When picking the ingredients, you should only show 1 of them. The person picking can say "yes" and take it, or say "no", give it to the other person, and then have to use the 2nd unknown ingredient. It's a Russian roulette battle!

“It’s a lasagna in the same way as it is a multi story car park.” I was thinking the same thing, but in my analogy it was puff pastry. 😂

The win has to go to Mike. When you factor in the difficulty of his ingredients, he's a hero.

Small thought / idea. It feels like letting one person choose all three ingredients might be a bit too much of an advantage. I'd suggest the winner at the starts gets to choose 2 of the three (first), and the last one is for the loser to pick. Either as a curveball, or to at least pick something that could "save" them in their dish making. (There is also something to be said about always going Protein -> Veg -> Extra. Could be interesting to have them start with the "extra" and finish with the protein, so they have to grab the supporting ingredients first, try to think of what would go well with it, and possibly be foiled by the fact that their preferred protein wasn't a choice)

The fact that mikes is edible with that set of ingredients is incredible. That alone would give him the win, the fact that it’s actually good too is just the cherry on top

For these ones, you should have one of them pick from the first 2 first, then the other gets to pick the "curveball" ingredient first.

These unplanned cooking battles are some of my favourites. Can’t wait to see what unhinged dishes show up this time around. ❤

Mike takes the win for coming up with something creative with unfavourable ingredients and executing it well. and for it being less of a Huttlestorm than usual. Jamie's dish may have been tastier but it was well within his comfort zone.

Salmon, Tortilla chips, and radishes = Swedish Sandwich Cake! How to get there: 1. soak the tortilla chips (reserve a few for decorations) in a dill and seasoned sour cream & lemon juice dressing, 2. fancy slice the radishes and other freash veg for layering and decorations, 3. Assembly starting with a layer of the soaked tortilla chips, a layer of salmon, a layer of herbed cream cheese, a layer of sliced radish & cucumber, a layer of fresh spinach, then repeat 3 or 4 more times and cover with a layer of herbed cream cheese, finally decorate with the remaining sliced veg a few cherry tomatoes, and either tortilla chip shards or crumbs.

8:15 Quote of the day "There was no plan" Mike. And that's why these battles are a RIOT😂😂😂😂😂😂

Wasn't the format for the choice battles the second person gets more time to plan rather than going at the same time? Mike for creativity, using an ingredient that the tasters apparently don't like, and making seafood nachos.

I'd honestly not mind if you called someone from behind the camera who enjoys smoked salmon to evaluate Mike's not-lasagna 🤣🤣🤣

For a battle like this I would like to see you do a repeat battle between Mike and Jamie but they each have to use the ingredients the other had. So we get to see what Jamie can come up with using the salmon, cabbage and radish as well as Mike's take on Jamie's ingredients.

After hearing them trash talk and Jay always uses the same ingredients, then picks the bacon in this one, the win should go to Mike.

It has to be Mike, he has always been the type of person to take risks and do things out of his comfort zone.

Both did an amazing job but I think this win has to go to Mike. The level of difficulty with ingredients, especially an ingredient he doesn’t even like, makes his dish more impressive to me.

For complexity and difficulty of ingredients, I'd have to say Mike. But honestly I would eat either of those because both looked amazing. Jamie's had a wonderful home-cooked look about it that was super inviting, and Mike's looked like something I'd expect to find on a high-end restaurant menu. Well done both of you!

Team Mike! He did a solid job using an ingredient that he doesn't particularly like and was inventive with his other two main ingredients. A win for thinking on his feet. Now I wonder what Ebbers or Kush would've done if given Mike's ingredients!

Mike was so creative here, he has to take the win surely. To be left with the unwanted ingredients and still make something that tastes good in that amount of time? Super impressive.

Mike won. He had a difficult set of ingredients and made them work in a creative way.

Mike won 100%, creativity and making that mess work should be rewarded. Jaime got to cruise.

