(dish chinking)
(egg shell cracking)
(oil sizzling)
(upbeat music)
- Hello, and welcome to SORTEDfood.
- Today we're gonna put two of our normal home cooks
up against it in a Pick the Premium challenge.
In each round,
we're gonna take a basic ingredient
and create a dish with that as the focus.
But one of the plates uses a premium version of that,
i.e., more expensive,
and one uses a more basic version of the ingredient.
Will our normals with a blindfold
be able to pick the premium?
- Well, I'm gonna pick it, all right.
(hand slaps)
Bring it!
(upbeat music)
- Ingredient number one.
Have a taste, a sniff, and give us some thoughts.
- Straightaway, I'm going with the nose.
Ooh, there it is.
- You can get closer.
Closer.
- No, it's on my chin.
- Uh-oh, no.
- If in doubt stick your finger in it.
- [Jamie] No, I...
- Ooh, okay.
Lemony. It's lemony.
- Weighty.
Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
(pie thuds) (groans)
(upbeat music)
That's lemon meringue pie.
- The same weights, measurements, times, cooking methods.
Identical.
With the exception of one ingredient.
- Yeah. I think the difference is in the lemon.
- It is two lemon meringue pies,
and it is the lemon that we want you to pick the premium on.
- Based on being able to get maximum flavour,
B's the premium.
- Much more intense lemon from B than A.
B is the premium.
- [Ben] Locked in and ready to go.
You can now remove your blindfold and look-
- I'm confident as well.
Really confident.
- [Ben] To see if it makes any difference.
Visually, there's not a huge amount of difference,
'cause obviously- - There is now.
- Oh, wow (laughs).
- They look the same.
- You've picked B. Would you change your mind?
- No. I think the colour is more vibrant on B.
- Interesting.
Well, I can reveal to you that the premium lemon
is in fact A.
(buzzer blares)
(beep)
- That's surprising.
As you could tell, I was confident in my choice.
- So, yeah, A, is Natoora's Italian organic, unwaxed,
new season lemons.
So, from a particular region, and style of lemon, in Italy.
It says their juice is less acidic,
and is sweetened by the summer heat.
B is a supermarket, in this case, Waitrose,
multipack of sort of basic lemons.
And they're from Spain.
- I'm confused though,
'cause like B was a lot more tangy,
and that's what I'd expect from more premium lemons.
- [Ben] J, cut yourself a little wedge just to munch on.
(upbeat music)
- I would say delicious, and not bitter, or sour,
in the way that you'd (clears throat) expect a lemon to be.
- Interesting.
(upbeat music continues)
Oh, there's what I was looking for.
- B is far more acidic than A is.
If I'm putting it in a drink and I want it to look good,
and I want it to impart a bit of flavour,
A is the one that I would choose
because it does look better as a lemon,
and it does have a more subtle, but delicious, flavour to it,
whereas B packs a punch of flavour,
then I would want to put it in something like
a lemon meringue pie, but I wouldn't want to show it off.
- Let's talk price.
- If the basic lemons are 30 pence each per lemon.
- Here we go. Here we go.
- How much do you think for the premium ones?
- This is the bit I'm here for (hands clap).
- I don't think it's gonna be that ridiculous.
Let's just say 60p a lemon.
- Double. - Double.
- Just double.
- I'm gonna give a nice round number, £1 per lemon.
- Not far off Jay, it's £1.15 per lemon.
So, what's that? 3 1/2, nearly four times the price.
- I'd find it very hard to justify that myself.
That is a punchy start,
and I'm disappointed in myself.
I should've done better.
- See if you can claw back a point in round two.
- (sighs) Give it a go.
(upbeat music)
- Round number two.
- Two more dishes.
Have a taste, have a smell, have a sniff.
That's the same thing. Off you go.
- Oh, what?
(laughs)
- [Barry] Oh, please don't be messy.
I'm wearing a nice shirt- - Same rules apply.
Two very, very similar dishes.
