Pro Chefs Blind Taste Test Every Boxed Brownie Mix | Epicurious
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 มิ.ย. 2024
- Chefs Umber Ahmad, Jürgen David, and Rhonda Saltzman are used to thinking outside the box when it comes to cooking; however, today on Epicurious we’ve asked them to give us their unfiltered, honest reviews of some prominent boxed brownie brands found on supermarket shelves. Which brownie packs the most bang for your budget, and which should you avoid at all costs?
00:00 Intro
00:11 Pillsbury
01:40 Ghirardelli
02:55 Duncan Hines
04:02 Jiffy
05:09 Great Value
06:13 Trader Joe’s
07:24 Williams Sonoma
08:48 Betty Crocker & Hershey’s
09:59 Sticky Fingers
10:59 Simple Mills
12:09 Betty Crocker
13:10 Otto’s Naturals
14:22 Little Debbie
15:59 Keto and Co
17:16 Bob’s Red Mill
18:35 King Arthur
20:07 Kodiak Cakes
21:26 Final Results
Learn more about our chefs:
Umber Ahmad: mahzedahrbakery.com + @mahzedahrbakery on Instagram
Rhonda Saltzman: www.seconddaughterbakingco.com/
Jürgen David, Institute of Culinary Education: ice.edu/blog/chef-jurgens-fav...
Director: Jeffrey Kornberg
Director of Photography: Ben Dewey
Editor: Kristopher Knight
Talent: Umber Ahmad; Jurgen David; Rhonda Saltzman
Director of Culinary Production: Kelly Janke
Creative Producer: Tyrice Hester
Culinary Producer: Mallary Santucci
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Amy Haskour
Production Manager: Janine Dispensa
Production Coordinator: Fernando Davila
Casting Producer: Nicole Ford
Camera Operator: Lucas Young; Caleb Weiss
Audio Engineer: Rebecca O'Neill
Production Assistant: Noah Bierbrier; Caleb Clark
Culinary Assistant: Biba Clark
Culinary Researcher: Vivian Jao
Post Production Supervisor: Andrea Farr
Post Production Coordinator: Scout Alter
Supervising Editor: Eduardo Araujo
Assistant Editor: Andy Morell
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Not surprised at all that Ghirardelli took the win. What did surprise me was the positive reactions to Great Value, it kinda makes me want to give them a try lol
Honestly for me that was a huge take away was for the best results compared to price. Great value is as it name implies
Yeah! I’m definitely gonna give them a try!
Probably Ghirardelli or some other big brand makes them
“lol”
Where was the joke that made you laugh? lol I guess it’s normal to add lol to everything now lol What a shame lol
@@cwg73160 alright grandpa, let's get you back to bed
William Sonoma charging over $14 for a box of brownies is just ridiculous.
Williams-Sonoma in general is just ridiculous.
They're still in business, so someone is paying those prices.
😂😂😂
@@jpleva9987 Or the consumers are buying a lot of other things.
its a rich white woman brand, and that demographic is easily dumb enough to buy it
“15 dollars?!? Does it cook itself?!?” 😂☠️
That line is on par with "Just add water, mix, and bake. Well, that's disturbing." 😆
Loll 😂😂😂
It grows arms and gives you a back rub.
The guy needs his own show!🤣
And it needed the most ingredients to add, unsalted butter, egg and water
"Jiffy.... makes brownies?" "Jiffy corn bread!" ...were EXACTLY my reactions to that box. :D
Same 😂😂😂
I know. Occasionally I'll see something else besides cornbread, and it always surprises me.
Jiffy has pizza dough, too. It is all about the market, I guess!
They make all kinds of stuff!
They make blueberry muffin mix and yellow cake mix too 😊
I really enjoyed this lineup of chefs. Chef Rhonda seems very joyful, Chef Jurgen comes across as a fun guy, and Chef Umber is very articulate and has a soothing voice. I would watch the lineup again
Chef Jurgen is fun and a great teacher!
I could listen to him read the weather!
