(lively holiday music) (scene whooshing)
(upbeat music) (static crackling)
(scene whooshing) - This is gonna be a lot of fun, lift the cloche on Number One. - What is this, does it spin? - It spins and surely you
put something in there, rotate like that to grind it. - Fine, okay-
- But it's- - So, I was thinking it might go in, but no, it's coming out. - I'm gonna put you out your misery, you're correct with grinder, but what are you putting inside? - It's gonna be fairly soft 'cause that's only plastic teeth and it's not like, it's not a meaty grind, you know, like it's not, I don't mean meaty as in animal meat, I mean like, grr. - Yeah, and it would need to be something- - [Jamie] Doesn't help.
- Yeah, it's not, it doesn't feel hugely-
- Grr. - Grr.
(both laughing) - It doesn't feel, err you know, like, it's not a tough grinder. - No, it's more like a meow.
- Yeah. Like the, is it like the
bonito flake type things? But how'd you get them flaky? You put it in there,
(grinder whirring) I'm just thinking it's thin and it could come out. - Katsuobushi you're thinking of? - [Jamie] Katsuobushi? - It's not that.
(upbeat music continues) This ingredient the Japanese
consume more of per head than anywhere else in the world. - Sesame seeds but- - Sesame seeds could be a good one. - But does that, it doesn't grind, it just-
- Distributes. - Distributes? But then so does that and that's,
(upbeat music continues) you don't have to pay for that. Plus it's not plastic and that will last,
(Jamie laughing) I'm hoping over 80 years. (laughing) - This is the Slicky
and sesame seed grinder. - Oh, so it-
- Yeah! Oh.
(box rattling) - [Ben] So, what you'll
find in many restaurants, noodle bars-
- No, don't, don't- - Is something to grind, not just sesame, sometimes it's a combination of things, but to add sesame as a garnish. - So there's some whole, some ground. - It's doing, like, a mixture
of sizes, I would say, you're not getting a
consistent tiny sesame, but you are also not getting consistent, just sesame distribution. - It is a easy, safe way
to add sesame as a garnish to your dishes in a public place. So, in a restaurant you
can pass the grinder as you would a pepper
mill from person to person and rather than put your fingers into a communal bowl and sprinkling, it's gonna do that job.
- Got it! - That makes sense, yeah.
- Great. - It may grind some of them, but it is also just scattering. Would you like to try it on something? - Yes.
- Yes, please. (scene whooshing)
(upbeat music continues) - Oh!
- Hello. (sniffing) Sesame oil, that's radiating-
- Yes. - Yep, what you've got
there is our miso steak with sesame roasted greens from Sidekick, a really simple throw
together midweek meal. - I assume with high grade Wagyu, seeing as we're exploring Japanese? - No, the beautiful thing about fusion is we can also celebrate
our local regional, well-fed, grass-fed beef. - So, rather than A5 it's up the A1? (Jamie laughing)
(drum roll music) - That is a niche joke.
(Ben laughing) - Right, but those-
- But it's forgiven. - But those who know the
road network in the UK and their Wagyu beef will be on the floor right now. (Ben laughing)
(upbeat music continues) - Enjoy, that single person.
(Jamie laughing) Let's do it!
- Have a go. (upbeat music continues) - You did get a fair amount
on the table around us. - Yeah, I didn't really move my hand, but-
- So, is that your, what I'm saying is, is that the gadget's full? So, in terms of reviewing the product- - Yep, yep, yep.
- It's- - [Mike] Dispersed.
- Dispersed. - Good to see you've got
some greenery there, mate. - I do, I've got some spring onion. - So, there's a handful of flavours we might associate with Japanese cuisine, miso, matcha, yuzu-
- Oh! - Definitely soy, but sesame is one of those and you get them in paste form, sauce form, seed form, garnishes, seasonings. - I'd never thought about
having it on the table as we would have salt and pepper. - [Ben] In noodle bars-
- Wow, that is great. - And equivalent,
(upbeat music continues) you've got a nice bowl of
steaming noodles or ramen, you can dispense and grind your own. - That just everything, right? The sesame oil-
- Yeah. - The sweet and salty sort of glaze or very light sauce, it's just fantastic. - Now obviously you can put
different sesame seeds in there. Black sesame, you've got
the white sesame there, you can get golden sesame seeds, you could put a blend of them, you can put roasted sesame seeds in there. It's also plausible for things like a furikake kind of mix that you could put a blend of spices and things in there. - So you're not really
looking to grind them up and make them smaller, you're just looking to distribute them in a hygienic way.
