*The other F Word* - From 12:30 onwards in this video, there is discussion of a traditional British foodstuff that shares a name with a horrible and unacceptable homophobic slur. I am truly and honestly sorry that the sudden appearance of this word, in this video has caused fresh hurt to people who have been abused and harrassed using the slur that shares the name with the food; I wish I had introduced the topic with greater thoughtfulness, sensitivity and care.
Well Mr Brains, exceedingly good pork balls, hehe speaking as a "gay" woman! I know, why can't people just except each other without making tasty things into slurs..
I'm glad this is a pinned comment. My thoughts - as a gay person and huge Atomic Shrimp fan, I understand the disclaimer, but the disclaimer does not prevent the word from being the only thing I thought about for the rest of the video. I wasn't mad, so much as... preoccupied. I've had that word screamed in my face as a prelude to violence. It sounds like you're already reconsidering the choice you made here, but, yes. Imagine if a youtuber explained the N-word was a homonym for something in their regional dialect, and dropped about 12 N-bombs. Even if the viewer understands and forgives, none of the video is retained after that. The internet is a weird place with too much outrage. I want you to know that I am not outraged and still genuinely a huge fan. I would just really not like to feel that way watching a generally comforting and safe channel again.
I actually have a lot of good memories of the word and hearing it come up was a pleasant surprise that washed over me like a warm wave of nostalgia. Thank you for using that specific word unabashedly.
I am so sorry and annoyed that you feel you have to apologise and i can assure you as a single mom of two boys one who is gay no offense was taken on the name of a food that has been around long before the word was used in a different context. Please people get over yourselves.
I was always lead to believe that a f____ in the UK was a public school boy who does all the running for older public school boys. I laugh when I hear it being used to describe anything else - since the fool shouting as homophobic slur it is obviously thick as mince. And having undertaken 10 years of MMA,. I find the best way to deal with homophobic slur is with a punch to the snout. I'd advice every homosexual to go undertake some form of self defence, boxing or MMA. It's liberating. And you don't need to be maga fit nor full of muscle. A few simple moves can inflict great pain.
That's right up there with "cereal is a soup" and "a hotdog is a sandwich". Actually that last one isn't even wrong. What is wrong is the idea that "open sandwiches" exist. If it's open, it's not a sandwich. That's the one thing that makes a sandwich a sandwich.
In cultures where open-faced sandwiches are popular, there're not usually called "sandwiches", but there's no other word in English so English-speakers call them sandwiches and then complain that they're not really sandwiches. 😀
I always assumed it was an affectionate name given to the tanks because of the can element and the connotations of home. I don't really think it was morbid, suggesting the crew were going to get cooked. Maybe i'm wrong
I'll just hang on to the childhood memories of the special treat which was a Fray Bentos pie. I loved the soggy underneath layers as much as the crispy, flaky top. The tender fall-apart meat was so much nicer to me than any other meat. But then I loved Spam too 🤨
Hello Mike I am almost completely blind but you explain these videos eloquently. I can fully understand the entire video. Thank you it really means a lot.
Thank you for mentioning it. I do get people complaining sometimes that I don't need to describe everything that's right there in the video, but I am literally doing it on purpose, for you
@@AtomicShrimp sorted food is really good when it comes to vision impairment as well if anyone else is struggling with cooking videos. Barry Lewis and Ashens have great videos also.
Freezer space might not be as readily available to some people (shared housing, students, etc) so having a shelf-stable pie you can keep in your room/dorm without your food going "walkabout" is probably a huge benefit for some.
Yes, canned food is a miracle in some situations. And depending on the canned product, it can actually be pretty delicious, nutritious and healthy. For example, some canned fish or vegetables.
And even as someone with a small freezer all to myself, I have much more shelf space at my disposal. About 2/3 of the freezer is taken up by stuff I've cooked half a dozen portions of and froze them (minus one that I had for lunch).
This has to be the main benefit - no energy needed to store. And it does seem unusual but there are still people in 2023 that only have the freezer section of a tiny fridge. Plus zombie apocalypse/covid stash?
@@amypeggs9606 What do you mean that it "does seem unusual in 2023"? Do you think it's going to get better with larger freezers in future? Actually, the tendency is in the opposite direction. I don't know the ratio, but I think most people on this planet already live in a quite small space with a small fridge and a tiny freezer. And our population keeps growing very rapidly so you can't probably expect more people to start living in large houses with lots of storage space and more energy consumption. It's actually the other way around.
@@allesindwillkommen I was referring to Shrimp's comment in the video that most people have freezer space in their homes now. He was probably not thinking of people living in smaller spaces but about a few decades ago when it was unusual to have freezer space at home.
If the weather is cold and wet, and you've had a rubbish day at work - one of any of Fray Bentos' pies, and a good strong cup of tea, will banish those thoughts. I've eaten thousands of these things in my 60 years on this planet, and the thought of one for my tea, as I cycle home in the wind and sleet, makes me very happy.
As a student, my housemate eats these fairly regularly (like once a fortnight) and I personally cant stand them, so I wont even go in the kitchen if she's having one. They're very safe from me!
Don't forget that we don't all have big fridge freezers to store some pies in just in case, personally I have not had a working fridge freezer since november (I'm keeping an eye on them hoping the prices will go down on the ones I'm interested in before the weather gets too hot for keeping my fruit and veg out in the open) but lots of people in rental accommodation still have those little under the counter fridges with a little freezer box at the top thats just about big enough for a box of fish fingers.
As a student*, I didn't have the freezer space which ruled out keeping bread and most of the alternatives. Fray Bentos pies because they were a shelf stable could be thrown in the bottom of my wardrobe behind my locked door and definitely be there when I needed them not in the kitchen subject to drunken flatmate predation.
And when I was a student (1970s), the 'kitchen' was the only place with normal sockets so baby belling, fridge and kettle were on free electricity! Now I'm less likely to put my oven on for a single item.😉
There's a brand and flavor of tortilla chip where I live that has a picture on the back, labeled "serving suggestion," which shows a bowl of vegetables with no chips in sight. Another case of, "we don't suggest you eat this product."
Relegating this pie to the emergency/back up food category might sound harsh but that picture you painted of coming home soaked on a rainy day really made me want to have one of these pies on standby 😂
We don’t have these pies readily available in the US, but I have executive dysfunction, so it’s incredibly helpful for me to have food on hand that fills that exact same niche! My back-of-the-pantry desperation food is those shelf-stable tuna salad “lunch kits,” which come with a tiny can or packet of mediocre tuna salad and a few crackers. When you’re struggling, it helps a lot to be able to eat satisfying food with minimal effort.
Malabar paratha is sometimes cooked with an egg cracked on top, and is almost always eaten with a spiced protein and veg gravy so you're not that far off the actual use-case of that parstha by eating it with chili or white sauce.
Interesting concept for storing a pie. I don't think I've seen something like it here in the the states but I'd still try it. The few advantages I could think of compared to having freezer based pies is that you don't have to worry about freezer burn or the event of potential loss of power to the household ruining it if it's something you keep stored in the back of the pantry for long term. Overall a larger variety of shelf stable foods. You could also bring it with you camping. I checked to see if anyone had tried it over the fire or something and saw someone cooking it on a campfire in a dutch oven. Looked like it turned out alright so the thing could still have some niche uses.
It is all about the nostalgia really. The smell and taste of a fray bentos steak and kidney pie takes me straight back to being a child and walking in after a wet cold walk home from school to a warm meal my mum had made, we were pretty poor and it was considered a real treat in our house to have something like that. Nowadays I don't have to buy tinned pies I can afford to buy an expensive pie made by our local butcher crammed full of meat that is easy to warm up after a long day, but sometime I do occasionally buy myself a fray bentos pie just to feel that comfort it gave as a child.
Strange things in a can...In the mid 1970s, the supermarket I worked in sold "Duo Cans". A can with a divider in the middle. One end had curry, the other end had rice.
