Burned Incredible Edibles: Gutbusters

I'm Stefan Gates,

and I'm a food adventurer.

Which means I've eaten the best,

the worst, and the most dangerous food on earth

and now I'm going to serve it to you!

Because this is Incredible Edibles: Gutbusters!

Welcome to the show. Today Gutbusters HQ has been invaded

by a gang of marauding food heads

and here they are!

Wooo!

Guys, we eat some pretty challenging stuff on this show.

-Are you ready to try anything?

-Yes!!

Of course they are.

Today we have an amazing audience who are chomping at the bit.

First, let's get to know them. Audience, what's your name?

ALL SHOUT AT ONCE

Got that? Brilliant. This lot are fantastic.

But all this mayhem would be wasted without you lot watching at home.

So here's what we've got coming up for you.

We turn up the heat and see if burning stuff with a blowtorch

can actually make it taste better.

Fire up, baby!

We see if Suzette Brissett from Alesha's Street Dance Stars

can stomach some shocking suppers!

-What is that?!

-You said you like chicken!

And if you thought only boring stuff came in cans,

then we've got some tin that'll blow your mind!

Let's get this started. Has anyone here ever eaten burnt food?

Yes!

Yeah. Because sometimes, burnt food can blow your mind.

To help me explain why, please welcome Angus, Tom and Rhona!

Have you ever burnt the toast before?

I burnt my hand making pancakes.

And the pancakes were really tasty.

-Sausages.

-Sausages.

I don't cook anything, so...

I don't eat any burnt stuff, so...

You keep it clean serene. I'm liking your word.

OK. I think that sometimes burnt food can taste delicious.

Shall we burn some food, see what happens?

-OK.

-Here I have cheese.

First, I want you to try some cheese and tell me what you think of it.

'Cheese is slightly salty, but really tasty.

'I love cheese.'

-It's soft.

-But there's not a lot to it.

It is just basic cheese.

Let's see what we can do. Does anyone have one of these at home?

Yes, it's a blow torch.

Blow torches make things very hot.

So unless you want to end up bandaged like an Egyptian mummy

or your hands are made out of fire extinguishers,

never try to do this yourself.

Now.

Let's apply some heat.

Stop there. OK.

-Looks like pizza.

-I want to know what the difference is

between the flavours.

Does it taste like the cheese you had just now?

-Tastes slightly burnt.

-Is it nicer grilled?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-You don't like it? I do.

-I like it.

-Two yes and one no.

OK. When you brown food, it's not just cooking, it's chemistry.

The extreme heat of the blow torch has melted the cheese.

Then it starts to burn. This starts a series of chemical reactions

that even the best scientists in the world barely understand.

It's called the Maillard reaction after the guy who identified it.

It transforms the taste of food, making the cheese taste sweeter,

more savoury, with a twist of toffee.

-Does it taste better than before?

-Yes.

I really like that. Angus isn't sure.

OK. Here we have a bit of chicken.

Grab a piece there. Have a taste.

What does it taste like?

It's really tasty. It tastes a bit like Sunday,

-cos of Sunday roasts.

-Sunday roast.

Plain, but really juicy inside.

Let's see what happens if we brown it.

OK.

Grab a bit with some crispy skin on it

and try that crispy bit.

Does it taste different?

It's almost slightly burnt,

but slightly salty and before it was plain and didn't taste of anything.

-It tasted like water.

-Now it has that charcoal, barbecue flavour.

Does that add a lot to it?

-Yeah, it does.

-Yeah.

-Pretty good.

Bad.

OK. If we can make something delicious using a torch like this,

what can we do with this bad boy? Dave?

Bring on the big guns!

Time for some ridiculous eyewear, some gloves.

So, in here is a big jet pack.

There we go. Ooh, yeah.

Guys, is this cool?

-Yeah!

-Oh, yeah. The big question is,

can we make a massive burnt pudding the size of a paddling pool?

Will it be a massive blackened mess? What do you think?

-No!

-Yes!

You're not sure. Here we go.

To be honest, I've got no idea.

We'll find out at the end of the show!

Bet you haven't seen many of these on the table at tea-time!

Yep, it's a nose.

This is the nose from a cow.

If you look closely, it's got bristles,

like the hairs on your nose.

They have to be shaved off or burnt off before you cook it.

And then, have a look inside.

All this meat around here.