- Hygienic. - [Jamie] Yeah.
- I think it will do both, but I think it is more just
that application of seed. - It makes everything
look great, doesn't it, A scattering of sesame seeds?
- Yeah. - Option like that, how much do you reckon? - It feels like it's probably gonna last, I'd pay £5 for that.
(grinder thumping) - In my head I had £5.99, but did you want it in yen, because we didn't discuss
exchange rates and things? - If you could do it in yen, happy to accommodate. One pound is equal to 182 yen currently. - Okay.
- Oh, even better, okay.
- Great. 1,200 yen! - And I'm going to 1,000, I'm going around 1,000. You're going around a 1,000.
- Yeah. - Yeah. - You've made this game more complicated than it needed to be.
(all laughing) On the current exchange rate today, 1,638 yen.
(cash register ringing) It was £9 we paid for that.
- Mm. - £9?
- That feels about right. It doesn't, it's not doing
anything extraordinary, it's not gonna change your world, but it's just a good- - It does one thing really well. - It's a really helpful thing. - And what I like about what it does is that it was something that's not particularly familiar to me, but a great idea and something that I'd like to do more of 'cause it tastes
(upbeat music continues) and it makes your food look a lot better. - Should we move on to Number Two? - Hang on a sec, yep, now we can. (scene whooshing)
(static crackling) (upbeat music continues) - What is that? - Oh, oh, oh, I know! Put something in there, you heat it- - It doesn't sound like you know. - Right, shut up.
(Mike laughing) You put liquid in there-
- Yeah? - You heat it up and then you pour it out and so, I dunno why you
do it with three spouts. - How many?
- Three, oh- - What spouts?
- Four, four. - Do you put batter in it or like, noo, noo, I was thinking noodle mix or something-
- Oh! - [Mike] That you want to come out in individual strands-
- Oh, yeah. - [Mike] And then put it
into frying oil to fry it but then that doesn't mean- - Not a noodle mix but-
- Yeah, I mean- - I like you're thinking on perhaps like a tempura batter or something to give you those scrappy bits.
- Yeah. - It's not that, but it's not a bad idea, you put something in the hole and it comes outta four holes. - For a right-handed person.
(upbeat music continues) - Does it not work for left? - No.
(Mike laughing) - I don't think you'll
get its very specific use, but this is a four hole sauce pourer, but specifically unagi teriyaki. It is for eel. - Unagi is eel, isn't it?
- Oh, right, yeah, yeah. - Would you like to have a go? - Yeah, because I still want to know why I need four strands? - You're not gonna get
four eels outta that, are you?
(Ben laughing) - You're not putting the eel in the hole. You're putting the eel sauce
(both laughing) or tari in the hole and pouring it over the eel.
(ethereal music) So what you've got there
is partially glazed, partially cooked eel, what you're gonna do is
finish it with the glaze and then blow torch it. - So, what's in this glaze? - [Ben] It's an eel sauce or tari-
- Oh, sweet, sticky, salty, banging.
(Jamie laughing) - [Ben] And you kind of dip and then pour away from you. You should get a nice even-
- Like that? - [Ben] Yeah. - [Mike] That is very satisfying to do. Fantastic.
(Jamie laughing) - And now you just need to torch it. (torch thumping)
(ethereal music continues) - Ooh, I can do that bit. That's left-handed.
(Mike laughing) - Yeah, you're gonna do this?
- Yeah, I am. - Oh, I'm worried, 'cause you are left-handed. (blow torch humming)
(upbeat music) (blow torch blasting) - [Ben] You get all the wonderful sugar and umami from the sauce glazed over the eel.
- Okay. So, Japan, so traditionally
(blow torch thumping) we'd do this three or four times? Keep adding, keep glazing, keep adding? - So it's nice and sticky, deep colour and you do that final glaze just before serving it, even though the eel was previously cooked. - Okay.
- I think it's a real shame because in the UK we
used to eat a lot of eel, we even have an entire city,
(bubble popping) Ely,
(bell dinging) that was known for its eel production and catching and that sort-
- The way you say it makes me icky. (laughing)
- Ely! - [Ben] Ely.