(upbeat music continues)
- That's a cold soup.
Yeah. I like it.
(laughs)
(upbeat music continues)
(laughs)
- Why have I got garlicky milk? (laughs)
- Garlic milk.
- Garlicky, fresh, fruity in places,
I don't understand that.
And it's got a slight warmth to it as well,
but I would guess that's from the pepper or the garlic.
(upbeat music continues)
- What is that?!
(moans)
- So dainty.
- There's stuff in there that I don't understand.
(laughs)
Dunno.
- The early bird catches the worm.
(grunts)
- Other than garlic,
I haven't got any other flavours I can say what it is.
Are we judging garlic?
- The garlic?
- Correct.
- Hoorah.
- What you have in front of you are two bowls of ajoblanco,
which is a cold garlic soup from Spain.
- Spectacular. What are the worms?
- Spiralized celery, all kind of like-
- Spiralized celery? - Do you know what I mean?
Like, what?
- But which do we think is the premium?
- I think A is quite fiery and powerful,
and punch you in the face with garlic.
Whereas I think B is a bit more nuanced.
- My guess is A is the premium.
- I'm gonna say B is the premium.
- [Mike] It's time to de-blindfold.
- This is really tough, this one.
- [Mike] Your guess is already locked in.
You cannot change your mind.
- I can reveal to you that the premium garlic is B.
(bell rings) - Goddammit.
(buzzer blares)
I'm usually good at this, but this is interesting.
It's not about winning. It's about learning.
(nose squeaks)
- So, whilst A is a supermarket, pretty standard,
large bulb of white garlic,
B has a PGI status from Lautrec in the South of France,
grown on the chalky hills from small farmers.
And once it's harvested, and dried,
it's then sorted and trimmed by hand,
to reveal the slightly more pink cloves,
and, they say, has a more subtle, more delicate,
sweeter nuance.
They didn't use the word nuance, but I'm using it for you,
because I think you got that.
- And because of the last round,
I learnt that it's not all about (hand slaps)
smack in the face, it's about the nuances.
That's what screwed me.
(upbeat music continues)
(teeth crunch)
- Swallow it now.
- Ooh. Bloody hell.
- It's what (laughs). - Can smell that from here.
- Give us a kiss.
(laughs)
B is more fiery.
- Interesting.
And that is what we,
when we made the two soups side by side did the same,
we got the same, which is not exactly what they say.
They say it's a more delicate version,
but actually, the strength of garlic
has such a influence from how old it is,
so, there's every chance that a new bulb of premium,
compared to an old bulb of cheaper,
there might be the difference in it.
It deteriorates in its pungency over time.
So, 60p for a large bulb from the supermarket.
How much would you say, to you,
the more premium one is worth?
- I would say it's worth double the price,
and I would just use half the amount I usually do.
- Two pounds
- Bang on.
- Oh!
- Absolutely hit the nail on the head, two pounds.
So, a little bit more than three times the price
for that PGI status, the small farmers, the chalk,
the cut by hand, and all those things
that go into the processing.
Would you say it's more than three times on taste alone?
- Maybe if you run a Michelin star restaurant,
and you want the best garlic bread ever,
that might be the way forward,
but for everyday cooking,
just use the bog-standard stuff, and just use a lot of it.
- But make sure it's as fresh as possible.
- [Mike] The thought of having to cook after a long day
can be...
- Ah. (cries)
(gun bangs)
- Ah. - Ah.
(growls) (air pops)
- [Mike] Our Meal Packs app can change this.
First, pick a meal pack.
Meal packs contain three or more recipes
that make you go, "Phwoar, I wanna eat that."
These will be your meals for the week.
(upbeat music)
It then generates one shopping list.
And this is the clever bit.
It stretches that list of ingredients across all those meals
using up all the fresh food you buy.
Once you've bought your ingredients,
we take you step by step through the cooking
with written and audio guides.
- [Ben] Fry for seven to eight minutes.
