BEAT THE CHEF: MYSTERY BOX COOKING CHALLENGE!! | Sorted Food 

Looked kind of like Mike's now, just curlier :D

He’s looking forward to the barbers opening up again 😂

@@SortedFood He is rocking it though

Opposite of Samson, James holds his ginger in his beard.

it looked like a wig for one second

He definitely deserves the badge! Especially with their reactions and comments it sounded like he incorporated the ingredient really well

Absolutely! Poor Mike 😂

I agree completely. He still successfully used an unusual (and somewhat unpleasant) ingredient in a dish that both chefs said was delicious.

Agree!!

Definitely deserves it, showed that he understood the unusual ingredient, why it worked and how it made the dish better. The skill is demonstrably there, Ebbers just had the slightly better day, I'd say.

Yeah, Ben bought his A-game. It's amazing to watch chefs like this. I've had chef friends and the whole process of picking things in the shop for them to create with, to them doing it in your kitchen is such a treat. They just "think" food in a way i can never do. 😆

i work in michelin starred places and that wasnt it . it was good but michelin starred would have been waaaay more effort and thought and science etc . ben is good comparted to normals but as a chef hes not fine dining at all . still good though

@@myname-mz3lo it was meant to be a joke...

@@myname-mz3lo ok boomer

@@helios4810 not a boomer but ok lol.

IT LOOKED SO NICE I WANTED TOP LICK THAT PLATE HAHA

Yeah, they could have given him the badge as a consolation prize. He did in fact complete the task required to earn it.

It is chef skills, not beat the chef skills, he used the unusual ingredient and kept the interesting taste of it.

I agree. Mike really put his skills to the test on this one, honestly. Sure, Ebbers created two VERY impressive dishes but he's also a professional chef, it's almost second nature for him to just pull these sorts of dishes out of nowhere. Mike doesn't have all of these skills yet...none of the normies do yet, it takes YEARS to get to Ebbers-like cooking skills. However, Mike's one tart incorporated the ingredient BEAUTIFULLY, perhaps even better than Ebbers did in his main course! That wasn't right y'all, even with the advance planning time the deck was still stacked against Mike. I rarely disagree with these decisions but Mike was done wrong here, simply put.

That's a valid point. He did use the 'Unusual Ingredient' really well...2 ways. I totally agree, badgeformike.

SAMEEE all I saw was glorious messy curls

I just wanted to say that. He definitely earned the weird ingredient batch. Of course we don't know how much Mike contributed to the recipe, but we don't really know whether Ben had the hogwash oyster idea on his own and how much of that chefy result was really improvised (I doubt it was, you'd prepare for these kind of things)

I TOTALLY agree. He definitely achieved the reuqirements.

JUSTIC FOR MIKE!!

JUSTICE FOR MIKE!

Downvote video for this nonsense! They actually were very deceiving and lied about how it would be awarded AND that the advantage was only to level the play8ng field! It was neither! DOWNVOTE THEM SO THEY UNDERSTAND

It was never stated the James had to win to get the badge

Could you please explain the pun? I don't get it

There should be an "entertainer" badge.

@@DraconaiMac The entertainer badge would be good if they were competing to see you is the best waiter, not chef lol Unless he’s a teppenyaki chef 🤔

@@laraanne9477 I'm sure you've heard of his song "Careless Whisper"

I was worried about James and came here to post about how Mike should get the badge anyways LOL

Of course i want Mike to get a point. However, what Ben came up with i thought was amazing. And deserving of a point.

I'm the first half :)

@@jenat82 Bens dish(es) looked utterly sublime and then there was Mike with his tart. Ben definitely didn't hold back and went full HAM there. Maybe it's just me, but the tart could have done with some decoration like a leaf of peppermint or maybe some of the Rhubarbs as a side, maybe some whipped cream as well. Just like that it looked kinda.. lonely.

Both based

I was thinking the same, is he alright? I hope he’s doing really well now. The sorted group deserves to be happy, those absolutely delightful lads

I was actually afraid he was fired or something, considering the new intro, him not being mentioned or shown and the food team all of a sudden being an thing. I was really happy to hear him being a judge. Real glad to see he's still in Sorted!