- Ely. - Ely, Ely-
- But less so now, and yet unagi is a big
ingredient in Japan, and the four hole sauce pourer is required to make it perfect. - What's the difference from just pouring it from the jug? - Flow.
(upbeat music continues) - Remember it is called a teriyaki, so teri is is kind of the word for sauce and seasoning sauce, and kaki literally means to drizzle over. - Drizzle.
- Drizzle. - Not pour. - Okay, all right, that's fine. - Good.
- Fine. - Can we eat it?
- Yeah. So, we're serving it with some rice and pickled radish, some greens, but look at that glaze over the eel. - This is amazing, wow. Cheers.
(upbeat music continues) Kanpai. Holy moly, that eel-
- Mm. - Tastes so much better than it sounds. (Ben laughing)
(upbeat music continues) - Japanese style eel tastes so much better than putting it in jelly.
- Mm! - [Ben] Yeah! I mean, fact.
- 100%. - [Ben] So delicious. - That is stunning.
- That is lovely. - I think it's great, I think it's super satisfying to use, I think it does its job. It does require small amounts
out of all four nozzles to distribute the glaze evenly. - I think you could get similar results from using other equipment. - A squeezy bottle with more of a shush? - Yeah. For me, this is a gadget that lives in history and tradition, rather than necessarily
being the most useful thing that we could use nowadays. - You only need it if you're serving an awful lot of unagi and that makes the job perfect every time. Question is how much? - 1,820 yen.
(upbeat music continues) - No, 2,314. - 5,500 yen, which puts it at £29.99 is what we paid for it,
(cash register ringing) so about 30 quid for your
four hole sauce pourer. - If you're making a lot of unagi and you want to do it the traditional way, of course you're going
to buy one of those. - Mm.
(upbeat music continues) - I think outside of
those two prerequisites- - A squeezy bottle's fine. Okay, boys ready for another one? - Oh, yeah.
- Yes please, if there's food.
(scene whooshing) - If you're enjoying this, there are some small things you can do that make a big difference to us. Like the video,
(button clicking) subscribe if you aren't,
(button clicking) click the notification bell
(bell dinging) and select all.
(button clicking) (button clicking) Thanks.
(scene whooshing) (static crackling)
(scene whooshing) Another niche application, lift the cloche. - Oh, I like this, though, it's got bits.
(metal clanging) - Oh, it's got a thermometer on the front. - Oh, yeah, is it for rice? - Ramen?
(upbeat music continues) - Ramen, could be for ramen. - Ramen broth, but what would you need so- - So, stainless steel bowl-
(metal clanging) - That you need a precise temperature on? - A red line between 160
and 180 degrees. (gasping) What do you usually cook things at 160 to 180?
- You fry. - You fry things.
- Oil. - So, we're putting oil in here so we know what temperature our oil is at. Is it like a fondue? It's like a Japanese fondue! - You (laughing) are so, I thought you were gonna say, well we mentioned earlier, tempura. - Yeah?
- And you went, I was like, "Oh my
goodness, he's cracked it", and then you went, "Fondue." - But you're gonna cook something in there because then you're gonna
put it on there to like dry. - This is a Japanese-style
tempura frying pan. - Oh, hey!
(hands clapping) - Fill it with oil, you can slowly dip and fry your items and then they sit on your rack to drain and excess oil drips back into your pan, it keeps them kinda slightly warm over the warm pan until you serve them crispy and golden. - Wow.
(upbeat music continues) - That's so Japanese.
- Yeah, that's great. - Would you like to try some? - Yes!
- Are we gonna use this? We're gonna use it? - Oh, nice.
- Yeah, definitely. (scene whooshing)
(energetic music) It's halfway there.
- Yes. - Let's fry some stuff. - Should we go with some baby corn? - Yes, let's do some corn.
- A selection of veggies to flour, batter-
- I'm gonna do it. - And then fry. - [Jamie] Tempura batter is different, talk to me.
(energetic music continues) - We've made it with a
combination of corn flour, cake flour and then
sparkling water before. - I tried doing it with cassava, that didn't work so well.
(scene whooshing) - It's going into some seasoned flour and then your tempura batter, often made with ice cold sparkling water and then flour. - And you get just such a
light crispy, puffy result, which is really, really nice. - [Ben] So as you're doing it, a couple things to observe. What do you notice? - The oil is very well contained. - The lid is almost got a lip over it that stops any splash. - The handles aren't hot because they're detached, they're not part of the body, they're bolted on. - [Ben] And the thermostat,
it's simple enough, it just slides through a hole.