I definitely think I would prefer Mike's dish. Jamie played it too safe, and I don't think I'd care for the sweetness, it would be too much for me. But Mike's layered dish sounds really nice, I like smoked salmon, and the rest actually sounds delicious. I think Mike outdid Jamie on this one, even if Jamie's dish was more flavorful, I think it had too much going on. I vote Mike!

oh my goodness Mike's looked like a restaurant entrée. To me he wins on the magazine cover look. If I had to eat one it would be Jamie's only because I'm allergic to fish. This was amazing thank you guys

Mike won. Definitely. Jamie worked with the ingredients he always takes. Bacon and bread. Mike did something amazing that worked, with an ingredient he doesn't like and still made a tasty and balanced dish!

There needs to be a bacon ban for Jamie

My vote goes to Mike . He had nothing to work with but pulled out a lovely plate of food .

First off: Very entertaining episode. And difficult as well! 15 minutes is not a lot of time to cook. I'd have to give the win to Mike here. Because not only was he handed a pile of ingredients with no obvious way to really work with them, he also generally does not work with smoked salmon, where as Jamie was handed Pancetta and Ciabatta on a silver platter. Ingredients which he works with every week I imagine. So the fact Mike was able to put together something largely balanced and that tastes good despite the limitations he had gives him the edge for me.

My vote goes to Mike for this one, he was dealt a bad hand, and worked the ingredients well to something not only edible but also visually inviting. Jamie just put a bunch of ingredients he knows and cooks with together and played it very safe. I'd have Mike's smoke salmon 'lasagna' any day of the week!

Which plate would I prefer to eat? Probably Jamie's .... On the other hand you could look at that plate and immediately KNOW that it was Jamie's cooking... bacon, mushroom, tomato on toast...you just KNOW that given a little more time he would have thrown in some sausage and a fried egg on top!.. I suspect that if asked to cook a dessert , Jamie would find SOME way to make it a 'Full English!!!!'...Sorry Jamie, I know that's just a tad harsh... but my vote goes to Mike for sheer creativity!

Jamie took the easy road Mike wins for me, pure crativeness ! Loving barrys tshirt!!

Both are great and visually appealing but Mike should get the win due to creating something amazing with extremely challenging ingredients. He really had to think outside of the box on this one. Impressive!

I gotta say Mike. He did so well with his ingredients! Awesome battle as ever, guys. Thanks!

Jamie plays way too safe. Mike did great coming up with a dish he barely has a reference for.

I say Mike is the winner on that one for sure. Come on he made a smoked salmon leaning tower of food. Well done

Totally different styles and they always (okay, usually 😉) end up with an amazing plate of food. I do love seeing how Mike incorporates so much of what he’s learned and really pushes himself. He earned the win working with the smoked salmon, hate the stuff myself. 😊

I'd personally go for the salmon. It really sounded intriguing. I actually love all the ingredients in Mike's dish. I can't do bacon anymore sorry Spaff!

Mike and spaff make such an amazing duo for these battles! Specially with spaff's roll nuclear fusion last time 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Mike wins. His dishes are always more creative than anyone else’s.

Mike won. He had the "worst" ingredients and created a dish that I would eat as a light evening meal.

I love these unplanned battles, but I also loved the planned ones where these guys actually created great dishes like Barry's fusion Bunny Chow and beef and chips and Mike's Mochi balls or Jamie's Christmas feast etc. Just sometimes those long planned battles would be great. They gave us some amazing dishes.

I am on team Mike for this battle. I was thinking a bit the same lines as him, with keeping the salmon as is, and blend the crisps for texture, but would probably have kept the radishes as more chunky and then a mayo inspired dressing. Overall good battle, and I am sure J's was amazing, but yes, Mike should win this one.

ahw Mike, that was a gimme croquette. The dual panic was great, though! Vote: Mike won on successful creativity

Mike might not have made a big portion, but you get a much clearer picture of what's on the plate compared to Jamie's overloaded one.

I want a battle where two people, may be chefs or normals, and then they are given all the ingredients for a Swedish "smörgåstårta" and see what they make compared to what it should be. Also, 15 minute battles maybe wasn't the best idea. It felt more like a showcase as for why you SHOULD take your time in the kitchen rather than making too much haste

This was so creative of Mike, i wouldn't have a single idea how to combine these ingredients

rock paper scissors for first dibs on all of them is pretty dumb. it should alternate so that who ever wins gets first dibs on the first and third ingredient, and whoever loses only gets first dibs on the second ingredient. that way, depending on the ingredients, one person isnt left a total washup

Mikes looks really good. I think he wins. Jamie made a mess with having too much stuff.

Mike on creativity. Jamie should get a negative point for sticking to his usual lane.

I think this might have been the most brutal one of these they have done. Since pancetta could basically go into anything and smoked salmon forces you down quite the route.

my compliments to the Huttlestorm

Should have had the mid roll where Mike talks about Spaf always taking it safe lol.

My immediate thought would have been to blend the Tortilla chips and use them to make some kind of crusted Salmon but Mike went completely left field 😂

The banter in this episode was so fun. Please, more of this!

Impressive how Barry fully became Ebbers for that one moment

These types of videos are my favorite! You guys have built up a wealth of knowledge over the years but actually putting it to use is a very relate-able experience

I think Jamie just "Spaff'd" it, Mike had to think on his feet, so I think Mike should have the win

This should be fun but CHAOTIC 😂

Mike and his Russian salad-eske thing. He had few options and created a first course most people would enjoy 😁

I am so ready for these! Love this format!! Can't wait!! ❤❤😂😅

My vote for the Huttlestorm. When Mike got the nachos I thought crumbed fish with a salad of sorts perhaps?

The other curveball Mike had is that smoked salmon is often way too salty to start. It is essential to taste it to know. The same is true for tortilla chips. Most are way too salty. Some aren't. And some are salt free. So again, it is essential to taste everything. Given all of that, that Mike's dish was only slightly "over seasoned" (over salted) is not surprising and a great result. The hidden challenge was to recognise that from the start and work to overcome it. A bit of citrus, particularly lime can help there so long as you don't go to far. Spaff's dish was great and something I would eat at home. It was way safe. Given the 15 minute time limit that is understandable. But I am mostly a fish eater. As a recommendation, you might go to four ingredients with the boys (or girls - bring back Poppy!) alternating choosing. Make the first and third clouches relatively safe ingredient choices, and the second and fourth more challenging (like todays radishes versus pears). That might better level the field in choosing who goes first. The winner of the rock-paper-scissors, coin toss, wheel spin, ... might well choose to go second to be able to have a better choice of challenging ingredients, while surrendering the choice of protein and second to the other player. Last - you might bear in mind who the contestants are and intentionally choose things that are not their go to ingredients. Smoked salmon was good for that. If the other protein was duck, or squid ... it might be a fairer fight, and more interesting for ideas for home to broaden all of our cooking. I would recommend avoiding "weird" things like offal, haggis ... tripe, banana slugs ...

There should be a battle/challenge where the goal is to cook the ingredients as little as possible. Just celebrate the food for it's freshness/quality and only cooking if safety depends on it.

these are my favorite segments. i like all of you thinking on your toes, using the techniques and flavors at the forefront of your mind.

I think Mike just has to take the win for pure creativity! Both looked pretty darn good though.

I'm not sure if there was a stipulation where it had to be a hot dish, but Mike could've made some kind of Scandinavian nacho with his ingredients.

Mike takes the win for his comments alone in this episode ... 'multi storey car park' and 'willy in a car door' (subtle boast?!?) ... I also agree with the sentiment of being rewarded for the challenge versus playing it safe.

HERE WE GO AGAIN! Love you guys!

That car door comment had me dead LOL

Great video as per usual. Both of them were great but Mike knocked it out of the part imo.

Mike has the best approach to food... "I respect it, but I don't like it"... Amazing

A fun tweak to the format could be to have one pick the ingredients, but the other pick the: serving dishes, cooking methods or time limit after wards?

Jay managed to win because he got ingredients that he was familiar with and, more importantly, enjoys. Mike was left with a protein he doesn't like or generally use, that generally is paired with multiple things he also doesn't like, olives (or capers) and cheese. He was going to lose from the jump not because of any lack of skill but because Jamie was given the much easier setup. The fair rematch, imo, would be a challenge that forces each of them to use ingredients they don't enjoy eating, and would never pick first from under the cloche.

Do another one of these, but this time Mike chooses first and Jaime gets the second picking 🤣

Easily Mike. When you play it safe, like Spaff tends to do whenever he can, you're basically just coasting and hoping your opponent messes up. Sounds like Mike didn't mess up, despite a FAR harder set on ingredients, so Mike wins. Though to be fair, Mike's constant effort to improve and try out new things has also just endeared me to him in general.

Love Sous Chef Barry being in the hosting chair and giving Ebbers a run for his money!! In my opinion Mike wins given the restrictions he was dealt ... what a solid smoked salmon lasagna 😂

The fact that Mike actually made those ingredients into something that looked quite nice means he definitely takes my win!

I'd love to see Kush judge one of these competitions.... Everyone is always so positive... i feel like Kush would absolutely rip them to shreds in the judgement

Mike for sure won this. He will for sure win this upcoming battle this Saturday! Jamie plays way to safe that its almost predictable😅

I'm a Sidekick member, love you guys, and watch everything you post. I do miss watching all of you sharing recipes without the competitions and timers.

We the audience won. This was enjoyable. Good going to the both of you!!

im just commenting because it helps the channel. I did like the video as well and i enjoyed it as well .

Mike's dish was more complex, Jamie's was, when it comes to it, basically just mushrooms on toast. Gonna go with Mike.

Honestly, really impressed with both of the boys. Mike was put in a difficult spot and managed to come up with something kinda crazy that actually really worked. Jamie did play it safe, but the dish looked and sounded like it tasted delicious. Would love to see what that sweet/savory with a little bit of heat would have tasted. I'd give a slight edge to Jamie, but definitely props to Mike for having to make due with silly ingredients and still making an awesome dish.

You guys should do a challenge where everyone has to cook with ingredients they personally don’t like / aren’t comfortable using!

Tried to watch this on my train and couldn’t get signal but the person sat near me saw and said he was a sorted fan too and equally annoyed he was missing a new video. If that was you, hope you’re home now too as you didn’t get off at my stop, so hope you’re not still on the train!

Mike for the win-to make something edible from such random ingredients and to take multiple bites after pointing out that he doesn't like smoked salmon is just incredible!

I very much enjoy these 15 minute battles

I love these. You guys are a riot. Mike’s willy in car door comment. Actually had beer shoot out my mouth and nose in equal measures. Change of top and use of a mop later. Finally watched the rest.

My vote goes to Mike! So creative and the end product looked yummy! ❤

Given what they had to work with, I think Mike did a better job. Not that Jamie didn't do well, but, as Barry said, it was a much safer way to go from the start.

Mike for the ingenuity with the ingredients he was left with. This, added to the fact he had little experience with something he really didn’t like. Jamie did play it safe then spoiled it with honey to try and make it a bit different.

For being creative with the short end of the stick, Mike gets it.

Got to give the win to Mike this time.

Love an unplanned battle

I love these videos. So wonderful to see these boys flap as much as the rest of us! 😊

Love the content, love the show! Please schedule the battle royale on KZfaq so we have advanced notice and can find it. 😀

I’m not sure I understand the downside of Jamie picking the ingredients first. Equal cooking time and such so it feels like Mike only got a handicap

Mike as Jamie tends to use the same types of ingredients every time

I love that Jamie admitted that he wasn’t sure if the flavours would work all together. That’s true home cook vibes.

Mike should win this one. Gonna make that at home.