Cheap vs Expensive Eggs?! | Sorted Food

0:00 Trying to work out where best to spend your money.

0:01 Today we are trying dishes using cheap

0:04 and expensive versions of the same ingredient

0:06 to find out when it's worth splashing the cash and when it's just as good cheap.

0:10 The first ingredient is under the cloches.

0:13 One, two, three, hup!

0:16 [Jamie] Cheese.

0:17 [Barry] Okay, wait a minute.

0:19 [Jamie] Cooking.

0:20 [Barry] Cheddar cheese.

0:21 Posh cheddar cheese.

0:22 It's crumbly.

0:23 [Jamie] Older, more mature cheddar cheese?

0:25 So the point of today is to think about how

0:27 these ingredients behave when we cook with them and prepare them.

0:30 And that might sway which end of the scale

0:34 we tend to purchase for that given choice.

0:37 So, working together with A and B,

0:38 we are going to grate some of A and grate some

0:41 of B and we're also gonna slice some of A and B.

0:44 Now, the sliced cheese we're gonna use to gratinate on top of cheese on toast,

0:48 under the grill and the grated we're gonna melt into mac and cheese.

0:52 This is a good day.

0:53 (lively music)- [Barry] I always cut off what I need and then grate that.

0:59 No, it's important you get your whole hand around the whole block.

1:04 Yeah, effortless.

1:06 It stays intact.

1:07 You get slightly more mature stuff it would

1:08 start falling apart in your hand, wouldn't it?

1:10 Yeah.

1:11 What does that one do?

1:13 Okay.

1:13 A lot more crumbly.

1:16 Oh, yeah.

1:17 [Jamie] Yeah.

1:18 But, but fine.

1:21 As soon as you eat that, it fills your nose with flavor.

1:24 As soon as you eat that, it fills your mouth with texture.

1:28 And yeah, that.

1:31 And just nibbling the premium stuff, I don't want a whole,

1:35 I don't want all of that on a cheese and toast, it's too much.

1:38 [Jamie] And I think the same would probably be with mac and cheese.

1:42 [Barry] Yeah?

1:43 [Jamie] Because it would be so rich.

1:44 [Barry] Yeah.

1:45 [Jamie] And so flavorsome it would take away from anything else that's going on.

1:47 (lively music)- [Barry] Ah, mixy, mixy, mixy.

1:51 (lively music)- So, let's talk about the cheese on toast first.

1:57 The gratination, what it looks like, how it behaved under the grill.

2:00 Both had the same time and temperature on the same

2:02 grill on the same tray with the same bread.

2:04 And broadly the same amount of cheese.

2:06 Far more spread, I think, of this one.

2:08 You can see there's a lot more, I'm guessing it's fat.

2:11 It's, it's, it's greasier.

2:13 Whereas B, less spread.

2:15 It feels like what was there within the cheese has stayed there far more.

2:19 But a lot more fragrance.

2:22 That's the cheese, that's smell of the cheese has filled the room.

2:24 That, I wanna eat that one more by the smell.

2:26 But that one looks more naughty.

2:29 [Jamie] Yeah, I know what you mean.

2:31 Cheers.

2:32 Cheese.

2:33 (lively music)- A snack at home.

2:40 Don't use the posh stuff.

2:41 Haven't got time for anything proper, just a quick snack.

2:45 That is nostalgia every day, great.

2:50 Hits the spot.

2:51 Yeah.

2:52 Okay, yeah, a lot more, a lot firmer.

2:55 [Ben] A lot less moisture come out of it.

2:57 Goo.

2:59 Mm.

3:01 Wow.

3:02 That provides so much more flavor.

3:04 Mm, mm.

3:05 I think it's fair to say you also sliced the cheese

3:07 a bit thinner and there's probably a little bit less on the bread,

3:10 but it's still punching more in flavor.

3:12 In both cases, grilling the cheese has

3:15 changed the profile of the cheese completely.