My alternative is suet pastry, takes a couple of minutes to mix and flatten, chuck in oven for 20 mins and serve with 'pie' filling. But then I *REALLY* like suet pastry and include it with meals that are not even vaguely pie-like.
Regarding frozen parathas as crusts: there are people who will argue to no end about how this is wrong, or even culturally insensitive, but the reality is that food and the way we interact with it as humans is an ever evolving thing. Foods and ingredients and recipes spread independent of the cultures and civilizations that spawned them because sometimes they taste really good, or work really well, and people the world over like when their food tasts good and their recipes work out. Always a fan; keep up the great variety of videos!
I just wish they would bring back Smedley tinned sausage rolls. My Great Grandmother used to buy us a hamper every Christmas and it was something I always looked forward to eating on Chrismas Eve.
I love using frozen parathas for all kinds of similar sacrilege. Sometimes even just with butter and jam. They come in 28-packs for $12 at my favorite Asian market, so I’m a little jealous that they’re even cheaper in the UK
I'm now wondering whether something like a can of creamed chicken, in a ramikin, with a slice of buttered supermarket bread cut to size and placed on top, followed by sticking the whole thing in the oven for 30 minutes, would make a workable insta-pie. I'll have to try it.
This takes me back decades. When I was around 10 I guess, my nan used to to feed us Fray Bentos pie and Smash instant potato in their static caravan near Chapel St Leonards on the east coast. I don't ever remember chicken pie, but I have extremely fond memories of this period. The strange thing is I'm 55 now, and haven't eaten one in over 40 years!. That chicken one looks good to me. I may be weird, but I love the soggy pastry. Next time I go shopping, I might pick one up..just for old times sake
It's possible, if I remember from many years ago, to separate the top pastry, (after it has been in the oven for 10 or 12 minutes) and bake separately. This actually makes the 'pie' slightly more palatable!
I really enjoy your thoughtful and thorough examination of different ideas. I must say it’s interesting to watch your creative takes be it on tinned pies or anything else. I love your content!!👍🏼
I put some leftover stew between two slices of bread, buttered the outside and stuck it in one of those toasted sandwich makers that seal the edges. It was very tasty and pie-like.
For a working class Glasgow nipper like me (non poverty, fairly high end 'Council...', Fray Bentos pies were seen as a sacriligeous luxury, and nowt compared to the steak pie my Granny made... It was right up there with Vesta Curries...🤣👍🏴
What's really funny to me is that you start this video off by saying "it's not all that weird" when last week I watched a video by a German youtuber about "tasting strange conserves" and one of them was a Fray Bentos steak and kidney pie which he found exceedingly odd! Just goes to show that one person's weird is another person's normal. :)
As a student I had a very dodgy tin opener, so to get into one of these I pierced it with the dodgy tin opener and proceeded to hack the tin open with a knife. And then bought a working tin opener.
a canned pie requires no refrigeration. if you live somewhere without power, and you want a pie, it might do- for hunters and for sailors and for a variety of foodsafe emergency ration scenarios
There is apparently a canned butter that is gourmet quality butter. And the can is like $20. What situation would a pound of butter lasting years on end be useful to 99% of people? Who knows. But by the same token, sometimes I think about it and want it lol
I used to have a few of these in stock when cruising my yacht, as stand by meals. They were a simple and easy meal that could be cooked underway if it wasn't too rough. the packaging, is pretty bullet proof banging about in a locker on a yacht and 100% recyclable and clean to store after washing. Also the painted label makes them fairly rust proof and does not come off. If you have ever played the "is it peaches or is it beans" game with now label-less cans at the bottom of the locker you'll know what I mean about weird meals that came out of a can. Thanks Shrimpy always enjoy your eclectic content. Keep 'em coming!
I totally agree with your "riding on nostalgia" assessment. Of course with each Fray Bentos pie you get a useful explosion containment/pie dish, and a possibly useful circle of tinplate for your other experiments. From my student days I had half a dozen pie dishes that I used to make proper pies with for many years, until my wife at the time discovered them in a cupboard, thought they were "tacky" and made me throw them away and buy replacements which from every practical angle were indistinguishable, other than not being slightly faded and having "Fray Bentos" on the side. Although she didn't seem to mind other things with designer labels..... :D
Hah, coincidentally.. I ordered one of these just chicken pies alongside one of their All day Breakfast pies, to my woodland in Poland because I was missing UK stuff so much.. I think I had fray bentos a few decades ago, and I thought it can't be that bad compared to stuff in the shops at the moment, I even read the ingredients before the purchase... and yeah, the chicken pie was alright, nothing to write home about though but I liked the pastry and the gravy was acceptable.. however, the all day breakfast was absolutely bloody horrible.. sharp overtaste of pork intestines and all things wrong with the sauce.. the 4 baked beans were nice with some of the crust though.. either way, they both reminded me of why I never bought any again after 30 years back. :) Dear oh dear...
Four baked beans is four baked beans too many in my humble opinion. They make me vomit, they are in fact, the food of the Devil😂. Seriously, I remember back in my student days I pinched a fork full of left over fried breakfast off my mate’s plate because I was really peckish, and there was some baked beans hidden under the black pudding, as soon as I started to chew I had to leg it to the toilet, got there just in time. I actually wanted to get hypnotised so that I would like them as they were only 3p a tin at the time.
I think you are spot on with the purpose of a tinned pie, I keep a variety of Fray Bentos pies to hand, I quite like them but they are very much a 'I can't be bothered to prepare anything else' food stock. When I'm home late or just worn out, sticking a pie in the oven and putting hot water in a pan for frozen peas is a fuss free effortless meal, as you say they keep for an age so make a handy cupboard standard.
yup, i agree, they are more about nostalgia now and i do love them, but eat them rarely now because of how hard it is to open the can, i am now disabled and find using manual can openers difficult so i have an electric one which is no good for opening them frey bentos cans, i know you can get them in plastic pots also which are easier to open, but they are just not the same
In the grand old year of 2020, Fray Bentos pies entered my life via lockdown. A good case scenario was that I had to shield and I had food parcels delivered. One day, like some kind of alchemic spell, was a fray bentos pie amongst the Holy bogroll. Never really seen one before, but it was a welcome sight. We were able to time it so every weekend for quite a while, a pie was on the Sunday menu and very thankful we were as well. Apart from free food, the Cheese and Onion one was great. They are a great foodbank staple.
One use case you didn't mention for fray bentos.. Fishing boats at sea for long periods- the trawler I served on for 2 weeks had LOTS of these pies, they stack nicely in a cupboard, don't require chilling etc, and can be cooked easily in the sub par oven the ship had. And are cheap and filling with enough calories to get you through the gruelling hours of intense work.
Hit the nail on the head! Used to always have a couple of FB pies in the cupboard as a handy standby, but over the years, my love of the slightly soggy pastry could no longer overcome my disgust at the lack of filling! Decent pan frying steak cooks in 6mins or less......🤔.😉 🕙 🥩 🤫
I remember thinking these were delicious as a kid. I had a steak one as an adult and was seriously questioning my younger taste buds! 😅 I'll stick to just putting a puff sheet in the oven to top my filling.
I think there's a double-whammy going on there. It's true that our younger selves had questionable taste, but it's also true that many of our old favorites have reduced in quality, or at least just changed recipes, over the years. They're literally not what we remember.
Yeah chef boyardee did a throwback release of their older recipe canned ravioli in the US. It was quite a lot different. The new stuff is sweeter, less meaty, less greasy compared to the old.
I usually keep one in the cupboard for just the occasion you mentioned, when i come home from work late cold and tired its very pleasant to just pop it in the oven and have a bath. I do keep frozen pies but often they take longer or arnt big enough so you have to faff with chips etc to fill you up
After seeing some of your videos I wanted to try one of these pies but they are very expensive here in Australia, AU$9 for a 425g can, so I didn't end up buying one. However, I do always have ready made puff pastry and short crust pastry in the freezer and I have a pie maker. I just cut out the pastry rounds fill it with whatever you have on hand, close the lid for 7 minutes and voila! My favourite pies use leftover roast chicken, a can of creamed corn, some bacon and green onion.
