Interestingly, the Iceland ones come in at £2.50 for an equivalent of 500g, and Youngs come in at £3.75 for an equivalent of 500g. So the ASDA ones (surprisingly?) end up being the cheapest based on weight alone.
That's exactly what I thought. Because the Iceland were also 50 p a fish but the Asda had an extra fish for 30 odd p more. But baldie said Iceland is the cheapest. I thought what?? That's not right. When I calculated you can clearly see how much it is per kg by dividing the price by the grams then multiplying by 1000. On a side note. That's how I shop. ( Comparing price per kg) for a completely fair comparison. Baldie: maths not your strongest subject buddy ? 😂
Fair play too ya mate I wouldn't mind having a mate like you with me when I'm spending my money out n about,you could be like 'rent a rainman' for all the sums and I don't have too worry 🤣🤣
I'm a 52 year old English guy that lives in Thailand however over a beer here I love watching your honest down to earth food reviews. You are a nice man full of charm and present your reviews in a way we all understand. Thank you very much for your reviews!!
he done the same to me pal,.. even made me buy an air fryer - got it in my office so I have some sneaky chicken burgers or pizzas etc after watching a vid!!!
It is a relief to find someone who talks in a straightforward way these days, between politicians, advertisers, scammers & religious evangelists, straightforward people can hardly get a word in edgeways.
Well Pollock maybe called a White Fish but the flesh isn't brilliant white like cod. It is naturally duller varying towards grey. And as for the taste, it is the batter that makes or breaks a fish fillet.
Fish is one food where I don't care if it comes processed or not. Don't have an air fryer so would ignore the oven cook instructions (they either stick or the bottom of the batter ends up soggy) and deep fry for 4-5 minutes. Some people might baulk at it being pollock but to be honest its near enough to cod in taste and texture for me.
I can honestly say that I genuinely enjoy watching these videos everyday because it's an honest, unbiased review! You're not afraid to tell the truth and you're always respectful. This definitely is my go-to channel! Great video, thanks for uploading 🙂
Love fish could eat it every day Cod Haddock Place or Rock. Just had a nice bit of beer battered Cod & chunky thick chips with mushy peas & a pint of pride. In my local pub all fresh cooked not reheated frozen. Not cheap but well worth it.
I've tried various fish fillets, fish fingers etc and they all fall far short of the mark. I think I should go old school, buy some fresh fish and batter it myself.
alot of these cheap fish in batter products usually use cheap fish such as pollock, Bassa etc too keep the price down and often use reformed fish. Its worth paying the extra to get some real cod fillets which are not reformed.
Thank you for your reviews. Always worth a watch!! I’m not a fan of pre-processed fish. They’re always a bit dry. The fish is NEVER like it’s shown on the box (snow white & luscious flakes of fish) It’s a joke. The manufacturers should be prosecuted for misrepresentation!! You can’t beat battering and deep frying your own fresh fish - no comparison. Thank you for your diligence and time in making these videos.
I love watching your videos each day! It’s part of my routine when I get in from work 🙂 I’ve taken on some of your recommendations and they’ve all been good.
have to say hats off to the bald foodie guy really great and as others have said no doom and gloom just fresh and informative to the point no nonsense fun bald foodie guy keep it up
The best fish is when you buy frozen fish and make your own batter !!!! Pollock is fantastic !!!! I use plain flour, salt ,water and some cornmeal. (not the white Cornflour) It's ground Maize !!! Put salt on the fish and dip it in the Batter, and straight in the fryer !!!!! What I hate about ready battered fish, is that they blast freeze it !!! Then when there is a thick layer of Ice, they dip the fish in batter !!!! So when you deep fry the fish the water escapes and the batter falls off !!! But my own batter sticks to the fish. You can make the batter bubbly by using self raising flour and some vinegar !!!!! But freshly battered fish is infinitely better than frozen fish !!!! You never see a Fish and Chip shop tip their Fish out of a Packet !!!! And I think it's vital to make real chips as opposed to the horrible Frozen Chips !!!! This will taste just as good as a Fish and Chip shop takeaway !!!!
Gareth , I noticed that all of the fish are pollack and presumably, going by their uniform size and thickness, they’re all of the chopped and shaped style of presentation. Personally I prefer to have haddock in batter and in the thicker cut style even if it means that none of the pieces of fish are the same dimensions as the others in the same packet. It’s the size and definition of the flakes of flesh that definitely makes for a satisfying meal for me. Aldi, Morrisons and Youngs all produce their own chunky haddock portions, although you do have to search for them to avoid the chopped and shaped ones and they are at times a bit of a rare item as compared to cod or coley or pollack.
Just discovered your excellent channel, which I'm enjoying very much. You're informative and engaging and reassuring - an ideal combination in these difficult times. Thank you so much!
What some foods look like on the box are totally different in real life. I once bought a meal from Tesco, looked lovely on the box, looked nothing like it when I took it out and cooked it. Good videos. It's useful to see what others think.
