Baz tried to same himself with a parmesean crisp and lots of olive oil, oooh i think he knew he was going down when he decided to anoint his dish like is was an ancient king.
I also really really enjoyed this. It's the same fun cooking content, but a different fresh take. AND, especially with common every day dishes, it creates a helpful guide to how you should and should not make a dish.
Can’t get over Mike’s expression each time the camera pans to him while Kush raves about his spaghetti 😂 It’s like “really me? OMG.. a g-genius? Is the a dream, pinch me Baz while I wipe my tears of joy away” loved every second of it!! 😂
This was a wonderful watch, hearing Kush rip into Barry won't stop being funny, but more importantly hearing Kush praise Mike's efforts and explaining why his was so good and seeming genuinely impressed and satisfied was really nice.
That moment where he paused and looked up. "You hacked it?" Had me rolling. Pure confusion at learning Barry used skips and mostly laid down on the couch during a TECHNIQUE battle.
We need a comparison video between a dish made with bay leaves and one without in a blind taste test. The world needs to know if they actually make a difference!
Mike has really started to shine in the kitchen. It would be interesting to see Ben and Kush try this with some dishes too. Lots of loved "all day dishes" with "fast hacks" out there.
It's great to see more of Kush, and not just his crazy fun side, but showing off his cheffy expertise as well. You can see how much his opinion matters to the boys and the adorable blush and happiness that bloomed on Mike's face with each compliment was so cute to watch. 🥰
I genuinely had a happy tear in my eye when Kush was tasting and loved Mike's he was so proud, it was like watching my daughter winning a race at sports day, well done Mike!
@mehreenkhan6976 Kush seems to have issues with Barry. Barry's taken it on cuff rather well. I suggest they reboot with the new place by removing the sous chef concept. Seems they've made peace in the newest videos of fall 2024 postings. I enjoy hearing kush's phenomenal chef skills and prefer him in videos with instructional vibes. Particularly enjoy the extra long ones as he prepares dinners. His mix with the guys is like a certain spice that turns the whole meal. Great guy... just appreciate him MOST as an instructional member. But I'm only a viewer. He seems a more skilled chef in certain speed and agility especially keeping cooking options open and quickly turning the meal to a certain global influence. For instance pepper and ginger... he can twist that stuff from Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Indian, and then pop over to Germany'svuse and end up back again in England with a tea. I know I can place the ginger and pepper quickly over cuisines...but you know what mean in that this man has DEEP CELLULAR LEVEL SKILLS to do the global thing. So go team Kush. But my heart is in Ebbers corner for his educational allotment and the profound knowledge his has in food history and the matrix of how traveling flavors and cooking methods cross borders. And the history. Love the lectures as he cooks and talks out his thinking process.
We need a compilation of Barry sitting / lying down during battles. 😂 I like his style: least amount of effort with hopefully maximum amount of result.
I thought Mike's looked way more tasty and inviting and the fact that Kush really enjoyed eating that one made me feel like I really know the cheffy stuff 😂
Love seeing Kush! Great criticism, fantastic video. I personally like cooking out finely chopped chilli in the beginning too, then adding a 2nd bunch of small diced carrots half way through the simmer for a slightly more solid texture in my bolognese. Fantastic stuff, I think it's time to make bolognese again
Glad to see you lads migrating away from having every challenge be time-based. It is certainly fun sometimes, but nice to see what the normals in particular can pull off if given enough time to experiment and fix mistakes - You have a well-oiled machine over there and it's ever-great to see you guys refine your video craft as well your cooking craft... Keep it up! 👏
Mike cooked up his bolognese pretty much exactly the same as I do, so very happy to see him as the winner! Saving a partial can of tomatoes to add in at the end was new to me, I'll have to try that next time.
Same although I cook off the alcohol by adding it before other liquids. That's how I've always seen it done and I was interested that neither of them did that. Do you?
I really enjoyed the discussion that Barry tried to make a hack to see if the flavors would be better or not by doing what let's be honest a hell of a lot of us would do on a work night. I very much appreciate that Kush treated that with respect and explained it so we all learn.
1:02 I was eating something while watching this, and for some reason Baz just announcing "soffritto!" as he threw ingredients into the pan like it's a special move killed me, and almost made me spit out some food!😂
Mike’s version is my regular go-to method unless I’m cooking for my son…he hates ’chunks’ so I actually started roasting/blitzing aka Baz to try and get flavour without the bits. Thanks Kush for suggesting chopping the veg smaller before roasting! Love this format, cheers from a Canadian fan!
I love how calm this video was, both not freaking out from start to finish, and no hiddlestorm. It would be interesting to see more of this...no time limit, bit a constraint of ingredients
I love making Bolognese sauce. I make it every month and freeze cubes of it for a weekly easy after work dinner. I thought Barry was pretty clever but am glad Mike won with nice hard work. Some things need the extra effort. Lovely video!