I was actually coming to the comments to say the same. I was worried that I hadn't him at all lately.

I very much assume he just doesn't live in the same area of the rest of the guys - here in the UK we've not been able to travel anywhere (ie outside of the city you live in/your home) since between October and December.

@@CircleThinker They mentioned before that he had to deal with some family stuff

Mike did *actual* research and Ben literally said he hadn't thought about how to use them outside of cocktails... Even though the buds were recently used in the poker face challenge! The man deserves that badge 🥺

@@runawayfaeIX I vote Mike deserves the badge! He did use hte ingredient and brilliantly!

Yeah, poor Mike. He did do well... ...but Ben used it as a finishing salt and tasted and adjusted that salt to hit hard enough. Ben just chefed it hard. Well done Ben.

quite a pointless advantage isnt it?

we should protest this. Ben should give up the badge

Downvote video for this nonsense! They actually were very deceiving and lied about how it would be awarded AND that the advantage was only to level the play8ng field! It was neither! DOWNVOTE THEM SO THEY UNDERSTAND

@@hah3456 Hey... don't do this. It's all for fun.

Level fields aren't what they used to be.

It takes us a while... But we try to always make sure they are there. Glad they are appreciated!

@@SortedFood +1 to the appreciation! One of the few channels now I watch who has this level of care for their subtitles

They are all really good friends doing what they love for a living. I'm sure they are fine, and don't take this seriously coming from friends who are like family.

YES!! 100% and I really don't think it was fair to take the appetizer into account. Ben why do you always have to be extra?

I totally agree!

@@Turttle002 I mean if he made it, its fair to judge it?

Downvote video for this nonsense! They actually were very deceiving and lied about how it would be awarded AND that the advantage was only to level the play8ng field! It was neither! DOWNVOTE THEM SO THEY UNDERSTAND

@@hah3456 It's really not that serious...

He needs a bit of a confidence boost!

Losing against Ben wasn't it tho lol

@@SortedFood maybe pick his food then!!!!

@@SortedFood hard to get that boost if he is constantly robbed of his wins :) #TEAMIKE

@@ivo5972 To be fair Ben really outdid himself this time and with the huge handicap he had mike should´ve knocked it out of the park but it seems he didn´t so it was a fair result.

The sass never left!

I had the same thought James is back baby

we may have to hunt and roast those who aren't appreciating him.

😂 brilliant.

Either way I wanna hold his haaaaand, I wanna hold his hand. All hail the return of the grumpy ginger! Although bad puppy for not giving Mike his badge - he did awesome.

Thought the same - a terrific 60s Beatles mop top look... To be honest he could have a 70s punk mohawk or an 80s mullet - we’re all just so glad he’s back... :)

Quality comment right here.

Well Mike didn’t do all the work here. The food team helped him make this dish

@@zzskyninjazz1821 I see your point, however, I wasn't referring only to this video/dish, but more to the others before. I just happened to comment on this video specifically. And the food team always helps the "normals" with dishes.

Yeah he seems to have lost a lot of weight?, I'm glad he's back.

@@KriLL325783 Jesus Christ delete your comment, what an insanely disrespectful and ignorant thing to say!! EDITED TO ADD: The original comment was disgusting and needless, it has since been edited to protect himself.

HAHA YEAH he looked good tho

@@KriLL325783 If you don’t feel good speculating on someone’s health, here’s an idea...don’t! It is absolutely none of our business why James was away but we can all be glad he’s back ❤️

@@KriLL325783 What are you on about mate?? There's an entire pandemic happening and he was away dealing with family stuff amidst that. Two reasons for someone to look a a bit different but he looks fine. Such a sh*tty comment. Also nothing is open they are under lockdown again.

JUSTICE FOR MIKE

Maybe, but there is zero chance James wouldn't have known which was which. Ben went full-chef on this one! Mike did great, but that win was well-deserved :)

It really doesn't. Knowledge of ingredient (and research with the food team as he did) far outweighs being judged harsher. If you think he would've performed the same without a recipe that he was following (in case you didn't know, he was) , he would have had no chance in hell.

