YouTube Video ID: -QGmiO4myiA
Episode Post Date: May 20, 2026
GMM Episode Number: 3048
Transcript
Are expensive ingredients really worth it? Let's talk about that. Good Mythical Morning. Top shelf ingredients are always tempting, and not just because they're at my eye level, okay? That's not why I'm saying that. But are they actually better than their cheaper counterparts? It's time for Food Price Fight. Top shelf versus bottom shelf. Brittany, uh, word on the street is that you are the resident cheapskate. That is not how I refer to myself. Matt Carney gave me that name. But I just like a good deal. You like a good deal. I like the thrill of getting a good deal. Okay. Well, today we're gonna see if these good deals, uh, are worth it when things are assembled, right? That's right. Um, these are huevos rancheros. Yes. One was made with the cheapest ingredients, and the other was made with the most expensive ingredients, both from Ralphs. So you can see the ingredients used for each dish on the podiums. Oh. Give them a try and see if you can taste which was made with the cheapest. Oh, so- I'm a little annoyed 'cause, uh, being the resident cheapskate is half of my job. Ah, that's right. Right. Which half? Well, let's see it. Come on now, turn, turn. Do your, do your job. Yeah, I mean, like, I'm not willing to spend any money on groceries. I'm totally going all in. But what about the other guy? I mean, I can't go that low- Oh ... and spend on something like this. Like this, ugh, I feel gross even touching it. That was probably- Wow. Yeah, I get it. It's that- So expensive ... look at that cheap tomato. Never, never. Okay, uh, I love a huevos rancheros. Huevos. I like to say huevos. Huevos rancheros. I want to stay away from those - the runny part. Away from, away from those. No, don't do that. Let me, let me- I mean, look at- Don't do that yet just on this side. Let me, let me do this before you do that. Yeah, I- It's a race- I'm not gonna spread it to your side ... for me to get this before you start- I'm not spreading to your side ... to ooze the, the yolk everywhere. The goodness? I went through a phase where I was making this for myself. And then I just kind of forgot about it. You know, sometimes you're like, just forget something? I've never forgotten anything. And then you realize that time has passed and you're just like, "Why don't I treat myself that way anymore?" So that you'll be revived with it later in life, which is now. Hmm. That's pretty good. Uh, I successfully dodged the, the, the runny circle. Duh. And I'm gonna do that here too. Hold, hold, I'm keeping it isolated, man. I'm keeping it separated. I like the white part of the egg. They call that the white, white part of the egg. Oh, God, something's happening over there. Hmm. Well, I mean, we're not, we don't need to play dumb. We know which side is more expensive because of the color of the yolk. This yolk is super orange, and that one is super yellow. The salsa Tastes different on this side. Of course, it could be one of those things where, like, really expensive eggs now imitate- they're really vibrant, but then they imitate the cheaper egg. So it could be a reversal, a double reverse. Is there really that much of a difference? I kinda thought there was at first. Now I'm k- I'm kinda confused myself. I'm not really tasting a difference here, for me. Hmm. There is a difference. The only difference to me is the color of that yolk, and maybe it would be in the taste of it, but I'm just not ready to do that. I think the salsa of one is a little bit better. What are we, what are we doing? Choosing which one we like better? Nope. You're putting your hand over the cheaper dish. Oh, the cheaper dish. Okay. Ready to guess? All right. Cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap. So place your hand in three, two, one. Gotta be the yellow egg. The cheapest dish was on Rhett's side. Yes. Okay. No surprises there. Chase will now remove the price tag on the cheaper ingredient podium to see the total price for those ingredients. Okay. Oh, yeah. This is real cheap. Whoa. $23.80. For everything. For all of this that you see here, yeah. Pretty nice. Now, why are expensive organic eggs oranger- I wouldn't know something like that ... Nicole? I know why. It has to do with the feed. A lot of the times some farmers like to feed chickens spicy peppers that have... 