- We gave 100 pounds each to two chefs
to kit out a kitchen completely empty
except for an oven and a hob.
- [Jamie] We're gonna compare what they both bought
and we're gonna get them to use their new equipment
by cooking us up some food
- [Mike] Boys, lots of lovely equipment.
- Very shiny. - Yeah, Ebbers,
why don't you talk us through how you shopped
and the logic behind it.
- So for me it was less
about the what and more about the where first.
So I started in charity shops.
You're supporting a charity, which is great,
but there is no guarantee of finding anything of use
'cause they don't carry a set inventory.
- [Mike] But it looks like it's done right.
- So I got some interesting stuff.
Then I spent a big chunk
of my budget on a big piece of wood,
two pans, and a tray that will last a long time.
And then I fleshed out the rest of my budget
with bits and pieces that I think you need
because you can't get away with not having them.
- Kush, how about you mate?
- I made a Excel spreadsheet, basically a glorified list.
Then I walked four and a half kilometres
just trying to find the cheapest of the cheap
'cause I thought let's get as everything you might need
for the first six months to a year.
And if you don't use it that's fine.
If you use it loads and you break it,
buy a new one and get a better one next time.
Lots of this was nearly free.
(guys laughing) - Sounds great.
Do you wanna get cooking and then you can talk us
through the individual items and the purchases and why?
- Yep, sounds like a plan.
- I'm attempting a one tray wonder,
a bake, a sandwich, and a soup.
- All to show off and justify your purchases.
- Essentially, yeah like with minimal, very inexpensive,
slightly flexible equipment (Mike laughing)
and correct shopping and sharing
you can get away with doing some decent
food on a budget. - Murder, murder.
You can get away with murder.
- [Jamie] Initially, you've both gone for knives.
- Yes, I went for a set of six knives with knife covers
'cause I'm assuming if it's an empty apartment you
wouldn't have a knife block
and if you buy a knife and you put it in a drawer,
it'll go blunt.
So knife, knife cover, wash it, put it back in,
throw it in a drawer, won't go blunt.
Or carry it around the house,
you know if you wanna sansugi here or a slicer.
- He's so ready.
- Never know when a knife comes in handy.
- [Mike] There is a reason they don't let you in airports.
- Interesting, you've chosen to start with the knives
'cause I reckon it might be one of my only regrets.
It was an online purchase 'cause I really wanted
was two knives, a small serrated knife,
and a larger chef's knife.
- It's a six-inch. - Did you think it was bigger?
- It's a six-inch. - Okay.
- Not a six-inch blade. - Correct.
- Oh wow! - Oh wow!
- And the photos are quite deceptive.
But really I only wanted those two and I thought
do you know what a little paring knife is a bonus.
But I promise you you'll be able to do 99%
of jobs with these two.
I've gone for a slightly different approach to Kush.
I'm just doing a simple midweek meal
because I figured if you're starting in a new flat
with basic equipment, less is more when it comes
to food as well, but it doesn't mean we have
to hold back on flavour.
So this is a beef and aubergine one tray bake
on a pea polenta.
- So we're getting a pizza gnocchi lasagna tray bake
on the go with a base of onions and garlic
sweating off in some oil.
Half of that's gonna go
into my lovely little aluminium walnut handle sauce pan
to make Ben's favourite seasonal soup,
a bit of water cress, crisp nuts, and pork belly
on a quick fried rice with a pork belly on top,
some stir fried mushrooms.
Oh and a southern fried chicken sandwich.
- Of course you are. - Hello.
And ballpark figure, how much did that knife set cost you?
- So six knives with their sheets was,
if you can believe it, nine pounds, 89.
- No way.
- But it sounds like you've both taken the approach
to shop around.
So at no point does this task feel
like it was convenient for either of you.
In order to make it stretch you had to work for it.
- Yeah, and I think that applies to so many things.
Cheaper cuts of meat normally need a bit more time
or effort to long slow cooks and things like that.
And I think here, if you're working to a tighter budget,
you do need to be a little bit more prepared
to think around, shop around,
not rely on too many delivery costs
but actually walk to places and get them yourself.
- Can a poor quality knife be really detrimental-
- To your cooking? - Yeah.
- Yeah, it won't keep its edge,
it'll be hard to use, and you'll find that you're
putting in too much effort to chop your fruit and veg.
So if you're putting loads
of effort into cutting a vegetable and you slip,
all that effort is going into your finger.
Where, if you use a sharp knife, less effort, little nick.
- I decided I was gonna go big on my board.
- Yeah, why is that? - Yeah.
- And this is a pretty good board.
It literally locks into the the unit
or you can turn it over and you've got the divots.
And I thought that gives you loads of prep control.
