0:00:02 > 0:00:05OK, Gastronuts, let's find out what our challenge is this week.
0:00:05 > 0:00:07Da-da-da!
0:00:09 > 0:00:13Can we make a plastic bag from mashed potato?
0:00:13 > 0:00:15LAUGHTER
0:00:34 > 0:00:35BURPS
0:00:35 > 0:00:38The Gastronuts doing weird stuff with food today are,
0:00:49 > 0:00:52If I can use food in a new way, I'll use
0:00:52 > 0:00:54pizza for a steering wheel in a car.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57When I'm not putting salt and pepper on my food
0:00:57 > 0:01:00I like putting it in my friend's drink as a prank.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Coming up on today's show,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05I get up close to some really fast food.
0:01:07 > 0:01:08That is so cool!
0:01:08 > 0:01:13The Gastronuts and I have a small difference of opinion.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16I do think it's the best food on the planet.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Yuk!
0:01:18 > 0:01:21And we find out what's been stuck up my drainpipe.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Whay-hey!
0:01:23 > 0:01:26That was the best one! Look, it went miles!
0:01:28 > 0:01:31- What is food for?- Food fights. - If you're naughty, I guess so.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34- Eating.- For eating. It gives us fuel, doesn't it?
0:01:34 > 0:01:36It gives us the energy to last the day.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39But what else can food make that isn't part of us?
0:01:39 > 0:01:43- Cheese string glasses. - In a world of fantasy, you could!
0:01:43 > 0:01:47- Pasta earrings.- You can turn spices into make-up or perfume.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51- There's cream made out of coconut butter?- Mustard for face paints?
0:01:51 > 0:01:54That would hurt! Anything else that we can use food for?
0:01:54 > 0:01:59You can stick together cow intestines and that to make a belt.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01It's mad, but you could. The big question is,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05can we make plastic bags out of mashed potato?
0:02:05 > 0:02:09- I think so.- No?- Not sure. I think so.- Let's give it a go.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12- Let's give it a go. Come on, then, guys, follow me.- Yeah.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Let's start off by taking some potatoes.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21OK, they need to go into the blender. Go on, get in there.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24We just need a little bit of water to make it all nice and soppy.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Woo-hoo! And give it a good whizz.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32OK, Ben, I think we're done there.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35What we've got in here is all the starch from the potatoes
0:02:35 > 0:02:38which will give us a really good solid substance,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40but we need to take the water out of it.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43- Whoa!- It looks like porridge now.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46It's like porridge, sick, potato milkshake.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49OK, now we need to get all of the water so we're
0:02:49 > 0:02:51just left with all the starch.
0:02:51 > 0:02:52Busting out a little bit,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56I think we've started to make little holes in the muslin.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Woo-hoo! OK, let's have a look at what we've got here. Whoa!
0:02:59 > 0:03:02- That looks like cheese. - What does it smell like?
0:03:02 > 0:03:07- Oww!- It smells really strange. It smells almost like sort of
0:03:07 > 0:03:10- petrol or something. - It smells like raw potatoes.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12- It's quite potent, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14It's almost like a biofuel already.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17To turn our mash into plastic we're adding vinegar,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20a sugary liquid called glycerin and some water.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23We then let it all simmer together.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25So why do you think we're bothering
0:03:25 > 0:03:27to make a plastic bag out of potatoes?
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Maybe because it's something different and it's
0:03:30 > 0:03:33- a little bit more, what's the word? Environmental.- Yeah.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35- It's good to experiment. - You're right.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39To make things out of oil you need to keep taking oil out of the ground
0:03:39 > 0:03:42and oil is beginning to run out, so we need to start finding other
0:03:42 > 0:03:44ways to make the things we need.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47Do you know how long it takes a normal plastic bag to degrade,
0:03:47 > 0:03:51- to turn into mush?- About a year? - Two years?- Two to five months?
0:03:51 > 0:03:54The truth is nobody really knows because none of the plastic
0:03:54 > 0:03:56has degraded yet, so we don't know.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00- I think that should be nearly ready. Isn't that weird?- It's all goo.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04The potato has definitely turned into something else, hasn't it?
0:04:04 > 0:04:06It's become a very different substance.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10There's some magic of science that's gone on there somewhere.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Let's grab that baking tray over there.
0:04:12 > 0:04:18- OK.- Oh! Oh, that is cool. - The mash mix is poured on
0:04:18 > 0:04:21to a baking tray and popped in the oven for a couple of hours.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Bags made from starch are becoming available
0:04:24 > 0:04:26in the shops. They look just like normal bags,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28but what will ours look like?
0:04:28 > 0:04:30- So, does that look like a carrier bag?- No.
0:04:30 > 0:04:31No. What does it feel like?
0:04:31 > 0:04:34It feels kind of like a plastic bag.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37It is sort of plasticky, isn't it? Here we go, then.
0:04:37 > 0:04:43We're going to try and transform this pile of goo into a plastic bag.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45We're going to staple our bag together
0:04:45 > 0:04:48and see if that does the job.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51I think we need a bit of branding on this, don't we?
0:04:51 > 0:04:52Very good!
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Let's take those small potatoes.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Let's see how many we can get in there.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00And another one. And another one!
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Arub, I'd like you to carry my carrier bag.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08Let's see how many potatoes we can get in before she goes.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09Oh-ho!
0:05:09 > 0:05:13I know it sounds quite disgusting, but if you added some string
0:05:13 > 0:05:15and you went to the countryside,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17it might look a tiny bit like a cow-skin bag.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Like a cow-skin bag! It could do.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23I wouldn't really want to be caught with that in the supermarket.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Let's try one more thing.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27OK, let's pop this down here.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Most carrier bags have a handle, don't they?
0:05:29 > 0:05:31There we go.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34I would say that is a plastic bag!
0:05:34 > 0:05:37OK, our bag doesn't look great, but it does prove
0:05:37 > 0:05:40that you can make plastic that doesn't need oil
0:05:40 > 0:05:42and won't take years to break down.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46Amazing! It's as though food has got secrets waiting to be teased out.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48You can turn it into so many different things,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51but I wonder how far we can go with taking food
0:05:51 > 0:05:53and changing it into something different?
0:05:53 > 0:05:58I was really surprised that a potato plastic bag
0:05:58 > 0:05:59can carry more than five potatoes.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06In recent years, people have learnt how food can be usefully turned
0:06:06 > 0:06:08into new substances.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11In the past, the kitchen was where the earliest science took place,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13sometimes with explosive results.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16So Gastronuts, who likes doing science at school?
0:06:16 > 0:06:19- Me.- Yeah! Cooking is very much like chemistry.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Mixing ingredients together,
0:06:21 > 0:06:23applying heat and changing it into something else.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27So I just want to show you something that uses food
0:06:27 > 0:06:29in a little chemical experiment.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Here we have some bicarbonate of soda, and here we have some vinegar.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34What I'd like you to do, Connor,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38is tip the bicarbonate of soda into the vinegar.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40I wouldn't hold on to, actually, if I were you.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Give it a good old tip and see what happens.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45- Oh, it's fizzing!- Yes.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Now, what's happening there is that the acid in the vinegar
0:06:48 > 0:06:50is reacting with the bicarbonate of soda,
0:06:50 > 0:06:52creating carbon dioxide, making it fizz.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55When you put bicarbonate of soda into cakes,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58it helps things to rise, it puts air inside them,
0:06:58 > 0:06:59it makes them light and fluffy.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01I wondered if we could take this reaction
0:07:01 > 0:07:05and build it up on a bigger scale and make something more exciting.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07- Would you like to try that? - Yeah!- OK, follow me.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11Now then, I want you all to wait here for a second,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14because I need to go and find a friend I'd like you to meet.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Hold on there.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18Many people believe that experimenting
0:07:18 > 0:07:21in the kitchen was where modern science began.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25We're going to see how we can take something familiar,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28like making a cake rise, and turn it into something really cool.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to my friend BBB.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34This is Barry The Bicarbonate-Of-Soda Bazooka.
0:07:34 > 0:07:35Bazooka?!
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Now, what does a bazooka do?
0:07:37 > 0:07:41You put a rocket in the end and it goes...ppwwrrr!
0:07:41 > 0:07:44We've taken a length of pipe you'd use in your guttering
0:07:44 > 0:07:46and attached it to a pivot with some wheels.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49That's the bazooka, now to make our missiles.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52We're going to use bicarbonate of soda and vinegar and try and use
0:07:52 > 0:07:56all the gas that's given off by the reaction between those
0:07:56 > 0:07:59to build up pressure, and when that pressure releases, hopefully,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01we'll make something that will blow off.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05We start with a bottle. Connor, grab one of those bottles.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Any bottle. Choose a bottle, any bottle.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12OK, now we need to fill it with about two inches of vinegar.
0:08:12 > 0:08:13Stop.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Brilliant. Now for the other side of it.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19This is a piece of pipe with a bung stopping it at the end
0:08:19 > 0:08:22and we're going to put our bicarbonate of soda into there.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Imogen, you grab that.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25So, there...
0:08:25 > 0:08:27OK, that will do perfectly.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Now, this is the tricky bit.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32What we're doing is we're keeping the bicarbonate of soda
0:08:32 > 0:08:35and the vinegar separate until the very last minute,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39and when we put this stopper in to bung it up,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42hopefully we'll be able to create lots of pressure,
0:08:42 > 0:08:46and when that pressure eventually pushes the bung out of the bottom,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49all of the pressure in the bottle will be released.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52The bung keeps it nice and tight, so there's nothing in there.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56And then, we need to pop it into Barry The Bazooka.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Mixing vinegar and baking powder in large amounts can be dangerous,
0:08:59 > 0:09:04so do not try this at home, unless you're a member of the armed forces
0:09:04 > 0:09:07or you're making a cake the size of a house!
0:09:07 > 0:09:11What we're going to do is we're going to put the ammunition
0:09:11 > 0:09:14into Barry and then we're going to lift him up,
0:09:14 > 0:09:18so that the bicarbonate of soda mixes with the vinegar.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22Our aim is to try and hit the bucket over there.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26- So Connor, are we facing the right way?- No, wait, I'll just do the aim.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Fire!
0:09:28 > 0:09:32Yeah, it's over here. A little bit to the...more...
0:09:32 > 0:09:33Let's go.
0:09:35 > 0:09:36OK, here's one for Ben.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40The bottle with the bicarb and vinegar is placed inside.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42A strap over the end stops the bottle falling out
0:09:42 > 0:09:44when we tip up our bazooka.
0:09:44 > 0:09:45All the way to the top.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49Once we've tipped it up, the bicarb and vinegar fizz together.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51We release the strap, take aim
0:09:51 > 0:09:53and wait for our bottle to blow out of the pipe.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57- How long does it take? - Well, I don't really know.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59In fact... Oh, there we go!
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Well, it works. It didn't get quite far enough, though.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Maybe I need to shake it more.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09Maybe we need more vinegar. Maybe I should push the bung in tighter.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12OK, next one, then.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Give it a shake. Lovely. And back down.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Shall we give it a count to see how long it takes?
0:10:17 > 0:10:19One. Two.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Three. Four.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Five. Six. Seven.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Eight. Nine.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28A-ho! Woo-hoo!
0:10:30 > 0:10:31That went miles!
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Farther than yours, mate.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35I wonder if we can stick it in
0:10:35 > 0:10:37a bit tighter and get it even further?
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Go on then, go for it. A good old shake.
0:10:39 > 0:10:40OK.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45I can't hear anything happening.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Well, maybe we should just all sit about and have a bit of a rest.
0:10:50 > 0:10:51Let's do a dance.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54- No!- A dance?- A dance-off! - What are we going to dance?
0:10:54 > 0:10:57# Gastronuts, eee, eee, eee, eee!
0:10:57 > 0:11:00# Gastronuts, eee, eee, eee, eee! #
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Can we not just show them G or something?
0:11:03 > 0:11:06I do hope this works. They're starting to frighten me!
0:11:06 > 0:11:10This isn't happening. Let's give it another shake.
0:11:10 > 0:11:11OK, let's go.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- OK, down!- It's going to bang! - Take cover!
0:11:18 > 0:11:19Whoa ho!
0:11:21 > 0:11:23That was the best one! Look, it went miles!
0:11:23 > 0:11:26- Take aim.- OK.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28- Happy with that?- Yeah.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Give her a shake.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32And back up again.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34- Take aim.- We sit and we wait.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Whoa! Oh, you hit the bucket as well!
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Brilliant! Top man. Give me five.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Imogen's eliminated!
0:11:43 > 0:11:47- Guys, what do you think about this? - That was just wicked.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49- I liked that. - That was the best bit, I think.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53- What do you think of Barry? - Can I keep him?
0:11:53 > 0:11:56We've proved you can actually power a bazooka
0:11:56 > 0:11:58using the same process we use to make a cake rise.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02And that's the great thing about food, it doesn't just feed us,
0:12:02 > 0:12:06it can lead us into thinking about the world in a completely new way.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08BURPS
0:12:08 > 0:12:11We all spend huge amounts of our time eating,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14thinking about our food and playing with our food,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16but when you start getting scientists
0:12:16 > 0:12:20experimenting with their food, strange things happen.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Some brainboxes at Warwick University have come up with a use
0:12:23 > 0:12:27for old fruit and veg that is completely car-azy.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Steve, how are you doing?
0:12:29 > 0:12:30Hello, Stefan.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33So you play with your food on a professional basis?
0:12:33 > 0:12:36We do experiments looking at how we can use different foods for
0:12:36 > 0:12:40different things and we are looking at making things from carrots
0:12:40 > 0:12:42and from soya beans and from chocolate.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Sounds fantastic. Anything useful you can show us?
0:12:45 > 0:12:48I've got a project over here that looks like fast food.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03- This is James, our racing driver. - Hello, James. Nice to meet you.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06It's a very cool racing car, but what's she got to do with food?
0:13:06 > 0:13:09There are a number of technologies on this car
0:13:09 > 0:13:11which are based on foodstuffs.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15So for example, the steering wheel is actually made from
0:13:15 > 0:13:17carrots and other root vegetables.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18That's absolutely solid.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Does it make a particularly good steering wheel?
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Absolutely. I mean, that particular material is used
0:13:24 > 0:13:26in fishing rods and other things
0:13:26 > 0:13:29and we've made it into a steering wheel and it's great.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31It's lightweight, strong, perfect!
0:13:31 > 0:13:34What else? Nothing here looks like it's made out of food.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37OK, well the seat itself is made from a foam material.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40That would normally be made from crude oil,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43but that one is actually made from soya beans.
0:13:43 > 0:13:44Does it keep your bum warm?
0:13:44 > 0:13:48No, it's just meant to be squidgy and give you support on your hips
0:13:48 > 0:13:50so you don't get shaken around on corners.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53So what else here is made out of foods and plants and vegetables?
0:13:53 > 0:13:56If we look at the bib underneath the car here,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58that's made out of a flax material.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00Flax is a plant that is grown in the field.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03You usually make things like sheets out of that,
0:14:03 > 0:14:04pillowcases and that sort of thing.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07We've made wing mirrors out of potato starch.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10If you take a potato and you're turning it into your crisps,
0:14:10 > 0:14:12you slice your potato into lots of thin pieces
0:14:12 > 0:14:15and you get left with a starchy residue on the blades,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18and that starch you can then turn into packaging material
0:14:18 > 0:14:21and that's what we've made our wing mirrors out of.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Do you drive around going, "I'm driving something made out food!"
0:14:24 > 0:14:27It's amazing. Sometimes we wonder whether
0:14:27 > 0:14:30they're going to hold together, but we've done our work properly,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33and the foodstuff and natural fibres are all good quality
0:14:33 > 0:14:35and strong enough for the car.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39Time to see how a car made out of food sounds and goes.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46So how fast would the car go?
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Well, currently it goes about 135 miles an hour,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52but with a bit more engineering, we think we can get up to about 140.
0:14:55 > 0:14:56Wow!
0:14:56 > 0:14:59That's a car made of vegetables!
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Yeah, but the best thing is what we actually run it on.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06This car runs on biofuel made from the fat squeezed out from beef,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09salmon and, best of all, chocolate.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12- That is the most extraordinary thing, running a car on fish!- Yes.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14That is so cool! Does it smell of salmon?
0:15:14 > 0:15:17- That one does a bit. - It smells of fish oil, yeah.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Anything that produces a fatty substance, we can make fuel from.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23We can make fuel for about 15p a litre,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27compared to about £1 a litre at the petrol pump.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30So not only is it using up a waste product,
0:15:30 > 0:15:32but it's really cheap as well.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Yeah, it makes sense, it really does.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36This car is cool.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40Made from root veggies, soya beans and plant fibres,
0:15:40 > 0:15:44it really is fast food!
0:15:44 > 0:15:46What's extraordinary about this car
0:15:46 > 0:15:48is that it's not just mucking about with food.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52These are really high-tech, high-performance uses of food.
0:15:52 > 0:15:53It's absolutely brilliant.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06How do you make corn starch boogie without touching it?
0:16:06 > 0:16:09What we need is corn starch and then we're going to add
0:16:09 > 0:16:11a little water to it.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Something amazing happens, as it forms
0:16:14 > 0:16:16a very, very strange mess.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21When you try and stir it, it won't let you. It stiffens and it cracks.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25What we're going to do now is we're going to add a little bit
0:16:25 > 0:16:27of food colouring, just so that we can see it
0:16:27 > 0:16:29a little better.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31So our corn starch is ready
0:16:31 > 0:16:32and I'm going to put it
0:16:32 > 0:16:36into my special dancing-corn-starch speaker.
0:16:36 > 0:16:37Plop!
0:16:41 > 0:16:44BUZZING
0:16:45 > 0:16:47It looks like it's alive!
0:16:49 > 0:16:51So what's going on here?
0:16:51 > 0:16:53Is it a solid or is it a liquid?
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Well, actually, it's a bit of both.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58You have the liquid, water, which is surrounding
0:16:58 > 0:17:00particles of the corn starch.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02In our speaker, where the speaker is
0:17:02 > 0:17:07bouncing up and down, very, very slowly, we can get those particles
0:17:07 > 0:17:12to jump past each other and build those very strange arms and legs.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17So corn starch and water are a little bit like sand and water,
0:17:17 > 0:17:21a bit like when you go to the beach and you run on wet sand,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23and it feels quite firm,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27and then when you stop, it goes all soft and you sink into it.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35We're trying to find out if we can do more with food than just eat it.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39So far, we've turned a sack of spuds into a plastic bag.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42I wouldn't want to be caught with that in the supermarket!
0:17:42 > 0:17:44And seen some food on the go.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46It's a car made of vegetables!
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Next up, the Gastronuts sample the fat of the hand.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51It looks like wee.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53And find out what's the ultimate in flexible food.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55That's steaming, isn't it?
0:17:55 > 0:17:56Whoa!
0:17:56 > 0:17:59- Yes!- Wow! That one went miles!
0:18:01 > 0:18:03OK, we've got a massive treat for you today.
0:18:03 > 0:18:04I have to admit,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07not everyone else feels the same about this as I do, but I think
0:18:07 > 0:18:09it's the best food on the planet.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Have a little try of that one there.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18- Don't you like it? - It tastes like slime.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22This is called lardo. It's pork fat. Who knows what that is?
0:18:22 > 0:18:23- Cheese.- It looks like cheese.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26It looks like cheese, but it's not. It's lard.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29We use lard these days for baking or to fry with,
0:18:29 > 0:18:32but in the past, it was used for all sorts of things,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34some of which are very surprising.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36So what else could we use it for?
0:18:36 > 0:18:39- Face cream?- Well, let's take that crazy idea and let's see
0:18:39 > 0:18:43if we can make something that we could wash ourselves with, yeah?
0:18:43 > 0:18:45- OK.- First of all we need to turn the lard into liquid.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49OK, now it's time to do the dangerous bit.
0:18:49 > 0:18:50Glasses on, everybody.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56We are going to make a solution of caustic soda.
0:18:56 > 0:18:57It's very, very alkaline,
0:18:57 > 0:19:01so it dissolves anything that's organic. Now, Arub,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03be very careful. If you pour that bowl
0:19:03 > 0:19:06of caustic soda into the water very gently,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09so it doesn't splash. That's it, the whole lot.
0:19:09 > 0:19:10Brilliant.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Now give it a gentle stir.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15- Imogen, I want you to touch the side of the bowl.- Oh! Ah!
0:19:15 > 0:19:19It's really hot. It feels like boiling water, almost.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21That's a chemical reaction going on
0:19:21 > 0:19:24between the water and the caustic soda and it makes it very hot.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27- How is your fat doing over there? - It's all melted.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30All melted, brilliant. Now, what we need to do is
0:19:30 > 0:19:32pour that hot fat into a bowl.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Oh, that's nice.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37That is melted lard.
0:19:37 > 0:19:38It looks like oil.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42It looks like wee, doesn't it? Let's be honest, here, it looks like wee.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Well, the wee you do first thing in the morning!
0:19:44 > 0:19:45These ones here are cool.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47We're going to put them into the blender.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Arub, if you can pour in the caustic soda.
0:19:52 > 0:19:53And give it a whizz.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58It looks like milk, but in a really weird way.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02OK, stop it there for a sec. OK, that's looking nice and thick now.
0:20:02 > 0:20:03Oh, yeah!
0:20:03 > 0:20:07OK, now what we need to do is put a little bit of flavouring into it.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11We've got some rosemary. Woo-hoo! That'll do. Turn it off again.
0:20:11 > 0:20:16Brilliant! Now, if you can pour it into this, this is our mould.
0:20:16 > 0:20:17Would you put that on your skin?
0:20:17 > 0:20:18- No.- No.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21The mixture needs to cool overnight in the fridge,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24but don't mistake it for hummus if you get the munchies!
0:20:24 > 0:20:26The idea is that the runny pig fat
0:20:26 > 0:20:29and dangerous chemicals should combine to make soap.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32I might let the Gastronuts try it out first!
0:20:32 > 0:20:33Chuck it out there.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38So that was caustic soda in there. Now it's something very different.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41Everyone got clean hands? Clean hands are no good.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Let's make them dirty.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45OK, Ben, if you can pass me a piece of coal.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Pass us another piece of coal.
0:20:48 > 0:20:49And another piece.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52In the olden days, when people used to pass round coal for fun,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54most soap was made from lard.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Let's see if out attempt works.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02- OK, everyone nice and mucky?- Yeah.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05OK. Lard and caustic soda, soap.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Can everyone get in there?
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Does it feel like normal soap? Can anyone get some suds out?
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Has anyone managed to make any lather? Any bubbles?
0:21:14 > 0:21:17- Yeah.- OK, I want to see super-clean hands.
0:21:17 > 0:21:18My hands are actually almost clean.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22It's like super soap! It's even soapier than normal soap.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Let's have a show of hands.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Whoa-ho! Are we clean?
0:21:26 > 0:21:30- Yeah.- We're clean! Brilliant. This shouldn't work, but it does.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Something that you can eat and cook with
0:21:32 > 0:21:35can actually be transformed into soap,
0:21:35 > 0:21:39and you can wash your little pinkies with some fat from a little piggy.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40- It's a bit disgusting.- Yeah.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42But at least it cleaned our hands.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46It's pig fat, and you don't put pig fat on your hands.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49It's disgusting and mucky, but we've become clean, haven't we?
0:21:49 > 0:21:53Let's see if there's anything else we can transform our food into.
0:21:55 > 0:21:56BURPS
0:21:58 > 0:22:01- Do you know what this is?- Plant.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04It's a plant, brilliant! But what sort of plant is it?
0:22:04 > 0:22:06- Bamboo! - It's bamboo, spot on, well done.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Well, bamboo is an extraordinary, extraordinary plant.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13It's a fantastic food, but it can be used to make
0:22:13 > 0:22:14a huge variety of different things,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17and I want to show you some of them. Follow me.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22- What do you think that everything here is made out of?- Wood.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24- Bamboo.- Bamboo. It's all bamboo,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27apart from a couple of bits of steel holding this up.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31So we've got a bamboo bowl here, we've got a bamboo steamer,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33a bamboo spit and bamboo plates.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35We've got all sorts of bamboo things.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Now, the idea here is that we're going to put a fire underneath this
0:22:38 > 0:22:40and try and steam some food in here.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44- What do you think we should steam in our bamboo steamer?- Bamboo.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Come over here and I'll show you some bamboo we can eat.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50- Now, this is bamboo shoots. - Oh, cool.- It's quite nice, actually.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Bamboo shoots are really important for Chinese food.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56- Who likes eating Chinese takeaway? - Me!
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Well, there'll be loads of bamboo shoots in there
0:22:59 > 0:23:00and these are how they come.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03They're really tender and they've got this sourness.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Really delicious food.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06So we're going to take some of these
0:23:06 > 0:23:10and then we're going to cook and eat them on plates made of...
0:23:10 > 0:23:12- Bamboo.- Bamboo. And chopsticks made of?
0:23:12 > 0:23:13- Bamboo.- Bamboo!
0:23:15 > 0:23:18So we've got some so water in the bottom there,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20we've got a bamboo steamer here,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23all we really need to do is heat up the water enough
0:23:23 > 0:23:25to cook those bamboo shoots.
0:23:25 > 0:23:26Pop the lid on.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Time to light our fire made of wolves' tongues and swans' feet.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Oh, all right, it's also made out of bamboo.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37Well, let's see if we're managing to cook our bamboo with bamboo.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40- Oh!- Whoa!
0:23:40 > 0:23:42That's steaming, isn't it?
0:23:42 > 0:23:46How cool is that? We're adding our bamboo to a tasty stir-fry.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50We know it can be turned into almost anything, but how does it taste?
0:23:50 > 0:23:54- That's really nice.- I wonder if we can take the idea of using
0:23:54 > 0:23:59bamboo for different uses and make it into something really explosive.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03- Explosive? Sound like my kind of thing!- Follow me!
0:24:03 > 0:24:04- Oh...- Oh...
0:24:04 > 0:24:06"Oh"? That's not the reaction!
0:24:06 > 0:24:08You're supposed to go, "YEAH!"
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Bamboo has been used in all sorts of ways for centuries,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14but it's also a modern environmentally-friendly material
0:24:14 > 0:24:18that can be used to make fabric for clothes, bike frames
0:24:18 > 0:24:21and even laptops,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24but there's one traditional use that's still the coolest.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29- Do you remember Barry The Bazooka? - Yes.- OK.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31This is Barry's cousin.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36Meet Colin The Cannon!
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Made out of bamboo.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42If it was made by the Chinese, would it be used in the Imperial Army?
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Exactly that kind of thing.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Bamboo cannons were invented by the Chinese and used
0:24:48 > 0:24:50as flame-throwers or to fire missiles.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53With the help of explosives expert Graham, we'll be seeing
0:24:53 > 0:24:56if we can make some food go bam-boom!
0:24:56 > 0:24:58- So what have we got here?- Oranges.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00- Oranges.- Apples, bread.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03- Potatoes, tomatoes.- Which one do you reckon will be best?
0:25:03 > 0:25:06I'd say Brussels sprouts, because they're the smallest.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08First up to the front line,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11it's Imogen doing the best thing I've ever seen done
0:25:11 > 0:25:13with Brussels sprouts - blowing them up!
0:25:13 > 0:25:14Give them to me.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20- Ready, guys?- Yeah.- Three, two, one,
0:25:20 > 0:25:21go!
0:25:24 > 0:25:26That was pretty good!
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Quite a good scattering here. Where's the furthest one?
0:25:29 > 0:25:32OK, I think that's the furthest one there.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Next up, it's Connor, with some bagel bombs.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38How far do you reckon these are going to go? Further?
0:25:38 > 0:25:42- They might go further.- Yeah, are you feeling confident?- Yeah.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45- OK.- Three, two, one,
0:25:45 > 0:25:46go!
0:25:46 > 0:25:48Woo-hoo-hoo!
0:25:48 > 0:25:51I think you managed to toast them at same time as fire them.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59It's a toasted bagel!
0:25:59 > 0:26:02OK, that did pretty well. That was further than the Brussels sprout.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06Arub is seeing if she can pip Connor with her orange.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Three, two, one,
0:26:08 > 0:26:09fire!
0:26:12 > 0:26:14It's flopped out the end, didn't it?
0:26:14 > 0:26:18I'd say that got about ten yards.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23And finally, Ben's trying out the world's biggest spud gun.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Three, two, one,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28fire!
0:26:28 > 0:26:30- Woo-hoo!- Yes!
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Wow! That one went miles!
0:26:33 > 0:26:35Where did it go, where did it go?
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Here it is.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42Look at that, that's brilliant!
0:26:42 > 0:26:44It's been baked in transit.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Fantastic!
0:26:46 > 0:26:50So the next time you're holding off an invading Mongol army,
0:26:50 > 0:26:54make sure you load up your bamboo cannon with some spuds!
0:26:54 > 0:26:58Roasting the bamboo on the spit was probably
0:26:58 > 0:27:00one of the best things in my life,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03and I hope for more things to come up like that again.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08The worst part was eating the pig fat, because it tasted slimy
0:27:08 > 0:27:10and it slithered down my throat.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16Now that I've been on Gastronuts, I don't just think about eating food,
0:27:16 > 0:27:18I think about blasting them as well!
0:27:20 > 0:27:22It's just kind of a bit unbelievable
0:27:22 > 0:27:25that we made a plastic bag out of potato.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29That was so cool, but also quite bizarre.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32The idea that this is a bamboo cannon firing vegetables,
0:27:32 > 0:27:34and yet it's made out of food that we eat.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38When you think about it, there are so many things in our normal lives
0:27:38 > 0:27:41that are made out of food and it just takes following up
0:27:41 > 0:27:44these stories to find out all these things that blow your mind!
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:27:57 > 0:28:00E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk