that make sure that this information is stored on a well reachable shelf in my brain forever. However don’t ask me where I parked the car. 😉
In Spain you can buy the head for a good fish soup, an it's not cheap.! By that way I always cut "rape-monkfish" so that the bone is included in the dish. Nothing to waste.
I think Mike should have got the intermediate sea food badge for that monkfish. If Ebbers hasn't ever done that, then Mike's showing skills he's not even been shown yet! Nice work Mike! Xx
I mean I would love to see a Chinese Battle. With the amount of cheap ingredients but full of flavour I think Ebbers would give any of the normals a run for their money.
Extremely proud of Mike since normally he struggles with time. With how much he had to prep and cook as a whole I was a little worried he would have ran out. Multi-tasking badge should be reviewed.
What a great job from both guys! Ben is a Jedi master of making something wonderful out of almost nothing, but Mike acing that massive deluxe platter cannot be regarded highly enough. Badge more than well deserved.
It’s hard not to be complete wowed by Ben’s innovations, but both did excellent. Could have seen that win going either way. Next budget battle: Jamie vs Ben and BBQ please! Jamie’s such a meat guy, but can budget bbq actually be tasty?
BBQ is budget food. That's one of the great things about low and slow cooking, cheap cuts of meat are amazing if you cook them right. Budget BBQ is the natural state of BBQ.
I LOVE how creative Ben is on a budget. Both exceptional, but I love learning how to create a clever meal with limited funds. ❤ The Budget Battles are quickly becoming a favorite of mine!
Ooh, I will be honest, Ben takes my vote for winner here! The creativity on that kind of budget, the variety of sides that aren't all seafood - I appreciate!
When you guys upgrade your kitchen set, can you film everything and talk about why and what you have chosen to put in the new kitchen?? Love the vids!!
You guys produce absolutely phenomenal content twice a week and I love watching every single bit of it. However, to me the best part of Sortedfood is its recipes. I understand that you have evolved as a channel and recipe videos are less featured. However, I liked how in older battle videos, recipes for each of the contestants would be included on your website. I have made several of them, including Jamie's white sauce steak Pizza and Barry's chocolate yorkshire pudding. In this video, I would have loved recipes for Ben's battered and breaded fish, the roshties, the curry sauce and the Gribiche salad. I sincerely implore you to include the recipes for these battle videos on your website. Thank you and have a great day!
I've was very impressed with Mike's filleting skills especially Monk fish, one of my favourite series to watch is masterchef and there are so many people (normal/pros/celebs) who've filleted a fish or meat and its just gone up.
@@SortedFood But make it with Baz with both stovetop and baked mac and cheese. Because while in my family, my sister makes the best STOVETOP mac and cheese, my aunt makes the best BAKED mac and cheese.
Particularly great episode clearly showing all the technique and recipes in a calm, clear format rather than previous frantic chopping and switching between the people cooking. So much better.
Mike so deserved the win, that looks absolutely incredible! I think he deserves a food prep badge on top of the seafood badge, for the careful preparation of the seafood, especially monkfish: that is chef level skill right there! Could there be a comparison between a ready meal, a budget version, and then the unlimited budget? Something like chicken tonight or Kraft Dinner, something that is really bogstandard.
I'd like to see a series where the Normals cook their way through countries- starting with the British Isles. There's so much more than a full English or fish and chips (though I'd watch those all time). Then pick another country at random and cook 3 dishes in each until you circle the globe!
I think this is the only contest I've seen where I really wouldn't want to be the one making the call on which wins. Possibly veering more towards the Ebbers side of things (I like my fish simple and pollock is a firm favourite of mine) but that platter from Mike - yikes! Well done to both and I'm envious of the food. I will, of course, have to shamelessly copy the Ebbers hacks though :)
one of these days they should do a full reversal where the normal thinks he's going to be cooking the expensive meal buy all the ingredients and just have the chef use and cook those ingredients.
I really thought Mike was going to have a hard time, when he started picking at those prawns, while a whole monkfish was sitting there. It's really impressive he managed to prep all that and still have time to triple fry chips and everything else.
I feel like there needs to be something at the end where they discuss the flavour vs cost, Ben's always at an obvious disadvantage with quality and variety of his produce available, but makes something great (and for £2.50 a portion is a lot of good food)
I feel like they take that into account, but it would be nice to hear a little more about it. It seems like if they nail it enough to get the badges in these challenges, and they don't buy pointlessly expensive ingredients, then they take the win. But we're all winners, because Ebbers gives us incredible hacks to make great food on the cheap each time.