- [Mike] Throw in automatic timers,
smartly placed cues to wash up as you go,
and twists from other users
so you can adapt recipes to suit your tastes,
and you can join the thousands of people
changing this,
into this.
(upbeat music continues)
Use our 30-day free trial to complete just one meal pack,
and you'll see the difference for yourself.
(upbeat music)
Number three.
Get sniffing and eating.
- Gotta get back in the zone. Come on.
Ooh, I hit it.
(groans)
(laughs)
- Why would you make a sandwich that way?
- We have to entertain ourselves somehow.
This sandwich looks amazing.
- [Ben] Most of the filling is now on the outside
of the sandwich.
- Help. I'm scared.
- What sandwich is it?
- It's a mayonnaise sandwich with bits in it.
- I'm gonna say egg mayo.
- [Ben] It's an egg mayo sandwich.
I mean, that's basically what you've got there.
- Oh, for fu...
- [Ben] Dig deep. You're lucky we gave it a lid.
- That one tastes more like egg mayo.
There's something different in that one.
- How interesting.
- I could taste the egg much more in B than I could in A.
- I think I preferred B,
because it's more familiar to what I'm used to.
So, is it the mayonnaise?
- Correct.
One of those is premium mayonnaise.
One is a very basic supermarket range.
- In A, I can taste the mayonnaise.
In B, I can taste the eggs.
- I'm gonna need you to pick the premium.
- I'm not confident,
so, I'm gonna put this one forward.
- You went with that hand, but you pushed A forward.
- A forward.
- A.
- You can take your blindfold off and look.
Would you change your mind?
- Visually, I'm now thinking, A looks quite white,
as a mayo.
And generally, the better the mayo, the more yellow it is.
- There is a big difference,
but I don't know which was more premium, if I'm honest.
- But you liked B more?
- But I preferred B, yeah.
- I'm worried about my answer.
- And you should be,
because in this instance, B is the premium.
Wrong again. (buzzer blares)
- [Mike] You're having a shocker.
- This is awful.
- So, A is a supermarket basic.
This particular one from Sainsbury's.
And B is Biona.
25 years of organic food,
certified organic, GM-free,
suitable for vegetarians, no air miles,
ethically and sustainably sourced,
and a family business.
- [Mike] This is what we wanted to see.
- [Barry] It's not what I wanted to do.
- [Mike] Do it.
(upbeat music continues)
- It's really vinegary.
Very sharp, very acidic, for a mayonnaise.
(upbeat music continues)
Yeah, that's mayonnaise.
- Also has some fennel, some coriander seed,
obviously mustard, as you'd expect,
but it has a few other flavourings in it.
- [Mike] Take a look at the ingredients on both bottles.
- Ooh, this is gonna be a scary thing, innit?
Water.
- [Ben] How much water do you normally put
in your mayonnaise?
- Absolutely zero.
- But the key thing there is what percentage of oil?
- 25.
77% sunflower oil.
- And that's why a cheap product tends to be so white,
because it's basically stabilised water.
- I'm guessing price-wise we are talking worlds apart?
I reckon that, the jar, can't be any more than 20, 30p.
- 50p.
- Not far off.
It's 60p which makes it £1.20 a kilo.
How much per kilo
for this particular branded premium option?
- £6.
- I think you're probably looking at £6.50.
- A kilo?
- Per kilo.
- £13.90 per kilo.
- Okay. So I was a little bit off.
- So, it's just over 11 times the price.
But that jar itself, just over three quid.
And that is a fairly expensive version,
and the brand have a lot of things they play to,
whether it's organic, GM-free,
no air miles in the ingredients,
which is why it's sunflower oil,
because that's local to where it's made.
- I would never go to that level of cost,
because I know that I can make really good mayonnaise,
and it wouldn't cost that much.
- I think, personally,
I'd go for something in the middle to dip my chips in,
but anything above that I'd just make my own.
- [Mike] Yeah. Make your own.
- Shall we try number four?
(upbeat music continues)
(dramatic music)
Okay, going into the last round.
