1
00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:06,720
How hot do you think
curry cook in sauce has to be
to last for two years?

2
00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:09,400
Pretty spicy, I would say.
Definitely spicy.

3
00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:12,200
Do you reckon all ice cream
is the same temperature?

4
00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:15,560
Oh, no. If it's really,
really cold, it's icy.

5
00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,760
Ooh, there's nothing like
losing your Flake!

6
00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:24,200
Why is hot and cold so crucial
to supermarkets and the way
that they make our food?

7
00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:25,680
Have you eaten these before?

8
00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:28,880
Maybe. Do you think you'd have
to heat them up or cool them down?

9
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You don't dissolve it, no?

10
00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:32,440
Ooh!

11
00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:38,680
I'm going reveal the secrets
behind some of your favourite foods
by making them, Food Factory-style.

12
00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:57,960
Every kitchen has
a cooker and a fridge-freezer.

13
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We'd be lost without them. But why
do supermarkets rely on extreme
temperatures to make our food ?

14
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To find out, I'm going to go back
to basics and set up my own factory
production line in this barn.

15
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It may look as though it's full of
junk, but it's got everything I need

16
00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:19,840
to discover the secrets
of supermarket food.

17
00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,480
But first, I'm off to the seaside.

18
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Nothing better on a typical British
summer's day than a cold ice cream.

19
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Mmm!

20
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Lovely.
But there's so many to choose from

21
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and in recent years, there's been an
explosion in the ice cream aisles.

22
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But a lot of us are happy
with just one type of ice cream -

23
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soft serve.

24
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Right, guys, got some ice creams
here, we've got a soft ice cream.

25
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One that's a little bit harder.
I want you to taste them
and tell me which one is sweeter.

26
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Yum!

27
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Yum!

28
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This one. You think that one is?

29
00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:04,600
That one. Why do you think it tastes
sweeter? Is there honey in it?

30
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Cos it's more processed?
It's probably got more sugar in it.

31
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If only it was that simple.

32
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You better hurry up, it's melting!

33
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It's the ice cream van classic.

34
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Unlike the ice cream you scoop out
of a tub, this stuff is made
on the spot inside a machine,

35
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usually out of a liquid
ready mix or powder that the ice
cream man adds water to.

36
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But what's happening inside
the machine to make it so soft?

37
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And why does it seem
sweeter than normal ice cream?

38
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To find out,
I'm going to make my own.

39
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Here in the barn,
I've got everything I need

40
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to defrost the secrets
of soft serve ice cream.

41
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First, I want to have a look at
the basic ingredients of ice cream.

42
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You don't have to be a genius to
work out it includes ice and cream.

43
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Got some lovely cream in here.

44
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In it goes,

45
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some sugar to make it
nice and sweet,

46
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and I'm going to put
in a few drops of vanilla essence.

47
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That'll do it.

48
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Right. Now it's time for the ice.

49
00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:13,400
The ice comes from the water
that's already in the cream.

50
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I've just got to freeze it.

51
00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:20,920
I could stick it in my freezer
and stir it every so often,

52
00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:23,960
but there's a much quicker way -
liquid nitrogen.

53
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This mega cold stuff
is minus 196 degrees centigrade.

54
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And all I've got to do to freeze my
cream into ice cream is pour it in.

55
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Right, here we go.

56
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Ah, look at that.

57
00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:45,920
So the liquid nitrogen
is freezing the cream.

58
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I've got to keep stirring it -
it's important to get air in.

59
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Without the air, I'd end up
with rock hard frozen cream.

60
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Look at it all
billowing out of here.

61
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It's like I'm making some sort of
potion, I feel like Harry Potter!

62
00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:03,800
Look at this!

63
00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:06,840
That looks like ice cream to me.
Let's have a little taste.

64
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Nice and creamy, not too bad.

65
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Bit space age for me.

66
00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,000
So that's the quick way
to make ice cream.