All I could think when they were talking about time. My bolognese takes me all day to make a 3-4 gallon batch to freeze and for the family to eat for a while.
I have been teaching young cooks for years, and your experience is the same as mine. Same recipe and ingredients, sometimes even the same directions, different outcomes.
Loved this format. More please! And next time, can we also see the boys tasting each of the dishes after Kush's commentary to see their reaction and if they pick up on the points of difference that he lays out?
I love this format! I actually really miss the old format when you’d present the same-ish recipe, but in a quick, medium and long to make versions. This is close to that and really cool/useful to know!
@@WayAlpha101I had a similar idea before: Two dishes of the same thing, but one spice is missing. Can be bay leaves, can be clove, or rosemary or something. And then Ben and/or Kush tell us the difference in taste and pinpoints what is missing, from which dish. Or maybe even trying entirely different spice combinations in the same base dish, and opinions on which tastes better and why.
What I love is that we get both sides of the equation. On one side we see what every nonna said when we were cooking "stop being lazy and do it right" with Mike, and then we see the traditional way being put to the test to see if it's actually helping the flavor or just making extra work with Barry's hacked method. Good on the both of you.
I love these boys. Every single one. I couldn’t pick a favorite if I tried! Each one brings something special and unique to the channel. What a beautiful motley crew. ❤
I really enjoyed this. Loved that you did a classic dish rather than something fancy. A cottage pie or fish pie would be good to see. I would also like to see some bbq side dishes that are tasty but not too fancy
What a fantastic battle! Kush's critiques were so great as well. I really want the boys to do a deep dive into bay leaves at this point -- there's been this running gag that bay leaves don't offer anything, but surely there's something to be investigated there!
They are either trolling us and they actually taste the difference or using the blandest bay leaves in existence, the ones we have in my garden or even in a random hedge along the road smell very strong and there's no way you don't taste at least a little flavour
@@voidwalker9939 it might also depend if the leave is still fresh or dried. My mother also has bay leaf growing in her garden and discovered that they release there flavour better when dried. We just pluck a branch from the hedge and hang it in a shelter to air dry them.
Definitely more of these. For me, this is super representative of home-style cooking. I think more "common, UK dinners" done like this would be super interesting. Chilli con carne is always a go-to for my family, but I think a classic Sunday roast dinner would also be an excellent dish to take on, as would Bangers and Mash. Chef vs Chef on this theme would be great!
More of these please. It would be really fun to mix up the "combatants" too. The two that come to mind are 'chef vs. chef' and we get to see what little tiny details mean to the resulting dish (or even let each chef pick their own secret ingredient to add) The second pairing is 'chef vs. normal' with the normal going the super traditional route and the chef doing things his/her own way (maybe have a separate normal plate both dishes so the plating is a non-factor in the judging)
Boiling stuff in tomato seems to slow it down quite considerably for some reason. The easier way to do it is to cook the sauce and pasta separately at first, but keep the starchy water you cooked the pasta in, not just drain it down the sink. Add the pasta to the sauce with tongs or whatever then add a bit of pasta water at a time (remember it's salty) to kind of "cohere" it. That way the pasta and sauce combine much better than the way a lot of British people do of just draining the pasta off and then dumping the sauce on top. I believe that's the way most pasta dishes are done traditionally, not just bolognese.
I love how Mike and Jamie learn from the past to improve the dishes and the way they cook. baz learns from his mistakes sleeps and forgets everything 🤣🤣
One of the most delicious pasta dishes I've had is literally just spaghetti cooked in goat broth, with a dry white cheese (from sheep or goat) grated on top. It's a traditional dish in Crete (Greece). The broth is from actual meat, not any of the hack versions, and the flavour it adds to the pasta is just incredible. So simple and so delicious!
Really enjoying the sort of "Jumping right into it" intros! also love even though theyre both competitive, theyre still supportive of each other and hype each other up, good stuff boys
absolutely loved this! seeing comparisons of techniques and someone who knows their stuff judging afterwards helps a lot for a home cook like me know when to use shortcuts and when they just arent worth it
Love this format - especially when we think of a "how do I get dinner on the table as fast as possible" vs. "I have time to slow cook". An hour and doing a Bolognese is impressive as my grandmother taught me to have it on the stove all day just slow simmering. A chili con carne (another dish people tend to try and "make fast") would be another good dish for this format.
I do think Barry was on to something here. I'm going to try his roasting and blending method, but as an addition to my Bolognese recipe, not as a replacement for the sofrito. Best of both.
I love Kush reviewing the food! Ebbers leans much more into being a content creator where he’s bantering more and talking to the camera about his food analysis whereas Kush is much more cheffy in a sense that his entire focus is on the food and what works what doesn’t. It’s a fun bit of variety to this style of video
Would be good to see Kush or Ben doing a follow up with their version of the same thing, same rules. Could taste and speak the differences between Normal v Chef version.