This is about the love of food creativity more than fucking badges. Mike followed the recipe created by the food team and didn't fuck it up. That's great for Mike. Ben however brought his A-game. Can't you just enjoy watching the beauty of a chef creating amazing food on the spot? It's an impressive thing to watch. I'm not sure you appreciate it enough.

I don't think he meant judging harsher than he did ben. I think it's clear from the context he is judging harsher than he would otherwise judge a normal.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say Mike cares about the “fucking badges”. In my opinion , it was unfair to take Mike’s prior knowledge and prep work into consideration when judging. It’s like giving a kid a head start in a race, then docking their time when they win. It’s a shame some people in these comments can’t let others have their opinions without hopping on their high horse just because they don’t agree. You can care about the badges and still appreciate the creativity from Ben.

I thought it would be a blind taste test to determine the winner. Or at the very least they shouldn't have told James that Mike had help.

AGREED!

He has started to attend some filming days again so you should start to see him more :)

We've missed him!!

@@SortedFood Hes had a hair transplant?

@@SortedFood yess

what was the reason he stopped?

Yes, Exactly. Its not an advantage. The judge gave him a disadvantage. Poor form.

Completely agree. That's not an advantage, it turned into a disadvantage.

It is quite embarrassing to hear the constant whinging from the Mike-fanbois.

@@MrSmokinDragon I was just pointing out that the "advantage" wasn't useful

I'm not a mike fan, more of a Jamie guy anrway

Do the chefs actually work in restaurants or is this show the main thing that they do?

@@ktee6370 Why would they work in a full time + overtime position in a restaurant and then come home to do another full time job? You are a chef when you have proven your ability with food through education and background, you don't need to be currently working in a restaurant to be one.

@@xSintex I think he just wanted to know what their work time looks like. No need to get cocky.

@@ktee6370 Ben was a working chef at one point, we know that for sure. He did cook for the Queen that one time.

@@ktee6370 This is the main thing they do, aside from on camera work they are running ther apps and writing recipe books. Iirc they have both worked in an assortment of kitchens as part of their earlier career.

@Dr. Kellogg only twice today, I think I have watched all the pass it along vids probably 7 times each lol

@@lonsunocook same lol

Nice to see James back with the boys

To be fair though...he had the food team develop him a recipe...its not like he himself came up with that dish...i think its a fair decision (obviously a gut judgement because neither of us tasted it)

Ebbers deserved the win, but Mike needs badges... He mad a great dish with an unusual ingridient!

Chefy flavor-wise, though, Ben's ideas of flavor imaginings is better...

If he developed the recipe himself, like they said in the video... then he should get his badge.

@@tacs He didnt develop the recipe himself...and they said so in the video. They said the food team developed a recipe with Mike.

he also discussed the recipe with their food team, giving someone the unusual ingredient badge because they followed a recipe they were given would be unfair to the 2 other people who have to find their own unusual ingredient on their own.

+

And Mike isn’t a professional. Completely unfair. I’m appealing the verdict.

I think because Ben made an additional dish that works edged him over for the win

Ebbers made a whole meal and appetizer completely on the fly using a mystery ingredient he has no real experience with. Mike followed a recipe he and the food team developed for a single food item. Ebbers used the buds in a variety of ways on a variety of items. Again, Mike only had the singular item. Execution matters. Ebbers had a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing arrangement. Mike had a tart on a plate with a smear of sauce. Pretty but not really impressive. Overall, Ebbers did a better job of showcasing the various ways the buds could be used. Even with all the various handicaps given to Mike to level the playing field, a Normal simply cannot compare to a professional chef's palette, experience, ingenuity and adaptability. It's not impossible to beat them but you might have better odds getting struck by lightning. Especially if the judge is another chef.

What mystery ingredient would you like to see next time?

@@SortedFood century eggs 😮😵

@@SortedFood It's in a similar vein to this, but what about umeboshi, taming that intense sour taste?