'Cause they can't taste capsaicin, but it changes the color of their yolks to be a little bit more orange. Does it make it taste better? No, I think that's just the practices of the farm. It's just to make you th- it, it makes it seem like it's more rich- Yeah. Yes ... and, like, nutriti- nutritious Oh. Yes. But the chicken is getting more stuff that it's eating. Correct. And I do think- So maybe that helps ... the farming practices, you know, free range- Ah ... they're, they're able to roam freely also helps with the condition and flavor of their eggs, too. Okay. Um, $23.80. That's not, that's not bad for all of that. You'll get two more points for getting the, uh, price of the most expensive version, getting closest. If you have any questions about the expensive stuff, I'll have, uh, my chef answer some of those for you. 'Cause I, I don't know, I just give the credit card. Okay. Uh uh uh, yeah. I love it when I get a solid laugh. Okay. Okay, Rhett, let's see your answer. I said $57.23, quite a increase. And Link. $45.01. All right. Not that much difference. Chase, please remove the more expensive price tag. Whoa. $48. Nice, Link. I have got it. Wow. I'm glad, because it didn't taste any different different to me. Uh, I thought it tasted very slightly different, but not that different to justify spending more than twice as much on the ingredients. Nicole, what's the one item if you were going to plus up that, that you would buy? I would always go for the name brand can of beans. Oh. Mm. And for the eggs, yeah. In my experience, I just think they're- Before the eggs? Yes. I think the can of beans is more consistent all the way through. I find that they're perfectly cooked. Sometimes I get, like, a random dry bean. Oh, a random dry bean. And, like, even in a refried bean, a random, or, like, something really mealy- Well, there you go ... it doesn't really do it for me. But what we're saying is go with the bargain. Boujee. Bargain. Yep, I just said the wrong word. But what we're saying is go with the bargain. Bargain. Next up, we have pepperoni pizza made with ingredients bought at Walmart. And by the way, the prize for today is an array of discounted items found in the Ralphs clearance section. Uh-oh. So that should give you some motivation. Ralphs. Oh, that means something you'd really love, huh? What? Yeah. You know, I always check out the clearance section. There can, you can find some good stuff there. What's this story about you getting, going to a parking lot for some cookies or something? Uh, it's basically what it sounds like. Somebody DM'd me on Instagram and asked if I would meet her in the IKEA parking lot and try some cookies that she baked. And I did it, and they were- Why? incredible cookies. She wanted notes? Yeah, basically. She wanted to know what I thought of them. Um, my palate is respected, and they were really good cookies. Well? And then what? She killed you? And I lived to tell the tale, and I think she's a very nice woman, and I like her a lot, and I've gotten the cookies since. Oh, now you're paying for them. It's a free game. Now I'm paying for them. That's how they get you hooked. Yeah. But as a show, like, we don't recommend meeting people in parking lots. No, I can't endorse doing that. And this is also not an invitation for anybody to try to kidnap me in a really easy way. Yeah, right. How do you feel about that? It's a bigger slice. And how does that make you feel? That the, that the crust is the thing that is dramatically different. And where do you feel that? In my hands right now. Mm. I'm try- this is what my therapist does. Yeah. And this is what you do to your therapist. I'm like just in, in my hands. I usually make something up just to, like, keep the conversation going. Oh, like, I think I feel it kind of in here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's sort of in here. Am I doing a good job? Sometimes I'll ask. Are you doing a good job? Yeah, to my therapist. No, you're not. Thin crust. Dramatically crappier experience in terms of taste. What is happening there? It tastes bad. What is going on? I mean, I'm looking over here at this pizza crust. Pillsbury is in a can. Great Value is in a, uh- Way out of the thing ... a Ziploc bag. But again- What is happening with this crust? The, the, the expensive mozzarella, but then the other mozzarella, and then the other Celtic salt is better than kosher salt, right? Oh, yeah. It's kosher salt. Don't get me started. Don't get him started on that. I can- It's so, it's so nice. I think that the- Yeah, it's more sugar ... tomato sauce over here is just, like, rancid. No, this pizza's pretty good. All right. Ready to guess? It's gotta be- Which one's cheaper? Yeah. Place your hand over the cheaper dish in three, two, one. What? The cheapest- What? ... pepperoni pizza- Ain't no way, dude ... was on- Uh uh ... Link's side. Yeah. What, what, what were you trying to do here? I saw that big old crust, and I was like, "This is a big crust." All right. Chase will now remove the price tag on the cheaper ingredient podium. That's right, my fellow cheapy. Wow. $25. $25. That pepperoni is just not good. Like, and this pepperoni, if I just... So for two more points- So much better ... what do you think the more expensive price is? How did they make the crust so bad? They took the time to make a crust and sell it, and it tastes so bad. Yeah, it's icky. Mm. Okay. Well, I thought I was pulling a fast one on you, Link. I j- I just think the $25 is overpriced. Well, you get those spices. You ke- uh, you get keeping to use those, whatever words I'm trying to say. You know what I mean. Ke- Keeping to keep close. You can use those again. Mm-hmm. So that big thing of oil, that's gonna drive some cost. All right. Rhett, let's see yours. 