3:17 Mostly in A.

3:19 It's gone from being (indistinct) quite bland

3:20 to actually getting nuttier the more you toast it.

3:24 [Jamie] Yeah.

3:24 [Barry] Here, this is already delicious.

3:26 I'm not sure it's any better.

3:28 Try the mac and cheese.

3:29 [Barry] Okay.

3:30 [Ben] It is just a side dish to the pulled pork, but try A and then try B.

3:33 (bluesy music)- You're not getting any cheese flavor from A.

3:41 There's a texture game going on, 'cause it's slightly more,

3:44 oh, you've moved on, have you?

3:45 Mm.

3:46 Right.

3:46 I'm really on this one.

3:48 [Jamie] There's a slightly more texture game going on in because of the cheese,

3:51 but there's not flavor going on in A.

3:53 And we put the same amount, broadly speaking, in each.

3:55 Had we doubled the amount of cheese, you might have got more of a cheesy flavor.

3:59 You've got a funk from that one.

4:01 You've got the cheesy-- Yeah.

4:02 That's got some slap base going on.

4:04 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

4:05 I'm gonna need some gherkins.

4:08 This one doesn't need anything else with it.

4:10 It's just a bit bland.

4:12 Bit one dimensional.

4:13 [Barry] Yeah, this, there's a lot going on and I

4:15 encourage you to eat these delicious things as well.

4:18 Now this mac and cheese feels special.

4:19 This feels like an occasion.

4:21 I think we're pretty happy with which is the premium.

4:24 But can you both pick the premium?

4:26 I think it's-- Yeah.

4:28 [Jamie] B.

4:29 [Barry] B is definitely the premium.

4:30 Correct.

4:31 So to talk you through it, A is Morrison's Mature Cheddar.

4:34 It's made with British milk and it is strength three out of five.

4:39 So, pretty mid range block of cheddar.

4:42 And then the premium, our friends Paxton and Whitfield, Montgomery Cheddar.

4:46 So, very much about a location and a particular style of cheddar.

4:51 Hand cut by the specialists.

4:53 Well over 225 years of legacy in London.

4:57 But as a result, 150 gram portion, it's a wedge rather than a block.

5:02 And it is much more aged.

5:05 If I told you that A was seven pound 50 per kilo,

5:09 how much you reckon for our premium cheese?

5:11 Per kilo?

5:12 [Ben] Per kilo.

5:13 I reckon it's at least double.

5:15 Oh well yeah.

5:15 Yeah, I'd say quadruple.

5:18 Quadruple?

5:18 I think so.

5:19 You reckon?

5:19 I'll go 20 pounds a kilo.

5:22 [Ben] Yep.

5:23 25.

5:23 I think I'll go with whole hog.

5:25 [Ben] Just shy of 40 pounds a kilo.

5:27 So 39 pounds, 67 per kilo.

5:29 [Barry] Wow.

5:30 It's about five times the price.

5:32 So, the question is, where, and in which cases, if at all, is it worth it?

5:38 Interestingly, it's really worth it on a cheeseboard

5:42 because that is-- Yeah, no, no brainer.

5:44 World's apart, completely different.

5:45 Cheese on toast is already a little treat.

5:48 Now I would've thought that actually adding a better

5:51 cheese would make it more of a treat.

5:52 And it didn't in that scenario.

5:55 Whereas the mac and cheese, it did.

5:56 But I'd still feel, I'd feel odd about spending that much

6:00 money on cheese and then melting it into mac and cheese.

6:03 I'd still go for the the cheaper end of cheese,

6:05 but I'd go more mature to get a bit more flavor into it.

6:09 For the cheese.

6:10 For the cheese.

6:11 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

6:12 And every supermarket and retailer will have varying

6:15 scales of their premiumization of cheese and strengths.

6:20 But in a nutshell, a more premium cheese is likely to be richer,

6:25 sharper, nuttier, firmer, potentially more crumbly.