They contrast each other well and add lots of helpful insight to the brownies
I had Chef Jurgen as an instructor and he is a delight
He might be a great guy but his take on some of brownies was… odd.
Hearing the comments during tasting, it sounded like the Walmart Great Value mix was a hit, but it didn't get a mention at the end. For the price, it's a winner for me.
Just means it was middle of the road. Not their favorite, not garbage.
My mother used to buy Great Value. They aren't terrible, but absolutely doesn't hold a flame to Ghiradelli (I'm particularly fond of the dark chocolate and turtle varities).
Ghiradelli can frequently be found on sale @2/$5 and sometimes even BOGO (~$4 for 2) at stores near me. For me, that makes it a no brainer.
yeah i totally thought at least one was gonna say great value! but i’m not surprised ghirardelli won, their chocolate is immaculate
@@zkiller195Costco sells it in bulk if you have a membership
If they ranked them it might have shown up as someone’s 2nd or third. Ghirardelli is our favorite so far but we bought a box of Great Value to try.
Great Value did way better than I expected and its only $1.24 a box. I’ll definitely be buying a box the next time I want to make brownies.
Great value is my go to brand tbh
You can doctor the mix to improve it.
I am famous with all my friends for my brownies and it’s what I always use. I do doctor them just a bit 😉
@@MikeA15206How do you like to doctor your brownies if you don't mind sharing a bit of your secrets? 😊
i think this is the only video ive seen in this series where all the chefs were so adorable and likeable
BS
@@stans5270 okay, and?
All three getting Ghirardelli was impressive!
Only 2. Trader Joe's took a win!
@@Keith2XSI’m pretty sure they meant they were impressed that they all guessed Ghirardelli correctly on the blind taste test
Rhonda is such a sweetheart. She just shares joy. 💗
she really is!
She is sweet, but can anyone actually look at her and view her as a “professional chef” with earrings that look like they were bought in Walmart and a nose ring that looks like she is a part time belly dancer?
@@MrScottie68That has nothing to do with cooking. You just want to be little someone for their accessories 😂
@@MrScottie68 You are an incredibly unintelligent person if that's your question.
@@MrScottie68you sound like a hater 😂
After 57 years of loving brownies, my family loves the Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate mix. We use an all edges pan to get that great chew of the corner pieces.
omg that's hilarious because in my family we hate edges and fight over the center piece 😂
@@debjoy12 same
This was such a cute lineup of chefs
Loved the vibe and the info.
i agree !
Fr they all seem sweet.
I know I loved watching this so much!
YUCK
Williams Sonoma really gets more hype than they deserve and I’m so glad these chefs noticed it.
“‘Just add water, mix, and bake’… that’s disturbing!” 😂
The maker of that mix doesn't know that we should add fresh eggs (whichever kind we use).
Chef David had me laughing throughout this whole video. love the energy
LOVE HIM
The juxtaposition between the excited,
"Ooh, does this have frosting on it??" and the suspicious, "...Who does that?"
at 12:12 😂
8:40 "does it cook itself?" 😂
Ghirardelli FTW!
🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫
That was Williams Sonoma, not Ghirardelli
@@LisaMT1218 OMG. No, the W-S mix results were not in keeping with its cost, hence the timestamp reference to the line. Ghirardelli came out ahead overall. 🙄
ugh i can listen to chef umber explain everything forever, her voice is so soothing 💆🏻♀️
100% And gorgeous too.
When I worked as an assistant pastry chef for a higher end place, Ghirardelli mix was the base of our brownies. We took some creative liberties with how we mixed it, but it was a must.
@10:30 "Well, that's disturbing" made me chuckle lol
The 3 Chef personalities were perfect! They each had unique differences and expressed their opinions that line up with who they are! Bring them back please : )
All three chefs you got for this one are delightful. Bring them all back!
Somebody please cast Rhonda in the next Star Trek as the Vulcan science officer. Oh and when she says "tastes more like an obligation than a treat . . ." yeah she's definitely a Vulcan. 100% logical.
That's not Chef Rhonda you're talking about, it's Umber
Chef Umber has this motherly tone to her voice! I love her!
Getting Buster Bluth to judge brownies was a stroke of genius!
😂
i love how they were all delighted and then immediately disappointed by the little debbies lmao
My family has always sworn by Ghirardelli so I'm glad to know that all these pros think it's the best
I make the Ghirardelli brownies, add vanilla and use butter instead of oil. Delicious!
How much vanilla
@Allaiya. I do this too. I eyeball the measurement but about a teaspoon.
brown butter works a treat.
@@86thsamurai thank you
Chef Rhonda’s baked goods is unmatched in the Philly/New Jersey area 🙌🏾
Oh snap! She's in the Delaware Valley?
You just to make the rest of us jealous.
I loved all these chefs! They were fun to watch! Between this and Babish's video I feel very confident about my use of the Ghirardelli mix!
Chef Rhonda is the literal cutest! Love her feedback and approach
That was fun to watch. Ghirardelli for the win!
I love how the chefs got all sentimental over the Little Debbie brownies, then get sad. :D
The producers did "Doon-kin" Hines dirty by picking milk chocolate over the far-superior chewy fudge version... What a miscarriage of justice!
Absolutely!!!!!
But even their dark chocolate one lacks that shiny top. There’s something about Duncan Hines brownies that just don’t quite make the mark. But after watching this, I’m going to have to give Great Value a try. I’ve been sleeping on that one. And you really don’t have much to lose for $1.24.
And they chose king arthur in a cup instead of boxed...
12:06 It is so refreshing to see a chef that's allergic to coconut!! I, too, am allergic to coconut! Thank you for the allergy rep!
I'm not allergic to coconut. Just hate the taste. It's like eating suntan lotion to me
Wish the chefs had acknowledged that some of us are allergic to wheat and dairy.
The chef with the blonde hair knows her stuff! 😂 I don’t have an official count but I know she knew the most
I've never made boxed brownies before, nor do I buy box mixes, but I still watched this and was entertained.
Same here
I love how positive Rhonda is, how she considers the price and ingredients of each mix too
Rhonda was so smart. I felt like I learned a little more about food every time she talked.
Chef Umber and Chef Rhonda have soothing voices that match their looks and personalities.
Rhonda is so sweet and Umber's voice is so soothing!
Seriously? Why are you putting white letters on a light background. Come on...
Major ADA issue
Completely idiotic.
Graphic design is not a conscious thought for most people apparently
Honestly I agree even though I can read it, I have to strain my eyes a little
I would listen to an audiobook narrated by any of these chefs
I love that there was so much effort put into this video. The crew paid attention to allergies and an effort to create consistency to make sure they were given a fair chance. Anymore content creators are not trying nearly as hard as they once did.
I have some Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate mix in the pantry. Now I want to go make it
Yasser! LOVE THE DARK CHOCOLATE GHIRARDELLI BROWNIES WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM SO YUMM!🤤
You should. They are awesome!
This video made my day just listening to people analyze Brownies
The Ghirardelli triple chocolate mix is FAR better than any scratch-made brownies I've had throughout my life
When I saw this video was over 20 mins I did not think I was going to stick with it, but I loved hearing their analysis, and it was so fun to see the reveal!
My loyalty will always lie with Jiffy mix. That cheap little blue and white box FED ME as a kid.
Also helps if you use two eggs instead of one.
"$15 for this box? Does it cook itself?" 😄
Love these breakdowns, and wonderful editing as always!
"as always" I assume you haven't seen the pasta sauce one
I really loved these chefs--Hope we'll see more of them!
5:00 always use milk even when it says to use water
Use clarified butter over oil.
I use three-fifths can of Vitamixed black beans, one-quarter teaspoon of espresso powder, no egg. Cook to fudgey consistency, about 37 minutes in my oven.
i want to be a chef when i’m older, thank you for being there
Costco has not done wrong by me with the Ghirardelli.
Costco is just the distributor of Ghirardelli.
Wonderful! I love watching pastry chefs deconstructing food.