- Yeah. - [Jamie] I think the
corn is pretty much there. - [Mike] Yeah, whack it
up onto the draining rack. - Corn went in first, oh, look at that,
(energetic music continues) and as soon as you got space, you go some prawns, as well. - The drainage rack is actually genius because-
- It's brilliant. - I do fry stuff, mostly chicken at home, and if there was a version that was slightly bigger than this, it would save me getting the plate, getting a rack and then putting the paper underneath it. It's all just in one-
- Yeah. - So, it kinda saves you on that extra bit of effort and mess. - And the oil drips back into the pan as opposed to being soaked up by paper which you throw away.
- Paper, which you're gonna throw away.
- Exactly. Do you wanna get some prawnies going? - [Mike] I'm gonna prep a prawn. (energetic music continues) (energetic music continues) - [Jamie] Well, I'd like to say that we did a great job. - That's a superb plate of brown, (Jamie laughing) isn't it? I'm trying the corn first, we've got a sweet, sticky soy glaze. - [Ben] With a bit of luck, light, crispy.
- Absolutely. - [Ben] I can hear the crunch. - That is how you make veg taste great. (Ben laughing)
(Jamie chuckling) - It works perfectly and more useful than a normal saucepan, 'cause it's got thermometer on it. The drying rack is genius, the fact it's slightly
enclosed is fantastic. - [Mike] It's just a really
simple, well-thought out all in one-
- Fryer. - Fryer. - And if you had to guess a yen value? - 7,280 yen. - 10,920 yen. - Bargain to be had, it was £30.99, which makes it 5,600 yen.
(cash register ringing) - [Mike] That is a bargain.
- Yeah- - I'm gonna get one.
- Really is a bargain. - It's only a pound more than your four hole sauce pourer. - Oh, pfft, pfft! Not even comparable.
- Oh, yes. (laughing) I like both of them.
(Jamie laughing) I think it's fantastic.
- Yeah, for £30, that is brilliant
(energetic music continues) because it's like a saucepan but better. (static crackling)
(scene whooshing) - Konnichiwa, another day
(upbeat music) and our fourth gadget has finally arrived in the post. - Hi, I'm in this video.
- You've changed. (Barry laughing) - It's worth waiting for, lift the cloche. - That's... (laughing)
- Ooh, jaunty. - [Mike] Look at that jiggle-jiggle! - [Barry] Ooh, goodness, so you've got like a little, um, a- - Maybe don't put your fingers in it. - Oh, it's, that looks sharp.
(Ben laughing) It looks like a ma- - Oh, hang on.
- What? It looks like an over-engineered grater. - [Mike] Yeah, but why is it-
- Peeler? - [Mike] Why is it doing that? - I'll give you a clue, what's the handle for? - Crank it.
- Turn it? - [Ben] You turn it-
- You crank that. - This, bear with me, is the Chiba Kogyosyo Tsuma Taro Turner. - [Mike] Tsuma-
- What, what are you? - [Ben] Tsuma taro turner. - I think you put some
sort of vegetable on it and it does a jiggy-jiggy slice. (Barry laughing)
(upbeat music continues) - It is a vegetable jiggy-jiggy slicer. - Okay, great, well done.
(Barry laughing) - [Ben] Would you like
to see it in action? (hands clapping) - Yes, please.
- Yes! - So that removes,
(part clattering) you put something in this, right? I'm thinking daikon. - I have been to the grocers for you, we have a selection of vegetables for you to turn, slice and net. (finger tapping)
(upbeat music continues) - Net? - Let's start with a thin sheet, otherwise called katsuramuki. - So, the-
- Daikon? - Daikon first. (laughing)
- Right. - The longest, straightest
daikon I've ever seen. - So, we probably need- - Like so much Japanese cuisine, it's about precision. - [Mike] So, that would
be there to about there? - [Barry] Yeah. (knife thunking)
(upbeat music continues) Okay?
- Okay. - Just push down-
- In? Oh, that actually goes in very easily. - Okay, okay.
(spindle banging) - [Ben] Please mind your fingers, see how you get on.