I think we're all winners. I especially like that even if Ben doesn't win, he still kind of wins because he comes up with something that's so much more than you'd ever think you'd get with that small of a budget. And then, he gets to eat the expensive platter anyway. XD Mike, my man, you proved yourself THRICE today. That monkfish butchering was top notch, plus nailing the badge overall, AND clinching the win. There's a reason you're my fav.
Ben was so uplifting in his praise AFTER Mike was awarded the win. Well played, sir. Truly a gentleman. It's hard to compete with 2.50 vs unlimited; really, it's an apples to oranges comparison. Both of them did an outstanding job with what they had.
Mike was playing for high stakes! I thought he'd autolost when he overcompensated with so many different seafoods, but his great execution means he deserves the win and the badge.
Even though the unlimited budget won I feel like the budget meal wins because not only is it a meal I could afford at a resturant but it's one I'd easily be able to make.
I would love to see something like a allergy friendly series! As someone you can't eat gluten, lactose or meats eating and cooking has become more of a chore than something I can enjoy
If Barry got himself a squid badge for preparing a whole squid, then I think Mike deserves a monkfish badge for doing something that even the chef hasn't. Well done, mate.
I love these battles. I feel bad for Ben because its such a disadvantage, but he always seems to still produce something exceptional. Hope you guys keep doing more of these.
I think that Ben is a very skilled and creative chef. Anyone can make an amazing meal with oodles of cash. The skill is in making appetising and well made meals again and again with limited money. Which is what most of us have to do. Thank you, Ben, for sharing you skill and knowledge.
I’d love to see a budget battle for a Sunday Roast. It would be amazing to see what both parties come up with - and hopefully give us all some helpful tips along the way on how to cook the perfect roast ☺️
This budget battle gave me an interesting idea, Budget equipment battle. The chef only get's to use a very limited budget's worth of equipment. Though what you cook would have to be something that gets way easier as you use equipment, not sure what would fit best. This might actually work better as a Pass It On idea, try to use as little equipment as possible.
Ben: "If you overcook those 7-pound prawns..." Me, an American: *picturing a shellfish that weighs 7lbs* Wait...no. Money pounds. Not weight pounds....
I still think Mike should've had the intermediate badge. The cooking of the seafood was perfect, and therefore basic badge, but the fact that he prepared a whole monkfish makes him deserve the intermediate in my opinion.
I'd love to see a Budget Battle Birthday- everything from sandwiches to cake to nibbles. See if having to feed a whole party worth of people can work on a budget
I disagree with Ben. I think it’s much harder to come up with creative and flavorful meals with such a small budget. He was so creative. Mike worked hard, but didn’t do anything out of the norm with his very expensive items. 🤷🏻♀️ Also, it’s so enjoyable to watch these three together. They tease, but they’re all very respectful of each other.
Three course meal time battle! Like a budget battle, but the chef gets 30 minutes to cook a three-course meal while the normal gets as much time as they need.
Mike really deserved both the badge and the win. Good on you son! For something to do in a budget battle, how about spaghetti bolognese or pie and mash. Would love to see how creative Ebbers can be with getting pie and mash to £2.50 per portion, if it is even possible.
There’s something about Ebbers chopping things so quickly and perfectly that brings me such joy
Haha, it's a little therapeutic to watch isn't it.
He a lil chopper bless him :p
I now want Ebbers food chopping ASMR.
Same! It's so satisfying to watch
I'm also a big fan of the cheeky herbs-in-a-tupperware at the end
I really hope that by the time this year and the badge competition are over, we won't get just a 2-minute celebration, but a full conversation (maybe even a video) about each normal's strengths and weaknesses, with Ben's criticism and tips/guidance as to what they could focus on to further develop their skills. Maybe even a little funny moment where Ben would tell them (based on their strengths, weaknesses, skills and attitude) what positions they would hold in a restaurant kitchen.
This is such a geeky thing to want and i second the hell out of it
This is a brilliant idea!
+1 to this, not only would that give a great cap to the end of the competition but it would keep the momentum going in terms of what comes next for the normals. Also it would just be fun as heck
Why this isn't at the top... Also it might be something really good for us the homecooks out there
@@cftyftyufyfuyfty have the other chef come back and give their opinions on the growth of the winner
Y’all should do a version where the chef’s budget is exactly half of the normals, so the higher the normal chooses to go the higher his risk of the chef being able to get better ingredients.
this one's really good hope the they see it
I hope the see this too th8s is a great idea
Upvoted and replied in hopes of getting noticed. Great idea.
