- [Jamie] We are Sorted.
A group of mates from London
exploring the newest and best in the world of food
whilst trying to have a few laughs along the way.
(laughing)
We got chefs.
We've got normals.
And a whole world of stuff for you to explore.
But everything we do, starts with you.
- Hello I am Jamie and this is Mike.
- Now we're really interested
in the science and logic behind flavor
and how understanding it better can help us cook better.
- [Jamie] So we asked you
for your favorite weird flavor pairings
so we can taste them and learn more about it.
- [Ben] This is perhaps
one of the most famous unusual pairings ever.
We can't take claim for it.
Heston Blumenthal came up with it
many years ago, by accident,
and you guys suggested we try it.
Lift the cloche.
- Is the combination white chocolate and caviar?
- [Ben] Correct.
- I don't get caviar.
I've tried it a few times.
- What, what what.
Sorry, I don't think I've heard of this combination.
- [Ben] I have also added a little spring of dill
'cause somebody else from the community
suggested that white chocolate and dill
was a really nice combination.
So you actually got all three there.
We know that taste is just primarily five things.
Primarily, salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami or savory.
And despite the fact being just five tastes,
if you take into account aroma,
then your brain should be able to compute
somewhere in the region of 10,000 different aromas.
Flavor is a combination of 80% aroma and 20% taste.
- [Mike] Oh wait for it mate,
'cause I feel an educational infographic coming on.
- [Ben] Scientifically two ingredients pair best
when a number of their flavor aromas match.
An aroma is a chemical compound that has a smell.
White chocolate and caviar are a prime example of this
because they both share the compound trimethylamine.
Normals would describe this aroma as decayed
like the smell of something fermented or eggy.
A good first step for us normals to see
if two ingredients pair is simply to smell them.
Try to identify the two or three strongest aromas.
Is it fruity?
Is it cheesy?
Is it roasted?
And see if any of those overlap.
If you think they do, eat them and see if they work.
A disc of white chocolate with a bit of caviar.
Put it in your tongue and just let it melt.
Don't try and chew it just let it melt.
- [Mike] Initial indication suggest that he
doesn't like this.
Now does he back a fellow chef, or does he tell Heston,
three Michelin Star Blumenthal, that he's wrong.
- [Ben] Well we should point out
Heston didn't prepare this, I did.
(laughing)
- I'm not sure I like that.
- The chocolate (ugh) the chocolatey disc is just acting
as a vehicle for each egg to pop and dissipate
and kind of hit every part of your mouth.
It doesn't mean that it tastes nice.
- Did you get any dill.
- No no not even a little bit of dill.
- I'm not a massive caviar fan, but I have had it
in situations where it works so bloody well.
Don't think that's right.
- Brace yourself because Evers
has got a great tag line for this.
- Ah
(laughing)
- He forgot it.
- Flavor pair or flavor despair.
See it was great. It was worth waiting for.
- It doesn't suit my flavor profile. but they do pair.
I'll give you that.
They do pair.
- Because this is such a simple pairing
it's white chocolate and caviar
you need to really think about the raw ingredients,
like which caviar specifically works
with which white chocolate.
I'm despairing a little bit
because I really wanted it to work.
- [Ben] Sticking with the chocolate theme
give it a lift up mate.
- Yes
- A chocolate truffle.
- [Ben] This is a chocolate truffle from Paul A. Young.
A fine chocolatier.
- Best day ever.
- This is chocolate and marmite
- I'd totally expect that together.
- So for those of you who don't know what marmite is,
it's yeast extract.
It's salty, it's either delicious or disgusting
and it splits the country in half.
- I love chocolate.
- Do you like marmite?
- I love marmite.
- I don't like marmite.
And I love chocolate.
- Marmite and Nutella on toast delicious.
- That was the suggestion.
- Marmite and hot chocolate, which James made once,
disgusting.
- It's not many recipes that I make
that you guys don't enjoy,
but I made marmite hot chocolate one time
and you all said it was disgusting
and we hadn't really known each other that long.
- (laughs) We didn't soften the blows.
- I'm looking forward to this,
so that I think I am going to like it.
- So so subtle.
I would like a little bit more marmite.
- I don't think it taste like marmite.
I think it enhances the chocolate flavor.
Like it's not salted caramel,
it's just a background note
that's making it more chocolatey
- Flavor pair or despair
- I reckon that worked,
but it definitely splits opinion.
- Flavor pair
- We come from science,
sometimes it's difficult to scale down scientifically,
art and creativity.
This is a perfect example of that.
This is coming from our mate Dodie.
The singer Dodie.
This is her number one favorite tour snack.
- Okay
- [Mike] She recommended this as is, as well.
- Banana and pesto
- [Mike] Now is this going to be difficult?
Because you don't like banana in the first place.
- I don't like banana.
- But he bloody loves pesto.
- I do bloody love pesto.
Maybe it will balance out.
- He doesn't open many bananas does he?
- No, you can tell you haven't had a banana in a while.
Do you have any science or theories
behind why this works, if it does?
- So this is pure art.
- So I asked her, are you supposed to
blend the banana into the pesto?
I wasn't entirely sure how this worked.
"Dippy dip, yo" was her response.
(laughs)
- Cheers
- [Mike] Thanks Dods.
No, shut up.
We haven't tried any of these, by the way
so this is fascinating.
- [Ben] Alright, sorry, what?
There is no way.
- That's amazing.
- Not just amazing.
It's masking the smell of the banana
- It makes it taste creamier
- All I am getting is a creamy texture now from that
and not a banana flavor.
- It's fine.
- [Ben] Just fine?
- Just fine.
It's not overly banana-y,
so it's just a good vehicle
for getting pesto into your mouth,
without feeling bad because you are eating it from a spoon.
- So do you think it adds anything?
- The sweetness of the banana works with the pesto.
- Now the only logic on the training this morning,
because I haven't tried it either,
and I was trying to wrap my brain as to why this might work,
The only thing I could come to,
was the banana is the fruit of a herb.
Rather than a tree.
And if you think about what goes into pesto,
it's basil, it's garlic, it's pine nuts.
They all kind of work with herb,
and I just wondered if there is something
in the flavor profile that works.
It shouldn't.
It messes with my head.
- Everyone can try banana and pesto
so I am not going to say.
I am going to sit on the fence
and you guys can decide.
- He didn't like it.
He was underwhelmed.
- I'm not sure I liked it.
- Holy moly, flavor pair.
- Dodie, you're a genius.
- I've eaten a banana.
- That is the takeout!
- Cucumber sandwiches
- [Ben] Yep.
This is lemon curd and cucumber sandwiches.
Which somebody in our community
said they used to love as a child.
- Oh what an idea.
- Nostalgia, What's nostalgic about this?
Did you used to eat
a lot of cucumber sandwiches as a child?
Because I'm pretty sure I would have thrown this at you.
And I'm still tempted to do that, in all fairness.
- Some people hate this, and I don't understand why,
but I love a cucumber sandwich.
- [Mike] Especially on crappy white bread
cut into triangles.
Like that is, that's childhood.
- [Ben] I think the logic here,
is that you got lemon which is quite obviously citrus-y,
but curd also has that richness
and kind of sweetness to it.
- Very sweet round tart.
- It's sweet citrus, but it's tart and its tangy.
And cucumber has that very refreshing,
botanical kind of vibe.
- Yum.
- [Mike] You like it?
- Yeah.
'Cause it's crunchy lemon curd,
yet again, it's another vehicle
for something you want to put in your mouth,
but not put in your mouth with a spoon from the jar.
- It's a subtle flavor and it's definitely bringing out...
The lemon curd is bringing out the cucumber flavor more so.
Growing up I had lots of cucumber sandwiches
and I have lemon curd with my cream teas, growing up.
So British.
- [Ben] Quintessentially so.
- Yeah.
And the two I never ever thought of,
they were on the same tower,
- Oh my goodness.
- But they never came together.
- Very different childhoods.
- There is a bit of nostalgia.
- I like lemon curd but I never eat it
because what do you eat it on?
Jus like a slice of white bread or something?
Nah, nah.
Cucumber is way better than bread for lemon curd.
- Another flavor pair.
- Doesn't quite fit under the cloche, but hey hey.
- That would've fitted in the cloche.
- You didn't need to put something
that didn't fit under there.
- [Mike] Stop it!
- What?
- [Mike] You're being a chef.
- [Ben] It's all about the presentation, James,
lift it carefully.
Still on the fruit theme.
These are all tropical sweet fruits
paired with fermented items.
All suggested by the community.
We have fresh pineapple with soy sauce,
watermelon with fish sauce,
and mango with shrimp paste.
- Firstly, I think as a three, and as Sorted,
we just need to commit to the fact
that you're allergic to pineapple.
Stop eating it 'cause it makes his throat swell up.
So we don't want you to --
- I keep forgetting though.
- You keep forgetting, eating it,
and then nearly dying.
So don't eat the pineapple.
- I like it.
And I know it works with soy definitely.
- Well there you go.
So we know that.
Do you think that is going to work?
- Sweet and salty again.
Same pairing over and over again in different forms.
And it's really good.
- These two, fish sauce and shrimp paste. (mouth noise)
- Ah, I can't believe I'm about to eat this.
- Ah I'm excited.
Has the tongue taste had a chance to kick in?
Or do you think he's instantly reacting to aroma?
- I think he probably lifts it to his nose,
he's already getting the --
- 'Cause he already brought a face before, like,
(smacking lips)
- The flavor without the taste.
- Yeah.
- I probably could have gone heavier on the fish sauce.
Have you got any more watermelon?
- Yes.
- Definitely going to regret this.
- [Ben] So you've gone heavier on the fish sauce now?
- Yeah.
Mmm.
- Usually you would use fish sauce to season something.
So when you bring it to your mouth,
you're not getting a whack of fish sauce.
You're tasting it at the end of something,
not the beginning.
- A lot of people don't like the smell
of fish sauce, but I do.
And as soon as you put it in your mouth,
you get a really salty taste, but not fishy.
And then the watermelon just takes everything away from it.
- [Ben] Next one is mango and shrimp paste.
- Oh.
- [Ben] Come on mate.
- I really don't want to do this one.
- That's the aroma kicking in.
That's 80%.
You're not going to enjoy this.
- Ahh!
- [Mike] You didn't even give it a chance.
- Same issue with that,
but because the mango is even sweeter,
it works a little bit better and easier to digest.
- Really?
Is that a food pair or food despair?
- Yes, Yes.
No shrimp paste, no.
- I'm going to have to say, in that form,
that's a food despair.
But tell us how you pair this,
wherever you are in the world.
If it's any better, if it works, then please let us know.
- Final one
- This was the most requested.
We could not ignore it,
despite the fact we did not understand it.
Peanut butter and pickle.
- [James] Yeah, totally okay with that.
Like fatty and acidic.
- [Barry] They're two things that, again,
it's a bit like marmite.
Some people love pickles, some people hate them.
Some people love peanut butter, some people hate it.
I'm completely neutral.
- [Ben] We've had a lot of suggestions
as to how to combine this,
but we just thought get the basics.
Nothing's masking anything.
What're you expecting?
- I'm not looking forward to it.
- [Mike] Really?
- [Mike] I can imagine this really working.
I really can.
- There were too many people suggesting it
for it to be wrong.
I'm just not sure I understand
why or how it came to be.
The one thing that's really interesting with aromas,
is when you roast things --
- Of course, Yeah.
- You get a completely different level of aroma.
Which is why coffee and cocoa beans
are so amazing and have so many flavor profiles in them
and I think the roasted peanut helps.
In the same way, it's not just a pickle or a gherkin.
It's marinating in a brine that's got mustard seeds,
and dill, and all those other spices in there.
- I bloody love that.
- Really? - Really? Yeah!
- Peanut butter can be a bit pappy on your mouth.
Like it sticks to the roof of your mouth,
and the pickle just takes all of that away.
Yeah, so it's definitely like a flavor thing,
the fatty creamy element
with the crisp pickle, acidic pickle.
- [Barry] The overriding taste
is exactly what you would expect.
- I imagine what you smell
is in order of what you taste,
so you smell it and you get creamy peanut butter
and then you start to get the
vinegary pickle smell coming through.
- Exactly what you would expect.
- That's outstanding!
- It's the experience I enjoy
more than the actual taste.
- I don't think I would go for that as a snack
although I see why people would.
But I think I'd prefer to use it in a recipe or something.
- Well mate, is that a flavor pair or flavor despair?
- That my friend, is a flavor pair.
- It's a pair.
It's a pair with possibilities.
It's giving me ideas for recipes.
- And the great thing is,
that they're really easy to put together,
so you guys can try them at home as well
and let us know what you think.
- It seems like we're all absolutely loving this topic,
so we need more input from you.
so please comment below.
- Do you have a guilty pleasure food pairing like Dodie?
- If you could combine your two favorite ingredients
into the ultimate paired combo, what would they be?
- Whisky and bacon.
Are there any ingredient combos that you've heard of
but never got to try?
- We're going to read every single one of your comments
and then take a load and cook them up
and see what we learn.
- Wakeke.
I was putting mustard on my sandwich the other day,
and I had a strange feeling that I have done it before.
Dijon vu.
- That is rubbish, man.
- That is not rubbish.
- [Ben] As we mentioned,
we don't just make top quality YouTube videos,
we've built the Sorted Club,
where we use the best things we've learned
to create stuff that's hopefully interesting and useful
to other food lovers.
Check it out if you are interested.
Thank you for watching and we'll see you in a few days.
- I think I am feeling a bit fragile after all this.
It's just a lot of food.
It's a bit weird.