I liked Barry's shortcut with the roasting but the way Mike put it altogether was great. Definitely will try this at home. And just learned that Parmesan is a natural form of MSG is cool to know.
Glutamate occurs in a lot of things that you'd associate with savoury flavour - Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, mushrooms, tomatoes - given its a significant part of that flavour sensation. MSG is more like a refined salt of that specific chemical that occurs in those foods which you can add into food to boost that specific glutamate flavour.
This LITERALLY (and I even mean that in the original, proper meaning of the word) popped up TWO minutes before I was about to go make bolognese. Cheers for quality content as always friends 🌞
@@SortedFood soffrito (forgot to buy garlic tho), minced beef, pancetta, italian red, stock, tomato passata and serving mine with casarecce and parmesan 😊 not traditional, but certainly gets the job done
Big praises coming from Kush, and Mike has every reason to be proud of that dish! Cooking the pasta with the sauce I think made his dish look more appetizing as well
Finally justice for Mike!!!! I bet if Ben judged this he would make Barry the winner. I LOVED how blunt and honest Kush was, he really does not hold anything back👌🏻
Love these kinds of video's guys. Keep up the good work! Just a few tips, No stock in ragu, the wine is the stock. You can also blend your mirepoix/sofrito in a blender then fry off with tomato puree/paste and dried basil. For best results pass your chopped tomatoes through a sieve to remove seeds.
Mike’s was definitely plated better. Tomato sauce shows up nicely in a white bowl, the color contrast with the cheese, the little touch of green- very attractive. Barry’s looked like it was served in a cake pan. How about a nice traditional chicken soup for your next experiment?
When an recipe list the ingredients as already chopped/diced/whatever and claims it only take 30min, but you have to stand there chopping for ages. I feel you Mike
the cameraderie of the guys on Sorted is so wonderful and heartwarming. No spiteful jealousy or bickering. Just a lot of togetherness and playfulness. How refreshing.
I followed Ben’s pesto pasta video about how to make sauce. Following the principles behind it, I basically did what Baz did. I blended toasted pine nuts, parmesan reggiano, capsicum, and I added a whole tomato. The sauce turned out like a thousand island sauce color but with the consistency of baby barf. Actually the whole thing turned out like baby barf but edible barf
Oh we Need to see Kush in judge seat more often now this is amazing! It was so good to see Mike get praised so much he deserves it. This format is lots of fun excited for more!
Yes!!! So happy that a more traditionally made bolognese gets the kudos it deserves! My bolognese typically takes 3 hours and I'm very pleased that Mike won hands-down.
Im not too crazy then, when they were nearing the hour mark and panicking becuase it took too long I was confused. Felt like it was a very speedy attempt.
old(ish) comment but this along with a lot of recent (and some older) videos has really shown me mikes apprecation of ingredients and how he treats them. he might not always get what he wants (mostly out of time constraints) but that he really takes every ingredient into account (just watched the "cook from a chefs fridge" video where he did the scotch egg) and with every video i love it even more
Oh man Kush is an absolute SAVAGE in the judging. He just threw that slop aside like it was an insult to even be in his presence lol. Epic roast, love it so much.
Editing/flow note: Love the change of hopping right in on the action. Such a subtle change that makes the video so engaging from the very beginning when the premise is established in the title!
I was experimenting with my own homemade pasta sauce just a few days ago for a baked rotini. Took a little inspiration from Spain and used Chorizo for the pork half of the mince. Turned out excellent.
There is a reason why Italians have been cooking their Bolognese the way Mike did it for centuries 🙂 You can also do everything in one pot: just fry off the Soffritto, then add the meat into it, let it brown a bit while mixing it with the veg, deglaze with wine, add tomato passata and bayleaf. The tomato paste & stock aren't really necessary if you have a good passata (after all Bolognese is primarily a meat sauce, so the tomato should not overpower it; and when you don't use tomato paste you also don't need stock - the meat will be enough for a rich, umami flavor). Bolognese should cook _slowly_ with the lid on for a least an hour, to bring out all the juices and flavor from the meat - just like with almost any stew-like dish: the longer the better; it can softly bubble away for hours (stir occasionally and add a splash of water if it gets too dry). Nearing the end of the cooking time remove the lid, remove the bayleaf, season with salt and pepper and let the excess moisture evaporate to get a thick sauce. A classical way to serve Bolognese (or any thick pasta sauce) is the 'mantecatura' technique: cook the pasta to about 80% done; scoop a portion of sauce into a hot pan, and let reheat; then add the pasta, including a good amount of pasta water, and finish cooking it in the sauce (basically what Mike did, but in a much more controlled way). Add more pasta water until you get the desired consistency; the dissolved starch in the water will give the dish a smooth and creamy finish. This also works very well to quickly heat up a portion of Bolognese from the fridge or freezer (just make sure it's hot before adding the pasta, so that it can continue cooking). And if you desperately want to use some form of milk in this dish (apart from cheese), now at the very end would be the time to add a small knob of butter.