Yeah I totally agree. I was a bit worried about Mike when they said he was competing against Ben after so many losses!

@@SortedFood maybe something like fennel or cilantro, where's there many parts (seeds, bulb, fronds) to an ingredient and they have to celebrate all of it.

I totally agree! Who would ever thought that szechuan peppercorns would do well in a sweet dessert???

then what's the point of the challenge if you're just gonna hand over badges like it's nothing?

@@exaltx9406 because he earned the badge using the ingredient...

@@ryanbell6672 I’m more up in the air for Mike because yes, he created the dish.... but the food team helped him before the challenge started

One hundred percent!!!

Whoop whoop!

🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂

Maybe there will be more of him, raise a glass for the grumpy ginger.

not going to lie, I read that and added "Early in the mornin" to the end of that since it sounds like it belongs in the drunken sailor song

🍹

Yeah, I agree. He still should have gotten the badge.

That's my thought, too. Earning a badge and beating the chef should be two separate things, and I believe Mr Huttlestone deserves a badge.

If you have an advantage of knowing what you're doing before you even start the challenge you deserve to be judged harder. You had time to think and research. Ben won fair and square.

@@notthatcreativewithnames The title is literally called beat the chef.

@@svn5994 then it wont be much of an advantage?? even if he knew the ingredient, the other guy is a goddamn chef, a gr8 one infact , the diff wont be like between a normal nd a michlen dish....

Could have been a great mojito I think.

Agree!

AGREE

I was just thinking the same. Couldn‘t he have gotten the badge without winning? He put a lot of thought in it

@@1JaLena1 also the food team

He's got those cave man locks going on!

@@SortedFood a lot of us do to be fair.

@@SortedFood That’s why he didn’t pick Mike....he looks like a caveman and Mike is hot

I would love that. We get a little of it through the Instagram lives, which is awesome.

Yes!!

I felt sorry for Mike and was like: "Oh honey..."

You crack me up😂😂😂

Half surfer, half cave man 😂

Can't help thinking that he looks as though he's been to Antarctica for a few months 😂

@@justathought...7271 To be fair, quarantine/lockdown is a lot like hibernation for some people, if not most.

Do you remember the movie Jumanji when Robin Williams is freed from the game? I’m getting those kinda vibes 😂 he’s so adorable thou with his fluffy hair!

Omg!! Yes 😂😂😂

Exactly.... there was nothing wrong with Mikes dish.... it was delicious... just Ben managed to have the edge and win. There is always next time for Mike. Shame he didn't get the badge!

Isnt Gift of Gab a rapper?

yaaaassssss

yessss!

Perfect

As a professional I second this!!!

Great idea! I'm sure there must be a lot of safety and hygiene considerations that professional chefs have drummed into them, that us normals never consider.

He’s feeling the love!

Ditto

The real winner was us, because we got James back!

THIS

Yesss!!! Go Mikee 🎊

As much as I commend him, and wanted him to win. He knew in advance what the ingredient was, and had time to plan. And In a challenge like this, that's more than enough of a handicap to level the playing field. A loss is a loss.

@@carlangelo653 so lets take an example, consider yourself to not know bout pizza, nd u r said to make a pizza... no matter if u got the recipe to it, it definitely wont be perfect... nd he had to go against a gr8 chef. if he given an advantage and that advantage comes with a disadvantage, then what's the point of calling it an ADVANTAGE

Knowing and planning in advance was the advantage... And seriously, Bens made them all melt when eating it, and Mikes was very good, but didn't make anyone melt... So he can do a great job, make a very good dish and still not beat the chef. Never having tried that flower, its hard to say which I would prefer it with.

@@dorapinisetti3337 He was free to choose what to make wasn't he? It's an advantage.

@@carlangelo653 free to choose a dish from szeshwan peppers??? can u do it??? take like even a week, wil u get it perfect on the first go??

James is back!!

He's back 🥳

@@SortedFood I hope he feels all the love he’s getting in the comments. So happy he’s back!