Excellent idea!!!
Love this idea!
Ben's real reason for doing this entire series is to convince everyone the value of growing your own herbs.
You save a lot of money growing your own herbs. And they’re organic as well!
@@umiluv not necessarily organic has some weird restrictions including soil it's grown in.
@@cameronpolite2199 Just because something doesn't meet the legal requirements to be labelled and sold as organic, doesn't mean it's not organic. The colloquial definition is separate from the legal requirements for labelling.
@@iTzMitchel definitely but organic doesn't really mean anything
@@cameronpolite2199 True, but if you're growing it yourself, you don't have to worry about the question at all!
Mike should have gotten the Specialist badge: Monkfish edition, just like Barry got it for Squid. Along with the basic seafood badge. He butchered that whole monkfish himself and prepped and cooked other seafood as well.
agreed, that is not a easy fish to process
I think he did cut his finger though, if you pay close attention you can see that after the 7 minute "mark" in the video he has a blue band aid on his left middle finger ;) :p
I definitely agree, Mike deserves more badges for this episode!
i think the problem is adding in being able to get 2 badges in a normal vid all of a sudden halfway through a competition where not everyone gets equal chances for badges will probably through off the balance
Have to agree with you.
I want a Normals challenge where they can't use any modern appliances and have to do everything by hand. Hand whipping, mortar and pestle, etc.
Looks like someone has been binging 'Chef out of water'.
@@sebastiaankoopman3304 I was making meatballs and pounding the spices in my mortar haha
… so cooking? The only electric tools I use are a stand mixer because I bake for large groups , tea kettle and a blender for smoothies (i do use my oven). My stove is gas but even if you take that away I can cook 90% over a fire. I don’t really see no appliances as a challenge.
@@Sunny-ot1vo sorted use lots of applainces
@@Sunny-ot1vo Maybe not a challenge, but a lot of recipes they (and other food creators/bloggers) post require ovens, stand mixers, food processors, blenders and so on, and as such make them not accessible for a portion of their viewers. I love Sorted vids and recipes but me and my lonely gas stove just can't make a lot of them. I hate finding great sounding recipes only to discover that somewhere in the middle they require you to roast or blend something and just assume you have them. Sorry for a rant, I just wish that more recipes would have required equipment listed.
Let’s take a minute, because I feel like people forget it.. Congratulations on your 2.5 million subscribers!
Thank you so much, there are so many of us foodies now 😃
@@SortedFood its well deserved!
@Johnny Caruthers You good, mate?
@@NeptuneTart are brexiters ever ok? There just British magas at this point.
@Johnny Caruthers And your paranoia is what will entertain us for years to come :'D.
Ben: “I’m going for a combination of breaded and battered.”
Mike: “BRATTERED.”
Don’t judge me for harmless workplace banter.
Judge him for harmless workplace banter.
@@Khazandar 😂
@@Khazandar Give him a workplace banter badge.
@@Khazandar Fine, the verdict is guilty and the sentence will be handed down by somebody more competent than myself
@@MegaFortinbras 😂
Ben is so full of heart. Every time I’ve seen him lose a battle he’s always so proud of the normals or James. I also loved when Jamie and Mike complimented Ben on his dish and it made him smile at 12:55. Like, we’ll deserved Ebbers! Good job both you guys! Now I’m craving some fish and chips
You can see Ben just loves good food and cooking and I'm here for it!
he is, and always has been, a chef at heart, in it for the love of good food, not for personal ego.
The way Ben looked straight at the camera and stated
"... Chuncky"
with that grin..... Just made my day so much better 🤣❤️
I pull up this video and scroll to 9:35 to watch Ben's "Yeah...chunky" scene at least once a week just because it makes me giggle every time!! 😄
I really like this format. It definitely changes the playing field and does highlight that money for QUALITY drastically skews the playing field. I love Ben showing awesome tricks that we can use at home while not breaking our budgets! And it’s really fun watching the guys get to play with premium foods.
Also love how Ben offhand knew how expensive those prawns were. Jamie's reaction was great too.
@@alexsis1778 That's the kind of super-geek level knowledge we've come to expect from Ben "£1.50 a Quail" Ebbrell. 😆
In a lot of ways, these types of battles flip the script.
The normal has to go well outside their comfort zone and take on techniques outside their weight class, and the chef has to go for the quick and dirty solutions to hit the same area.