I am not sure why Young's would brand those fish fillets as 'Chip Shop' as I have never in my entire existence seen a Fish and Chip selling Alaskan Pollock. I have seen cod, haddock and plaice, and even queen scallops but never Alaskan Pollock. To be fair if I was going to buy frozen fish, which I do on occasion, I think I would spend the extra pennies and get cod or haddock because that pollock looked absolutely rank.
Pollock is very nice. It's a perfect replacement for overfished Cod. The Young's fish is very good and the batter is outstanding. I never buy anything else other than Youngs, and you cannot taste the difference between their Cod fillets and the Pollock ones.
@@susi-emily I think there are ways of sustaining fish stocks and that these methods should be applied and used. Alaskan pollock may well be plentiful at present but the US also has a factory fishing industry that could endanger fish stocks there too so these things are never as straight forward as they seem. Utilizing US fish stocks merely shifts a general problem with over fishing in the Atlantic to over fishing in the Pacific.
Personally, if buying these types of frozen fish, I always chose either cod or haddock as they are usually from a sourced fishing area and UK fished, when it says white fish fillet these are usually pollock which can come from Vietnamese river fish and have known to have a very high mercury levels as their rivers are highly contaminated. So, buying cheap is not always a sensible option. Spot on as always fella👍
That's a fallacy made up by the Americans to try and hit Vietnamese prawn sales and get them banned, there is no solid evidence to support the American claim. There has been research to refute the claims.
The similarity of the boxes would suggest to me they are all made on the same production line - by Youngs in Grimsby. They just change the batter mix for the Youngs own brand. I used to work there, so I'm pretty certain of this
I always buy the Iceland 'Luxury' ones. Worth paying a bit extra for as you get a decent fish fillet inside. Most of them seem to be more batter than fish.
I love battered fish but it's a rare treat. I probably have it about 3 times a year from the chippy. The frozen ones from the supermarket are nothing like the fish you get in the takeaway.. I'd rather save my money up and get the real thing and enjoy it as a treat
All looked pretty samey to be honest, I don't think you can beat the lovely tasty crispy fish that you get from the fish and chip shop though (despite the extortionate cost nowadays)!!!!!!
A very thorough and scientific study if these 3 products … I eat my fillets with baked beans btw 😀 excellent review look forward to many more like these 👍🏻
Gareth, you certainly picked the Bones out of that one ! Well, with Fish and Chips now nearly a Tenner everywhere at their local Chippie, people will be making their own. Great review, Thank You ! 👏👍😉
defo. cant afford fish an chips x2 for the family @20 quid or a couple of boxes of these and make yer own chips. bloody hell ,even buying oven chips will be much cheaper. plus I trust gaz's opinion
Agree. Definitely need salt and vinegar on them. Bang em on a barm with a good chunk of mushy peas and curry sauce and happy days. Mmmm. I agree with the Youngs choice. Tried others but think Youngs is tastier.
I care for my 94yo mother. She insists I give her fish and chips every Friday. I have been through all the boxes of frozen battered cod from all the usual supermarkets. Her favourite is easily Morrisons battered cod steaks. They are currently £5-25 for a box of four. They were £3-95 last year!
The Asda ones are great, the Youngs ones are ok but a lot dearer. Haven't tried the Iceland ones. BTW, Asda Essentials white fish fillets are a huge bag of plain fish but yesterday I steamed one and added it to chopped leek, cheddar cheese & black pepper plus 1 jacket spud, then coated in egg and 1 slice of bread crumbed and made 4 of the best fishcakes I've ever had for about £1.30 and about 30 mins work. I served them with carrots & peas. Delicious!!
I'm going to give it a try today. I will be adjusting by adding in (finely chopped) a few capers, a shallot and a touch of horseradish (for a little bit of 'heat'). Plus baby potatoes on the side, with your suggestion of carrots & peas...👍
I wish alot more people would buy Pollock as Cod and Haddock are being over fished. Pollock is the same family as Cod and tastes the same. Unfotunately if it doesnt say Cod most people wont touch it. Shame
You’re kidding right?..pollock is rubbery tasteless rubbish…no comparison to Cod whatsoever CHIMPS are the same family as you… but would you let one drive your car?
School meals were Pollock many years ago and it's perfectly OK. Fish and Chip shops need to offer options as the price will change minds. Fish can be farmed in a factory environment and that is also a way to go in future as a lot of farmed product is infested with parasites unless nasty chemicals are used.
I was literally just polishing off an Iceland breaded cod fillet (from a pack of four) when I saw this latest video. Though a little more expensive than the Iceland fillet you are reviewing today, I just love them. Oh, and the fish is white all the way through. I haven't bothered with the big named brands of cod fillets since discovering the Iceland version.
Another good comparison thank you. Just 1 thing I'd like to ask if you don't mind. When you cook using the air frier, is it possible you could include the settings, time, and temp, as loads of us have air frier now and any help would be great. Cheers norm
You'll never go back, give the food a spray of rape seed or your prefers oil and you'll end up with something quicker and tastier than your average fan oven.