6:29 And therefore when you're using it,

6:30 tends to not go as soggy, as greasy and gratinate better.

6:35 What a way to start the day.

6:37 [Jamie] Yeah.

6:37 And the video.

6:38 Do you want another category and see how that performs?

6:40 Woo-hoo!

6:41 Yes.

6:42 Round two, back to basics.

6:44 (cloches clanging)- [Barry] Oh.

6:47 [Jamie] Ah.

6:49 I never cook with these eggs.

6:51 [Jamie] White ones?

6:52 Yeah.

6:53 Gut reaction?

6:54 I'm a little bit thrown by this because I associate white eggs to cheap ones.

6:59 The quality of an egg has absolutely nothing to do with its color.

7:03 The color of the egg is dependent on the breed of the chicken

7:08 and lots of facts at play when it comes to the quality of an egg.

7:11 But we wanna discuss how they perform when they're used.

7:14 So, we're gonna scramble some,

7:16 we're gonna fry some and we're gonna pull through mayo some.

7:20 Oh.

7:21 Ee.

7:21 Two of each in each.

7:23 Two egg log, two egg, a two egg scramble?

7:25 We're not feeding you, we're just doing a little test.

7:28 (Barry laughing) (rock music) Oh.

7:31 [Ben] Starting with B.

7:33 [Barry] Oh, okay, right.

7:36 Oh.

7:38 Color of the yolks on B are a lot darker.

7:41 I'd say they're higher in water content in and around the whites.

7:45 Hmm.

7:46 Whereas A got a mighty yolk.

7:49 [Jamie] Much bigger-- [Barry] Look at the, look at the whites,

7:52 there's no separation between the white and any water.

7:55 I'm trying to work out like, does the strength of the egg,

7:58 the thickness of the walls have anything to do with it.

8:03 (shell crackles) Easy, quite easy.

8:10 (shell crackles) Interesting.

8:13 Completely different.

8:14 So much more structural integrity on the, on B than it was A.

8:18 Worth noting.

8:19 God, I didn't realize this was a science channel.

8:21 (upbeat music) (whisk banging) (egg sizzling)- So far.

8:30 B has a thicker shell but darker yolk and it doesn't spread as much when frying.

8:37 Yeah.

8:39 It's also crisped up a lot quicker than A has.

8:43 [Barry] Which has less water in it.

8:45 Yeah, yeah.

8:47 (upbeat music)- And for the pull through mayo, mustard, oil, salt and pepper.

8:53 One egg in each, whole egg, yolk and white.

8:57 (blender whirring)- Lovely.

9:01 Is it?

9:02 [Barry] You did a mayo.

9:03 (blender whirring) Yeah.

9:09 (blender whirring)- Now you've seen how they've behaved,

9:14 have a little taste to see if you can tell the difference between A and B.

9:17 Are you any closer to working out which might be the premium?

9:20 I keep getting thrown.

9:22 Even just the color of the yolk I thought

9:24 was so much stronger when we first cracked it.

9:26 But actually in the scrambled and the mayo actually looks even, it disappears.

9:32 Yeah, completely gone.

9:34 (bluesy music)- Any much difference in the way they blended,

9:41 emulsified and taste?

9:43 There's not much difference but there is a difference.

9:45 Yeah, I feel like B has a stronger flavor attached to it.

9:50 When I was blending them A took a while longer to emulsify.

9:54 That was where I got scared.

9:57 There's a difference but not like...

9:59 Yeah.

10:00 Noticeable.

10:00 (bluesy music)- Mm.

10:06 Mm.

10:12 (Jamie laughing)- Well, I think I prefer the flavor of A.

10:17 You keep saying about flavor.

10:18 The only flavor I can think of an egg is when an egg is too eggy.

10:21 Flavor's almost a bad thing.

10:23 You notice the flavor-- In a bad egg, yeah, sulfurous.

10:24 If you notice the flavor of an egg, it's a bad thing.