They're really not worth AU$9 so you were right not to buy. Australia is a fellow pie eating nation like the UK so you'll definitely find a much better pie from elsewhere.
As a young lad I remember asking my grandmother about these pies, and she explained how they were made, and also how they were cooked. Years later I still enjoy them at least once a week in the winter, although I don't eat them from April to September as they're definitely a winter food.
Well done A.S. I appreciate how you delve deep into a subject. “Something on toast.” I like it. I eat poached egg on toast many mornings. I love just about anything on toast. Even eat my hamburgers on toast. I’m in the U.S. by the way. Thanks a bunch!
It was fun when you overthunk and over analysed that. Good stuff, thanks for taking the time. Will certainly be looking up Parathas / Porottas. Looked yummy and versatile. Keep up the good work sir!
The fray bentos pies used to be popular with boaters and caravaners back in the day when fridges weren't standard, a fray bentos pie served with tinned new potatoes or smash and tinned vegetables. Another alternative meal was also stew, made with a tin of stewed steak, chopped up tinned new potatoes and tinned peas and carrots.
I loved the thought experiment section of this video. Genuinely interesting thought provoker around how we could make a pie with a different goal in mind
I was hungry for these again, and thought I would look at Amazon for them. Seen a pack of 2 for just $13 and thought screw it, i'll pay the $6.58 per pie, then at the last second seen the $17 shipping. I miss Fray Bentos pies like crazy, but I am not paying over $15 per pie.
Thank you so much for placing so much effort into your videos. I absolutely love your channel. You always seem to satiate my niche cooking ideas. I love that you're always willing to try something new. Cheers~
Is there really ever a "miss-use" of any food item? I think you nailed the case that I keep a few meat pies in the freezer. While it takes more time to cook (often near an hour) its still the time between getting home and getting settled.
Yes their is. Misusing foods from other cultures comes in the form of using an item from that culture incorrectly and renaming it and claiming to invent it.
@@scurvymcdiggle2741 That's just how food evolves though - cultures borrow, adapt and change foods to suit their local ingredients and tastes. Curry didn't even exist in Japan until the 1800s and chillies didnt exist in India until the 1500s for example but both are fundamental to their respective country's cuisines.
@@HDScorpio One of the most beloved of indigenous foods for Canadian First Nations is called "frybread" by Native Americans in the USA. But we call it "bannock" because it was introduced by the often Scottish fur traders of the Hudson's Bay Company. Basically, wheat flour, lard, salt, and baking powder fried in more lard (or nowadays vegetable oil). About as indigenous to the Americas as spaghetti primavera (noodles,tomatoes, bell peppers, black pepper, herbs,onions)is to Italy.
I remember coming to your channel for scambaiting, and ended up staying for most of everything else. Every day i see a new Atomic Shrimp upload is a good day.
Apologies if others have already commented similarly: in your breakdown of the relative merits or inadequacies of the fray bentos pie compared to your alternatives, I think the requirement (or not) of using an oven is relevant. I think many more people have become aware of how much more expensive it is to heat a conventional oven to cook/reheat just one dish/tray compared to the power used by a hob, thanks to the recent energy price increases. As such, I really liked your suggestion of using a paratha as a "pie top" and, despite being British, I've never tried [the word that UA-cam just flagged to me as potentially verboten to community guidelines], but your description has made me want to seek some out now. All the best, and thanks for the video.
I like the puddings such as the golden syrup or chocolate ones that are in a tin and you put two small holes in the top and partially fill the pan with water making sure none gets on top of the tin and boil it. Maybe a thought for another weird stuff in a can?
Oh yes! Another childhood treat I've never had since. Heinz Treacle Sponge! My mum's cousin used to work for Heinz and when we visited we'd get a boxful of battered tins that couldn't be sold. I always hoped there'd be treacle sponge in there.
I haven't seen one of those canned ones in years, I seem to remember something about them being discontinued. A shame because the ones that come in the little plastic pots just aren't the same
@@Drew-Dastardly Golden Syrup was my favorite one, Wonder if he can source one that's edible, there's nothing out there now to compare it with, eep! Have I blown someone's cover ha ha.
@@fullnuclearbreakfast Plastic pots? Never had one of those, got to be vastly inferior to the tinned puds and they failed. Bring back the Syrup tinned puds, bring back all of em. 🥰
Alternative suggestion to a flat bread, Here in the US you can buy cardboard-canned American style biscuits (similar to the canned croissants you’ve featured), those split in half width wise and placed onto a pie filling makes for a quick and tasty (non soggy) crust. Cooks in the same amount of time as a you’re suggesting and is little extra effort.
Call me a peasant but I REALLY like these. Sadly though my food intolerances get worse and worse and I can no longer have them. EDIT they're just a thing would eat for tea or whatever. Maybe this is a class thing.
My daughter's favourite meal is quick chicken and leek pie. 1 small pie tin, 1 sheet of shortcrust pastry, 1 small pack of chicken thigh meat, 1 can of chicken and mushroom soup, 1 leek, 1 large knob of butter. 5 mins prep, 25 mins cooking + sides time. Fry leeks off in butter (lots), remove from pan. Fry off chicken. Combine with soup and season to taste. Line bottom of pie tin with pastry, add filling, add top (my pie tin uses exactly one sheet for this). Eggwash and bake at about 200 for 25 mins. Usually served with butter fried asparagus (cook alongside leaks then place in over to crisp up) and a mountain of other veg. It's more hands on than a Fray Bentos, requiring 10 mins of being in the kitchen and costs a lot more (~£5) but the result is usually better than a frozen or chilled pre-made.
I have never had one of those with a "defect" like that! Mine are usually "perfect." My son didn't like the "Just Chicken" one, he said it was boring (I actually thought it was nice, tasted like a Christmas lunch) ... so last time I baked it I removed the top crust before baking ... sauteed some carrots, onions and potatoes with seasonings and added it to the filling, then replaced the top and baked as directed. He loved it. I baked mine MUCH more than you did ... my top crust was crisp and rose much more ... no creepy, wet layers inside.
I bought a bunch of those Fray Bentos pies to have when I don't feel like cooking. The "Balti" vegetable one is great prepared like I described above (sauteed veg added) with the addition of a little diced cooked chicken breast and some curry powder. They're quite a novelty here in the USA. Not only do we hardly ever eat pies as a main dish, but canned pies are quite exotic.
when I was 18, I was kicked out of the family home, and I was with a housing association for 2 years. but, because I couldn't afford any food I was given a food parcel and this pie was the first thing I made. I don't like them, and certainly took way too long to open (no can opener at the time) but it filled me up and was nice and warm. for that reason they hold a very special place in my heart.
They've apparently just recently bowed to Twitter pressure and put, I think, 66% more filling In the pies but doubled the price, yet, do nothing about the pasta/pastry dumpling. Mr Brains were another childhood fave I forgot about and I hope I remember to pick some up next time I get the messages
I agree, good to have at the back of a cupboard, but these days the increased cost and reduced product quality mean they are only ever bought when the price is reduced. Beans on toast is a better meal, add some cheese and top with a fried egg for extra comfort.
My go-to [pie] as of late been frozen sausage rolls. These cylindrical, horizontal pies are easy to prepare in bulk, bake in the time it takes me to wash and dry etc, cause little to no washing up after eating, and are lovely with any sauce of choice, be that red, brown, or a mixture of the two if I'm feeling extra saucy.
Are you interested in doing more episodes on meat substitutes? TVP is 30-90% cheaper than most options where I live, so I tried the kind that comes as bigger chunks. I was surprised at how quick & easy it is to use and also how meaty it tastes with some basic seasoning. Plus it can sit in the pantry until needed, having arrived dehydrated. Here's what I've doing: - fry onions in a hit pan until brown (optional) - add dry tvp and enough water (or aquafaba if you've got it) to cover - add frozen vegetables - season liquid with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and msg. plus any spices you like - simmer on high ~10 min until the liquid reduces into a gravy Very versatile for pie filling, chili, tacos, soup, or stir fry with small adjustments.
It escapes me how someone would prefer a fray bentos pie instead of a frozen chicken pie, they’re equally easy to prepare while the frozen alternative isn’t like eating jelly with crunchy and chewy bits in
I got so much hate for following the suggestion to bake the crust separately, in a previous video, I have resolved that I'm just going to unswervingly follow the instructions on the packaging in future
@@AtomicShrimp I seen that one LOL. Maybe you should try it though on a second pie, and if it works out, have a 10 second 'but wait' at the very end of your video and show off the perfection (hypothetically :-)
This Fray Bentos pie has a US equivalent, but without the pastry. That would be any Dinty Moore stew in a can, best served with margarine on Wonder Bread. Pastry in a can seems as horrifying as margarine and Wonder Bread, to me.
Many thanks to Fray Bentos for keeping my husband and I fed in the 1970's. We had just got married and we were both working full time. Hubby would want a quick meal before he headed off to football training on those dark, cold, wet winter nights. We didn't have a freezer, just one little shelf at the top of a small under-counter fridge. They fed us well. However, I do not recognise that pie you bought, it doesn't bear any resemblance to our steak Fray's from the 70's.
I used to get fed these at my nannas house every time I visited when I was younger, love your content Shrimp Though I have to say, i don't ever remember seeing one with a defective lid, unsure if it's just poor memory or if my nanna got lucky every time she bought one
In my youth, holidays were often long distance bicycle tours, staying in youth hostels along the route. These hostels almost never had proper ovens, just gas hobs and grills. I clearly remember, more than once attempting to cook a Fray Bentos pie (always steak and kidney) by heating the filling in a saucepan on the hob and attempting the cook the pastry under the grill - with questionable rates of success. Recently a friend told me he has tried similar, but cooked the pastry separately in an air fryer which worked very well and resulted in a nicely cooked and ready to eat pie in less than 15 minutes! Maybe a future video for Mr Shrimp? PS, the pie accompaniment on those hosteling trips was always 'Smash' (or a cheaper equivalent) instant mash potatoes or more rarely, tinned spuds followed by canned peaches (or other fruit) for desert!
I commented on the random video with regards to the budget challenge, but I feel in this day and age the price to heat food should sometimes be considered... I would imagine speedy pie is also a contender for cheap pie if you consider cooking times and methods As always great content though, I will admit, I do like the soggy pie bits in the tinned pies 😅
The fuel/electricity budget is a real concern. I've learned that if I bring rice to a boil and then let it sit it's fully cooked eventually, warm but not hot when it's ready. A tiny fraction of fuel compared to cooking for 20 minutes.
Works for pasta too. I tend to take off the heat and put it on a wooden board, then wrap the pot in a towel or something else insulating. Eventually I’ll collect enough stuff to make a hay box and use that, but I’m a way off. This will do for now.
Lack of refrigeration limits the alternatives. When I lived in a 15ft caravan years ago a Fray Bentos pie was perfect. There was no room for a fridge and the oven was tiny. Food to go wasn't much of a thing then and it was an isolated area. After a long, cold day at work the pie was very welcome.
The use I had for these pies was that at the time I was student and working part time. They were quick and simple to make but also farmfoods would usually have them on sale for a £1 and that for a meal for a student with barely any time or money was a bit of lifeline at times
*The other F Word* - From 12:30 onwards in this video, there is discussion of a traditional British foodstuff that shares a name with a horrible and unacceptable homophobic slur. I am truly and honestly sorry that the sudden appearance of this word, in this video has caused fresh hurt to people who have been abused and harrassed using the slur that shares the name with the food; I wish I had introduced the topic with greater thoughtfulness, sensitivity and care.
Well Mr Brains, exceedingly good pork balls, hehe speaking as a "gay" woman! I know, why can't people just except each other without making tasty things into slurs..
I'm glad this is a pinned comment. My thoughts - as a gay person and huge Atomic Shrimp fan, I understand the disclaimer, but the disclaimer does not prevent the word from being the only thing I thought about for the rest of the video. I wasn't mad, so much as... preoccupied. I've had that word screamed in my face as a prelude to violence.
It sounds like you're already reconsidering the choice you made here, but, yes. Imagine if a youtuber explained the N-word was a homonym for something in their regional dialect, and dropped about 12 N-bombs. Even if the viewer understands and forgives, none of the video is retained after that.
The internet is a weird place with too much outrage. I want you to know that I am not outraged and still genuinely a huge fan. I would just really not like to feel that way watching a generally comforting and safe channel again.
I actually have a lot of good memories of the word and hearing it come up was a pleasant surprise that washed over me like a warm wave of nostalgia. Thank you for using that specific word unabashedly.
I am so sorry and annoyed that you feel you have to apologise and i can assure you as a single mom of two boys one who is gay no offense was taken on the name of a food that has been around long before the word was used in a different context. Please people get over yourselves.
I was always lead to believe that a f____ in the UK was a public school boy who does all the running for older public school boys. I laugh when I hear it being used to describe anything else - since the fool shouting as homophobic slur it is obviously thick as mince. And having undertaken 10 years of MMA,. I find the best way to deal with homophobic slur is with a punch to the snout. I'd advice every homosexual to go undertake some form of self defence, boxing or MMA. It's liberating. And you don't need to be maga fit nor full of muscle. A few simple moves can inflict great pain.
"Beans on toast is an upside down pie" Atomic Shrimp delivering the hottest food takes here
That's right up there with "cereal is a soup" and "a hotdog is a sandwich".
Actually that last one isn't even wrong. What is wrong is the idea that "open sandwiches" exist. If it's open, it's not a sandwich. That's the one thing that makes a sandwich a sandwich.
@@PiousMoltar I grew up in Poland and open sandwiches are definitely a norm there. Nothing wrong with them either, I still prefer them.
@@PiousMoltarsomebody watches Mythical Kitchen. It's you and me isn't it😀
In cultures where open-faced sandwiches are popular, there're not usually called "sandwiches", but there's no other word in English so English-speakers call them sandwiches and then complain that they're not really sandwiches. 😀
@@allesindwillkommen They were in Poland, whether they were open ones or not. Same word for them in Polish.
I've seen photos of British tanks both WWI and WWII named Fray Bentos. That's some good gallows humor right there.
Those were sponsored tanks. 🤣
The best thing about British tanks is they all come equipped with a BV.
@@DeathMetalDerf Haha I never thought of that.
I always think of the "meat in a can" tanks when I hear Frey Bentos
I always assumed it was an affectionate name given to the tanks because of the can element and the connotations of home. I don't really think it was morbid, suggesting the crew were going to get cooked. Maybe i'm wrong
I'll just hang on to the childhood memories of the special treat which was a Fray Bentos pie. I loved the soggy underneath layers as much as the crispy, flaky top. The tender fall-apart meat was so much nicer to me than any other meat. But then I loved Spam too 🤨
Mmmm, soggy layer... 😀
Did you like Just copy paste this comment because it's so generic.
Fried spam is delicious. It's nice in a sandwich with pickle.
It can be used on a Hawaii pizza 🍕.
@@Totalinternalreflection Weird comment in a can.
How was this posted one day ago?
Hello Mike I am almost completely blind but you explain these videos eloquently. I can fully understand the entire video. Thank you it really means a lot.
Also I hate those pies. 🤣
Thank you for mentioning it. I do get people complaining sometimes that I don't need to describe everything that's right there in the video, but I am literally doing it on purpose, for you
@@AtomicShrimp sorted food is really good when it comes to vision impairment as well if anyone else is struggling with cooking videos. Barry Lewis and Ashens have great videos also.
Of course Mike accommodated the partial sighted, or full non sighted!! Now we’re in awe that Lucas enjoyed this video as much as we did!!
Freezer space might not be as readily available to some people (shared housing, students, etc) so having a shelf-stable pie you can keep in your room/dorm without your food going "walkabout" is probably a huge benefit for some.
Yes, canned food is a miracle in some situations. And depending on the canned product, it can actually be pretty delicious, nutritious and healthy. For example, some canned fish or vegetables.
And even as someone with a small freezer all to myself, I have much more shelf space at my disposal. About 2/3 of the freezer is taken up by stuff I've cooked half a dozen portions of and froze them (minus one that I had for lunch).
This has to be the main benefit - no energy needed to store. And it does seem unusual but there are still people in 2023 that only have the freezer section of a tiny fridge.
Plus zombie apocalypse/covid stash?
@@amypeggs9606 What do you mean that it "does seem unusual in 2023"? Do you think it's going to get better with larger freezers in future? Actually, the tendency is in the opposite direction.
I don't know the ratio, but I think most people on this planet already live in a quite small space with a small fridge and a tiny freezer. And our population keeps growing very rapidly so you can't probably expect more people to start living in large houses with lots of storage space and more energy consumption. It's actually the other way around.
@@allesindwillkommen I was referring to Shrimp's comment in the video that most people have freezer space in their homes now. He was probably not thinking of people living in smaller spaces but about a few decades ago when it was unusual to have freezer space at home.
I love Fray Bentos pies. The combination of sludgy pastry and processed meat just hits the spot.
Why are brits so proud of eating utter garbage.
hey it hits the spot for some people
If the weather is cold and wet, and you've had a rubbish day at work - one of any of Fray Bentos' pies, and a good strong cup of tea, will banish those thoughts. I've eaten thousands of these things in my 60 years on this planet, and the thought of one for my tea, as I cycle home in the wind and sleet, makes me very happy.
Weird statement. That can be said for every single thing in this planet. @@theorangeheadedfella
What meat?
I especially liked the 'solve for pie' section of the video. Cheerful, creative, appealing. I'd be delighted to see more 'solve for x' explorations.
Would love to see this on more weird stuff in a can ❤
As a student, my housemate eats these fairly regularly (like once a fortnight) and I personally cant stand them, so I wont even go in the kitchen if she's having one. They're very safe from me!
Pie²... 😋
Don't forget that we don't all have big fridge freezers to store some pies in just in case, personally I have not had a working fridge freezer since november (I'm keeping an eye on them hoping the prices will go down on the ones I'm interested in before the weather gets too hot for keeping my fruit and veg out in the open) but lots of people in rental accommodation still have those little under the counter fridges with a little freezer box at the top thats just about big enough for a box of fish fingers.
As a student*, I didn't have the freezer space which ruled out keeping bread and most of the alternatives. Fray Bentos pies because they were a shelf stable could be thrown in the bottom of my wardrobe behind my locked door and definitely be there when I needed them not in the kitchen subject to drunken flatmate predation.
And when I was a student (1970s), the 'kitchen' was the only place with normal sockets so baby belling, fridge and kettle were on free electricity! Now I'm less likely to put my oven on for a single item.😉
I always enjoy when you over-analyze things in a thoughtful manner like this.
I am one pf the weird people that love the soggy pastry bit. They are a guilty pleasure!
It's like pizza, the cheap ones are good in their own way!
Me too!!
Me too, except I don't feel guilty.
@@blankfrankie3747 It's fine, this is a safe place.
I eat a large can of spam in one sitting
There's a brand and flavor of tortilla chip where I live that has a picture on the back, labeled "serving suggestion," which shows a bowl of vegetables with no chips in sight. Another case of, "we don't suggest you eat this product."
Are you sure that isn't just fresh salsa? 😂
Relegating this pie to the emergency/back up food category might sound harsh but that picture you painted of coming home soaked on a rainy day really made me want to have one of these pies on standby 😂
It's the least weird pie from a company known for making weird pies. That alone makes it weird enough to feature here.
We don’t have these pies readily available in the US, but I have executive dysfunction, so it’s incredibly helpful for me to have food on hand that fills that exact same niche!
My back-of-the-pantry desperation food is those shelf-stable tuna salad “lunch kits,” which come with a tiny can or packet of mediocre tuna salad and a few crackers. When you’re struggling, it helps a lot to be able to eat satisfying food with minimal effort.
Those tuna ones are awesome
I like the Banquet pies. They make being broke so much easier.
Malabar paratha is sometimes cooked with an egg cracked on top, and is almost always eaten with a spiced protein and veg gravy so you're not that far off the actual use-case of that parstha by eating it with chili or white sauce.
I like eating them with a vegetable curry or biriyani. They're tasty and easy to cook.
Interesting concept for storing a pie. I don't think I've seen something like it here in the the states but I'd still try it. The few advantages I could think of compared to having freezer based pies is that you don't have to worry about freezer burn or the event of potential loss of power to the household ruining it if it's something you keep stored in the back of the pantry for long term. Overall a larger variety of shelf stable foods. You could also bring it with you camping. I checked to see if anyone had tried it over the fire or something and saw someone cooking it on a campfire in a dutch oven. Looked like it turned out alright so the thing could still have some niche uses.
Check Ocean State Job Lot sometime. They end up with weird things all the time. I found a 20lbs. Can of grape leaves in water there once.
It is all about the nostalgia really. The smell and taste of a fray bentos steak and kidney pie takes me straight back to being a child and walking in after a wet cold walk home from school to a warm meal my mum had made, we were pretty poor and it was considered a real treat in our house to have something like that. Nowadays I don't have to buy tinned pies I can afford to buy an expensive pie made by our local butcher crammed full of meat that is easy to warm up after a long day, but sometime I do occasionally buy myself a fray bentos pie just to feel that comfort it gave as a child.
"Solving for Pie" left me in stitches for some reason.
Right before Pi Day, 3/14 as we mark dates in the US.
I also appreciated this 👏👏
Strange things in a can...In the mid 1970s, the supermarket I worked in sold "Duo Cans". A can with a divider in the middle. One end had curry, the other end had rice.
Great idea
My alternative is suet pastry, takes a couple of minutes to mix and flatten, chuck in oven for 20 mins and serve with 'pie' filling.
But then I *REALLY* like suet pastry and include it with meals that are not even vaguely pie-like.
Good idea- on a similar note- a Charlotte would work I think
Regarding frozen parathas as crusts: there are people who will argue to no end about how this is wrong, or even culturally insensitive, but the reality is that food and the way we interact with it as humans is an ever evolving thing. Foods and ingredients and recipes spread independent of the cultures and civilizations that spawned them because sometimes they taste really good, or work really well, and people the world over like when their food tasts good and their recipes work out. Always a fan; keep up the great variety of videos!
Mix and match: hummus and chips!
@@christopherellis2663 I do that one all the time! :)
That filling looked like cat food.
But the soupy stuff, with lots of jelly, that's considered the GOAT by all kitties I know. 😺
Weird, stuffin' a cat
@@Schlups Weird Stuff in a Cat #1
@@Schlups Like Calvin did with Hobbes! He stuffed him with tuna sandwiches...
But does it smell like cat food?
@@jwalster9412 I'm not sure if a shrimp who lives with a dog knows the smell of cat food...🤔
I just wish they would bring back Smedley tinned sausage rolls. My Great Grandmother used to buy us a hamper every Christmas and it was something I always looked forward to eating on Chrismas Eve.
A... hamper? In my country a hamper is a place for dirty clothing...
One of my first dungeons and dragons characters was named Frey Bentos. She was a halfling fighter in platemail; a cutie pie in a can
That's fantastic.
Haha nice!
😂❤
I love using frozen parathas for all kinds of similar sacrilege. Sometimes even just with butter and jam. They come in 28-packs for $12 at my favorite Asian market, so I’m a little jealous that they’re even cheaper in the UK
Parathas you mean? My friends love it with Nutella
@@AlissaSss23 lol oops spelled it wrong. Yum!!