A lot of meat and also loads of skin and fat around here.

It is, oddly, still a nose, though.

You can't get away from the fact.

Quickly rinse my hands.

I'll have a try.

Ooh.

It's a bit like pork, or maybe chicken,

hunks of chicken that have been boiled with their skin on.

I can imagine that if nobody told me that was a hunk of nose,

I'd see that in a curry or something and eat it very happily,

thinking it's just meat.

And you think, "Why not?"

I've got a bit of nose stuck in my teeth!

Now, who thinks that fish are a bit weird?

Me!

Yeah. But who eats fish fingers?

-Me!

-Yeah.

This got me thinking. Would anything taste great

if it was covered in delicious crispy burnt breadcrumbs.

To help me find out, I've teamed up with three very brave eaters.

Put your hands in the air and go wild for Tom, Rhona and Dheeran!

Guys, does everything taste better covered in breadcrumbs?

-Not really.

-No? OK. Do you want to give it a try?

-OK.

-Excellent.

What is the worst vegetable on the planet?

-ALL:

-Brussels sprouts!

It is illegal for you to enjoy Brussels sprouts, isn't it?

I've got some here. Have a taste of it for me.

-It's like a mini cabbage.

-It's just weird.

One reason kids don't like it is there are sulphuric compounds in it,

which kids don't tend to like.

I wondered if we can take that taste and change it a bit

by covering them in breadcrumbs.

So, first, roll them about in some flour.

Rhona, chuck them in your egg.

Roll them round there. Lovely.

Tom you're going to roll them

and try and catch as many breadcrumbs as you can.

There we go. Perfect. OK.

-Now pop them in here.

-They look like chicken nuggets.

Well, that's sort of the idea.

So we're going to put them in our deep fat fryer

and while those are cooking, we'll wash our hands.

OK. These are ready. Dheeran, you're not a fan, are you?

Have a try, and tell me if they taste better with breadcrumbs.

Go on, have a whole bite of it!

-That's it.

-It's kind of better,

because the crispiness makes it kind of taste better.

-And the breadcrumbs.

-It tastes better.

It tastes salty with a bit of sweetness.

-Tastes really nice.

-Salty, sweet, fatty, all good stuff for you!

-Yeah.

-Really nice, but the breadcrumbs seem to peel off.

-They're...

-That was your job, Tom, I have to say!

Seeing as that's been successful, do you want to try other things?

Yeah.

That's what they say now!

Let's start with the yellow bowl. Everyone grab one of those.

Dig in. See what it's like.

-Pickled onion.

-Pickled onion!

I like pickled onions.

Well done. Number one is pickled onions.

It's weird to have pickled onions covered in breadcrumbs.

It's really oniony. The breadcrumbs are really hard on this one.

OK. Dheeran, are you fan of pickled onions?

I haven't really tried them before.

Perfect. A brand-new experience.

-What are they like?

-Quite sour.

Looks like you're eating an eyeball!

-Very strange!

-It's kind of nice, but not that tasty.

Nice, but not tasty. A yes/no answer!

Time for number two.

I reckon a few will be needed there.

-Beans.

-Beans.

If you bite it, it almost explodes.

These are baked beans that have been individually breadcrumbed

and then deep-fried.

It's really crunchy so it kind of makes it more tastier.

It's really nice.

Tom, is this a winner?

Definitely.

You're going to demand that your mum and dad breadcrumb every baked bean!

-Yeah.

-Right. Those are baked beans.

Now it's time for the blue dish.

-Grab one of those.

-What is that?

-Is that beef?

-I've never tried black pudding, but this might be it.

-Is it dried goat?

-No. It's not dried goat.

-It's weird.

-It's got a musty taste.

That is...

It just looks... Eugh!

It's a slightly challenging thing.

Would you eat pork liver before you knew it was pork liver?

Maybe.

Covered in breadcrumbs. You dived in there quite happily.

-Yeah.

-That's brilliant.

The next one, this is quite scary.

Have a dig into there.

And grab one of those.

You can put it in ketchup if you want.

-What is that?

-Pineapple?

-Not pineapple.

-It's quite sweet.

-It is.

-Is it apple?

-It is!

Apple. Well done.

Possibly the least challenging.

But does it taste nice

-when it's covered in breadcrumbs?

-Yeah.

-Like an apple fritter.

It's not as nice as normal apple.