49.68. Ooh, $51. Ooh. Okay. Chase, please- Oh, I- ... remove the more expensive price tag. Oh my God. So much more. What is happening here? I got you again. The olive oil was the big price difference here. Mm. It brought the more expensive pizza's price up by $16. Oh, $16 alone. Yeah. But is that the thing that you should really spend the money on, Nicole, or is it just- Olive oil's important, right, Nicole? It is important, but for me, definitely it's the chub of pepperoni that you get to slice yourself by hand is what I would- Ooh ... definitely spend my money on. So much better. And- And the crust ... and the crust, of course, naturally. And you called it a chub, huh? You did say that this is a chub. Is that what it's called? Yeah, it's a chub of sausage. Is this new for everyone? Yeah. Well, I'm gonna say it from now on. You should. It's making some slang make more sense to me. So what we are seeing clearly is boujee. Boujee. All right, okay. We've been given instructions on how to do this- Turn, turn over our hot lava cakes ... without hurting ourselves or you. I'm gonna take this out, and then I'm gonna go like this And then I'm gonna go like this. Okay. Then I'm gonna go like this. Oh. Got a little bit of- We... But you know what we did? The top of my volcano is in my ramekin. But the thing that we do have is we have... Ooh, I'm scared. We do have that. I mean, look at that. Look at that. Look at that. Oh, yeah. Lava. See, now, if an egg yolk tasted like chocolate, I'd be in a different, I'd be in a different position. Let me taste yours. Noted. And then I'm gonna taste mine. So this is a chocolate peanut butter lava cake, huh? That is good. That's right. Good gracious, y'all. Only the best for the peanut butter boys. Mm. That's right. Mm. Dang. That's decadent. All right. While that's still fresh in my, in my mouth, I'm gonna compare it to this one. Hm. Let's see though. I mean, how could it be better than that? What are you hiding from over there? I'm scared of lava. Okay. Oh, yeah. Mm-hmm. Is it hot? So we got some Once Again peanut butter versus some 365 peanut butter. Have you ever had that Once Again stuff? Mm-mm. Uh, I don't know. I have... I'm rich. This is dramatically different. Something about the chocolate. This is so fudgy over here. It's good, isn't it? Mm-hmm. I'm trying to look at what kind of chocolate. Semisweet chocolate chips versus- Hm ... Guittard. It's called Guittard. Guittard? Yeah. It's one of my favorite brands, actually. I use it all the time. Would you like to get Guittard? Visit- then visit the Whole Foods expensive section. I don't know which one's better, man. I mean, I don't know which one's... I know which one's better. This one. I don't know which one is cheaper. Yeah, I know. I know, man. And I'm so far down at this point. All right. I can't win, Link, unless you give me an olive branch. If you, um, if you guess the right one and you guess the price within 10 cents. 10 cents? What? Oh, you'll take it? All right. I'll give you the whole thing. Okay. 'Cause I haven't won this since 2024. But you, like, won the first number of times that we did it. I won a couple of times, and then you won, what, three times? Before we guess which one's cheaper- Yeah ... because you've created this incredible moment that people are gonna stick around for. Oh, okay. I'm gonna take this opportunity to let you know that we have teamed up- With Story Pirates, okay? To celebrate our new book, Spaghetti Head and Chicken Fingers. And Story Pirates- Mm this is a, this is a podcast. It's the number one podcast for kids and families. So what they do is they take stories written by kids and they turn them into sketch comedy and songs, featuring comedians, actors, musicians, and special guests. And they are looking- Very cool ... they are looking for original kid-written stories about the theme you are what you eat, which is the theme of our book. They'll choose one story to adapt for a very special Spaghetti Head and Chicken Fingers themed bonus episode of the Story Pirates podcast, and every story that's submitted will get a personal handwritten note of encouragement for, uh, their kid author. So they're gonna get- Nice ... from