@@mickmoon925 Exactly when I first trained and cooked as a chef the two main cooking options were gas and electric imagine the bills for utility costs today in a busy restaurant.
Keep em coming bud, I always look forward to your videos. BTW you need to test again with salt n vinegar, who knows, the Youngs batter flavour may not stand out so much.
Hello from the yon side of the bridge. Just discovered your channel. Really good food review mate. Bet you'd sooner have a Pattie though. I always have to have one if I'm in Hull. They're so good.
You have to understand how the industry works. There are only a few companies left that make these products. Years ago there were a lot more. But today due to years of massive price down pressure from the Supermarkets (this practice has been going on since the 1980's), only a few survive. The reality is that most of these products are exactly the same, it's only the box they come in that puts them apart. The difference is with the " own brands " such as Youngs & Birdseye. Their products are unique to them. When i worked in the industry, most supermarkets would get the same product, but in their own boxes. Supermarkets don't make anything, they get others to do this for them. They just supply the manufacturer with their boxes. The machines are turned on and the same products are shoved into different boxes the whole shift, day after day. There were however, exceptions to this, a few Supermarkets did develop their own standards and insist that they had their own unique products. From memory, these included Marks & Spencers, Sainsbury's & Waitrose. Most of the others, were same product different box merchants. Must just clarify that i can't comment on the " new kids on the block " i.e Aldi & Lidl, as these were not around when i retired, 15 years ago. Hope this helps a few people to understand this game of largely smoke & mirrors.
Funny how you done this review. Fish on a Friday lol. We are having tonight Aldi Beer Battered Haddock Fillet with chips . Got it away last week to try. I hope it's spot on.
The fish looks very skinny Not flaky at all Looks assaulted and battered Definitely looks Pollock Keep up the good work love the blogs honesty is always the best policy and you always give honesty
Personally I prefer breadcrumbs to batter. I buy the cheapest wherever I'm shopping whether it Iceland, Aldi, lidl, Tesco or Sainsburys. I always make sure it's not pengasius/basa/cobbler fillets as these come from some filthy river in Asia and have probably been out of the water in a hot country for some time before they get processed.
All these are just minced white fish. Batter is better with salt and vinegar. All these suit a meal purpose and it’s more kids or lunch time food. It certainly isn’t battered chunky cod with actual fillets. The sort for evening meals.
Thanks for another good comparison. Just one nitpick though, if you don't mind, with the possible variation in individual fillets.Take the Asda fillet, 118gms. It's one of four fillets in a box of 500gms, so the other three weigh 382gms between them.
For me the Youngs are the only fish product that you can really add mushy peas and chips and feel you are eating in a chippy....they also do this with cod but it's even more expensive. Key question I have is: what did you cook them in? Deep Fryer? Air Fryer? That's key because if you deep fried them in a highly processed vegetable oil, (like most restaurants) you are destorying most of the Omega 3 goodness in the fish with Omega 6 rubbish. A real alternatve is to pan fry in olive oil or ghee...that's what we do. There is great stuff all over the internet that backs this up especialliy Dr Eric Berg's work. If it's an air fryer can you let me know the make and Model? Huge thanks. Great presentation, keep up this really important work.
I got mini corn dogs from iceland not tried them yet. For ages ive watched American's eat them and wondered what they are like lol now i can try them. Will probably be a one off but you need to try things at least once
I like salad cream with battered fish but usually I buy frozen Pollack fillets & make a fish pie with green beans & spring greens & sometimes sweetcorn, in a white or sometimes cheese sauce & topped with 2 or 3 veg', out of mashed carrots/swede/butternut/celariac/parsnip. A little grated parmesan or cheddar on top. That way it is a whole nutritious meal, no need to add extra veg & it will last me for several days & is quite healthy. I vary the seasonings at each meal, using herbs, black pepper, lemon etc, so I don't get too bored. I am thinking I might add a little very cheap white wine to the sauce next time, if I can run to it.
ASDA one for me the batter and fish great taste, but its no good having a Youngs batter beat the purpose of the product, the fish and batter combined... the price also, ASDA mid price, but what would they be like with tartar sauce and a slice of lemon?
Another great review for the consumer's choice. Yes the cheaper two's flesh was anything but white flesh. If it wasn't for the breading or batter we wouldn't buy it. You can hide all manner of nasties in crumb and batter. I had Hoki fish bites for dinner last night and they were awful 😕👎 and to top it off was they were the most expensive of the range. Just goes to show that price isn't always quality. Cheers Gareth 👍🤤😀
To make weighing things easier, you should zero the scales with an empty plate on, then just swap the plates with food. I dont think theres much difference in those except the youngs had better batter. They all look desperate for salt&vinigar..
One thing I won't skimp on is battered fish. I don't like pollock very much so I buy either Tesco cod or haddock which is excellent and IMHO worth paying more for.