This was really a great video. Everyone seemed so chill and I really liked Baz and Mike explaining their steps like the Chefs do. They seemed confident. Great job and thanks for the content!
Love the cold open! Should also help with viewer retention I bet :D Also, normals, I would love to see you take a bay leaf that has been in a simmering stock for a while and put it in your mouth. I dare you to tell us it gives off no flavor then 😛 (If they don't y'all got some crappy bay leaves)
Guys, this might be one of the best videos you have done! Seriously. This comparison of methods was fantastic, and I learned so much! I want to see more of these technique comparisons!
Hey, just wanted to let you know my husband and I really enjoy this format and would like to see more of it! Also thanks to you, he can now cook more than 2 things.
So nice to see them get real criticisms and proper compliments. Ben would've said 15 good things about Barry's before saying what's wrong with it and convinced him he did a good enough job 😂
This is actually a really cool concept. No time restraints, no wiggle room. Same ingredients, same dish, i love this.
Totally agree!!!! Really like this format and hope to see more!!
Baz tried to same himself with a parmesean crisp and lots of olive oil, oooh i think he knew he was going down when he decided to anoint his dish like is was an ancient king.
If I was in this battle with no time restraints I'd have to start in the morning and I'd only be done by the evening xD
I also really really enjoyed this. It's the same fun cooking content, but a different fresh take. AND, especially with common every day dishes, it creates a helpful guide to how you should and should not make a dish.
Agree completely. The time limit concept is a bit tired for me now, it limits what they can actually produce
Can’t get over Mike’s expression each time the camera pans to him while Kush raves about his spaghetti 😂 It’s like “really me? OMG.. a g-genius? Is the a dream, pinch me Baz while I wipe my tears of joy away” loved every second of it!! 😂
right?! it was so cute
This was a wonderful watch, hearing Kush rip into Barry won't stop being funny, but more importantly hearing Kush praise Mike's efforts and explaining why his was so good and seeming genuinely impressed and satisfied was really nice.
That moment where he paused and looked up. "You hacked it?" Had me rolling. Pure confusion at learning Barry used skips and mostly laid down on the couch during a TECHNIQUE battle.
😂Barry was being a bit cocky sitting down ! But hands down Barry has the best taste buds ever !!!!!
Mike never brag when he win any challenges. He just happy because hes improving and proud of himself. Good job mike. Your personality is the best.
We need a comparison video between a dish made with bay leaves and one without in a blind taste test. The world needs to know if they actually make a difference!
I absolutely agree!
Or a "No Bay Leaves" vs "2 Bay Leaves" vs "10 bay leaves" xD
I was just gonna post something like this as well. We need to settle this!
I'd say slip into into a "Pick the premium" or some other filming so the normals don't see it coming
Bayleaves ipick from thegarden dry them and blitz into fine polder. THAT tastes delicious.
Brown dried leaves from 1645 have noooo taste indeed
Mike has really started to shine in the kitchen. It would be interesting to see Ben and Kush try this with some dishes too. Lots of loved "all day dishes" with "fast hacks" out there.
i feel like his confidence has gone up since he became a dad
It's great to see more of Kush, and not just his crazy fun side, but showing off his cheffy expertise as well. You can see how much his opinion matters to the boys and the adorable blush and happiness that bloomed on Mike's face with each compliment was so cute to watch. 🥰
I genuinely had a happy tear in my eye when Kush was tasting and loved Mike's he was so proud, it was like watching my daughter winning a race at sports day, well done Mike!
Absolutley love Kush and his food reviewing 😂
He’s brutal
@@SortedFoodHe’s right.
Love how Mike was able to stay calm, and by not panicking came out with a great dish.
Kush straight up pushing Barry’s dish to the side🤣🤣🤣
Merciless. Just as he should be. Kush is definitely my favourite judge.
That was bloody brutal 🤣🤣
@mehreenkhan6976
Kush seems to have issues with Barry. Barry's taken it on cuff rather well. I suggest they reboot with the new place by removing the sous chef concept. Seems they've made peace in the newest videos of fall 2024 postings.
I enjoy hearing kush's phenomenal chef skills and prefer him in videos with instructional vibes. Particularly enjoy the extra long ones as he prepares dinners.
His mix with the guys is like a certain spice that turns the whole meal. Great guy... just appreciate him MOST as an instructional member. But I'm only a viewer. He seems a more skilled chef in certain speed and agility especially keeping cooking options open and quickly turning the meal to a certain global influence. For instance pepper and ginger... he can twist that stuff from Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Indian, and then pop over to Germany'svuse and end up back again in England with a tea. I know I can place the ginger and pepper quickly over cuisines...but you know what mean in that this man has DEEP CELLULAR LEVEL SKILLS to do the global thing. So go team Kush.
But my heart is in Ebbers corner for his educational allotment and the profound knowledge his has in food history and the matrix of how traveling flavors and cooking methods cross borders. And the history. Love the lectures as he cooks and talks out his thinking process.