So rather than a need for lots of little bowls and prep,
if you're doing lots of things that need be
some prep, you just move it to corners of the board
and you've got lots of space to work with.
- [Jamie] What about you, Kush?
You've gone for a slightly smaller affair?
- I've gone for a slightly smaller board
'cause I'd rather have two or three.
'Cause if I'm gonna cut chicken,
I want that chicken to be on a separate board
that I can pick up and scrub in the sink.
- My second logic was buy all of the equipment
that it is really difficult to replicate.
Weighing is kind of key.
So I bought a very, very cheap set of scales
and it'll get me through the first few months
in the kitchen because for this recipe I need
a weight of polenta and a weight of milk.
- I on the other hand need to measure
some tempura batter for my chicken.
And I know that a tub of chicken stock is 500 millilitres,
so I will just fill that up with water
and that is 500 millilitres.
And then I'll put that through the dishwasher and keep that
and you've got endless storage tubs.
- [Jamie] Feel like he's been a bit sneaky
with some of his ingredients.
- [Kush] What did you season your mix with?
- [Ben] Just salt.
- Salt - Any pepper?
- [Ben] Oregano, tomato paste honey.
- No pepper. - No pepper.
- [Kush] No black pepper.
- I bought peppercorns in a mill
'cause it's an ingredient but it comes the mill for free.
- I think he's thought about this a lot more than you did.
- Yeah.
- I'm gonna be honest,
I walked out with a few things under my arm this morning.
- So let's talk pans.
Kush, what was your approach?
Did you go expensive stuff that last?
Did you go variety?
- So I went as cheap as possible for the pan.
Now all I'm gonna do is boil stuff in it.
It's got a heat-proof handle and it'll boil liquids quickly.
- And you'll only ever boil stuff in it?
- Yes, because I also bought a slightly heavier based,
non-stick stock pot casserole style dish for stews,
slow cooks, quick ragus like this
that I'm gonna pour over gnocchi and put into the oven.
And then I spent the most money on pans
on a relatively heavy but not oven-safe,
non-stick frying pan.
Non-stick pans are cheaper because the consumers want them
so they flood the market with non-stick pans.
So the not non-stick, the stainless steel equivalent
of that is four times the price.
- Two approaches to pans.
One, I walked into the charity shops first
and I thought, if there's any pans, rule of thumb,
more durable items, they tend to be older items
that have probably been handed down
through a generation or have come from-
- Old people who died. - Dead people's flats.
- [Jamie] Yes, there you go.
- So I picked up a small sauce pan with a lid.
Perfect for two portions of anything you're cooking midweek.
And I've gone for the non-stick
because that's not something I would get searingly hot.
But it's good for scrambled eggs,
it is good for wet and watery things.
And then I went for a big thing, a 3-6-5 pan from Ikea.
Big fan of this range.
So big in fact that it's the pans that we started using
on the channel 13 years ago. - 13 years ago.
- Nothing ever sticks to it.
If it does you can scrub it.
It's durable, it'll go in the oven.
And I spent 15% of my budget on it.
- I use a whole block of mozzarella.
- He's taken this brief so differently to Ebbers.
- Yeah. - So I'm laying my mozzarella
on my toasted ciabatta, slow toasted.
- Right, back to pans,
I also went for one big frying pan, oven proof.
And when I pick a pan, I like a pan with a side edge
because then you can saute in it better.
And because it's oven proof you can also do all sorts
of bakes and things in that too.
- So I wanted the stick blender
that had the little food chopper attachment on the bottom
'cause I use one of those at home every time I cook.
I ordered it, it didn't turn up,
so I had to run out earlier and buy this one.
It's the same price but without the little choppy part.
That would've done all of my chopping
on my spring onions, my garlic, everything else.
- Where are you gonna use this now?
- I'm gonna make mayonnaise with it
and I'm gonna blend the soup with it.
So I'm making tempura batter.
I've weighed my 500 millilitres of liquid
'cause it says 500 on the side of it.
- So what's that, sparkling water?
- No, just London tap water.
I got some tempera mix.
I bought a whisk.
- Oh interesting.
We've had lots of conversations about whisks.
- The kind of things that you might need a whisk for,
you can probably get away with like a fork,
unless you're doing things like whipping cream or meringues.
And if you're looking at trying
to make like lump-free sauces,
change the method and use a wooden spoon.
Never had lumpy bechamel.
You don't need a whisk for it.
- Ebbers, it looks like you got a box grater.
- I couldn't afford the whole box-
- [Mike] It's got a fork.
- So I just- - One quarter of a box grater.
- I just got a quarter of a box grater.
So I think this is a perhaps better example
of something that is difficult to find an alternative for.
You could just peel and then chop and get things smaller.