You prefer your apple un-breadcrumbed. OK.

So, dig into the green bowl.

-Is it beef?

-Not beef.

-Is it a kidney?

-It's not a kidney.

These are chicken nuggets!

-No, they're not.

-They are.

But you've got my number. These are chicken nuggets with a difference.

These are chicken hearts.

Have a close look at what's in there.

You can see the ventricles inside!

The little holes and valves inside it.

-That's disgusting.

-Really good.

But they're a fantastic food

because they're incredibly cheap!

These cost about three pence each.

And they are chicken nuggets.

They're just chicken heart nuggets!

-What do you reckon?

-It's OK.

As you bite it, I saw what it was

and I thought, "Uh-oh! What have I done?"

I'm not the biggest fan of normal chicken nuggets.

I like them, but I actually, in a way, prefer them.

Do you reckon the breadcrumb generally makes it taste better?

-Yeah.

-I'll take that as a yes. There you go.

A bit of ketchup and some crispy crumbs,

even the mingingest meals can be fantastic.

Let's give these guys a huge round of applause!

Stick around, cos here's what's still to come.

Suzette Brissett from Alesha's Street Dance Stars

has to face her foodie fears in "Incredible or Inedible?"

I'm coming to eat you!

And I find out if you can make

delicious desserts with a bonkers blowtorch!

But first...

We all know what... There you are.

We all know what this is - a can of soup.

I've asked the authorities, and it's the most ordinary food in the world.

But what's incredible is what it comes in.

The can itself.

Canning was invented as a way of preserving food so it lasts longer.

The can is sterilised to kill any bacteria

and after the food is added, it's sealed

and it's boiled up to kill off any nasty bugs that are left.

Cans are brilliant. What's your favourite canned food?

-Pineapple.

-I like that. What's yours?

-Hot dogs.

-Hot dogs in a can. What's your favourite?

-Soup.

-Soup, yeah. What's your favourite?

-Beans.

-Beans.

-Sweetcorn.

-Sweetcorn!

-Spaghetti.

-Blimey, we've got a whole load here.

Those are standard kinds of food.

But in fact, you can get almost anything in a can.

I've scoured the world for some unusual examples

and I want Danny, Theo and John to help me. A round of applause!

Oh, yeah.

So, I've found these for you and I've taken the labels off

so you don't know what's in there.

First, let's have a guess. What could be in there? Give it a shake.

Ooh, probably something liquidy

like tomato soup or something.

Let's have a look.

Here is the most ridiculous can opener on the planet.

There we go. Wa-hah!

Something's going on in here.

Danny, this one's for you.

Tip it into that bowl.

-Eugh!

-It's green. Keep going.

-What is it?

-Jelly!

-I think it's jelly.

-John?

-Jelly.

Jelly? Jelly, OK.

Let's have a look. It's solid!

Have a taste of that and tell me what flavour it is.

Eugh!

That's disgusting!

-John?

-Like lemony.

-It is lemony.

-Theo? Do you like it?

-Tastes like washing-up liquid!

It is a bit weird, I admit.

This is grass-flavoured jelly.

Disgusting!

Not happy.

OK. Can number two.

John, it's your turn to pour this one out.

It's not quite worms!

-It's squid.

-Squid. Brilliant, John.

That is squid.

OK, dig in there. Grab some squid

and see what you think.

There's a nice bit. Grab that.

I'm going to have some tentacles.

Eughh!

Dani, what do you reckon?

Absolutely horrible. That is disgusting.

-Delicious.

-I'm liking your work, John.

What are the flavours?

-Brown sauce.

-And a tidge of seawater.

-Nice and salty. And tastes like fish?

-Yeah.

It's good. Tastes a bit mouldy.

Like squid, but mouldy squid.

In a bad way.

So the last one is the beast.

Theo, give it a good shake and see if you know what's inside there.

-Spaghetti meatballs.

-That is a brilliant guess.

Let's have a look.

I've never tackled a can this big in my life.

Here we go.

Eughh!

OK. Ready for this?

EVERYBODY SHOUTS OUT

Oh, man!

That is amazing!

Any idea what could be inside there?

-Chicken.

-A chicken?

Let's grab a bit out of there.

Oh, it's kind of jelly and chicken and oh, my word! Look at that.

Come on, have a try.

He's getting in there.

-That's nice.

-Nice?!

I like that!

-It's nice.