- [Mike] Baz, I can confidently tell you
that the chefs haven't messed about with this one-
- [Barry] Really?
- [Mike] No, they really haven't.
- Ooh.
- This is not made for beard.
Oh, well done.
- Rice pudding.
- Incorrect.
- Okay.
- There's some porridge of some sort.
- Like porridge?
- Is there a honey?
- Honey.
(dramatic music continues)
Is it the honey that's different?
- Yes.
- Correct.
One of them is made with a fairly basic honey,
and one is made with a more premium honey.
- The honey definitely tastes different.
- Can't taste the difference.
Can I have a teaspoon of the honey, please?
- Oh, okay. Let's break the rules. Go on.
We'll do the same for Jay. - Please.
Desperate times, Mike.
Desperate times- - So, no one's ever gone
zero and four, so...
- A.
- [Barry] A, hello.
- B.
(upbeat music)
(laughs)
- You (beep).
Why would you give me a spoon the wrong way round?
(upbeat music continues)
Oh, God. Feel like a (beep) Goldilocks.
- Daddy Bear.
(needle scratches)
(laughs) - Ooh, Ebbers, no.
(laughs)
(upbeat music continues)
B
Is grainy.
I can feel the bees.
- So, textures are different- - Feel the bees.
No, they don't just crunch- - The bees aren't
as chopped up as much, in B.
- Right, you've had enough time,
and we've broken the rules for you.
Lock in your answer.
- Off the spoon, I preferred B.
But in the porridge, I think I preferred A.
Premium is B.
- I think that A might have a deeper, richer flavour to it,
than B.
- You can take off your blindfold.
Not that there's much left to look at.
The premium is A.
You got them all wrong.
Every single one.
(thuds)
- Ooh.
(screams)
- That is remarkable.
- [Barry] No!
- A is an organic acacia honey, 100% raw honey from Italy.
Abruzzo, Lombardi, and Piedmont.
Whereas B is a supermarket, relatively basic,
squeezy honey in the sense it's in a jar that can squeeze,
but its place of origin is from several non-EU countries.
So, blended together.
And you're right in the texture.
It has already crystallised a little bit
from when we pretty much opened it earlier.
What is noticeable when you have local honey
is just how different the aroma can be.
- If I'd notice it when I'm smothering my porridge
or waffles at home, I'm not sure.
- And how big the ingredient is in the dish you're doing.
If it's a little bit in a marinade for a number of things,
or in a dressing,
it might be masked by other things.
If it's honey on toast, or honey on porridge,
or honey on pancakes,
then it might have more of a focus.
- Let's talk price.
- Ah!
- I know that honeys can get really expensive.
- Keep it simple. Let's talk per kilo.
B is £6.20 per kilo.
(upbeat music continues)
- £12.
- £30 per kilo.
- It is in fact £40 per kilo.
That jar is a tenner.
So, a lot more expensive.
And with it, you get a lot more understanding
of where the honey has come from,
and the fact that it is organic acacia honey,
as opposed to that kind of mystery blend in B.
- Definitely tastier, but probably not for everyday use.
I would stick to the basic squeezy bottle.
- Two out of four, Spaff.
Not happy with that performance?
- It's not your best game.
- I'm not happy. - Can I go home now?
(upbeat music)
- Barry Taylor got zero out of four.
- Don't think that's ever happened before.
- [Mike] Making you the winner.
(upbeat music continues)
- I thought I didn't do great,
but that has just made my day.
- Well, over to you guys.
Comment down below which of those ingredients
were most interesting to you, and why?
- Yeah, and while you're down there,
if you've got other everyday ingredients
you'd love us to explore and discuss,
let us know.
(upbeat music continues)
(beep)
- This is gonna be far more difficult
'cause I haven't been able to smell or taste anything
for the last few days.
Not sure why.
(laughs)
- We have to put a disclaimer
saying that we take lateral flow tests before filming now,
which is a waste of air time.