But for me, spending money on this means I can get
finely grated Parmesan, chunkier grated cheese,
and it does potato slices, mottled or otherwise,
very similar. - Oh, look.
- [Mike] Oh look at this.
Okay, we found one that they've agreed on.
Got some chicken thighs, togarashi, sweet soy sauce.
And I'm just using the tray that it came in
'cause I couldn't afford them another mixing bowl.
- I was thinking I probably need some form
of mixing bowl in my equipment.
That said, if you're just cooking for small groups
cereal bowls, which you've already said
you probably have crockery, are perfectly okay.
But then I walked into the charity shop
and they had six bolty dishes for four quid.
And I thought, do you know what-
- (laughing) Brilliant, serving dishes.
- Serving dishes, small mixing bowls,
they can go in the oven and get really hot,
you could cook on a hob with them and heat things up.
So they're kind of more versatile
and I thought they were an absolute bargain
at six for four pounds.
Another example, that's quite difficult,
if you do want to peel things,
yes you can do it with a paring knife.
I got given one of those as my set of three.
But you need quite a lot of patience,
you have to be quite careful, and a little bit expertise
to get that right.
One of those things I think you almost can't live
without is a peeler.
You will use it for so many different things.
- Charred my pork belly up or you know, roasted it.
Got some fat out of it, glazed it with oyster sauce,
sweet soy, Szechuan peppercorn powder, five spice,
as you would.
Then into the same pig fat gone with crispy garlic,
some pre-cooked short grain rice
from the Korean supermarket, some patchoi, bamboo shoots,
a whole load of pre-roasted and pickled chilies that I,
no, not chilies, mushrooms,
that I think are amazing, pickled mushrooms.
And just all deliciousness
and that'll now just, that's ready.
I'm making garlic mayo.
So we've seen this before, the pull through method.
- Out of everything that the two of you have bought-
- Yes. - Is there any place
that you feel like you're making do?
- This and this follow the same two logics,
which is 90% of the tins we buy now have ring pull on it.
So actually you probably don't need one.
But on the occasion you get a tin that hasn't,
you absolutely need one. - Yeah.
- So what I've gone for is you can't live without one
but you don't need to spend much money
because you so rarely use it, you'll make do.
- We've found a regret purchase on the peeler.
- Oh no. - Oh!
- [Kush] No, it's a serrated-
I'm gonna grate my carrot instead.
- We need to tell Kush that all of his hobs are on?
- Yeah, so I'm balancing the oil
across these two 'cause they've got a bit hot,
so I culled it out with more oil.
That is staying hot for a fried egg later to top the rice
'cause everyone likes a fried egg.
- So imagine you've just moved into a new flat
and you haven't got much equipment
and somebody buys you a nice housewarming gift.
A bottle of wine, it's got a cork.
You need to be able to get into it
even with a really cheap, this is really rubbish.
(hosts laughing) Really cheap, nice cork screw.
- And is that called a waiter's friend that?
- No, this would be a waiter's nightmare.
- [Jamie] Right.
- This is called a waiter's friend
and I would suggest one of those.
- Right, you've both got a selection of spoons,
different materials.
Talk us through your logic, Kush.
- Because I bought two non-stick pans,
I didn't want any metal utensils, so I didn't buy any.
I managed to get four bamboo spoon style implements
in a piece of bamboo with drainage holes.
- Oh, hello? - For two pounds.
Hmm. - Two pound 50.
- Was it two pound 50?
- Yeah, I saw your label earlier.
I thought that's a bargain
because I spent about that on each one.
- What are the limitations or positive things of bamboo?
- Positives, bamboo is really quick growing,
so it's a sustainable wood, in effect.
You can whittle it into many different shapes.
It's quite nice to hold, it's quite easy to clean.
It's really cheap.
I'm gonna deep fry some chicken
but I don't have my trusty temperature probe.
So how do I know the oil is hot enough?
- Put a wooden spoon in it.
- Put a little wooden spoon in it-
- If it bubbles. - If it bubbles,
it's ready.
- I've got a very cheap metal, large spoon,
a serving spoon.
A slotted spoon, which is really good
if you're doing things like poached eggs and stuff.
Again, more difficult to do it without a slotted spoon.
In buying that I got given one of those free.
I'll probably never use it, it came as a set of three.
- Why would you not use the spatula?
- I use that all the time. - Yeah.
- I just find them fiddly, which is why I prefer tongs.
So I definitely bought a pair of tongs.
Make sure that they've got really good purchase at the end
'cause essentially that is your opposing thumb.
And finally, a wooden spoon, which is my cheapest purchase
of all and will last for a decade.
- I've done all of my chopping,
so I'm now using my chopping board as a tray slash mat.
And I bought this. - What?
- So that is a drainer.