the Story, uh, from the Story Pirates people to your kid who writes. So you can send in your kids' stories today at storypirates.com/mythical, and they will really turn it into something very, very special if you're the one that's chosen. Okay? And grown-ups, pre-order Spaghetti Head and Chicken Fingers now at mythicalbooks.com. All right, ready to guess? Yes. Yes. Place your hand over the cheaper dish in three, two, one. I'm just going with the one I, I like less. I am 100%... What? Positive? I'm 100% positive that I like this one more and it's cheaper. You're 100% positive that's cheaper? So what's your reason? Peanut butter. Yeah, I thought you might be a peanut butter expert. The cheapest lava cake was on Link's side. Oh. No. Hey, all right, I'm still alive. What happened? I'm still alive. Is it the chocolate that did it? Well, we'll find out. This is so much better. I really thought that the peanut butter was just so sugary and you know how oily fancy peanut butter gets, but I was wrong. Chase will now remove the price tag on the cheaper ingredient pro- podium. Or will he? It's harder than it looks. Or will he? $28.83. Now, for two more points, what do you think the price of the more expensive version is? I gotta get within 10 cents to win. Oh, oh. Guittard. $47. $56.47. Ooh. Well, 47 was in the air. Okay. Chase, please remove the more expensive price tag. Okay. Ah. Dang, son. We are not learning anything. What did- What did that... Okay, what was the big price difference? The flour was $7 more, the eggs were $9 more, and the salt was about $12 more. Salt was- Yeah ... expensive salt. So the stuff that made it better, though, was the chocolate, right? I think the chocolate had a big thing to do with it, yeah. Yeah The chocolate is so nice. Okay. So rich. Yeah. But not the m- the biggest difference, so that's obviously the thing you wanna, you wanna bump up. Yeah, I would say, like, the technique is the thing that makes it the most delicious. The chocolate just adds that richness and that beautiful flavor that you're looking for. If you just gave me that one, I would be like, "That's very good." Mm-hmm. Not knowing that this existed. Right. Right? Yeah. Same. So I think the fact- And now you do ... that I do know that this exists- But that's a lot. I mean, that is a lot of difference, though. Mm-hmm. Yeah, but think about all you can do with that flour and that salt. That salt's gonna last you a year. But- You know what I mean? But it's... You shouldn't be buying that expensive stuff, right? I- For that stuff. I wouldn't. Me, personally, I wouldn't. Yeah, see? But when it comes to making this dish, this was by far the biggest difference between two dishes that we've had the whole day. Yeah, it was. I mean, I think we gotta go boujee, brother. Boujee. Yeah. Okay. Well, but Link, you took it home. You took it home. It's back in your court again. Yep. I gave you your chance, and you were, you were... did not do it. Way off. All right. Link, that means you've won a selection of wonderful items from the Ralphs clearance section. It's, um, gonna be amazing. I know it, Rhett. Obviously, I'm starting off with- Not one, but two pool noodles? Two. Look, and you know what? I'll sh- A big one and a small one ... I'll share it with you. I got some seasonal cups and bowls. Oh, I got some cap erasers. And some... Oh, I got- I stuck your cup in my chocolate by accident ... panda stickers. Black ice. Hand sanitizer. I mean, I can get some points at home with these panda stickers, so this is actually gonna help me out. Panda points? Yep. Christy collects stickers that she never sticks on anything for some reason. So, uh, I'ma give her these to not stick on anything ever. And then I've got this Hot Wheel that is an egg on a race car. Wow, you really lucked out. I wish I would have won. Of course- Who puts an egg on a race car? Oh, I had my eye on that, but yeah. Someone else grabbed it. I love the clearance section. Oh. Well, you can have this, Chase. Oh, thank you. Thanks for commenting and sharing this video. You know what time it is. Hi, I'm Claire. And I'm Sean. And we just got married, and it's time to spin- Time to spin the Wheel of Mythicality ... the Wheel of Mythicality. Congratulations. Congratulations. I love it when people who've just gotten married are thinking about us. Yes, me too, Link. Yes, I love that. I also love giving $1,000 to the Equal Justice Initiative to aid in their mission to end mass incarcer- incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenge racial and economic injustice, and to protect basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society. And you can join us in giving at the link below. Click the top link to see if we can name 100 women- Uh-oh ... in Good Mythical More. We can't.