I'm now wondering whether something like a can of creamed chicken, in a ramikin, with a slice of buttered supermarket bread cut to size and placed on top, followed by sticking the whole thing in the oven for 30 minutes, would make a workable insta-pie. I'll have to try it.
@@queencabbage3689 Don't do it!! Please.
@@hjalfi If your store has it just get all ready made puff pastry or a can of flaky biscuits to top it with. You can freeze what you don't for later.
This takes me back decades. When I was around 10 I guess, my nan used to to feed us Fray Bentos pie and Smash instant potato in their static caravan near Chapel St Leonards on the east coast. I don't ever remember chicken pie, but I have extremely fond memories of this period. The strange thing is I'm 55 now, and haven't eaten one in over 40 years!. That chicken one looks good to me. I may be weird, but I love the soggy pastry. Next time I go shopping, I might pick one up..just for old times sake
It's possible, if I remember from many years ago, to separate the top pastry, (after it has been in the oven for 10 or 12 minutes) and bake separately. This actually makes the 'pie' slightly more palatable!
"Coasting on the inertia of nostalgia", beautiful phrase, but something that applies to many things/activities that should make way for newer things
I really enjoy your thoughtful and thorough examination of different ideas. I must say it’s interesting to watch your creative takes be it on tinned pies or anything else. I love your content!!👍🏼
Aww we used to love a Fray Bentos Pie when we were kids, the squidgy pastry and chicken and mushroom in sauce, love
I put some leftover stew between two slices of bread, buttered the outside and stuck it in one of those toasted sandwich makers that seal the edges. It was very tasty and pie-like.
That begs the question, if you pinch the edges of a sandwich hard enough, does it become a pie?
@@skeetsmcgrew3282 Anything's a pie if you put your mind to it
@Skeets McGrew that's called a Charlotte
For a working class Glasgow nipper like me (non poverty, fairly high end 'Council...', Fray Bentos pies were seen as a sacriligeous luxury, and nowt compared to the steak pie my Granny made... It was right up there with Vesta Curries...🤣👍🏴
Back then people actually cooked, now most throw something in the microwave. Homemade steak pie though 😋 👍
@@scotland638 Yip, the business.. 👍🏴
What's really funny to me is that you start this video off by saying "it's not all that weird" when last week I watched a video by a German youtuber about "tasting strange conserves" and one of them was a Fray Bentos steak and kidney pie which he found exceedingly odd!
Just goes to show that one person's weird is another person's normal. :)
I was wrong about how weird this one really was inside the can
Can you share a link to video?
As a student I had a very dodgy tin opener, so to get into one of these I pierced it with the dodgy tin opener and proceeded to hack the tin open with a knife. And then bought a working tin opener.
I had to open a can of tuna with a knife before lol, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone bc its awfully annoying and difficult
a canned pie requires no refrigeration. if you live somewhere without power, and you want a pie, it might do- for hunters and for sailors and for a variety of foodsafe emergency ration scenarios
There is something really appealing about a shelf stable pie that conveniently cooks with little effort. I think that’s the niche.
There is apparently a canned butter that is gourmet quality butter. And the can is like $20. What situation would a pound of butter lasting years on end be useful to 99% of people? Who knows. But by the same token, sometimes I think about it and want it lol
I used to have a few of these in stock when cruising my yacht, as stand by meals. They were a simple and easy meal that could be cooked underway if it wasn't too rough. the packaging, is pretty bullet proof banging about in a locker on a yacht and 100% recyclable and clean to store after washing. Also the painted label makes them fairly rust proof and does not come off. If you have ever played the "is it peaches or is it beans" game with now label-less cans at the bottom of the locker you'll know what I mean about weird meals that came out of a can. Thanks Shrimpy always enjoy your eclectic content. Keep 'em coming!
Oddly got an ad for Whiskas cat food on this video 🐱 seems appropriate
I totally agree with your "riding on nostalgia" assessment. Of course with each Fray Bentos pie you get a useful explosion containment/pie dish, and a possibly useful circle of tinplate for your other experiments. From my student days I had half a dozen pie dishes that I used to make proper pies with for many years, until my wife at the time discovered them in a cupboard, thought they were "tacky" and made me throw them away and buy replacements which from every practical angle were indistinguishable, other than not being slightly faded and having "Fray Bentos" on the side. Although she didn't seem to mind other things with designer labels..... :D
Yeah, I have to admit the tin is the best bit. Useful for parts when disassembling something
Hah, coincidentally.. I ordered one of these just chicken pies alongside one of their All day Breakfast pies, to my woodland in Poland because I was missing UK stuff so much.. I think I had fray bentos a few decades ago, and I thought it can't be that bad compared to stuff in the shops at the moment, I even read the ingredients before the purchase... and yeah, the chicken pie was alright, nothing to write home about though but I liked the pastry and the gravy was acceptable.. however, the all day breakfast was absolutely bloody horrible.. sharp overtaste of pork intestines and all things wrong with the sauce.. the 4 baked beans were nice with some of the crust though.. either way, they both reminded me of why I never bought any again after 30 years back. :) Dear oh dear...
Four baked beans is four baked beans too many in my humble opinion. They make me vomit, they are in fact, the food of the Devil😂. Seriously, I remember back in my student days I pinched a fork full of left over fried breakfast off my mate’s plate because I was really peckish, and there was some baked beans hidden under the black pudding, as soon as I started to chew I had to leg it to the toilet, got there just in time. I actually wanted to get hypnotised so that I would like them as they were only 3p a tin at the time.
@@diogenesegarden5152 haha you're weird.. what the hell. :) I bet you don't like marmite too! :D
As an American I can't get my heart around beans and toast. Also, pie in a can, never seen that one before.
I cant believe iv just watched a whole video about pie! Fair play u made a mundane subject interesting
I think you are spot on with the purpose of a tinned pie, I keep a variety of Fray Bentos pies to hand, I quite like them but they are very much a 'I can't be bothered to prepare anything else' food stock. When I'm home late or just worn out, sticking a pie in the oven and putting hot water in a pan for frozen peas is a fuss free effortless meal, as you say they keep for an age so make a handy cupboard standard.
yup, i agree, they are more about nostalgia now and i do love them, but eat them rarely now because of how hard it is to open the can, i am now disabled and find using manual can openers difficult so i have an electric one which is no good for opening them frey bentos cans, i know you can get them in plastic pots also which are easier to open, but they are just not the same
In the grand old year of 2020, Fray Bentos pies entered my life via lockdown. A good case scenario was that I had to shield and I had food parcels delivered. One day, like some kind of alchemic spell, was a fray bentos pie amongst the Holy bogroll. Never really seen one before, but it was a welcome sight. We were able to time it so every weekend for quite a while, a pie was on the Sunday menu and very thankful we were as well. Apart from free food, the Cheese and Onion one was great. They are a great foodbank staple.
I love Fray Bentos pies, especially steak and gravy.
One use case you didn't mention for fray bentos..
Fishing boats at sea for long periods- the trawler I served on for 2 weeks had LOTS of these pies, they stack nicely in a cupboard, don't require chilling etc, and can be cooked easily in the sub par oven the ship had. And are cheap and filling with enough calories to get you through the gruelling hours of intense work.
A tin of filling with a ready roll puff pastry top is something I have done a few times... We now just use frozen bung in oven pies mostly...
Hit the nail on the head!
Used to always have a couple of FB pies in the cupboard as a handy standby, but over the years, my love of the slightly soggy pastry could no longer overcome my disgust at the lack of filling!
Decent pan frying steak cooks in 6mins or less......🤔.😉 🕙 🥩 🤫
I remember thinking these were delicious as a kid. I had a steak one as an adult and was seriously questioning my younger taste buds! 😅 I'll stick to just putting a puff sheet in the oven to top my filling.
I think there's a double-whammy going on there. It's true that our younger selves had questionable taste, but it's also true that many of our old favorites have reduced in quality, or at least just changed recipes, over the years. They're literally not what we remember.