We call 'em spiders in kitchens.
- I've never felt the need for one of those at home.
- It was so inexpensive
and I knew that I wanted to do some deep frying,
it was a no-brainer.
Ah, I'm gonna use this colander as a bowl.
And I've run outta my chopping board,
so I'm gonna use this really sharp knife
to cut my tomatoes in half.
I said we got fried chicken mayo.
Should we go Italian?
- Well, is it, why not?
Let's start.
- Oh, basil and tomatoes.
I've just changed the dish.
So we've got-
- See when I do this, I just,
I get people shouting at me.
- You change the dish for the worst.
- I weighed my polenta out into my bucket bowl
and now I'm stirring it into my garlic-infused milk
on the basis that I haven't got a whisk
and this will do.
It'll end up lump free.
- I'm so, I really tried to listen to that then.
But Kush has just served up a loaf of bread
with chicken in it.
- That's a chicken sandwich?. - It is.
- That is a gnocchi pizza lasagna.
I'm gonna utilise this fried onion container
as a mixing bowl 'cause I've run outta mixing bowls.
Bit of red wine, black pepper, some salt,
and then I'll mixy mixy and slap it on top with some basil.
- Another advantage of big chopping boards is
the ability in kitchens to put hot things down on them.
Personally, I hate plastic chopping boards.
I think they damage knives, they're not great and to use,
and not very comfortable to use.
But also you can't put hot things on them.
So a big chopping board, wooden one,
doubles up as a heat stand as well.
So I heated up some milk in my pan, infused with garlic,
quickly cooked polenta in it, finished off with Parmesan,
and then peas went in frozen so they're just defrosted.
So you've got kind of pea fleck all the way through it.
And then I'm gonna serve that with this oregano
and tomato, beef aubergine, and spring onion mix on top,
and a dollop of yoghourt.
- Oh, lovely. - I don't want any food waste
and I wanna bring a bit of more freshness back to this dish,
so I'm utilising the rest of the pickles,
some raw bean sprouts in, and some sweet soy sauce.
- So in terms of baking trays or roasting tins,
I deliberately bought one deep one
because you can slow cook and stew things in it as well
but it's also really sturdy and durable.
But I then also did buy one flat baking tray
for grilling things, roasting vegetables
where you want larger surface area.
And that was cheaper, but it's still strong enough
that it's not like gonna fold in on itself.
So it's enough.
- We're gonna reveal what each of these guys spent
from their 100 pound budget at the very end
and I'm buzzing for that.
How did you find working with a 100 pound budget, honestly?
- A little bit of jiggery pokery.
So there are places where we've cut corners
but you're thinking within a budget for today
all of this stuff works.
It's remarkable how much you can cook
with a chopping board and knife and one pan.
You don't need to start out with 17 items.
- How about you Kush?
Did you find it frustrating?
Did you find it liberating?
- I would've preferred less money
which would've then focused my path down one area with food.
I would've bought like four things and cooked one dish.
- Is everyone done?
- Yep. - I think so.
- Wow, what a great video.
There is some amazing food to tuck into.
And while we do, so why don't we talk about your summary
of thoughts and find out your final prices.
- Yep. (rock 'n roll music)
Right, let's get in here.
- Oh, that's fantastic. - Mm.
- It's unnecessary. - Mm.
- But it doesn't mean it's wrong.
- No, no.
That is my approach to food as well.
- That is phenomenal.
As an exercise, I mean, that was fascinating for us
to stand on the side.
But have you drawn any sort of conclusions
from the challenge and perhaps some advice
that you think or some rules that you could pass
on to people watching when it comes to buying equipment?
For me, if you've got 100 pounds, go out, spend 50,
test the stuff, go back, spend another 10 if you need to.
- Mine was more about the order of where I shop first.
So starting in charity shops
you might find some hidden gems that are really cheap
and useful.
Secondly, I spent a big chunk in Ikea on stuff
I knew will last.
- And that equipment that you bought,
how long do you reckon that will generally last you?
- It depends how you cook, how often do you cook.
- And how you look after it when you do cook.
- Yeah, what you cook as well.
- Question on my lips, I don't know about your lips, Jay,
how much did each of you spend in total?
- 99 pounds and 73 pence.
- Oh, fantastic.
Kush? - 99 pounds and 63 pence.
- Oh!
- So you maximised your budget.
- Yeah.
- And I think you're right, in hindsight,
there might have been one or two changes here or there,
but on the whole, some pretty sound choices.
- Well, this has been a lot of fun.
Hope you've enjoyed it.
It's over to you.
In the comments down below
let us know what is the number one thing
in your kitchen that you cannot live without.
- And if you'd like us to do this again with our chefs
but with a different budget, give the video a like,
and let us know in the comments.