Plus, nice to see the "normals" g be the ones explaining concepts that they've learned pretty much the same way we do. By self-teaching. And if nothing else, Mike's now done something that nobody else in the studio can say they've done. Sure it was expensive, but that experience is worth its weight in gold.
Really? Cause i feel it's the opposite. The fact that the low budget can hang with 10 or 20 times more expensive stuff shows how important care and techniques are, and how money is often irrelevant
@@DimT670 for me its a bit of both? Technique and care is definitely an important aspect of cooking cause it elevates dishes to new heights, but then this video shows that having quality ingredients also gives you a headstart when it comes to delivering amazing dishes.
This series really shows me how both technique and quality ingredients each have their own role to play in an amazing dish
Ben complimenting Mike for something he has never done himself is so wholesome (the monkfish prep)
Seriously impressed with Mike's dish, I was worried that he had taken on too much but that was incredible.
He managed to pull it all together and pull it off.... bravo Mike 👏
It wasn't a dish it was an array of expensive ingredients. Anyone could do that if they had enough money. Try and figure out what that plate of food would cost wherever you are.
@@AlanHope2013 how insulting. Cooking those various seafoods takes skill and knowledge. I certainly couldn't do the same dish. I dare say most people have never fried a monkfish or those specific shrimp, let alone squid.
@@SortedFood Yep it's worth celebrating while we're down here lol
Yeah, genuinely! When Ben was sizzling off his food and Mike was still PREPPING? I was so worried he wouldn't have the time or mental focus to do those pricey ingredients right.
Monkfish is really delicate, and even seasoned chefs can mess it up. Give mike the intermediate badge, or at least a food prep badge for the monkfish. More than earned that basic seafood badge. I always love Ben's hacks that I can use, and how unique the expensive meal ends up being
I'd love to see a twist on the "Budget Battle" concept where instead of a set amount of money, they do Expensive vs. Cheap ingredients, and the Normal gets to pick the ingredients. So (for example) in a burger battle if the Normal picks Prime Rib, the chef gets ground sirloin. Then if the normal picks brioche buns, the chef gets the mass-produced burger buns. Basically, everything the normal chooses has a counterpart for the chef. "You want expensive prawns? Okay, but that means the chef gets frozen shrimp. You want a nice beer for your beer batter? The chef gets a can of Budweiser" etc.
oh i love this idea!!!
Gosh, there are much nicer cheap beers than Bud.
As I said last time, I’ll never have the money or access to the ingredients used by Mike, and Ben’s hacks are amazingly useful for people like me, who strive to cook delicious food on a tight budget, so I think Ben deserves a lot of recognition. Having said that, Mike’s platter seemed incredibly appetizing and he handled his seafood like a consummate pro, so kudos to him. He deserves more than the Basic Seafood Badge, and I don’t think he could be called a normal anymore.
I don't think any of them are normies any more because they have learnt so much over the years
Budget it down you don't have to use the specific prawns and you don't have to get a whole monkfish.
I work as the fry chef in a professional seafood restaurant. Being able to understand each type of seafood, how to break it down, how to bread it correctly, and then fry it to the perfect temperature is something what we spend WEEKS teaching chefs to do at a consistent level. Mike 100% went above and beyond just a basic badge considering the lengths he went to, and the skill he demonstrated. I think Mike deserves an intermediate badge, especially if he continues to use what he learned today in future dishes.
Unlimited budget I would find absolutely disgusting.
The biggest expense would actually be the scollops
Sometime close to the end of the year there should be a “final exam” battle where the boys gotta show they still have the knowledge from the badges they’ve earned, as many as they can, either rescinding any that they have forgotten about or in the end awarding the final badge to whoever scored the highest percentage!
I want to see a full day battle. Make a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, all in 16 hours.
@@BioYuGi Yes!! That’d be so awesome!!
They could pick 3-4 areas they've received a badge in and make a meal based on those specialities.
Would love to see a little behind the scenes of the normals and the food team when they are developing the recipes! Interested to know how good the normals are at developing the recipes themselves from scratch :)
The Gribiche sauce made me realize: wouldn't the "testing normals spice blend knowledge" format also work wonderfully with sauces?
Why haven't you made this a thing?
Definitely!
Maybe tied in with making the mother sauces
Honestly I think Mike should’ve gotten an advanced seafood badge for this haha. Not only did he perfectly prep the monkfish, he also prepared a range of very different types of seafood. And then cooked them perfectly, which shows he knows how to cook a variety of seafood.