Mikes face when Kush said wow to his dish was brilliant.
We need a compilation of Barry sitting / lying down during battles. 😂
I like his style: least amount of effort with hopefully maximum amount of result.
Like another famous italian chef... "minimum effort, maximum satisfaction" 😉
@@Selbstvideo But we seem to have got minimum effort, minimum satisfaction.
Yeah, except that Kush could taste the laziness and just about chucked Barry's plate out the window.
Looking at the amount of cooking equipment he used in comparison, I don't think he saved himself much.
Yes but it didn't work in this case did it. Sometimes you have to put in the effort to be happy with the end result.
Kush shoving Barry's bowl to the side and pulling Mike's closer to dig in really said it all.
I thought Mike's looked way more tasty and inviting and the fact that Kush really enjoyed eating that one made me feel like I really know the cheffy stuff 😂
The heap of cheese bought me too!
Same! I asked my husband(who didn't watch or hear the video) which one he'd prefer on looks alone and he said Mike's!
I read your comment wrong and thought you said Mike looked more tasty and inviting.
Baz picked a bad bowl as well imo, it really didn’t do him any favors with the plating
Barry and Mike teaming up for certain things is my fav. Them measuring the pasta lol! SO great..
Both Kush and James are brutal in reviews when compared to Ben...Normals might be scared when Kush is reviewing the cooking
We’re terrified of him! 😂
Ben has 2 decades worth of friendship holding him back, James and Kush have a chef-y degree that keeps them up to their high standards!
James can be brutal but I think he feels bad for the normals sometimes and wants to be nice whereas Kush does not give a f lol
@@Nazhussain07 I think Ben said it best - that James is the master of the compliment sandwich!
Kush is ... direct?
@@toni_go96 Maybe as we see him in more and more videos he'll soften up eventually 😂
I’m loving Kush’s “you are the weakest link, goodbye” style critiquing! But completely agreed with him, Mike’s looked way more inviting.
Love seeing Kush! Great criticism, fantastic video.
I personally like cooking out finely chopped chilli in the beginning too, then adding a 2nd bunch of small diced carrots half way through the simmer for a slightly more solid texture in my bolognese. Fantastic stuff, I think it's time to make bolognese again
Glad to see you lads migrating away from having every challenge be time-based. It is certainly fun sometimes, but nice to see what the normals in particular can pull off if given enough time to experiment and fix mistakes - You have a well-oiled machine over there and it's ever-great to see you guys refine your video craft as well your cooking craft... Keep it up! 👏
Mike cooked up his bolognese pretty much exactly the same as I do, so very happy to see him as the winner! Saving a partial can of tomatoes to add in at the end was new to me, I'll have to try that next time.
Same although I cook off the alcohol by adding it before other liquids. That's how I've always seen it done and I was interested that neither of them did that. Do you?
I save part of my tomatoes for the last 5 10 minutes when I cook Chilli to give it something special.
I've never saved some of the tin, but I do love some freshness so I often throw in some fresh diced tomatoes near the end
I really enjoyed the discussion that Barry tried to make a hack to see if the flavors would be better or not by doing what let's be honest a hell of a lot of us would do on a work night. I very much appreciate that Kush treated that with respect and explained it so we all learn.
Mike, Mike, Mike…normal no more. You have just been elevated to chef status! My boy! 🎉
Steady on. Haha 😂
I definitely heard the word "genius."
Love Mike's face!!! He is just so surprised and chuffed. Beautiful to see genuine, unexpected happiness. Well done Mike!! Well deserved! 😘🥰
1:02 I was eating something while watching this, and for some reason Baz just announcing "soffritto!" as he threw ingredients into the pan like it's a special move killed me, and almost made me spit out some food!😂
8:17 Mike doing his best impression of Crowley encouraging his plants to grow better 🤣
I'm with Mike there, about using a mini chopper.. If I have that many things to dice, I will definitely go for that, because by hand takes ages
God I will never stop saying how much I love Kush his personality makes things soo funny I love how he never holds back
Mike’s version is my regular go-to method unless I’m cooking for my son…he hates ’chunks’ so I actually started roasting/blitzing aka Baz to try and get flavour without the bits. Thanks Kush for suggesting chopping the veg smaller before roasting!
Love this format, cheers from a Canadian fan!
I love how calm this video was, both not freaking out from start to finish, and no hiddlestorm. It would be interesting to see more of this...no time limit, bit a constraint of ingredients
I love making Bolognese sauce. I make it every month and freeze cubes of it for a weekly easy after work dinner. I thought Barry was pretty clever but am glad Mike won with nice hard work. Some things need the extra effort. Lovely video!
All I could think when they were talking about time. My bolognese takes me all day to make a 3-4 gallon batch to freeze and for the family to eat for a while.
Well played to Mike! He's really showing a lot of improvements in his tasting/adjusting of flavors.