10:25 I think it's a texture, it's a body, it's a...

10:29 No, A is richer.

10:31 And I think it's a nicer eating experience because of that.

10:36 It's not leaps and bounds.

10:39 That's the, that you know, if there are differences, they are small.

10:42 Yeah.

10:43 Try the fried egg.

10:44 [Barry] This should be more obvious in tasting it, surely.

10:46 In the UK you've got four different grades of egg.

10:48 You've got caged hens, barn hens,

10:51 which means it's indoor only and they're not allowed outside,

10:55 free range, which means they get free range.

10:57 And then organic free range, which has stricter stipulations,

11:00 tends to be lower densities of chickens per square meter,

11:04 tends to have more outside time, more space and tools and apparatus to basically

11:10 play around and fulfill better pen like characteristics.

11:15 But those are the four tiers.

11:16 We haven't explored the bottom two tiers today.

11:20 I think the yolk-- Is the giveaway-- In A is richer.

11:25 The bit I've been struggling with is during the cooking process,

11:27 I kept being drawn to B because the shells are thicker.

11:33 Egg was, the yolk was yellower and I didn't see as much water as it came out.

11:38 But then, in the final results, I think I agree with Jamie.

11:41 The yolk is ever so slightly more richer and silkier,

11:45 which you can, especially on its own, you can tell the difference,

11:48 and less so-- As you move further down the cooking-- The process.

11:54 And adding more things to it.

11:56 So, A is the premium.

12:00 Okay.

12:00 We got there.

12:01 We did get there.

12:02 We got there.

12:03 But we needed it in its...

12:04 Purest-- Yeah, purest (indistinct).

12:05 (both laughing) We needed it in its purest form to be able to tell.

12:10 And it's because it was the yolk specifically where that flavor was.

12:15 B, the slightly cheaper option.

12:17 These are Co-Op, large, free range eggs.

12:20 Whereas A is Stonegate Estate and they are organic free range,

12:27 soil association, O F and G certified.

12:29 A natural organic diet which leads to a richer yolk

12:34 and they have the highest gold standard by compassion in world farming.

12:39 So, that's all about husbandry.

12:42 When it comes to application,

12:44 I would say there's two things to watch out for when you buy.

12:47 One, the freshness of the egg is everything.

12:52 So, all your observations are correct, Barry.

12:54 A is an older egg.

12:57 Because it is more premium, because it is more niche.

13:00 the churn of those eggs in store tends to be slower.

13:04 Look at the best before date on the egg, it's literally stamped on it.

13:07 It has to be by law, that's the British lion quality.

13:11 That is a completely different conversation in how it cooks as to its

13:15 flavor and its husbandry and its nutritional value as a result of the diet.

13:20 So there's those two things to look for.

13:22 Wow.

13:23 So, if we look at price, the Co-Op free range eggs, one pound, 79 for six.

13:28 So, that's 30 pence an egg.

13:30 Whereas the Stonegate Estate, four pound, 50 for six.

13:33 So, 75 pence an egg.

13:35 So, one and a half times more expensive.

13:38 Yeah.

13:39 For those hens to have more space, more outdoor exposure and a better diet.

13:45 I think 'cause we've had chickens, it's changed our outlook on eggs.

13:49 It is down to price, but it's also down to geography.

13:53 It's working out what's your local farm that are giving you fresh eggs.

13:58 And usually if they're straight from the farm and they're super fresh,

14:01 they'll be amazing and they won't be that expensive if it's from the farmer,

14:04 not via a supermarket.

14:05 Our eggs are about 40 P an egg.

14:08 And you haven't got other people in that chain adding

14:10 necessarily their own margins because of the service they provide.

14:13 Yeah.

14:13 So much to take into account,

14:14 but you both spotted both in the cooking and the preparation

14:17 and the taste everything we wanted to talk about, albeit you didn't know why.

14:22 (Jamie laughing)- That sums up my life.