Yeah chef boyardee did a throwback release of their older recipe canned ravioli in the US. It was quite a lot different. The new stuff is sweeter, less meaty, less greasy compared to the old.
The quality of these have fallen significantly over the past 10 years or so. They used to be filled with actual chunks of meat.
There not made by the same company like the used to be. They are now made by a company called baxters food group.. its not a nice place to work in..
I usually keep one in the cupboard for just the occasion you mentioned, when i come home from work late cold and tired its very pleasant to just pop it in the oven and have a bath.
I do keep frozen pies but often they take longer or arnt big enough so you have to faff with chips etc to fill you up
I've always got one of these on stand by. (Don't have a freezer) and I like them so stock rotation is a pleasure.
After seeing some of your videos I wanted to try one of these pies but they are very expensive here in Australia, AU$9 for a 425g can, so I didn't end up buying one. However, I do always have ready made puff pastry and short crust pastry in the freezer and I have a pie maker. I just cut out the pastry rounds fill it with whatever you have on hand, close the lid for 7 minutes and voila! My favourite pies use leftover roast chicken, a can of creamed corn, some bacon and green onion.
They're really not worth AU$9 so you were right not to buy. Australia is a fellow pie eating nation like the UK so you'll definitely find a much better pie from elsewhere.
As a young lad I remember asking my grandmother about these pies, and she explained how they were made, and also how they were cooked. Years later I still enjoy them at least once a week in the winter, although I don't eat them from April to September as they're definitely a winter food.
Growing up that plate on your table was designated mine as a child. Haven't seen that pattern in years. Brings back memories.
Well done A.S. I appreciate how you delve deep into a subject. “Something on toast.” I like it. I eat poached egg on toast many mornings. I love just about anything on toast. Even eat my hamburgers on toast. I’m in the U.S. by the way. Thanks a bunch!
Glad to see that you got a shot of my favourite pie shop - Plesteds.
the Canned Pies don't need refrigeration so when the Power goes out during the Zombie Apocalyps
you can still have a semi decent food dish
But if the power goes out how are you going to heat it up?
If the power goes, how will you bake it? A charcoal barbecue maybe , with the pastry top cooked in a separate frying pan.
@@lashers in the rayburn :)
It was fun when you overthunk and over analysed that. Good stuff, thanks for taking the time. Will certainly be looking up Parathas / Porottas. Looked yummy and versatile. Keep up the good work sir!
I always looked forward to those "weird soggy underlayers of Fray Bentos crust" they just feel and taste so good!
People eat and enjoy pasta and dumplings. It's not really that far away from those.
The fray bentos pies used to be popular with boaters and caravaners back in the day when fridges weren't standard, a fray bentos pie served with tinned new potatoes or smash and tinned vegetables. Another alternative meal was also stew, made with a tin of stewed steak, chopped up tinned new potatoes and tinned peas and carrots.
I haven't had one forvs long time but I love fray bentos "pies". I have never been under the illusion that it is a pie though!
I loved the thought experiment section of this video. Genuinely interesting thought provoker around how we could make a pie with a different goal in mind
I was hungry for these again, and thought I would look at Amazon for them. Seen a pack of 2 for just $13 and thought screw it, i'll pay the $6.58 per pie, then at the last second seen the $17 shipping. I miss Fray Bentos pies like crazy, but I am not paying over $15 per pie.
Guessing you're an ex-pat?
Saw
Thank you so much for placing so much effort into your videos. I absolutely love your channel. You always seem to satiate my niche cooking ideas.
I love that you're always willing to try something new. Cheers~
Is there really ever a "miss-use" of any food item?
I think you nailed the case that I keep a few meat pies in the freezer. While it takes more time to cook (often near an hour) its still the time between getting home and getting settled.
Yes their is. Misusing foods from other cultures comes in the form of using an item from that culture incorrectly and renaming it and claiming to invent it.
@@scurvymcdiggle2741 Can you give an example, please? It's okay if not I'm just intrigued where that's happened.
@@scurvymcdiggle2741 That's just how food evolves though - cultures borrow, adapt and change foods to suit their local ingredients and tastes. Curry didn't even exist in Japan until the 1800s and chillies didnt exist in India until the 1500s for example but both are fundamental to their respective country's cuisines.
@@HDScorpio nope
@@HDScorpio One of the most beloved of indigenous foods for Canadian First Nations is called "frybread" by Native Americans in the USA. But we call it "bannock" because it was introduced by the often Scottish fur traders of the Hudson's Bay Company.
Basically, wheat flour, lard, salt, and baking powder fried in more lard (or nowadays vegetable oil).
About as indigenous to the Americas as spaghetti primavera (noodles,tomatoes, bell peppers, black pepper, herbs,onions)is to Italy.
This video made me hungry I do love pie with a crisp top and slightly soggy underneath, kinda like a pudding from a chippy
I remember coming to your channel for scambaiting, and ended up staying for most of everything else. Every day i see a new Atomic Shrimp upload is a good day.
Came for the scams, stayed for the cans
I loved Fray Bentos as a child. We lived in country Australia and this was a real treat with mash and garden veg. Thanks again for great content.
I used to LOVE their steak and ale pies. Can't get them these days!
Apologies if others have already commented similarly: in your breakdown of the relative merits or inadequacies of the fray bentos pie compared to your alternatives, I think the requirement (or not) of using an oven is relevant. I think many more people have become aware of how much more expensive it is to heat a conventional oven to cook/reheat just one dish/tray compared to the power used by a hob, thanks to the recent energy price increases.
As such, I really liked your suggestion of using a paratha as a "pie top" and, despite being British, I've never tried [the word that UA-cam just flagged to me as potentially verboten to community guidelines], but your description has made me want to seek some out now.
All the best, and thanks for the video.
I like the puddings such as the golden syrup or chocolate ones that are in a tin and you put two small holes in the top and partially fill the pan with water making sure none gets on top of the tin and boil it. Maybe a thought for another weird stuff in a can?
Oh yes! Another childhood treat I've never had since. Heinz Treacle Sponge! My mum's cousin used to work for Heinz and when we visited we'd get a boxful of battered tins that couldn't be sold. I always hoped there'd be treacle sponge in there.
That's school pudding in a can. I haven't had them since the '80s. Treacle pudding was my favourite.
I haven't seen one of those canned ones in years, I seem to remember something about them being discontinued. A shame because the ones that come in the little plastic pots just aren't the same
@@Drew-Dastardly Golden Syrup was my favorite one, Wonder if he can source one that's edible, there's nothing out there now to compare it with, eep! Have I blown someone's cover ha ha.
@@fullnuclearbreakfast Plastic pots? Never had one of those, got to be vastly inferior to the tinned puds and they failed. Bring back the Syrup tinned puds, bring back all of em. 🥰
Alternative suggestion to a flat bread, Here in the US you can buy cardboard-canned American style biscuits (similar to the canned croissants you’ve featured), those split in half width wise and placed onto a pie filling makes for a quick and tasty (non soggy) crust. Cooks in the same amount of time as a you’re suggesting and is little extra effort.
Yeah, I thought about using those, but the shelf life is pretty short, so it didn't quite fit the long term standby part of it all
Plot twist: Atomic Shrimp only makes Weird Stuff In A Can to show off all his fancy can openers 🤣
Love your content Mr Shrimp, keep it coming 🙂
Next week "this can opener cost me$ 13 at good will!"
That's actually a bog standard one but hey, if you got fancy can openers you might as well show them off 😁
@@theclumsyprepper Why not? I’d do the same 🤣
@@lukeweeks3470 I would too, I love my kitchen utensils.
"Weird Can Opener On A Can"
Have you tried cutting a vent into the pastry before cooking? Maybe it would dry out the filling too much but it's traditionally how you make a pie.
Call me a peasant but I REALLY like these. Sadly though my food intolerances get worse and worse and I can no longer have them.
EDIT they're just a thing would eat for tea or whatever. Maybe this is a class thing.