- So, that is, wait a minute, it's jiggling, as well. It moves side to side- - [Ben] You should end up with
a thin sheet of vegetable. - [Mike] Oh, my goodness, mate. - Oh, wait, oh-oh, oh-oh! It's like making pasta!
- It's so thin! - Wow, look at the texture of daikon. - Oh, wow! How much daikon you can
get out of a daikon! - Now can you imagine
trying to do that by hand? - No (laughing)
- It can be done. - No, no.
- I've seen chefs do it but you need decades of practise while you've just done it first time. - [Barry] It's like a
snake has shed its skin. - Yeah, yeah, that's fantastic.
- Now, what could you possibly use this for?
- Not a flipping clue! - You could wrap veg and steam it. - Sashimi or sort of like a beef tartar or something like that-
- Yeah, right. - But you basically,
(upbeat music continues) you can use it as an edible wrapping, but you could also use it, as you suggested, to steam. - Let I, right, let's do-
- Do you wanna try a different cartridge?
- Yeah, yes, definitely. - I dunno how it can get
more satisfying than that. - I mean, you have a go of this next one. - Oh yes, please.
(part plinking) - Wow, look at that, look, you've got a-
- I know. - So you were talking about
the texture of that mooli. It is the jiggy-jiggy of the blade, the side to side, that gives it a perfect shine
(knife clicking) because it is doing that fantastic cut- - [Mike] Yes!
- That's why it's so shiny. So, essentially this device is really helping with
not just knife skills, but presentation, as well, because you're putting
firm vegetables into shapes and formats that's almost
impossible by hand. How much pressure were you applying, Mike? - Not much at all.
- Okay. - Why am I so excited for this? Oh, yeah, yeah_
- This is gonna take a while. - Now potato isn't round
as a mooli or the daikon, so it is gonna take a
while to get to a place where it needs to be. - [Barry] Okay, we're getting there, we're getting there.
- What is it doing now? - [Barry] I don't know. - Look how shiny! It's such a great shape! Hang on, hang on, hang on, whoa, whoa, whoa!
- Ooh! Oh no, what? - The right amount of pressure, the right jiggle-jiggle and the right cartridge, you should end up
(Mike gasping) with netting.
(upbeat music continues) - (gasping) No way! Oh, wait a minute, I think-
- The starchiness. - Oh, it's too starchy, it's too-
- You get, oh look, look, look, look, look!
- Yeah, yeah, yeah! - It's like that cardboard that they wrap waffles in
(Barry laughing) for packaging. Oh my goodness, this is the best! - [Barry] Cut me some daikon.
- Yes, sir. - Okay, now ready?
- Okay, yeah. - So, imagine doing this
with the firm outside before you get to the
wet bit of a cucumber, but also a carrot, daikon-
- Hold on. - Those cylindrical vegetables
are definitely easier. - Okay, right. - Daikon, well, daikon's really delicate, it's so thin. This is definitely just
getting used to using it because look, you can
start to see the pattern once you ease it apart slowly.
- Mm. It is really, really impressive. - It's really cool! - Absolutely, what an
amazing piece of kit. - And again, you've got
that beautiful shine because of the shaking blade or the jiggy-jiggy, as you put it so carefully. - Great gadge.
(upbeat music continues) - So, it's definitely an investment, one of those things that
does kind of one use. The blades are razor sharp, you need to look after them, but it is pretty damn durable, so we hear in the reviews online, obviously ours is fresh out the box. How much would a tsuma
taro slicer set you back? - I'm thinking 18,761 yen.
- What are you doing? How-
- £100. - [Ben] I can see the jiggy-jiggy happening in his head.
- No, I would not, I'm gonna go a lot higher.
- Wow, okay. - I'm gonna go a lot higher, I think-
- It's pretty industrial, that doesn't feel like it's gonna break. It's made of like robust plastic- - Yeah.
(upbeat music continues) - And all the mechanisms are metal. - I go for 32,504. - So, you're thinking around double. - Around double. - That particular bit of kit was just over 43,000 yen or £232.
(cash register ringing) - [Mike] Okay. I could make-
- A dress. - A lattice fried chicken.
- Ooh, yes! - I could make a stained
glass fried chicken. - Like all of these gadgets, very, very specific purpose. Over to you guys, what do you think? Comment down below, which of those four do you
think was most intriguing and are there any we've missed? Comment down below. - What was the other three? - You have to watch a video. (both laughing)