14:23 (both laughing)- Let's do one more round.

14:28 Round three, a couple more conversations.

14:32 Ooh, fishy, fishy, fishy.

14:34 Fishies.

14:35 Okay, ooh, okay.

14:36 Very different.

14:38 So a portion of cod and a portion of salmon each, A and B.

14:45 And we've given you a white fish and an oily fish.

14:48 The salmon, we're gonna pan fry and the cod, we're going to deep fry.

14:54 I'm thrown by the salmon.

14:57 Yeah, that is a really odd color and texture.

15:00 It looks like all it's texture's gone.

15:03 Yeah.

15:03 Or it's a really finer texture because here you can see kind of the lines,

15:07 the usual patterns you'd see in a salmon.

15:10 That looks like a salmon pate' in the shape of a piece of salmon.

15:13 It's really, really smooth.

15:14 Whereas this one, you know that here's the bits where it's gonna flake.

15:18 [Barry] Yeah.

15:19 Are the premium and the not-so-premium on the same side?

15:23 Yeah?

15:24 I don't want to tell you that.

15:25 Have you have me, oh.

15:26 He's been a minx.

15:28 But there is a quality fish and then a more

15:32 premium quality fish for both the salmon and the cod.

15:35 Can you turn that one over?

15:38 Well now we're comparing apples to apples.

15:40 None of that- (Barry laughing)- Turn the other, turn A over.

15:45 [Barry] That is skinless.

15:46 [Jamie] Skinless.

15:47 Let's start with the salmon.

15:48 We've got a pan we're preheating.

15:50 Once it's got a decent heat to it, we can put the salmon in.

15:53 Just a pinch of salt on the flesh side, skin side down.

15:57 (salmon sizzling) Quite deliberately with the salmon

15:59 we've given you a portion of each.

16:03 But because they've come from different ends of different sized fish,

16:06 it's now a matter of how you cook it.

16:10 (rock music) (salmon sizzling) And while we wait

16:17 for the salmon to finish, take your cod, dust it in seasoned flour,

16:22 into our seasoned batter and into the fryer behind you, cooked and ready to go.

16:28 (rock music) Was there much difference in the way it cooked?

16:34 [Barry] Cod wise, no idea.

16:35 (Jamie laughing)- [Jamie] It was covered in a batter.

16:37 The salmon, time of cooking, 'cause of the thickness...

16:41 Yeah.

16:41 But other than that-- No.

16:44 No, not particularly.

16:45 It wasn't like one leached a load more

16:46 water or anything like that than another one.

16:48 It just, yeah, they, it felt fairly even apart from time based on shape.

16:53 Let's taste the salmon, A and then B.

16:55 Now, an oily fish, so it should be almost buttery.

16:58 Shouldn't really be fishy, but it should taste of the sea,

17:03 unless of course it's a river trout or a river salmon.

17:06 (pensive music)- Completely different.

17:14 Yeah, that is a, I mean we,

17:16 we could see the texture was different before we cooked it.

17:20 [Barry] It's so much tighter.

17:21 [Ben] Leaner.

17:22 It's more chicken-like in that it's so much tighter the protein,

17:27 therefore it has been a bit more of a chew.

17:29 I'm sticking with my gut thinking that's not been farmed.

17:34 I think that's natural.

17:36 Taste the cod, A and then B.

17:41 Now in fairness, the batter could have taken a bit more color.

17:44 You can do that from turmeric.

17:46 You can do that from different flowers that have

17:47 a higher propensity to color in the oil.

17:55 Mm, mm-hm.

17:56 Wonderfully delicate, falls apart, almost a bit too flaky.

18:01 I'd say a little bit watery.

18:03 Okay.

18:04 Try B, which was a thicker cut of cod.

18:08 Again, you're absolutely tasting the fish that's been

18:10 steamed inside the fried batter rather than the batter.

18:13 So much dryer.

18:14 (both laughing) And the flake, it's held together.