67
00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:23,160
But you won't get many ice cream
men making their 99s that way.

68
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What they want is a cheap
and easy way to make ice cream
in the back of their vans.

69
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They buy something called premix.

70
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The ingredients of premix
are a tad cheaper than you get
in posh luxury ice cream.

71
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Instead of cream, the premix
uses long life skimmed milk.

72
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Next, it's skimmed milk powder.

73
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Give it a whisk as I put in.

74
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Mix it all up nicely.

75
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Next up, vegetable fat.

76
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That often means palm oil.

77
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It's in loads of things
and it's proving controversial.

78
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Palm oil plantations
replace lots of rain forest.

79
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Right, time for a bit of flavouring.
Nice bit of vanilla.

80
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Now, sugar. Now surprisingly,
there's less sugar in this recipe

81
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than there is in traditional
ice cream. So how does that work?

82
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In fact, your posh luxury ice creams
can have DOUBLE the amount of sugar

83
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that soft serve has.

84
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It looks disgusting,
but it smells lovely.

85
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Slowly heat this mixture up.

86
00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:31,760
It seems bonkers
heating up ice cream.

87
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But it's important
to kill off any bugs in the premix

88
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before it goes on the road
in the ice cream van.

89
00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:47,240
So with my premix prepared,
I need an ice cream machine.

90
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First, a box to put the ice in.

91
00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:55,200
Then something for the cream.

92
00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:58,760
I'm lashing together
a drain pipe and a drill.

93
00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:02,000
This may look like
a mad contraption,

94
00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:05,080
but it's based on what you find
in the back of ice cream vans.

95
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It's going to act
as a freezing barrel.

96
00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:11,560
I'll put the cream inside the tube
and cover it with ice.

97
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The spiral turns,
mixing up the ice cream,

98
00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:16,560
as it goes along here,

99
00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:19,880
it should be forced out
through my tap at the end.

100
00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:21,280
That's the theory.

101
00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:28,040
Later, I find out if my makeshift
freezer really is as cold as ice.

102
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At the opposite end of the
temperature spectrum is curry.

103
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It's one of Britain's
favourite foods and we like it hot.

104
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In fact, we get through nearly
three quarters of a million jars
of cook-in curry sauce every week.

105
00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:51,800
But how do the supermarkets
guarantee this spicy favourite

106
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is still good to eat
years after it's made?

107
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How long do you reckon
that will last in your cupboard?

108
00:07:00,280 --> 00:07:02,480
About two weeks. Two weeks, yeah.

109
00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:04,560
Three months. Three months?
About a year.

110
00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:07,400
Two years is the actual shelf life.

111
00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:10,040
What do you think they do
to it to make it last so long?

112
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Seal it up. Seal it up?

113
00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:15,680
Preservatives,
artificial preservatives? Possibly.

114
00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:18,840
Heat it. Heat it?
But we eat a lot of curry.

115
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I eat a lot of curry so
it doesn't last that long, does it?

116
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When you see food in a jar,
you might think the jar's the secret

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to keeping it fresh, but
there's a lot more to it than that.

118
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At this factory in Birmingham,
they know what makes a good curry,

119
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but how do they give it
a long shelf life?

120
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# I fell into
a burning ring of fire... #

121
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It's Gary Hoyle's job to make sure
this curry sauce will still be
safe to eat in two years' time.

122
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Right, Gary, I love curry.

123
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This smells amazing,
what have we got cooking in here?

124
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We've got a batch of Jalfrezi sauce.

125
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Can I open her up?
By all means, open that up.

126
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I've got to say, I've been so
excited about this. Look at that.

127
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There you go. Right, look.

128
00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:03,640
That is lovely!

129
00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:06,360
I could do with a naan.
A naan and a cold beer!

130
00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:07,920
Cold beer, that's right!

131
00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:17,400
In this factory, they cook curry
like you would at home,
but on an industrial scale.

132
00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:22,160
Check that out
for a tin of tomatoes!

133
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All this curry you make here,
now if I was to make this at home,

134
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I'd have to eat it pretty quick,
it'd go off quick, wouldn't it?
It'd go off in a couple of days.

135
00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:35,480
How do you make it last,
do you put preservatives in it?
Absolutely not.

136
00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:39,600
We just cook it
to a pasteurisation temperature,
which helps kill most of the bugs.

137
00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:44,680
They heat the sauce to 90 degrees
centigrade for 10 minutes.

138
00:08:44,680 --> 00:08:49,000
But that doesn't kill all the
bacteria that could make you ill.

139
00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:52,280
Why don't you just keep heating it
hotter and hotter and hotter?

140
00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:54,040
That would destroy the product.

141
00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:58,720
You'd end up with a soup-like curry
with no texture in there whatsoever.

142
00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:03,080
That doesn't sound like
my kind of curry.

143
00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:07,880
As heat won't kill all the bugs,
Andy needs another line of defence,

144
00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:11,520
and it's something
that's already in the curry sauce.

145
00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:15,080
There's a lot of tomato
in this Jalfrezi curry sauce

146
00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:18,240
and that's what we've got here.
Tomato is quite tart,

147
00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:20,480
but that's because
it contains acid?

148
00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:23,880
Yes, and the acid helps preserve
the product. How does that work?

149
00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:27,400
The acidity means
the bacteria can't grow.

150
00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:31,360
How can you tell when you've got
enough acid in the sauce?
We analyse a sample.

151
00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:37,800
Arnold's our process
supervisor here. How you doing?
Nice to meet you.

152
00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:39,360
He'll analyse the sauce. OK?

153
00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:43,600
I see Arnold's using the chemistry
set you got for your birthday?
That's right!

154
00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:47,880
Too much acid
and the sauce would taste horrible.

155
00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:50,520
Too little
and it wouldn't be safe to eat.

156
00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:55,720
Look at that, that's it. Change.

157
00:09:55,720 --> 00:10:00,640
Tell me, fellas, what happens
if the sauce isn't right,
if it hasn't got enough acid in it?

158
00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:03,560
We have to make minor tweaks
to the recipe, so we use some

159
00:10:03,560 --> 00:10:08,200
of the natural ingredients
that are already present in the sauce
to increase the acidity slightly.

160
00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:12,840
Based on the recipe that we have
at the moment, there's lemon juice.

161
00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:15,320
This stuff here?
Yes, that stuff there.

162
00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:17,720
That's concentrated
lemon juice, is it?

163
00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:19,720
Exactly. Let's have a little taste.

164
00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:22,960
I think putting that in a curry
would make it taste disgusting.

165
00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:25,840
Just be careful with it,
but you wouldn't taste it. Urgh!

166
00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:27,320
THEY LAUGH

167
00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:30,560
The key thing is we balance
that out with other ingredients!

168
00:10:30,560 --> 00:10:34,960
Believe me, you would not taste it.
That is the worst thing!

169
00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:38,240
Oh, that is so...concentrated!

170
00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:40,280
Makes your lips smack, doesn't it?

171
00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:42,920
You wouldn't want that
in a curry sauce.

172
00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:45,200
You wouldn't notice it, though.

173
00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:49,200
You don't notice it,
it's in there at low level,
but it's only a very small tweak

174
00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:52,520
in the amount of lemon juice
that he adds to a 1,500-kilo batch.

175
00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:56,720
So Arnold's like a wizard,
he's like the potion master,
getting it all just right.

176
00:10:56,720 --> 00:10:58,760
Brilliant!

177
00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:06,360
So the sauce is set
to last for two years, but heat
is still crucial as it's packaged.

178
00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:09,920
The battle against
the bacteria continues.

179
00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:12,360
You can see all the steam
coming off the jars.

180
00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:15,600
Why are you putting
the curry sauce in so hot?

181
00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:19,280
Because hot curry sauce will kill any
potential bugs that are in the jar.

182
00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:31,640
Now when it comes to keeping curry
sauce, it's not spicy heat that
counts, it's the temperature.

183
00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:35,560
Which means this stuff can last in
your cupboard for up to two years.

184
00:11:35,560 --> 00:11:40,400
But if you're a curry fan like me,
well, it's not going to last
that long. Can I have this one?

185
00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:41,400
Yes. Thank you!

186
00:11:51,560 --> 00:11:55,440
Back at the barn, I'm defrosting
the secrets of soft serve ice cream.

187
00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:57,200
I've built my own freezer,

188
00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:01,040
a bit like the one you'd find
in the back of an ice cream van.

189
00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:05,520
And I've made my own creamy mixture,
now all I've got to do is freeze it.

190
00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:10,000
Getting the premix
into the chamber's the easy bit.

191
00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:13,920
Turning it into ice cream
is going to be the hard bit.

192
00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:18,320
In a normal ice cream van,
they would chill all this down
with an electric freezer.

193
00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:20,840
But I'm going to use this, dry ice.

194
00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:25,120
Carbon dioxide that's so cold...

195
00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:27,280
it's turned into a solid.

196
00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:35,720
Look at that, it's like Top of the
Pops. Here we go. Pour it all in.

197
00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:42,840
Right, that's all
the dry ice packed in.

198
00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:46,840
Now all I've got to do is
to start turning that premix

199
00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,680
so it doesn't freeze
where it is right now.

200
00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:51,680
Here we go.

201
00:12:51,680 --> 00:12:53,880
I need to get air into the mix

202
00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:57,320
to make sure my ice cream
ends up light and soft.

203
00:12:57,320 --> 00:12:58,960
# Freeze! #

204
00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:02,880
So, I'm using a power drill
to keep the spiral turning.

205
00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,520
Now as the blade is going round and
round, it's mixing all the premix up

206
00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:08,560
and it's putting
lots of air in there

207
00:13:08,560 --> 00:13:12,160
and that's exactly what I want
to make it nice and light.

208
00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:14,680
Plenty of air bubbles.

209
00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:18,920
Lots of air is the secret to making
soft serve ice cream soft.

210
00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:23,200
Believe it or not, around half
of my ice cream will be fresh air.

211
00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:29,480
Now I've started this, I haven't
got any idea how long it'll to take.

212
00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:33,160
I thought it'd be quick, I didn't
think it would be all night long.

213
00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:40,240
Although the dry ice is super cold,
I only want my ice cream to go
down to about minus five.

214
00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:44,560
And that's the big difference
with soft ice cream.

215
00:13:44,560 --> 00:13:49,800
It's not as cold as ice cream
you might have in your freezer,
that's about minus 18.

216
00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:52,640
There are two advantages to that.

217
00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:57,840
Firstly, it's less
of a shock in your mouth and
secondly, it also tastes sweeter.

218
00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:02,400
Bizarre as it may sound, when
you eat something really chilly,

219
00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:03,960
it stuns your taste buds.

220
00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:06,320
That makes it harder for them
to detect sweetness.

221
00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:09,920
I'm not sure about the ice cream,
but I'm getting freezing!

222
00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:15,560
So even though soft serve ice cream
has less sugar than traditional
ice cream, it tastes sweeter,

223
00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:17,000
because it's warmer.

224
00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:19,240
Amazing!

225
00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:20,480
Right...

226
00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:22,200
Let's see what it's like.

227
00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:27,400
Oh, no! Look. I've got it...

228
00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:29,120
Ha, ha, ha!

229
00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:31,440
I've got it coming out of both ends!

230
00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:32,880
Oh, no!
HE LAUGHS

231
00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:38,120
Hoo-hoo-hoo!
Let's try and fill this.

232
00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:47,680
Look at that!

233
00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:52,560
Well...

234
00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:57,080
..the flavour's there,
but I think mine's a bit of a flop.

235
00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:01,120
We're not singing
"Freeze A Jolly Good Fellow" yet,

236
00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:04,720
my ice cream isn't cold enough,
and my machine is on the blink.

237
00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:07,120
I've got a bit of a problem here.

238
00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:11,400
This end, really, really cold,
this end, really hot.

239
00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:14,040
I think my drill
is beginning to burn out.

240
00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:18,160
There's actually smoke
coming off it. I'm so close.

241
00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:21,080
My drill may have packed in,
but I'm not giving up.

242
00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:23,160
Time for a bit of elbow grease.

243
00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:26,880
If I don't keep the cream turning,
it will freeze solid.

244
00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:31,760
That's lot of effort for one cone...
of soft serve ice cream.

245
00:15:31,760 --> 00:15:34,840
You'll need an ice cream after this,
you're so hot and worn out!

246
00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:39,120
# Work till you're muscle bound,
all night long. #

247
00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:42,880
I've waited long enough
for this, I'm going to make sure
I get a big one.

248
00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:45,360
Right, there we go, that's it.

249
00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:47,400
Look at that.

250
00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:49,880
If I got that at the fair,

251
00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:53,200
I'd be really pleased.
That's my own...

252
00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:55,720
soft serve...

253
00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:57,560
ice cream.

254
00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:04,920
Oh, and it tastes like the real deal
as well. The texture's right.

255
00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:08,600
You know, it's got all these lovely
little peaks and it's not sagging.

256
00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:10,760
That's brilliant.

257
00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:13,200
But what a lot of effort
for one ice cream!

258
00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:18,680
There we go. My very own...

259
00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:21,360
soft serve...ice cream.

260
00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:25,200
Brilliant!

261
00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:31,760
Later, I tried out my ice cream
machine down on the farm. Bit runny.

262
00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:33,520
Oh, lovely(!)

263
00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:37,920
And once again, I was having
some hot and cold problems.

264
00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:42,240
Is it as good
as the ice cream you get off
the ice cream man on the beach? No.

265
00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:44,280
Why not? Because it's all sloppy.

266
00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:45,520
It's all sloppy!

267
00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:48,880
What a mess you've made, haven't
you? But what did it taste like?

268
00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:52,840
Yummy. There's one problem with
my ice cream, it melts too quickly.

269
00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:55,640
But once I got my machine
working properly... Thank you.

270
00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:58,920
..everyone wanted seconds.
How did the ice creams taste?

271
00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:01,160
Lovely, really nice.
Nice and sweet?

272
00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:03,360
Yeah, really good.
Just like one in a shop.

273
00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:05,640
It's really good.
The texture's nice as well.

274
00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:09,280
You scoffed yours really quickly!
You've got to when it's that good!

275
00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:20,240
When it comes to extreme
temperatures, ice cream and
curry sauce are fairly obvious.

276
00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:24,480
But there are some vegetables
that need the big chill
and a race against the clock,

277
00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:27,960
to make sure they arrive in the
supermarket in tip top condition.

278
00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:35,920
After 80 days
basking in the Scottish sunshine,

279
00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:40,160
the leisurely pace of life
is about to change dramatically.

280
00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:43,160
It's harvest time
for Alastair Ewan and his broccoli.

281
00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:47,560
# Life in the fast lane. #

282
00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:50,280
The race is on
when it comes to harvest,

283
00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:52,280
to make sure it keeps its freshness.

284
00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:54,560
Right.
Because broccoli's got a secret.

285
00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:56,200
Oh, yeah, what's that, then?

286
00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:58,840
You're actually eating
the flower buds.

287
00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:03,320
Seems hard to believe,
but broccoli is a bunch of flowers.

288
00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:07,560
This is like a field of roses.
Fancy a few flower buds for tea?

289
00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:09,800
Look at these. Look at that! Yeah.

290
00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:12,920
So that is a broccoli plant,
isn't it?

291
00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:16,720
Yep, there we go. It's going to
be a bunch of flowers eventually.

292
00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:21,560
In fact, it is quite pretty,
I could probably get away with givin
this to my wife for Valentine's Day.

293
00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:23,600
I think you've got no chance!

294
00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:30,840
You'd never think
the part of broccoli we eat
is a mass of tiny flower buds.

295
00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:34,440
And like a bunch of flowers,
broccoli wilts really quickly.

296
00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:37,000
This gives farmers a real headache.

297
00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,800
Here's one that has been discarded
and look at the difference

298
00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:43,160
between that and that. That's been
cut and left in the sun? Yeah.

299
00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:45,960
There's a big difference. This one,
if I shake, nothing happens.

300
00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:48,000
This one, it's all over the place,
like jelly.

301
00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:54,680
Broccoli goes floppy
within hours of being picked
and that's no use to shoppers.

302
00:18:55,720 --> 00:18:59,760
Rob Stockwell has got to make
sure this crop lasts much longer.

303
00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:04,040
Hello, Rob. Hi, Jimmy. How are you?
Not too bad, thank you.

304
00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:08,720
So what would the shelf life be
on a bit of broccoli like this?
It'd be about four days.

305
00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:12,600
Two days in the supermarket,
on the shelf and another two
in your fridge at home.

306
00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:16,080
What's the secret of keeping it
nice and fresh like this?

307
00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:18,560
The secret of this
is all about timing.

308
00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:22,080
As soon as we've cut it,
it has to get into the chill
as quick as possible.

309
00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:26,960
It's a race against the clock.

310
00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:34,080
Only by getting the broccoli
icy cold fast can Rob give it
four days' shelf life.

311
00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:41,960
What does the chilling do
to the broccoli? Basically,
it slows the whole process down.

312
00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:46,120
It means that the head
keeps its moisture,
keeps it fresh, keeps it crunchy.

313
00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:51,160
So it extends the shelf life,
because once you've cut it,
basically, this is slowly dying.

314
00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:55,360
So in a way, are you extending
the suffering of broccoli?

315
00:19:55,360 --> 00:19:57,640
No, I'm giving you extended pleasure!

316
00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:00,080
# Daddy cool, daddy cool

317
00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:01,920
# Cool daddy, cool

318
00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:04,600
# Daddy cool, daddy cool... #

319
00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:08,040
Well, Alastair,
it's freezing in here, isn't it?

320
00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:10,440
The temperature's set
at about one degree.

321
00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:13,560
Here's some broccoli
that's been in here for two hours,
it's not fully chilled,

322
00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:16,600
I've got a thermometer here,
you try it and see what it says.

323
00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:21,640
Like you get at the doctor's.
Usually it goes in your ear or your
mouth. Not up your broccoli stem!

324
00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:24,040
Now how quickly has it
got to get to temperature?

325
00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:27,520
I like it down below five degrees
within a couple of hours and get it

326
00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:30,640
right down within five
or six hours to one to two degrees.

327
00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:33,000
Look at that,
that's dropping really quickly.

328
00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:35,800
Well, that is 5.5 degrees Celsius,

329
00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:39,680
which is amazing, but I am freezing,
so I reckon, we need to get out.

330
00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:40,800
Yes.

331
00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:42,440
# Daddy cool, daddy cool... #

332
00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:48,440
To make sure the broccoli
is kept in tip top condition,

333
00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:51,720
it's a race to the fridge
and minutes saved on the farm

334
00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:55,240
could give you days longer
to tuck into your greens.

335
00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:03,280
What do you reckon these are?

336
00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:07,320
It is a food, is it?
Yes. A very thin crisp.

337
00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:10,360
A very thin crisp?
Looks like a bit of plastic to me.

338
00:21:10,360 --> 00:21:13,120
They do. Do you think
you've eaten one of these?

