Are Comfort Foods Better Spicy? (Taste Test)

- Are comfort foods better spicy? - Let's talk about that. (soft music). (singers vocalizing) (head bursting). (canister hissing). (Rhett thudding and whooshing). (bowling ball rumbling). (pins clattering). (flames whooshing) Good Mythical Summer. - Today is the first day of Beat the Heat Week, and we're doing something a little unorthodox. to beat today's heat. - Yeah, we are eating some seriously spicy foods. to make the insides of our body so hot. that the outsides feel cool.

- Y'all didn't think of that, did you? Well, don't worry. (Link chuckling). The Big Brain Boys got you. - Yeah, but it's not just any foods, we're heating up comfort foods. Do any comfort dishes taste even better. when they've been spicified? - First up, we've got chicken noodle soup. - This is not something that I put hot sauce on or in. - I have put a little hot sauce, but not anything that looks like this. We're calling this Chicken Noodle Doom. (crew laughing faintly) - And Nicole.

did a bunch of things to each of these dishes. It's not just, like, throwing. hot sauce in something. - Right, well, this one's green, so this is different. So what did you do to make this spicy, Nicole? - [Nicole] So I blended up a whole jalapeno. and half of a serrano in there, in the actual soup base. - Okay. - And I thought. that the brightness and that fresh vegetal green. would be really, really nice to counter. with that stick-to-your-ribs. kind of flavor. - Vegetal. - I love it when somebody says vegetal. (crew chuckling). - I thought that was a mistake. - No, vegetable and vegetal.

(spoon clinking). - Do you want to eat spicy when you're sick, though? - Mm-hmm. Clears you out. - Maybe you do, yeah. So maybe this is a one-two punch of comfort and therapy? - That's a good chicken noodle soup. - Thanks. - It is. - Let's just start there. - [Nicole] Made with lots of love. - Okay, I can tell. I'm coming in hot. - I mean, you're right, the greeniness of it is... I'm trying to get some-. - Vegetal. - The vegetalness of it.

is interesting. (Rhett coughing). (crew chuckling faintly) Oh my God, ooh. (crew member laughing). - You did a whole bag, Nicole. (crew laughing). - That's got a bite to it, bro. (Rhett grunting). Chicken noodle, ooh, that's hot. - Let me readjust my expectations for the rest. of this episode. (crew laughing). Well, this is round one. - You said that they escalate in spiciness? - [Nicole] Yeah. (crew laughing). They do. - Well, I'm not in a lot of pain, but I mean, yeah.

If I'm sick, I think this diverts my attention. You know how if, like, you're hurting somewhere. and then somebody, like, just pinches you? - I mean, I don't typically ask for that. Has that happened to you, does this happen to you? - I'm thinking of some- - You hurt and somebody. pinches you? - I'm thinking of something. like that, like when it distracts you, like when you have a headache, but then you grab right here and you start pushing, and that hurts, now, my head doesn't hurt? - Or when you get bad news and then you get worse news? - Yeah, that's it. That's right, then you forget about the bad news.

That's what I'm trying to talk about, not pressure points. This isn't an acupressure episode. - Right. - [Link] I'm liking where this is taking me. - It's super unexpected. - If I was stuffy, it would start to loosen things up a bit. You're taking another bite. - Okay. - We've used the word, vegetal. - Three times. (crew member laughing). - In sincerity. - Okay. - I mean-. - I think the fact that you drink this when you're sick. and you're trying to give yourself those fluids,

and you're trying to get things moving, - This is also good. - Not everything moving, but moving up here. Unexpectedly, chicken noodle soup. is better spicy. - Is better spicy. (upbeat rock music). On to mashed potatoes. We're calling these spicy ones Your Last Potato. - Oh! (crew chuckling). The gravy over here, as you can see, - is not nearly as brown. - So Nicole. - Yo. - Why are these. mashed potatoes a little bit darker, and why is the gravy a lot yellower?

- [Nicole] Well, we used scotch bonnets for this one. - No. - So that yellow stuff on top. is just a straight up scotch bonnet gravy. with actual scotch bonnets blended in. And the potatoes themselves, I purposely left these with the skin on, because when I think of comfort food, I think of skin-on mashed potatoes. So that doesn't change the spice level of anything. or whatever, - Right. - But there's scotch bonnet. in the potato as well. - I'm scared. - Because, let me just say, let's just start with these mashed potatoes. They're very good.

Let us not forget how good these are. - It's so good. - Thanks. - You know, creating a lake of gravy in the middle. of a big dollop of mashed potatoes makes you feel like God. (crew chuckling). I'm gonna put a lake here. - And you know what? (crew laughing). - And it's going to... God's a woman. Ah, and it's going to be a brown lake. - Of course, she's a woman. - This might look like diarrhea, but that does look like cat vomit. - But you know what? (crew laughing).

We people can make lakes. You ever heard of a woman-made lake? - Oh yeah, I'm just a normal woman, and I've made a lake. - That's the sign, as a country music singer, that you've made it. (Link laughing) If you have. a woman-made lake on your property. - Who did this? - Multiple ones. - Garth Brooks? - Thomas Rhett, he's got a couple. I think Eric Church has got a couple. You get a woman-made lake on your-. - And then you stock it with fish, and then you write songs about fishing, beer drinking. - Every day. - [Link] And hunting.

- Loving every day. - Yeah, pulling up your socks. - [Rhett] Yeah. - We're stalling. (crew laughing). How much of that scotch bonnet are you gonna get on there? Is it still salty and gravy-like, or is it just an abomination? - [Nicole] Yeah, it's a gravy. It was made with chicken stock and beef stock, no? - It's not gonna be that bad. (crew chuckling). - Ooh, ooh, it is hot.

That's spicy. (Rhett exhaling sharply). Oh gosh. - Okay. - Whew, ooh, ooh. (crew laughing). I can feel it, I can feel the heat is going down. The heat is right there right now, and it's about to hit (Rhett hiccuping). the stomach. (inhales sharply). - Why haven't you hiccuped yet? - I don't know, but I am just... I'm seizing with heat pain, but if I focus on the taste- - But! But if I focus.

(crew laughing). - The taste is not bad. - The taste is not bad, but the taste is- - It's just the feeling of-. (Rhett hiccuping). The taste is not as good. (crew laughing). (Link grunting). You've seasoned these so perfectly. that they don't feel like they need anything, and I gotta say, (hiccups) (Link grunting). I don't like looking at that. (crew laughing). - Yeah. - I don't know if. this one's working for me. - [Link] I'm sorry I said cat vomit. - Now, I would like to give this to grandma. to wake her up a little bit, you know what I'm saying? (crew chuckling). - Bring this out at Thanksgiving and don't tell?

"Oh no, nothing's different.". - Yeah. - "This is just normal.". - Make it a little entertaining. for everyone. - Oh yeah, "What?". "You think it looks yellow?". "No, it's not yellow, just taste it.". - And old people are-. - "Come on, grandma.". - They're really insensitive to spice. - They can take a lot, right? - Ooh. Looking forward to this. - That's how it works. as you get older? (hiccups) Oh God. (crew laughing). No, it's not how it works. - Ooh, I'm hurting a little bit here. - Great effort, Nicole, but we're gonna say mashed potatoes. are not so nicey. - Not so nicey. - Okay, we've got some hotcakes, and of course, we've got even hotter cakes. (hiccups) Oh gosh,

I'm still hiccuping. - Is it? - I don't know how you missed the hiccups. - Yeah, I don't know, but I am talking like this. - Yeah, you are. (crew laughing). - My vocal cords have been burnt to a crisp. Sling blade. - [Rhett] Mm-hmm. - Nicole, is the only reason that you're doing this to us. is because they were already called hotcakes? - [Nicole] No. (crew laughing). I didn't even think of that. - Why do the cakes look different? Are they hot, too? - Yeah. - Yeah. - Not just the syrup? - [Nicole] Yeah, yeah, there's cayenne pepper in those,

and they were made with buttermilk, and lots of different kinds of flours. And then over there in the maple syrup. is, again, lots of cayenne pepper. - Cayenne, what up? - You can even see the color. difference between the- - That'll get ya, that'll get ya. That'll get ya hot. - The different syrups. - I'm gonna go no syrup first. - Is this the primary heat found in hot chicken sauce? - It is for the hot chicken that I make, yeah. - You mean, like, Nashville. hot chicken? - Yeah. - [Nicole] Yeah, cayenne is the main heat source. - That's what I thought. So you're not dipping it, I'm not-. - (hiccups) I will. - [Link] I don't wanna take two if I don't have to,

so I'm just gonna go for the dip version. - The cakes are not crazy. - Oh, I dropped it. (crew laughing). Now, I got to get a little bit more on there. Oh gosh, come on. Come on. The cakiness should help us. (crew chuckling). It's a very bright taste at first, then there's sweetness.

Mm. - Mm. - I like cayenne, much better than scotch bonnet, so I'm doing a little better. (Link exhaling sharply). The cakiness is helping, what you thinking? (Rhett inhaling sharply). mm. - I like cayenne as well. It's really competing with the sweetness. - That's helping. - I feel like the perfect bite would be the cayenne cakes. - [Link] With the normal syrup?

- [Rhett] With the normal syrup. I know that's not an option. - I mean, if International House of Pancakes. has never done a spicy pancake, maybe they know something we don't? I mean, they've been around the world. - And they've done everything. Everything. - They are willing. to try so much. - And they haven't tried this? - Are we willing to try something they can't? This is not hurting me, so I really want to give it a chance. Bon chance.

- Yeah, it's not crazy spicy. For me, you know what? I'm gonna say I'm neutral on the flavor, so I'm gonna leave this ball in your court, Link. - I keep thinking that it's like hot chicken breading. (throat clearing). - It is. In my sauce that I do at the end, you know when you come to my house and I do my hot chicken? - Yeah, man. (crew member laughing). Can you see anymore? Are you losing the ability to see? (crew laughing) - No. (Link chuckling) So, there's hot. all in the breading, but then when you want.

to take it up the next level, (Link inhaling sharply). (Link exhaling sharply). I take straight. cayenne pepper. - Sorry. Yeah? - And I mix it with some. of the rub. And then I take the hot oil from the chicken. that we just fried. (crew member laughing). - Right. - And I put. the hot oil just directly into the cayenne. and make a slurry. - Yeah? - And then I give people. a little paintbrush, and everybody becomes. a little spice Picasso. (Nicole gasping). - Oh. - And they paint. You've painted your thighs at my house. (crew member chuckling). - Uh...

- Everybody paints (crew laughing). their thighs at my house. - Maybe I was in the restroom, - No. - Spreading my thighs? - No, you painted your thighs at my house. (crew laughing faintly) That's how you paint. with the sauce. And then you put more sauce on top of that, which is the chicken sauce, which is creamy and mayo-y. It also has some cayenne in it. - Well, it's certainly better than this. (Rhett laughing). - Okay, well, it feels like you have your answer. - Pancakes, not so nicey. - Not so nicey. (upbeat rock music). You can get your feet into our faces. with these new Rhett and Link slippers.

(Link chuckling) This is the newest. Mythical Society Quarterly Collectible. You got to become an All Access quarterly or annual member. to unlock yours at mythicalsociety.com. Now, let me say, lots of people. have been asking about sizing. It's two sizes fit most, all the way down to a men's size four, women's size five, all the way up to a men's 12, a women's 13. I'm a men's 13 and I fit into the large ones fine, so I think it goes even higher than that, so we got you covered. - Uh-huh, so be an All Access member of mythicalsociety.com.

Next up, in terms of comfort foods, there you go, is one of the best comfort foods, pot pie. Is it chicken pot pie? - [Nicole] It is chicken pot pie. - Okay. - [Nicole] That's the spicy one, though. - That's the spicy one here? - [Nicole] Yeah. - Here is the normal one. We're calling this Spicy Joker Hot Cry. - Ah, and we may, (crew member chuckling). based on how we've been - We may? - Feeling. I'm getting one of these. - What's this guy up here? Is that a green bean? I hope it's just a green bean.

- [Nicole] That's the culprit. That's what's making the whole pot pie spicy. It's a bird's eye chili, also known as the Thai chili. - Oh, Thai chili. - [Nicole] Yeah, so there's a lot. I actually use the Thai chili. kind of as a pot pie ingredient, so you know how pot pies have, like, peas and carrots (spoon clinking). and leeks and stuff like that? So that's in the pot pie as well, but there's a fair amount of chopped Thai chilies in there. And then the dough on top is studded. with a bunch of Thai chilies as well, chopped up. - What are you doing to these pies? (crew laughing). - [Nicole] You're disrespecting.

the pot pies like I've - I mean, like, this is-. - [Nicole] Never seen before. - This is like, - Really? - The most offensive thing I've ever seen. done to a pot pie. - What you're doing is, yeah. - This is what you do to a pot pie? - Well, but here's the thing. Nothing on the planet is hotter than a chicken pot pie, and we want spicy hot, but we don't want temperature hot. - I think it's going to be just fine. based on the back of my hand test. - If I had a dollar. for every time- - Just stop. - That I burnt my mouth-. - I don't want it all mixed. - [Nicole] It's like you're tossing a salad. - I don't want the whole... (crew laughing).

The best part of a pot pie is the giant piece of crust. that you get with a bite, (Nicole groaning). and now, it's all gone. (crew laughing) - It's all gone. - But you're not gonna burn your mouth. You're welcome. - I don't care. about burning my mouth. - You're welcome. (Nicole sighing). - You could have done that on your side. I mean, there was gasping that was happening the whole time. you were doing that. (crew laughing). Stop! - I'm just trying to help you. - [Rhett] I don't even see steam. I think we're gonna be fine, Steve. - I'm nervous, dude. There's nothing worse than burning your mouth. Hold on, wait. Eating a lot of spicy foods and then, like,

having to crap it out later, that's worse. (crew laughing). Who's the bad guy here? It's Nicole, not me. (Nicole cackling) - Well, both of you. Both of you. - I mean, this is some goodness. - Is that thyme I taste? - [Nicole] It's mostly sage. - Sage? - Mm-hmm. - Okay, so there's no witches in here? (Nicole chuckling). Well, there's good witches. - Mm-hmm, there's good witches. - Good witches. - Yeah, I left the sides for you, dude. - Oh, I appreciate that. (crew laughing) - If you want to throw. a side in there?

- Oh, I will, 'cause I like every bite of a pot pie. to be the crust and the pie. - Well, that's impossible with what I've done. (everyone laughing). - Yeah, exactly. - You see that right there? See, you can still get that crusty thing. - If this was the only thing I was eating today. and my only meal, I would be really mad at you, but since I only need a bite. - Your relationship with spicy foods. is much more involved than mine. I'll put hot sauce on Mexican food,

also on spaghetti, on fried chicken, and I have a different kind of hot sauce for each one, but those are the main things for me. - I like a Thai chili a lot. - Ooh, it's hot, though. - I put that into a lot of things. - Ooh, it builds, it's a thick hot. - I had a big thing of Thai chilies. - It's filling up my whole head with hot. - That I would cut up and throw in things. (Link sniffling). Oh, the nose is running. - Little stir fries. I love the flavor, and actually, for me,

it's a really well-rounded spice. - Yeah, it's a big, - You know? - It's a big, voluptuous heat is what I would call it. - To me, this is what pot pie has been needing. You know what I'm saying? - I mean, sage is what I thought it was needing. until I got hit by it over here, and I'm like, "That's great.". - The only thing that would make this better. is if there was, like, more of the crust still intact. (crew laughing). I'll see if I can find something in here. I'm eating the heck out of this.

- It's very hot, but I concur, it is-. - It's not crazy over the top, right? - Extremely tasty. - I'm not crying. - My nose started sweating in the last round. You know when weird parts of your body starts sweating? It's like certain peppers can tap into that. - I'm getting it, like, in the hairline. - Yeah. - Like I'm feeling, like, a weird heat sensation, but I kind of like it. - I'm getting a little tricep perspiration. - Tricep heat? - Yeah.

Not really. - Okay, well, all right. - This is good, though, that is really tasty. - Right on. - So we're saying-. - And you didn't skimp on the heat, it's just that good. - It is. Pot pie, better spicy. - Better spicy. (upbeat rock music). - Now, we're down to an old standby, mac and cheese, but we also have the spicy version. that we're calling Mac and Scream. - Shall I? - You shall. Oh no! (crew laughing). You're seriously... (crew laughing). Don't be that guy. - Well, I asked first.

- You were joking, right? (Link laughing). - Yeah, but you said yeah. (crew laughing). (laughs) I mean, I was in, salad tossing. - Hey. So if I brought an apple pie to your house. and you were, like, everybody digging with you... (crew laughing). - No. - You wouldn't. be that guy, right? - I wouldn't, no, I would never do it to this. - What's the difference? (Link laughing) It might be hot. - Oh, man. - [Rhett] (laughs) Ah, man. - That's a lot of crumbs on top.

- [Nicole] Yeah, it's a breadcrumb topping. - How'd you make this one spicy? - [Nicole] Well, it has a lot of Carolina Reaper in it. - Oh no. (crew laughing). - [Nicole] So I boiled the noodles in Carolina Reaper water. And then I made a bechamel with a lot of Carolina Reaper, and then on top is Reaper crumbs. (crew laughing). - Now, we've gone on record many times saying. that yes, we may be from North Carolina,

(Link sighing). but we do not endorse the Carolina Reaper. It has been good to us. Eating it, actually, has been very good to us, but-. - In terms of video performance, but not in terms of personal GI experience. - And we've never been fans of the taste. of a Carolina Reaper. I don't like the flavor of a Carolina Reaper, and you get PTSD when you smell it. - I know, I'm gonna get a scoop and I'm gonna smell it. - You know what, why don't you toss the salad on this one? (Rhett chuckling). - Do you want me to? - No. (crew laughing). Actually, I don't care. (crew laughing). Do you feel like you need to?