18:19 It's a firm, it's a firmer fish.

18:21 I'm a little bit lost here at what we're trying to get at.

18:28 Okay, simple game.

18:29 [Barry] Okay.

18:30 Pick the premium, A or B?

18:32 I'm gonna have to base a decision here on what I'm used to rather than the bits

18:36 that you've said actually about what might be

18:38 natural or less farmed or something like that.

18:40 So, I would say A is the premium salmon,

18:45 but B is the premium cod 'cause they're my favorites.

18:48 Good fish tastes like that from a supermarket.

18:52 That's unusual.

18:54 And I think that's because it's incredibly organic and I think I'd

18:57 trust a chef to do a better job cooking that than I would.

19:01 Same with this one.

19:02 So, I think these two are the premium- On this round, the premium is B.

19:10 Let's talk about the salmon first.

19:12 A is Ocado salmon filets, boneless, skin on.

19:18 Caught in Norway and a packet of two filets, 240 grams.

19:24 Whereas B is Leap MSC Keta salmon.

19:30 So wild Keta salmon.

19:32 The Keta swim further in their lifetime than

19:35 any other species in the Pacific wild salmon category,

19:38 and therefore that makes them very low in fat.

19:42 Thicker skinned, lower in fat,

19:45 incredibly lean and therefore need a gentler cooking but more flavor.

19:52 Unless you cook out that flavor.

19:53 Yeah, unless you cook it too much.

19:54 Like we did.

19:55 Yeah.

19:55 But interesting that's, so that is exactly the same conversation then

19:57 as the chicken one that we had a few years ago.

19:59 Yeah.

20:00 25 pounds per kilo for the Ocado, whereas the Keta salmon is 39, 55 per kilo.

20:08 So, almost twice the price.

20:11 This side, I'm a little bit nervous of what I would do with that.

20:13 I don't think I could cook, I haven't cooked that very well.

20:16 Possibly just one side of the fish to get

20:18 a really lovely crispy skin which is thicker and firmer.

20:20 And that final flip is a fraction of seconds

20:23 and out of the pan to residual cook through.

20:26 And then when we talk about the cod,

20:28 A is M& S cod filets, skinless and boneless, line caught in Norway.

20:35 Responsibly sourced, fully traceable.

20:37 A pack is 250 grams.

20:40 That had two portions in it, but it tends to be that thin tail end.

20:44 So, quite difficult to cook as a single piece because one end is very thin

20:49 and one end is thicker but perfectly fine

20:51 if you're gonna chop it up into a fish, cake, mix, pie thing.

20:56 Whereas the premium was Wright Brothers cod portions.

21:00 So, it's a thicker cut of a more premium cod.

21:04 Wild caught off the Icelandic coast.

21:07 And where possible, Wright Brothers support

21:09 local fishermen using low impact fishing.

21:11 So, it is that wild, low impact.

21:13 Flavor-wise, I wouldn't say as much difference.

21:17 M& S cod, 25 pounds a kilo, whereas the Wright Brothers, 57 pound, 14 per kilo.

21:24 So, more than twice the price.

21:26 Mm.

21:27 Wow.

21:27 This is one of those ones that I'm,

21:29 I'll be fascinated to see what the comments say.

21:32 It's one of those subjects that the more that you learn about something,

21:36 the more that you can have an opinion and that opinion

21:39 be based on all of the knowledge that's around it.

21:42 If you care about this kind of thing,

21:44 then you are going to know a lot more and be

21:47 able to make a better opinion on whether it's worth it,

21:49 which is obviously the question that we're trying to answer.

21:52 The challenge is that food is never binary

21:54 and yet I wanted an A or B binary answer.

21:58 And sometimes food's not that simple.

22:00 Comment down below, which of those categories

22:02 would you have chosen the premium on?

22:04 And if you think these are useful and interesting,

22:06 then we really do appreciate a like on the video,

22:08 'cause that tells us to make more.