339
00:21:13,120 --> 00:21:15,240
I'd never eat one knowingly. No.

340
00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:20,760
I reckon you've had them before.
I haven't. I've honestly never
seen one before.

341
00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:25,200
Do you ever go
to Chinese restaurants?
These are prawn crackers,

342
00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:29,080
but to go from this into this,
takes a lot of heat!

343
00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:34,640
And I'm not just talking
about the heat in your deep fryer.

344
00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:36,840
There's more to it than that.

345
00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:40,680
To explode the secrets
of this featherlight snack,

346
00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:43,520
I'll need to draft in
some heavyweight kit.

347
00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:47,520
Now the best place
to start with any food puzzle
is on the ingredients label.

348
00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:52,760
And the surprising thing is, prawn
crackers actually contain prawns.

349
00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:55,240
About 7% in these.

350
00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:59,560
But what it doesn't tell you
is how you turn them into the
bizarreness that is a prawn cracker.

351
00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:03,320
I'm starting
with the traditional method.

352
00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:05,600
All the ingredients are natural.

353
00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:12,160
They've been making prawn crackers
by hand in Asia for generations, so
you'd think it would be quite easy.

354
00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:14,880
First job I've got to do
is puree my prawns.

355
00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:21,960
Next I need to make a dough
from tapioca flour and some water.

356
00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:25,760
It's almost like wet chalk.

357
00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:28,760
Right,
that's my dry tapioca dough made...

358
00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:32,840
..and I need to add it to my prawns.

359
00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:36,520
Seems like a waste
of good prawns, really.

360
00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:42,800
The reason I'm using tapioca flour
in my dough is because it has more
starch than most other flours.

361
00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:46,640
And starch is the magic ingredient
in prawn crackers.

362
00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:49,120
It's what makes them
crunchy when you fry them.

363
00:22:49,120 --> 00:22:52,000
It's really odd
having a fishy dough.

364
00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:58,040
But I'm a long way
from turning these prawny sausages
into crunchy crackers.

365
00:22:59,120 --> 00:23:04,920
For the starch to do its job,
it needs to be softened up,
so I'm doing some steam cooking.

366
00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:06,120
Let's pop these off.

367
00:23:07,360 --> 00:23:09,000
Little bit sticky.

368
00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:12,840
It's like a jelly baby's poo!

369
00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:18,080
Looks so weird! It looks
nothing like a prawn cracker.

370
00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:21,160
However, if you leave it in the
fridge for a couple of days...

371
00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:26,080
..it looks nothing
like a prawn cracker!

372
00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:28,560
It's a less sticky alien sausage.

373
00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:33,560
So after two days in the fridge,

374
00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:35,720
the sausages
have firmed up enough to slice.

375
00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:40,280
But to have any chance of puffing
up these discs into crackers,

376
00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:41,840
they need to be much drier.

377
00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:45,360
So it's into a low lazy oven
for about four hours.

378
00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:51,040
Prawn crackers certainly
aren't a fast track snack.

379
00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:53,120
Look at that...

380
00:23:53,120 --> 00:23:55,440
they are really dry.

381
00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:00,920
Right, first cracker,
ready to go in.

382
00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:06,040
The hot oil turns the tiny amounts
of water left in the discs to steam.

383
00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:07,480
Hee! Look at that.

384
00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:11,640
And the steam forms tiny bubbles,
which make the disc expand.

385
00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:13,000
That is brilliant!

386
00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:16,880
Mine are a little bit smaller,
but look, unfolded brilliantly.

387
00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:20,480
See all the tiny bubbles there?
Fantastic, let's have a taste.

388
00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:25,280
Mmm. Lovely crunch.

389
00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:27,840
But they've taken me ages to make.

390
00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:32,480
So it's no surprise
food factories have hit on a way
to make these much, much quicker.

391
00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:42,200
Their trick is to make the crackers
using less water, but with a massive
amount of pressure and heat.

392
00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:45,320
This should speed up
the whole process.

393
00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:49,960
This is heavy stuff.
Might be a bit of overkill
to make some small prawn crackers.

394
00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:53,440
Instead of using this 20-ton
hydraulic jack to change a tyre

395
00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:57,440
on my tractor, I'm going to use it
as a high pressure crusher.

396
00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:00,520
It might look crackers,
but I'm hoping it will

397
00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:03,760
work some magic on the starch
in my prawn crackers.

398
00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:10,880
The ingredients this time
are tapioca flour again,

399
00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:14,960
prawn extract and just
the tiniest splash of water.

400
00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:17,560
Right,
pop it all into my coffee grinder.

401
00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:19,200
Give a quick whizz.

402
00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:24,400
It's so dry that instead of a dough,

403
00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:27,520
I'm left with this powder,
full of starch.

404
00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:31,440
But instead of steam cooking
the starch, I'm going to use
high pressure and heat.

405
00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:36,120
This should melt and squash it
together to make a prawn cracker.

406
00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:41,360
Right, I'm going to put my mix
into this little receptacle

407
00:25:41,360 --> 00:25:45,640
and put a lot of pressure on it
with this 20-ton hydraulic jack.

408
00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:49,600
In the factory, they obviously
don't use a hydraulic jack like this

409
00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:54,080
This is something you'd lift
a truck up with. They have
a machine called an "extruder"

410
00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:57,640
that applies a continuous pressure
that grinds up all the starch.

411
00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:00,040
I'm hoping this will do
a similar sort of thing.

412
00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:14,240
That's a lot of pressure.
Now for a bit of heat.

413
00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:21,800
I'm hoping this pressure and heat
will melt the particles of starch

414
00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:26,240
and leave me with
a prawn cracker that's made
in minutes instead of days.

415
00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:28,680
I think we're there.

416
00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:30,440
Let's see what we've got.

417
00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:36,440
Don't have to do this
in the takeaway, do you?

418
00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:47,240
Look at that!
It is absolutely amazing, really.

419
00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:51,800
It doesn't look brilliant,
needs a bit of tidying up,
but you know what?

420
00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:53,280
I'm really proud of that.

421
00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:58,120
After all the pressure
and all the heat, it's fused...

422
00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:03,600
..almost like clear plastic.
Incredible.

423
00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:07,240
Of course the proof of a prawn
cracker isn't in what it looks like.

424
00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:09,480
It's what it does when you fry it.

425
00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:12,120
Will it puff up?

426
00:27:12,120 --> 00:27:14,040
This better work.

427
00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:16,360
Right, in you go, hot oil.

428
00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:21,280
Little bit nervous.

429
00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:24,160
Come on. It's going to do it.

430
00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:29,600
Woo hoo! God, that's really quick.

431
00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:36,080
Tell you what, my prawn crackers
don't hang about. Look at that!

432
00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:39,800
That's what you call
a lightning prawn cracker.

433
00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:42,400
Unbelievable, boosh! Straight away.

434
00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:45,880
Now that's a lot of work
for one cracker.

435
00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:50,080
Now if I ran a Chinese takeaway,
I wouldn't give these away for free.

436
00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:51,520
Now let's have a taste.

437
00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:57,640
SHARP CRUNCHES

438
00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:00,000
Did you hear that crunch? Oh!

439
00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:04,760
That's brilliant, lovely crunch.

440
00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:08,200
It's just a prawn cracker all over.
What a success!

441
00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:12,880
There we go,
my very own prawn crackers.

442
00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:21,000
From hot, hot curries...

443
00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:24,480
That is the worst thing!

444
00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:26,280
..to cold as ice cream...

445
00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:29,760
I've got it coming out of both ends!

446
00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:33,800
..I've turned up the heat
on the temperature tricks
of mass produced food.

447
00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:56,120
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448
00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:59,160
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