Hats off to you man. And to Ben as well, for giving me ideas about how to cook fish and chips on my “fresh out of college budget
I love the budget battles because it reminds me of OG Sorted when it was all about budget meals.
It is still is about budget meals but it’s also enjoying food and improving cheap meals with little trucks
@@seanoborn692 I know it was a typo, but the mental image of them using tiny toy trucks to improve the recipes is a hilarious one to me.
@@blackkittykats From Julienne (matchsticks) to Matchbox, @SORTEDfood does it all. 😆
I believe Mike has earned his place as the winner. Yet despite that, Ebbers' Rosti and breaded-battered fish combo with curry sauce (a sauce that disappointingly Australian fish and chip shops don't do btw) is the one I was drooling over
Really? Do they do any kind of sauce like gravy?
@@jinja-ninga97c21 not normally, the normal thing is tartare and a wedge of lemon with the fish, and just salt or chicken salt for the chips, though tomato sauce is offered. Some places do 'chips, cheese and gravy', now that's amazing though!
I'm excited to try replicating Ebbers' curry sauce to see what I've been missing out on!
@@Daleymop Chips cheese and curry is good as well.
@@jinja-ninga97c21 over here you can order gravy (our chip shop/pub gravy is more of a dark beef/pork powdered demiglace ripoff) as a side tub or drizzled over your chips/breaded chicken fillet specifically, might get some 'gravy' as a finishing sauce on a steak/roast dinner, that's about it.
We have other sauces, BBQ sauce in a bottle (think sweet vinegar American BBQ, some like smoky some like spicy too), tomato sauce in a bottle (a mix between American ketchup and Italian tomato paste, not as sweet and sacrilege as ketchup, not as raw and tomato-ey as a can of chopped tomatoes), aioli, souvlaki, Aussies love a good peanut satay, butter chicken, Korean BBQ or Caribbean/Jamaican jerk sauce too, lots of African restaurants opening up too with products in supermarkets, have yet to see an Aussie that doesn't go ham for a Filipino Adobo sauce. lots of variety here, never wanting for much.
Ya, I think Mike's was well cooked and prepped but he was heavily relying on just having better quality seafood. Ben's flavor combinations sound really good and its the sort of thing anyone could put together any time and without any special equipment (fryer).
Wow! Impressed with Mike not freaking out. He was so calm the entire time. Great job both Ben and Mike! Way to go filleting the Monk fish Mike. 💥💥💥👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Yeah! No huttlestorm here :)
Can you imagine Barry having to make Mike's dish? The degree of panic as the time passes by.
Challenge Idea: Vegetarian, I'd love to see how a Normal would splash the cash without expensive meat/fish/poultry to fall back on.
they’d probably buy truffle, saffron, all other expensive seasonings tbh 😔✊
Yes!!
Let’s be real, they’d probably spend it on cheese. Let’s see them do vegan, and hopefully improve on the sad seitan in the KFC video. I know they can do better!
Wine and mushrooms!
Truffle.
I love Ben's face at 11:38, so much pride in Mike's work. These guys may give each other a hard time but they are friends/brothers to the core. This is the quality content I am here for.
I like how these budget battles tie into the intent of the chef skills badges, in that they show off how much the normals have learned about the importance of quality ingredients over the years. Yes they have unlimited budget, but they are spending their money where it counts most. Which is a chef skill all on it's own. As Jaimie points out, Mike uses a cheap vodka despite being able to afford a better one. Because the quality of the vodka won't make much difference in the taste of the finished dish, but the expensive prawns will.
I love it how Ben praises the others when they do things right and how he is willing to give them badges when they earn it. That's how a good teacher should be.
With all that seafood, Mike absolutely deserved a badge and win for everything being cooked perfect. Bravo!
And "Bravo, Ebbers👏" on an awesome budget meal! It's just hard to compete when one prawn was 3x your budget 😂
Agreed as both did a good job. Only thing I'm not sure about is the egg added to the grabiche (spelling?). Though if it's being used strictly as a salad and not as a tartar sauce replacement it may be fine.
I choked a bit, when I heard the price of those prawns! Mike’s hoity toity potatoes, probably cost more than one serving of Ebbers’ dish! 😆
Can Ebbers please do a garden tour so we can see all of the stuff he's growing at home? 🤞
I loved this battle! Mike totally earned the intermediate seafood badge with prepping that fish!
How about a cheap vs expensive crockpot/instapot battle?
I absolutely love Ben's Tupperware of surprise. It's such a Ben thing to do.
Yes! I still remembered the wild cooking battle in which he brought a belt of spices.
Loving this series to see how Ebbers can make things chefy in a way I may be able to do at home. Also waiting for a Quintessential British cookbook from the boys. Anyone with me?
Gosh, I'd totally love something like this!
Oh god, that would be amazing. And get me and my waistline in trouble lol
I’d buy the hell out of that
I would like to see an ultimate battle between all the normals on what they learnt from last year
Great idea :)
That would be a nice series of videos at the end of the Chef’s Skills Challenge.
I gotta say the normals who aren't very normal anymore by this point have been knocking it out of the park lately. Ben also does some amazing stuff on no budget. Loving this series.
Budget battle idea: so simple but something many of us probably eat every day: salads..??! I struggle to keep it exciting and would be fun to see what the two extremes would be! Thanks for another brilliant video!
the way that ben watched mike when he was prepping the monkfish in just pure awe and pride in his boys was beautiful
YES! He couldn't keep his eyes off him, he was so proud! Mike prepped that fish amazingly, bravo 👋
Ben spent a good deal of time watching Mike, like, really interested in what he was doing. I take that as a sign Ben was learning something. That's a win for Mike in itself, on top of that fireworks of a platter of deliciousness.
I like how Mike has turned an irritated "Comment below." into a kinder, gentler stand-in for "Piss off!" ... and maintained his penchant for trying to pop Ebbers' chef jacket off.
Love that I keep learning watching these.
“Monkfish is basically a coin, it only has a head and a tail.”
It’s things like this that make sure that this information is stored on a well reachable shelf in my brain forever. However don’t ask me where I parked the car. 😉
Who called it monkfish and not koin carp?
@@cabe_bedlam that would’ve been a good name! 😂
It's also, bones, skin, liver, roe which is all edible but almost never eaten outside of Japan. Lots of stuff goes to waste.
In Spain you can buy the head for a good fish soup, an it's not cheap.!
By that way I always cut "rape-monkfish" so that the bone is included in the dish. Nothing to waste.
I think Mike should have got the intermediate sea food badge for that monkfish. If Ebbers hasn't ever done that, then Mike's showing skills he's not even been shown yet! Nice work Mike! Xx
I mean I would love to see a Chinese Battle. With the amount of cheap ingredients but full of flavour I think Ebbers would give any of the normals a run for their money.
Extremely proud of Mike since normally he struggles with time. With how much he had to prep and cook as a whole I was a little worried he would have ran out. Multi-tasking badge should be reviewed.
Mike: a normal
Also Mike: casually preps a whole monkfish
What a great job from both guys! Ben is a Jedi master of making something wonderful out of almost nothing, but Mike acing that massive deluxe platter cannot be regarded highly enough. Badge more than well deserved.
It’s hard not to be complete wowed by Ben’s innovations, but both did excellent. Could have seen that win going either way.
Next budget battle: Jamie vs Ben and BBQ please! Jamie’s such a meat guy, but can budget bbq actually be tasty?
BBQ is budget food. That's one of the great things about low and slow cooking, cheap cuts of meat are amazing if you cook them right. Budget BBQ is the natural state of BBQ.
mike deserves more than a basic badge. he prepped AND cooked SEVERAL types of fish perfectly.
I'd love to see a SOUP budget battle. Something good and hearty for winter. And winter means no home grown additions, Ben.
Love this idea... so many different ways in which you could take this.
Yes!
Unless you froze/preserved them, which was how most people GOT through winter back in the day, and still in more rural areas. :D
I LOVE how creative Ben is on a budget. Both exceptional, but I love learning how to create a clever meal with limited funds. ❤ The Budget Battles are quickly becoming a favorite of mine!
Glad to see Mike get another chance at a badge!
Also, if that’s only worth a “basic seafood” badge, you have got to revoke Barry’s “squid” badge 😂
The badge system was such a clever format idea. It fits in so well to everything, so so good
mike emphatically saying BRATTERED over ben’s explanation made me laugh so hard. hahaha.
Ooh, I will be honest, Ben takes my vote for winner here! The creativity on that kind of budget, the variety of sides that aren't all seafood - I appreciate!
When you guys upgrade your kitchen set, can you film everything and talk about why and what you have chosen to put in the new kitchen??
Love the vids!!
Hopefully running water
I agree- I'd love to see you all update your studio space!
And as with Barry (Lewis)'s new kitchen, I'd love to have the oven on chest height so the camera can take a look into it.
@@zzskyninjazz1821 Right?! "... it's a fake sink, Jay..."
You guys produce absolutely phenomenal content twice a week and I love watching every single bit of it. However, to me the best part of Sortedfood is its recipes. I understand that you have evolved as a channel and recipe videos are less featured. However, I liked how in older battle videos, recipes for each of the contestants would be included on your website. I have made several of them, including Jamie's white sauce steak Pizza and Barry's chocolate yorkshire pudding. In this video, I would have loved recipes for Ben's battered and breaded fish, the roshties, the curry sauce and the Gribiche salad. I sincerely implore you to include the recipes for these battle videos on your website. Thank you and have a great day!
That adorably shy/proud grin Ben flashes the camera when they are munching the rösti!! 😍
Ebbers
"You've prepped a whole monkfish, which none of us have ever done."
B A S I C S E A F O O D B A D G E
Yup. Should have gone for the specialty ingredient:monk fish badge like Barry did with squid.
@@justinwhite2725 they should award it anyways, just inside the next video or sumthin
I've was very impressed with Mike's filleting skills especially Monk fish, one of my favourite series to watch is masterchef and there are so many people (normal/pros/celebs) who've filleted a fish or meat and its just gone up.
Do something crazy basic as a budget/unlimited. Like mac&cheese or grilled cheese and tomato soup.
Great idea :)
I had a chili con carne cook-off with friends years ago. That could be something for these battles, too.
@@SortedFood But make it with Baz with both stovetop and baked mac and cheese.
Because while in my family, my sister makes the best STOVETOP mac and cheese, my aunt makes the best BAKED mac and cheese.
Tater tot casserole!
And then end up making the Gordon Ramsey mistake of trying to make a fancy grilled cheese and managing to not melt to cheese?
Ebbers is such a good sport, and Mike that performance is something to be proud of! Love you guys
Particularly great episode clearly showing all the technique and recipes in a calm, clear format rather than previous frantic chopping and switching between the people cooking. So much better.
Mike so deserved the win, that looks absolutely incredible! I think he deserves a food prep badge on top of the seafood badge, for the careful preparation of the seafood, especially monkfish: that is chef level skill right there!
Could there be a comparison between a ready meal, a budget version, and then the unlimited budget? Something like chicken tonight or Kraft Dinner, something that is really bogstandard.
I'd like to see a series where the Normals cook their way through countries- starting with the British Isles. There's so much more than a full English or fish and chips (though I'd watch those all time). Then pick another country at random and cook 3 dishes in each until you circle the globe!
I think this is the only contest I've seen where I really wouldn't want to be the one making the call on which wins. Possibly veering more towards the Ebbers side of things (I like my fish simple and pollock is a firm favourite of mine) but that platter from Mike - yikes! Well done to both and I'm envious of the food. I will, of course, have to shamelessly copy the Ebbers hacks though :)
I can't wait to try that bit with the rolled out bread slices.
The support they give each other is so great to watch.
one of these days they should do a full reversal where the normal thinks he's going to be cooking the expensive meal buy all the ingredients and just have the chef use and cook those ingredients.
I really thought Mike was going to have a hard time, when he started picking at those prawns, while a whole monkfish was sitting there.
It's really impressive he managed to prep all that and still have time to triple fry chips and everything else.
Agreed, maybe another multi-tasking badge is in order. :D
Honestly, mike’s dish looked absolutely amazing 😍🤤
I'd order that dish for a family night out and absolutely no one in my family would complain ,they'd be talking about it for a week after at least..
It was pretty special 🤤
For sure! All that seafood looked AMAZING
I feel like there needs to be something at the end where they discuss the flavour vs cost, Ben's always at an obvious disadvantage with quality and variety of his produce available, but makes something great (and for £2.50 a portion is a lot of good food)
I feel like they take that into account, but it would be nice to hear a little more about it. It seems like if they nail it enough to get the badges in these challenges, and they don't buy pointlessly expensive ingredients, then they take the win. But we're all winners, because Ebbers gives us incredible hacks to make great food on the cheap each time.
I think we're all winners. I especially like that even if Ben doesn't win, he still kind of wins because he comes up with something that's so much more than you'd ever think you'd get with that small of a budget. And then, he gets to eat the expensive platter anyway. XD
Mike, my man, you proved yourself THRICE today. That monkfish butchering was top notch, plus nailing the badge overall, AND clinching the win. There's a reason you're my fav.
Ben was so uplifting in his praise AFTER Mike was awarded the win. Well played, sir. Truly a gentleman.
It's hard to compete with 2.50 vs unlimited; really, it's an apples to oranges comparison. Both of them did an outstanding job with what they had.