I have been teaching young cooks for years, and your experience is the same as mine. Same recipe and ingredients, sometimes even the same directions, different outcomes.
That is awesome!
Loved this format. More please! And next time, can we also see the boys tasting each of the dishes after Kush's commentary to see their reaction and if they pick up on the points of difference that he lays out?
Fair point
0:46 Flashbacks to Janice saying “It’s a SOFRITO!”
I love this format! I actually really miss the old format when you’d present the same-ish recipe, but in a quick, medium and long to make versions. This is close to that and really cool/useful to know!
I would love to see a video where they explore the flavours and cooking benefits of bay leaves! 😂
Maybe one day! 😉
@@SortedFood Blind taste test of identical foods but with(out) bay leaves would be really amusing
Yeah, cook one with and one without and have the two Chefs, tells us what the difference is.
Steep it like tea, or do a blind herb tasting challenge
@@WayAlpha101I had a similar idea before: Two dishes of the same thing, but one spice is missing. Can be bay leaves, can be clove, or rosemary or something.
And then Ben and/or Kush tell us the difference in taste and pinpoints what is missing, from which dish.
Or maybe even trying entirely different spice combinations in the same base dish, and opinions on which tastes better and why.
What I love is that we get both sides of the equation.
On one side we see what every nonna said when we were cooking "stop being lazy and do it right" with Mike, and then we see the traditional way being put to the test to see if it's actually helping the flavor or just making extra work with Barry's hacked method.
Good on the both of you.
Mike's face when Barry asked about when the crisp would go hard was priceless! Love it!
I love these boys. Every single one. I couldn’t pick a favorite if I tried! Each one brings something special and unique to the channel. What a beautiful motley crew. ❤
I couldn't agree more....really enjoy these guys for years.
I really enjoyed this. Loved that you did a classic dish rather than something fancy. A cottage pie or fish pie would be good to see. I would also like to see some bbq side dishes that are tasty but not too fancy
What a fantastic battle! Kush's critiques were so great as well. I really want the boys to do a deep dive into bay leaves at this point -- there's been this running gag that bay leaves don't offer anything, but surely there's something to be investigated there!
They are either trolling us and they actually taste the difference or using the blandest bay leaves in existence, the ones we have in my garden or even in a random hedge along the road smell very strong and there's no way you don't taste at least a little flavour
@@voidwalker9939 it might also depend if the leave is still fresh or dried. My mother also has bay leaf growing in her garden and discovered that they release there flavour better when dried.
We just pluck a branch from the hedge and hang it in a shelter to air dry them.
Definitely more of these. For me, this is super representative of home-style cooking. I think more "common, UK dinners" done like this would be super interesting. Chilli con carne is always a go-to for my family, but I think a classic Sunday roast dinner would also be an excellent dish to take on, as would Bangers and Mash. Chef vs Chef on this theme would be great!
“I’m basting it.”
Things no-one ever said about pasta ever before… 😂
Because making a puree out of the roasted soffritto is something everyone does lol. I died a little when I saw that ahahah
More of these please. It would be really fun to mix up the "combatants" too. The two that come to mind are 'chef vs. chef' and we get to see what little tiny details mean to the resulting dish (or even let each chef pick their own secret ingredient to add)
The second pairing is 'chef vs. normal' with the normal going the super traditional route and the chef doing things his/her own way (maybe have a separate normal plate both dishes so the plating is a non-factor in the judging)
As a line cook, I absolutely love hearing Kush's direct and articulate feedback of the dishes.
The way Mike cooked his dish, is exactly how I make Bolognese. Except I've never tried cooking the pasta in the sauce. Will try next time. Thanks!
Boiling stuff in tomato seems to slow it down quite considerably for some reason.
The easier way to do it is to cook the sauce and pasta separately at first, but keep the starchy water you cooked the pasta in, not just drain it down the sink. Add the pasta to the sauce with tongs or whatever then add a bit of pasta water at a time (remember it's salty) to kind of "cohere" it. That way the pasta and sauce combine much better than the way a lot of British people do of just draining the pasta off and then dumping the sauce on top.
I believe that's the way most pasta dishes are done traditionally, not just bolognese.
I love how Mike and Jamie learn from the past to improve the dishes and the way they cook. baz learns from his mistakes sleeps and forgets everything 🤣🤣
Sadly I have worked with people that do that... Every day seems to be their first
I LOVE THIS FORMAT! please make more of this series !! " EXPERIMENT: SAME Ingredients DIFFERENT Techniques"
I've never heard of cooking the pasta in the sauce and it worked! Definitely gonna try that.
One of the most delicious pasta dishes I've had is literally just spaghetti cooked in goat broth, with a dry white cheese (from sheep or goat) grated on top. It's a traditional dish in Crete (Greece). The broth is from actual meat, not any of the hack versions, and the flavour it adds to the pasta is just incredible. So simple and so delicious!
Really enjoying the sort of "Jumping right into it" intros! also love even though theyre both competitive, theyre still supportive of each other and hype each other up, good stuff boys
absolutely loved this! seeing comparisons of techniques and someone who knows their stuff judging afterwards helps a lot for a home cook like me know when to use shortcuts and when they just arent worth it
Kush was very fair with his critique. Yet utterly brutal! Love the concept too - please do more of these!
Love this format - especially when we think of a "how do I get dinner on the table as fast as possible" vs. "I have time to slow cook". An hour and doing a Bolognese is impressive as my grandmother taught me to have it on the stove all day just slow simmering.
A chili con carne (another dish people tend to try and "make fast") would be another good dish for this format.
This! Almost every sauce or stew needs _time_. And when you think "this must have been long enough by now": add another hour 🙂
I do think Barry was on to something here.
I'm going to try his roasting and blending method, but as an addition to my Bolognese recipe, not as a replacement for the sofrito.
Best of both.
Well done Mike with only a modicum of panic over the sauce thickening
I love Kush reviewing the food! Ebbers leans much more into being a content creator where he’s bantering more and talking to the camera about his food analysis whereas Kush is much more cheffy in a sense that his entire focus is on the food and what works what doesn’t. It’s a fun bit of variety to this style of video
Would be good to see Kush or Ben doing a follow up with their version of the same thing, same rules. Could taste and speak the differences between Normal v Chef version.
I liked Barry's shortcut with the roasting but the way Mike put it altogether was great. Definitely will try this at home. And just learned that Parmesan is a natural form of MSG is cool to know.
Glutamate occurs in a lot of things that you'd associate with savoury flavour - Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, mushrooms, tomatoes - given its a significant part of that flavour sensation. MSG is more like a refined salt of that specific chemical that occurs in those foods which you can add into food to boost that specific glutamate flavour.
This LITERALLY (and I even mean that in the original, proper meaning of the word) popped up TWO minutes before I was about to go make bolognese. Cheers for quality content as always friends 🌞
What are the chances 😆. How are you making yours?
@@SortedFoodWow .....
Are you going with Barry's hack approach, or Mike's almost-traditional approach?
@@SortedFood soffrito (forgot to buy garlic tho), minced beef, pancetta, italian red, stock, tomato passata and serving mine with casarecce and parmesan 😊 not traditional, but certainly gets the job done
@@toni_go96 neither haha, but closer to Mikes. I do it my own way (which isn't even always the same)
Big praises coming from Kush, and Mike has every reason to be proud of that dish! Cooking the pasta with the sauce I think made his dish look more appetizing as well
I ❤ seeing Kush doing the reviewing! I'd love to see a fish pie, carbonara, or seafood linguine 😊
Sounds good!
Well done Mike, genius 😃😋❤️
Loved the pancake one, this will be exciting !
Hope you enjoy!
@@SortedFoodYou guys are awesome 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Mike slaaayed this one, and nary a Huttlestorm in sight. Well done!
Well done, Mike! Always cook with love... ❤
Kush is such a great addition on camera. Loved every minute of this chaos ❤
love that battles are back lately these are the best.
Finally justice for Mike!!!! I bet if Ben judged this he would make Barry the winner. I LOVED how blunt and honest Kush was, he really does not hold anything back👌🏻
Ben loved it when Mike made that cheese stuffed venison ball...
Love these kinds of video's guys. Keep up the good work!
Just a few tips, No stock in ragu, the wine is the stock. You can also blend your mirepoix/sofrito in a blender then fry off with tomato puree/paste and dried basil. For best results pass your chopped tomatoes through a sieve to remove seeds.
Mike’s was definitely plated better. Tomato sauce shows up nicely in a white bowl, the color contrast with the cheese, the little touch of green- very attractive. Barry’s looked like it was served in a cake pan.
How about a nice traditional chicken soup for your next experiment?
I thought it looked like a cake pan too! 😂
Love Kush! No holding back. I’m so stoked for Mike!!!
I love Kush's afronted face when Mike told him not to compare to his cooking 😂
14:04 I died at mike looking genuinely shocked at the high praise coming from kush 😂
Mike's face when he said "pick a winner, Kush" says it all 🤣
Love this idea for a series. It would work so well with so many dishes.
When an recipe list the ingredients as already chopped/diced/whatever and claims it only take 30min, but you have to stand there chopping for ages. I feel you Mike
the cameraderie of the guys on Sorted is so wonderful and heartwarming. No spiteful jealousy or bickering. Just a lot of togetherness and playfulness. How refreshing.
I followed Ben’s pesto pasta video about how to make sauce. Following the principles behind it, I basically did what Baz did. I blended toasted pine nuts, parmesan reggiano, capsicum, and I added a whole tomato. The sauce turned out like a thousand island sauce color but with the consistency of baby barf. Actually the whole thing turned out like baby barf but edible barf
this is the kind of comment that I wish I had never read . . .