I love how calm they are and explain the whole differences easily
I’ve been eating Ghirardelli brownies seen I was a little kid and I’ve always loved them. Glad to know I wasn’t missing out on other brands lol.
My favorite brand won!!! Go Ghiradelli!
Thank you I absolutely loved these reviews. Ironically I am making brownies as I'm watching this. Wish I'd seen it before going to the store
What brand did you use? 😊
I used Ducan Hines signature California walnut
Love the lady with white hair…..she gives me the feeling of a well grounded fun lady.
Make your own. They are so easy to make and superior in taste and texture.
Definitely!
King Arthur regular brownies in a mix (not a gluten-free microwave mug cake) are legitimately delicious. Not a fair comparison, maybe?
Completely agree! The regular mix is fantastic!
Exactly why in the world would they choose microwave
Chef Rhonda is so nice and pleasant, she makes me feel safe
Love the video throughout, Chef Rhonda has the cutest smile I have ever seen
i really love the chefs they're all so sweet and likeable
Chef Rhonda stole the show
Was it the nose ring or plastic pineapple earrings that did it for you?
@@MrScottie68 it was the smile and the upbeat attitute and kind eyes
@@MrScottie68Why do you care so much about somebody’s appearance to make multiple negative comments?
Absolutely loved this!!
😂😂😂 5:12 I LOVE the way he said that I had the exact sentiment! We shared the exact thoughts 😅
Love these chefs! Thank you!
Chef Rhonda is amazing. Please bring her back!
Excuse me....I beg your finest pardon...did you call it DOONcan Hines? *twitches*
Thank you! Heard that and immediately checked the comments hoping someone else mentioned it.
Ach! DOONTOON!
“NEXT!”
I love how Umber talks!😍
I love these chefs! They’re very knowledgeable and an added bonus is they’re very hilarious as well ♥️♥️♥️
This video was very enjoyable and helpful! Great job!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I really like these 3 chefs together please do more review videos with them.
I like Betty Crocker's. I love dark & semi-sweet chocolate though. Also, Ghirardelli's.
Yeah, was a shame they wasted a frosted top on Betty. Supreme triple chocolate chunk is definitely the truth
Appreciate the knowledge and friendliness of the participants. Great episode.
Ghirardelli is my pick always.
I wish they would have tried the ALDI brand!
loved all these chefs!
i could sit and watch Umber talk all day
I really like this segment and i want more of it!
I already knew Ghirardelli was going to win.
I don’t love chocolate.. but I love those brownies!
Same!!!! No one understands why i don’t love chocolate but LOVE❤ BROWNIES!!
Girl, YES!
Ghiridelli is my favourite! It's my go-to as most boxed ones I've had taste too cakey.
The 3rd lady "maybe this is also maybe Betty Crocker??" Lol
ahh i love this chef line up so much
Little Debbie isn't really meant to compete with normal brownies. They're their own thing... And they're delicious. 👀
11:44 when he motions at milking almonds
So funny!
i make brownies every week and ALWAYS get the great value bc of how amazing they are. im so glad they liked them too :)
Really enjoyed these chefs. You picked the correct winner.
When I’m too short on time to make homemade brownies, I reach for Aldi’s mix. It is excellent.
Doooooon-kun Heinz, says the narrator. 2:29
I think the big surprise out of this is that Great Value / Walmart is slept on.
Walmart’s mint chocolate wafer cookies are as tasty as Girl Scout cookies and only cost $ 2.17 per package ! Much cheaper than the Girl Scout cookies !
Love this. We need more blind tests! xD
2:23 It's Italian. _Gh_ is pronounced with a hard G sound as in "get". _gear-rar-DELL-lee._
I absolutely loved this!
Great value honestly comes in clutch with a wide variety of their products.
18:36 "Ooh, he's cute... why is he round?"
Twinks looking at my dating profile
😭😭😭😭
Not really fair to judge gluten-free/sugar free with the others, no one is eating that unless they have to be gluten-free or trying to avoid diabetes and other health problems (cause you know 75% of the US is overweight!), so this might be the next best option, cut it some slack!