-Is that good? I will try as well.

-It's OK.

-That, my friends, is a whole chicken

in a can.

So which is our favourite?

The grass jelly, the squid, or the whole chicken in a can?

-Chicken.

-John?

-Squid.

-Squid. Theo?

-The grass jelly.

-Grass jelly.

It's a split vote! They're all absolutely fantastic.

Guys, give them a round of applause. That was brilliant!

I want to tell you a story.

Back in 1876, there was a banker in America

who saw some grey squirrels.

He thought, "They're so cute and furry!

"I'm going to bring them back to the UK."

So he did. And now there are millions of grey squirrels here.

Which is lovely. Except it's not.

They're an alien species and they cause huge problems

for our native wildlife.

But now, 130 years later, I've come to Suffolk

to meet a family who are literally biting back!

Gamekeeper Gary Noy and his daughter, Jessica,

have come up with what some people think is a controversial way

of dealing with these uninvited guests.

Part of my job is to control the grey squirrels.

So you catch them?

-I catch them, yes.

-Collect them.

-Collect them.

-Then you give them to Jess.

-Give them to Jess.

-What do you do with them?

-I do all sorts.

I make pies, pasties, samosas,

everything a bit different with squirrel in it.

-Amazing. And people buy them?

-Yep.

So the first stage is to collect them.

-Can you show me how you trap a squirrel?

-Yes, I will.

-Then we'll come back and see Jess.

-See you later.

-OK.

Because they spread so rapidly,

laws have been passed allowing the trapping of grey squirrels

to try and control their numbers.

Despite that, there are around 2.5 million grey squirrels

and only 140,000 of our native red squirrels left.

Although grey squirrels are one of the most invasive species in the world,

by law, Gary has to have a special licence to trap them.

What have we here?

This is the tunnel trap.

The tunnel trap is literally a tunnel.

-A tunnel.

-There are important laws about what you can trap?

There is, yes.

This trap, being a spring trap, has to be in a tunnel.

It's got to be checked twice a day.

-Why?

-If you haven't caught the animal right, you don't want it to suffer.

-Shall we see if there's anything in there?

-We have a little squirrel.

Wow. Look at that.

-It is quite cute.

-It is quite cute.

A lot of people would say why are you killing this cute furry animal?

Cos they're in greater numbers

and pushed the red squirrel out.

Plus they carry the virus, or disease.

Which hasn't done the red squirrel any good.

There are lots of people in Britain

trapping squirrels, aren't there?

What do most people do with them?

-They just throw them to one side.

-What shall we do with this squirrel?

I think we should go home and let Jessica turn it into a pasty.

Back at the house, Jess has all her ingredients ready

to make her squirrel pasty

including smoked bacon, an egg,

some hazelnuts, a sprig of thyme

and a squirrel, ready to cook.

-So, Jess, that is a prepared squirrel.

-Yes.

Do you get much meat on that?

There's a fair bit of meat on the legs.

On the back legs is the most meat.

Why did you start making squirrel pasties?

I thought, why not make the most of the meat he's catching?

What's the reaction when you set up your stall?

There must be people coming along and going,

"Squirrel?! What?"

A lot of people are shocked and don't believe it's squirrel.

And some people say, "You cruel person,

"killing a poor little squirrel."

Then I explain to them, "It's the way you think.

"Little lambs are cute. Chickens are cute."

It's changing the way people think about food.

What sort of flavour does squirrel have?

Similar to rabbit, or possibly similar to duck.

Jessica mixes the meat with all her ingredients

to make the filling, which I'm going to try and make into a pasty.

First, I roll out some pastry

with crunched-up hazelnuts mixed into it.

Then a dollop of the squirrel mixture,

some careful folding and sealing,

and voila, my first squirrel pasty!

Well, not quite.

Look. A brand new invention.

A cross between a pasty and a croissant!

I've eaten some strange things in my time.

I've never, ever had a squirrel pasty.

-Let's go for it.

-OK.

This is your one. I have more faith in you than me to pull this off!

Look at that.

Smells fantastic. Ready?

That is absolutely fantastic.

I did wonder that if you're eating a pest,

if it tasted strange.

But it tastes fantastic. You have that knowledge

that you're using an animal that would otherwise be thrown away.

-Yes.

-Helping the British red squirrels.

And tastes fantastic as well.

Can't get much better than that!