- Well, she said that this crust has it all in it. You know, I don't want too much of the crust. Turn that over here just so we can see what we've got. Just so we can see what we got. (crew chuckling). Just trying to show you what we got. It does have that scent. It's just permeated. - But it's not as strong as I was thinking. it was gonna be. - But I can smell it and my body tells me, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. - I'm just gonna get a little bit,

because I got a big bite here. I'm just gonna... - You eating half of it? It still tastes cheesy. Ugh. Oh, I'm getting it now. (coughs). (crew member chuckling). My body does want to wretch. Oh, I don't want to swallow it. I'm too scared. (throat clearing).

I'm too scared to swallow it. In my mouth, it's already a bad, bad, bad, bad news day. - It's in my throat. - I know, I know, don't let it in your throat, dude. - I already did. (crew chuckling). It's all the way down my esophagus. (milk swishing). It's in my gullet now. (Link grunting in disapproval). And it's beginning to build and all I had... (spoon thudding) (Link grunting). - It's bad. - I had half of it. - It's just, it's like eating bad memories, is really what it's like. (crew chuckling). Like, if you had a picture book of the worst things.

that ever happened to you, and then you pulled out each picture, and you just started shoving it down your throat. - You think that's one of the worst things. that's ever happened to you? - Mm-hmm. My brain knows that it's one of the worst things. that ever happened to my body. - I'm going back to the real thing here. - This will help, that's a good idea. - There might be somebody out there that would prefer that. - I don't even want to eat with this fork. - They're not at this desk. - I'm gonna eat...

Oh, it's temperature hot! (crew laughing). - You should have tossed the salad, man. (gags) Oh God. - I know. Listen, we have to do it. (crew laughing). - Nicole has her head in her hands. - [Nicole] You're breaking my heart here. - I have to cool it off. (crew laughing). (Rhett and Link grunting). - [Nicole] Just blow on it. - Does it have to be the whole thing? (belching) God, sorry. - Was that a hiccup or a burp? - Both. (crew laughing). - A hiccurp. - It was both, and I apologize for it. - Ugh, now, anything. that touches my mouth that's not milk is just...

- (grunts) I apologize for it. So Nicole, it's definitely not better with the spice. - Oh, okay, I wasn't sure. - Well, not this level. of spice. (Rhett hiccuping). - But if you have, like, if you have, like, just like, normal, like if you want to, like, put Cholula. on your mac and cheese or something. - Recline. (chuckles). - I think that's okay. (crew laughing). - We're going into recline mode. Y'all didn't know. Y'all didn't know our chairs could do this. (crew chuckling) (Link grunting).

Okay, just give us a second. (crew chuckling) (Rhett sighing). - Mac and cheese. (screen whooshing). Not so nicey. - Not so nicey. (upbeat rock music). Okay, all right. Well, we had some winners. What if we always sat like this? - We had chicken pot pie (crew laughing). and chicken noodle soup. that were winners. - It's like kids. doing this show. - All right, we had chicken pot pie. - Is this what y'all want? Y'all want an upper third?

- Yeah, anything that has chicken in it, we like a little bit hotter. (Rhett chuckling). But if you get your mac and cheese too hot. - Yeah, we don't like it. - It's gonna make us shrink. and be little boys. (everyone chuckling). Thanks for being your Mythical Bests. - You know what time it is. - I'm Micah. - I'm Laurie. - And we just made Animal Style Mac and Cheese. from "The Mythical Cookbook.". And it's time to spin - And it's time to spin. the Wheel of Mythicality. - The Wheel of Mythicality. (wheel rattling). - Cook it up. - It's a family affair.

when you have "The Mythical Cookbook.". - You know what, it is about time we got rid of. this shirt. - Yep, mm-hmm. - That says, - Yep. - "The lion doesn't wipe.". (crew laughing) (Rhett roaring). God, I'm tired of that thing! (crew laughing). Join us at "Good Mythical MORE" to see us. try the TikTok Soda Match Challenge. Join All Access to unlock the Rhett and Link slippers. Quarterly Collectible at mythicalsociety.com.

(upbeat music).