Mike was playing for high stakes! I thought he'd autolost when he overcompensated with so many different seafoods, but his great execution means he deserves the win and the badge.
At some point Ben is going to just start pulling whole vegetables from his garden instead of herbs to use because “sunlight is free”
Even though the unlimited budget won I feel like the budget meal wins because not only is it a meal I could afford at a resturant but it's one I'd easily be able to make.
did that fish cleaning REALY go so well?!?!
whats up with the blue tape later in the video on Mikes finger 😂 😂 😂
I would love to see something like a allergy friendly series! As someone you can't eat gluten, lactose or meats eating and cooking has become more of a chore than something I can enjoy
If Barry got himself a squid badge for preparing a whole squid, then I think Mike deserves a monkfish badge for doing something that even the chef hasn't. Well done, mate.
I love these battles. I feel bad for Ben because its such a disadvantage, but he always seems to still produce something exceptional. Hope you guys keep doing more of these.
I think that Ben is a very skilled and creative chef. Anyone can make an amazing meal with oodles of cash. The skill is in making appetising and well made meals again and again with limited money. Which is what most of us have to do. Thank you, Ben, for sharing you skill and knowledge.
That blooper at the end was worth the wait for me, never change Jaimie
I’d love to see a budget battle for a Sunday Roast. It would be amazing to see what both parties come up with - and hopefully give us all some helpful tips along the way on how to cook the perfect roast ☺️
This budget battle gave me an interesting idea, Budget equipment battle. The chef only get's to use a very limited budget's worth of equipment. Though what you cook would have to be something that gets way easier as you use equipment, not sure what would fit best.
This might actually work better as a Pass It On idea, try to use as little equipment as possible.
Please do this! I want to watch Barry try to make a cloud egg doing this!
"I'm removing the poop chute", mike unbuttoning ben's chef's jacket, the tupperware of surprise. man, what a nice little birthday treat for me
HBD!!!
Happiest Birthday wishes to you!!!
happy birthday!!
Ben: "If you overcook those 7-pound prawns..."
Me, an American: *picturing a shellfish that weighs 7lbs* Wait...no. Money pounds. Not weight pounds....
That’d be one big ass shellfish lol
Ben with "while you're down there" paired with his hand movements 😆 🤣
I still think Mike should've had the intermediate badge. The cooking of the seafood was perfect, and therefore basic badge, but the fact that he prepared a whole monkfish makes him deserve the intermediate in my opinion.
I'd love to see a Budget Battle Birthday- everything from sandwiches to cake to nibbles. See if having to feed a whole party worth of people can work on a budget
With Barry's love of pretensious ingredients, he needs an Unlimited Budget challenge.
I'd just like to say Mike did such an impressive job! That board full of seafood looked just stunning!
I disagree with Ben. I think it’s much harder to come up with creative and flavorful meals with such a small budget. He was so creative. Mike worked hard, but didn’t do anything out of the norm with his very expensive items. 🤷🏻♀️
Also, it’s so enjoyable to watch these three together. They tease, but they’re all very respectful of each other.
IDK if Ben's getting enough props for pulling out incredible looking dishes with a crazy limited budget. Good job my dude!
Ben is a genius throughout my 3 years of watching , he never fails to amaze me with his creativity
Three course meal time battle! Like a budget battle, but the chef gets 30 minutes to cook a three-course meal while the normal gets as much time as they need.
Or they could put one normal on each of the three courses, against the chef cooking all three... either way, budget on the time or the $$$
No one:
Literally no one:
Ben: “Chunky.”
It’s not often the normal with the budget deserves it quite as much as mike did on this one. Looks like he absolutely nailed it
Truly love how Ben gets better and better at pronouncing Rösti every time he mentions it in a video 🥰 my lil swiss heart is rather proud of him
Mike really deserved both the badge and the win. Good on you son!
For something to do in a budget battle, how about spaghetti bolognese or pie and mash. Would love to see how creative Ebbers can be with getting pie and mash to £2.50 per portion, if it is even possible.
Its entertaining and a bit scary watching how much Ben is enjoying all of his Badge Power! lol
Sorted makes Sunday happy🤗🤗
we're glad you think so - Happy Sunday!
@@SortedFood 💃💃
9:35-9:40
"Big, thick chips you got there, Ebbers."
"Yeahhh... Chunky." 😏
🤣🤣🤣
Mike, truly exceptional job. Fighting the clock with too much too do has bitten you more than once, but you absolutely nailed it.