If you like these for exactly what they are, you'll get no judgment from me.
I like it too! The steak one, I bought it years ago in Poundland
@@AlissaSss23 Bet they were cheaper back then. How much was it?
My daughter's favourite meal is quick chicken and leek pie. 1 small pie tin, 1 sheet of shortcrust pastry, 1 small pack of chicken thigh meat, 1 can of chicken and mushroom soup, 1 leek, 1 large knob of butter. 5 mins prep, 25 mins cooking + sides time.
Fry leeks off in butter (lots), remove from pan. Fry off chicken. Combine with soup and season to taste. Line bottom of pie tin with pastry, add filling, add top (my pie tin uses exactly one sheet for this). Eggwash and bake at about 200 for 25 mins.
Usually served with butter fried asparagus (cook alongside leaks then place in over to crisp up) and a mountain of other veg.
It's more hands on than a Fray Bentos, requiring 10 mins of being in the kitchen and costs a lot more (~£5) but the result is usually better than a frozen or chilled pre-made.
"What a disaster.
...
Let's have a sniff!"
Hahaha! I love these, thank you for making these videos!
I have never had one of those with a "defect" like that! Mine are usually "perfect."
My son didn't like the "Just Chicken" one, he said it was boring (I actually thought it was nice, tasted like a Christmas lunch) ... so last time I baked it I removed the top crust before baking ... sauteed some carrots, onions and potatoes with seasonings and added it to the filling, then replaced the top and baked as directed. He loved it.
I baked mine MUCH more than you did ... my top crust was crisp and rose much more ... no creepy, wet layers inside.
I bought a bunch of those Fray Bentos pies to have when I don't feel like cooking. The "Balti" vegetable one is great prepared like I described above (sauteed veg added) with the addition of a little diced cooked chicken breast and some curry powder. They're quite a novelty here in the USA. Not only do we hardly ever eat pies as a main dish, but canned pies are quite exotic.
Mike,as an arthritis 'sufferer' I wonder could you do an electric can opener review? I find it painful to use an opener.
thanks,Nigel.
I use an electric can opener for over 20 years. I'm now on my second one. They can be finicky, but once it clicks into place, it works a treat.
@@Gwenluvsmusic thanks 👍👍
when I was 18, I was kicked out of the family home, and I was with a housing association for 2 years. but, because I couldn't afford any food I was given a food parcel and this pie was the first thing I made. I don't like them, and certainly took way too long to open (no can opener at the time) but it filled me up and was nice and warm. for that reason they hold a very special place in my heart.
They've apparently just recently bowed to Twitter pressure and put, I think, 66% more filling In the pies but doubled the price, yet, do nothing about the pasta/pastry dumpling.
Mr Brains were another childhood fave I forgot about and I hope I remember to pick some up next time I get the messages
Brains faggots were my childhood favourite with mash.Still cheaply available now.
Freezer pie is my go to in America.
The Marie Callender ones are amazing, but if you're on a budget the banquet ones are also good.
The pastry healed itself 😂
I agree, good to have at the back of a cupboard, but these days the increased cost and reduced product quality mean they are only ever bought when the price is reduced. Beans on toast is a better meal, add some cheese and top with a fried egg for extra comfort.
My go-to [pie] as of late been frozen sausage rolls. These cylindrical, horizontal pies are easy to prepare in bulk, bake in the time it takes me to wash and dry etc, cause little to no washing up after eating, and are lovely with any sauce of choice, be that red, brown, or a mixture of the two if I'm feeling extra saucy.
Are you interested in doing more episodes on meat substitutes? TVP is 30-90% cheaper than most options where I live, so I tried the kind that comes as bigger chunks. I was surprised at how quick & easy it is to use and also how meaty it tastes with some basic seasoning. Plus it can sit in the pantry until needed, having arrived dehydrated.
Here's what I've doing:
- fry onions in a hit pan until brown (optional)
- add dry tvp and enough water (or aquafaba if you've got it) to cover
- add frozen vegetables
- season liquid with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and msg. plus any spices you like
- simmer on high ~10 min until the liquid reduces into a gravy
Very versatile for pie filling, chili, tacos, soup, or stir fry with small adjustments.
I'm taking a break from meat substitute videos - it was attracting a lot of weird anger from both extremes of opinion
@@AtomicShrimp Fair enough! People can be so strange.
Indeed - it's perplexing really. Nothing I do on this channel really matters in the grand scheme of things, but people get so worked up about it.
@@AtomicShrimpnoooooooo! I was hoping you'd review the Waitrose Juicy Marbles plant based filet steaks!
It escapes me how someone would prefer a fray bentos pie instead of a frozen chicken pie, they’re equally easy to prepare while the frozen alternative isn’t like eating jelly with crunchy and chewy bits in
I wonder if the pastry would cook better if you put foil over the filling and under the pastry, and also on top?
I got so much hate for following the suggestion to bake the crust separately, in a previous video, I have resolved that I'm just going to unswervingly follow the instructions on the packaging in future
@@AtomicShrimp I seen that one LOL. Maybe you should try it though on a second pie, and if it works out, have a 10 second 'but wait' at the very end of your video and show off the perfection (hypothetically :-)
This Fray Bentos pie has a US equivalent, but without the pastry. That would be any Dinty Moore stew in a can, best served with margarine on Wonder Bread. Pastry in a can seems as horrifying as margarine and Wonder Bread, to me.
Into the fray we go again
By-Tor and the Snow Dog square for battle, let the fray begin!!
Many thanks to Fray Bentos for keeping my husband and I fed in the 1970's. We had just got married and we were both working full time. Hubby would want a quick meal before he headed off to football training on those dark, cold, wet winter nights. We didn't have a freezer, just one little shelf at the top of a small under-counter fridge. They fed us well. However, I do not recognise that pie you bought, it doesn't bear any resemblance to our steak Fray's from the 70's.
I used to get fed these at my nannas house every time I visited when I was younger, love your content Shrimp
Though I have to say, i don't ever remember seeing one with a defective lid, unsure if it's just poor memory or if my nanna got lucky every time she bought one
In my youth, holidays were often long distance bicycle tours, staying in youth hostels along the route. These hostels almost never had proper ovens, just gas hobs and grills. I clearly remember, more than once attempting to cook a Fray Bentos pie (always steak and kidney) by heating the filling in a saucepan on the hob and attempting the cook the pastry under the grill - with questionable rates of success. Recently a friend told me he has tried similar, but cooked the pastry separately in an air fryer which worked very well and resulted in a nicely cooked and ready to eat pie in less than 15 minutes! Maybe a future video for Mr Shrimp?
PS, the pie accompaniment on those hosteling trips was always 'Smash' (or a cheaper equivalent) instant mash potatoes or more rarely, tinned spuds followed by canned peaches (or other fruit) for desert!
I commented on the random video with regards to the budget challenge, but I feel in this day and age the price to heat food should sometimes be considered... I would imagine speedy pie is also a contender for cheap pie if you consider cooking times and methods
As always great content though, I will admit, I do like the soggy pie bits in the tinned pies 😅
The fuel/electricity budget is a real concern. I've learned that if I bring rice to a boil and then let it sit it's fully cooked eventually, warm but not hot when it's ready. A tiny fraction of fuel compared to cooking for 20 minutes.
Works for pasta too. I tend to take off the heat and put it on a wooden board, then wrap the pot in a towel or something else insulating. Eventually I’ll collect enough stuff to make a hay box and use that, but I’m a way off. This will do for now.
Lack of refrigeration limits the alternatives. When I lived in a 15ft caravan years ago a Fray Bentos pie was perfect. There was no room for a fridge and the oven was tiny. Food to go wasn't much of a thing then and it was an isolated area. After a long, cold day at work the pie was very welcome.
I'm pretty sure it's just a vent for steam ;)
The use I had for these pies was that at the time I was student and working part time. They were quick and simple to make but also farmfoods would usually have them on sale for a £1 and that for a meal for a student with barely any time or money was a bit of lifeline at times