Oh we Need to see Kush in judge seat more often now this is amazing! It was so good to see Mike get praised so much he deserves it.
This format is lots of fun excited for more!
Yes!!! So happy that a more traditionally made bolognese gets the kudos it deserves!
My bolognese typically takes 3 hours and I'm very pleased that Mike won hands-down.
agreed so Mike shouting to the sauce to hurry up was just wrong, Bolognese is typically a 3 hour dish
@@remonacuschieri6871 3 hours bare minimum. Also you don't need all the herbs.
Im not too crazy then, when they were nearing the hour mark and panicking becuase it took too long I was confused. Felt like it was a very speedy attempt.
@@magus2003 Yeah, me too. I need to copy Mike's technique...especially that tomato sauce at the end trick.
Mike did really well 😮😮😮 That quick tomato at the end was unexpected and well-deservedly praised!
You should check out "not another cooking show's" Bolognese. Its really good and a very different method.
Great suggestion! Love that show!
old(ish) comment but this along with a lot of recent (and some older) videos has really shown me mikes apprecation of ingredients and how he treats them.
he might not always get what he wants (mostly out of time constraints) but that he really takes every ingredient into account (just watched the "cook from a chefs fridge" video where he did the scotch egg) and with every video i love it even more
Oh man Kush is an absolute SAVAGE in the judging. He just threw that slop aside like it was an insult to even be in his presence lol. Epic roast, love it so much.
This is a great format and Kush is a really insightful and articulate judge.
Editing/flow note: Love the change of hopping right in on the action. Such a subtle change that makes the video so engaging from the very beginning when the premise is established in the title!
I was experimenting with my own homemade pasta sauce just a few days ago for a baked rotini. Took a little inspiration from Spain and used Chorizo for the pork half of the mince. Turned out excellent.
I have never used added veggies in my spaghetti but now I really want to try it. And I REALLY wanted to eat Mike's. Cause damn it looks good.
There is a reason why Italians have been cooking their Bolognese the way Mike did it for centuries 🙂
You can also do everything in one pot: just fry off the Soffritto, then add the meat into it, let it brown a bit while mixing it with the veg, deglaze with wine, add tomato passata and bayleaf. The tomato paste & stock aren't really necessary if you have a good passata (after all Bolognese is primarily a meat sauce, so the tomato should not overpower it; and when you don't use tomato paste you also don't need stock - the meat will be enough for a rich, umami flavor).
Bolognese should cook _slowly_ with the lid on for a least an hour, to bring out all the juices and flavor from the meat - just like with almost any stew-like dish: the longer the better; it can softly bubble away for hours (stir occasionally and add a splash of water if it gets too dry). Nearing the end of the cooking time remove the lid, remove the bayleaf, season with salt and pepper and let the excess moisture evaporate to get a thick sauce.
A classical way to serve Bolognese (or any thick pasta sauce) is the 'mantecatura' technique: cook the pasta to about 80% done; scoop a portion of sauce into a hot pan, and let reheat; then add the pasta, including a good amount of pasta water, and finish cooking it in the sauce (basically what Mike did, but in a much more controlled way). Add more pasta water until you get the desired consistency; the dissolved starch in the water will give the dish a smooth and creamy finish. This also works very well to quickly heat up a portion of Bolognese from the fridge or freezer (just make sure it's hot before adding the pasta, so that it can continue cooking).
And if you desperately want to use some form of milk in this dish (apart from cheese), now at the very end would be the time to add a small knob of butter.
This was really a great video. Everyone seemed so chill and I really liked Baz and Mike explaining their steps like the Chefs do. They seemed confident. Great job and thanks for the content!
Would love to see Barry and Mike both make fish and chips!
I love the fact that you boys post videos regularly. They're always interesting, and you are all wonderful!
Love the cold open! Should also help with viewer retention I bet :D
Also, normals, I would love to see you take a bay leaf that has been in a simmering stock for a while and put it in your mouth. I dare you to tell us it gives off no flavor then 😛 (If they don't y'all got some crappy bay leaves)
I hope so! 🤣
Guys, this might be one of the best videos you have done!
Seriously.
This comparison of methods was fantastic, and I learned so much!
I want to see more of these technique comparisons!
Mike showing up with the old school tekkers and still finishing the dish first. What a lad.
Also this is my fave new format of all the new things you’re trying.
I love this idea!
A few other comparison suggestions:
- Cheesecake
- Club Sandwich
- General Tao or Pad Thai
They've done one where they all sit around a table and taste-test cheesecakes prepared in various ways.
Hey, just wanted to let you know my husband and I really enjoy this format and would like to see more of it! Also thanks to you, he can now cook more than 2 things.
So nice to see them get real criticisms and proper compliments. Ben would've said 15 good things about Barry's before saying what's wrong with it and convinced him he did a good enough job 😂
Finally! The honesty I've been waiting for, Kush absolute legend.