It's time for Incredible or Inedible!

Let's meet today's celeb. Suzette Brissett from Alesha's Street Dance Stars!

-Hey, how you doing?

-I'm fine, thank you.

-Thanks for coming in.

-No worries.

It's common belief that celebs eat sunbeams and slivers of gold!

-But do you ever eat normal stuff like we do?

-Yes.

Chicken, rice, chips.

-You guys all eat that, yeah?

-Yeah!

-Good.

-Obviously you're a massive dance star.

-Can you show me some moves?

-Want to see something? OK.

Brilliant!

Come on, I'll show you how it works.

You get to try three different dishes.

Then you get to decide whether the dish is incredible, inedible,

-or somewhere in between.

-OK.

Over here are some of the things we've tried before.

Chicken feet, lamb brains,

frogs' legs and liquorice,

-which should be illegal!

-Bleugh!

-Ready for this?

-Yes.

Big round of applause for dish number one!

-Here we go.

-It better be nice!

Grab a fork and dig in.

Bleugh! What is that?!

It does look a bit like vomit.

Smells eugh!

This is actually durian fruit.

It's popular all across Asia.

It can taste delicious.

But what's interesting is the smell.

It smells awful!

It smells like rotten corpses!

It's banned from the subway and from many hotels in Singapore.

There should be a difference between the taste and the smell.

Do you know, it tastes actually all right.

It smells awful, but it tastes really sweet.

Well, it's your choice. What do you think durian fruit is?

-ALL:

-Incredible!

Let's bring on dish number two!

Is this nice? Is it going to be nice?

This is really nice!

What the..!

What is that?!

You said you like chicken!

And this is chicken.

I would go for a bit of breast, if I were you.

It's still got hair on it!

It looks alive!

What we've got here is a black chicken.

It is just chicken but these are quite rare.

They're really interesting. The chicken has a naturally black skin.

It does taste like ordinary chicken.

I'm being clever. I'm taking off the skin.

I might grab a bit of foot.

-Are you going to taste that?

-I'll have a taste, yes.

Give me a high five for that.

That's just crispy lovely chicken skin.

-It's all right, you know?

-So, it's your choice.

You've got black chicken and you need to decide.

Incredible!

Big round of applause for dish number three!

Why is it staring at me?

Just look!

I'm coming to eat you!

If you feel able to, get in there!

This is crappit heid,

which is a traditional Scottish delicacy.

It was eaten mainly by poor fishermen.

It consists of a fish's head stuffed with its liver, heart,

and other bits and pieces which are added to oats and suet

before the fish is roasted.

I'll season it a bit.

You are brilliantly brave.

It's actually really good.

Just minus the eyes and the mouth!

It's staring at you.

It's your decision. Crappit heid.

Incredible!

Give Suzette a massive round of applause!

So, some things taste better when they're burnt.

I promised you something spectacular.

Who's ever heard of creme brulee?

Creme brulee is delicious.

Creme brulee means "cream burnt" in French.

I've got basically a pan of custard covered in sugar.

Then we start to burn it.

Can you see, the sugar starts to melt first of all

and then it starts to go brown.

What's happening is this amazing reaction called caramelisation.

I can smell that already.

Shall we try and get into it?

It's like ice!

Yeah, that's it.

Then when you eat it, you get delicious cold cream

and lovely toffee sugar on top.

-Do you want to try this?

-Yeah!

-I bet you do.

Thing is, why try this

when we've got that?

OK, guys, follow me!

Grab a bowl of sugar and let's scatter it all over the top.

Get your fingers in there. Go on.

It's a lot of sugar,

but it's quite a big dessert.

Brilliant. Well done, guys. I think we can stop there.

Because now it gets dangerous.

Dave, bring on the jet pack.

-Shall we burn it?

-Yes!

Now, obviously, cooking with a flame thrower is really dangerous.

So unless you're a stuntman and you've got fireproof pants,

don't even think about trying this yourself. Fire up, baby.

-Ready?

-CHANTING:

-Burn it! Burn it!

Wow!

Guys, do you want to taste it?

-ALL: Yes!

-Come on down!

Dig into that!

-Is it better burnt?

-Yes!

-Course it is!

That's all we have time for. Thanks so much to Suzette.

our brilliant volunteers, a fantastic studio audience

and you guys watching at home.

Join us next time for more Incredible Edibles!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd