0:32:50 > 0:32:57.
0:33:01 > 0:33:06Both these foods are frozen at the factory, but only one is eaten cold.
0:33:06 > 0:33:07That seems obvious,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10but why are these instant coffee granules frozen?
0:33:10 > 0:33:13And how do they keep these stripes separate?
0:33:13 > 0:33:17To find out, we're going to make our own from scratch.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20We think we know these foods,
0:33:20 > 0:33:22but how much do we really know about them?
0:33:23 > 0:33:25So, are you an ice lolly fan? Whoar!
0:33:26 > 0:33:29- What's it taste like? - Several different flavours there.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33- How do you think they keep the stripes separate?- Perhaps freeze one bit and put the next bit on top?
0:33:33 > 0:33:37- Are you a coffee fan?- I absolutely love coffee.- You love coffee?- Yes.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41What's the difference between instant coffee powder and freeze-dried granules?
0:33:41 > 0:33:43The granules maybe have a richer flavour?
0:33:43 > 0:33:45How do you think they make it?
0:33:45 > 0:33:48Freeze a load of beans with that smoky ice stuff
0:33:48 > 0:33:50and then bash it all up in a machine?
0:33:50 > 0:33:52Bash the heck out of it! Yeah.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55When I was a kid, I used to get into
0:33:55 > 0:33:58masses of trouble for playing with my food,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00but now it's what I like doing most.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04I love finding out what happens to the stuff that we eat.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08But finding out what factories do to our food isn't easy.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12So, to copy the big boys, I've set up my own food factory
0:34:12 > 0:34:13here in this barn.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16To help me discover what the masters of mass production do
0:34:16 > 0:34:19I'm going to need some factory workers.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23Clocking on for today's shift, fresh from BBC Breakfast,
0:34:23 > 0:34:27are weather presenter Carol Kirkwood and sports reporter Chris Hollins.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30There may be blue skies ahead, but whose version of today's
0:34:30 > 0:34:35supermarket food will go in the basket and whose will go in the bin?
0:34:36 > 0:34:39Our shift at the Food Factory is about to begin.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04Fantastic to see you here at the barn. Thank you very much for coming along.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07- Would you like to see what you're going to be making today? - Yes, please.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09Ooh, ice lollies!
0:35:09 > 0:35:12Oh, yeah. So are these things that you eat now?
0:35:12 > 0:35:15On a hot summer's day only, really. But delicious.
0:35:15 > 0:35:16When is the next hot summer's day?
0:35:16 > 0:35:19Today! This is the summer!
0:35:19 > 0:35:21Oh, excellent well done, good prediction!
0:35:21 > 0:35:25I think it's time to check in for your first shift at the factory.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27- Please follow me to the barn. - After you, Carol.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36They're all sunshine and smiles now
0:35:36 > 0:35:39but these things are incredibly tricky to make!
0:35:40 > 0:35:42Grab a piece of ice.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45Now, have a little suck on the ice
0:35:45 > 0:35:49and think about what the difference is between that and an ice lolly?
0:35:49 > 0:35:51No flavour.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55- This is rock solid, whereas that's broken up.- There's a big difference. These are very biteable.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58There's a very different texture here from just normal ice that you make in
0:35:58 > 0:36:00your own freezer at home.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03So, your task is to make two rival lollies,
0:36:03 > 0:36:05like the ones you buy in the shops.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08When you've made them we're going to take them outside and we're
0:36:08 > 0:36:11going to offer them to a group of very discerning taste testers and they are the ones
0:36:11 > 0:36:15who will decide whose is most like the ones from the supermarkets.
0:36:15 > 0:36:16First of all, let's meet your ingredients.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20So, there's a bucket load of fun here.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22So, some strange powders.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28- Looks quite...- Flavourings and colourings, I'm guessing.- Yeah.
0:36:28 > 0:36:29And then, one very strange ingredient.
0:36:32 > 0:36:33A bucket of water!
0:36:33 > 0:36:34Well done, muscles.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37OK. So the first task is to make a freezer.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40A super-fast freezer.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42We need to make a super-fast freezer?
0:36:42 > 0:36:44- It's as simple as that! - I made one last week!
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Assembling a super-fast freezing machine isn't easy.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52That's why my ever-so-clever factory foremen,
0:36:52 > 0:36:55Marty and Tod, are here to help.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57Fast freezer.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59Fast freezing, easy for you to say.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02What we're going to do is use a technique they use in industry...
0:37:02 > 0:37:04- Right, go on.- Called a brine bath.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07One of the industry standard ways is to make what's called a blast freezer.
0:37:07 > 0:37:12And that is you create incredibly cold air and just blow it over and around the product.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16You made that sound awfully easy, but I don't imagine it is for a second.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21You might wonder why they've got to build their own super-fast freezing
0:37:21 > 0:37:25machines instead of simply using a freezer like we have at home.
0:37:25 > 0:37:26Now.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28This is a block of ice
0:37:28 > 0:37:31that was frozen in a domestic freezer.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34It took about one day to freeze.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37Now I'm going to make some ice very, very quickly.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39Here's some water.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43I'm going to put it on a bed of dry ice.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46So that's at minus 78 degrees.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50Now, what I've got here is a jug of liquid nitrogen.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53This is minus 196 degrees.
0:37:53 > 0:37:58This is an incredibly fast way of making ice.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03This'll set the teeth chattering. Nice and icy!
0:38:03 > 0:38:06The end result is very different to the ice
0:38:06 > 0:38:10we can make in the home freezer at minus 18 Centigrade.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12The very fast frozen ice
0:38:12 > 0:38:15is made up of millions of separate tiny crystals.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18That's why it's white. You can't see through it.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22The ice that's been frozen slowly in a normal kitchen freezer
0:38:22 > 0:38:26is basically one huge ice crystal, that's why you can see through it.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30But there's something else very different about these.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33It's not just the appearance, it's the texture.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35Now, if I just give the home frozen ice
0:38:35 > 0:38:37a light tap...
0:38:37 > 0:38:39It breaks into big blocks.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43But the fast frozen stuff is soft and crumbly.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45It is completely different.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48It's really, really soft.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51And that's all about the speed of freezing.
0:38:51 > 0:38:56For the perfect lolly, we don't want slow, we want fast freezing.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59Fast freezing creates lots of tiny ice crystals
0:38:59 > 0:39:04and tiny crystals mean soft and biteable lollies.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08Carol and Chris are using two different methods.
0:39:08 > 0:39:09Chris's brine bath
0:39:09 > 0:39:12can be cooled to minus 40 Centigrade,
0:39:12 > 0:39:15by adding calcium chloride salt to stop the water freezing solid
0:39:15 > 0:39:17and dry ice to make it super cold.
0:39:17 > 0:39:22Now, it'll fast-freeze anything he puts in it.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26Carol's contraption looks a little more complicated.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28It uses super-cold air.
0:39:28 > 0:39:29So, what have you got here?
0:39:29 > 0:39:31Well, frankly, Stefan,
0:39:31 > 0:39:34I'm quite surprised that you don't recognise it!
0:39:34 > 0:39:36It's a super-fast freezing machine.
0:39:36 > 0:39:37Oh yes, yes.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39And how it works is in here we've put a fan,
0:39:39 > 0:39:42so the cool air is coming out down through this tube,
0:39:42 > 0:39:45up into this container where we're going to put the dry ice.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48Then it goes into that one, and comes out again and round again,
0:39:48 > 0:39:51so we've got this super cooling process going on all the time.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53Well, I would like you to prove the concept.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55There is a mould.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57All you need to do is make one ice lolly,
0:39:57 > 0:39:59make it from water, that's absolutely fine.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01OK. We're up for that.
0:40:01 > 0:40:02Start your production line.
0:40:02 > 0:40:03I'll get the water.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05I'll do the dry ice.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08Carol and Chris are copying two of the different ways factories
0:40:08 > 0:40:10really use to fast freeze.
0:40:10 > 0:40:15Their challenge is to make an ice lolly with a nice, soft texture.
0:40:15 > 0:40:16OK, you ready?
0:40:16 > 0:40:19- Yeah.- Steady. Go!
0:40:19 > 0:40:21- Brilliant.- Blimey. Bit more.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25So, whose method will freeze fastest?
0:40:25 > 0:40:29Will it be a brisk blow in Carol's blast freezer?
0:40:29 > 0:40:33Or a shivering soak in Chris's brine bath?
0:40:33 > 0:40:36Right, let's see how the air-cooled ice lolly compares with
0:40:36 > 0:40:38the brine-cooled ice lolly.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40Confidence, I like that.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42Wonky-ness! I like that too!
0:40:42 > 0:40:45All right. Let's have a little look. Pop them down there for me.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47So.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49OK.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52So, that looks pretty good. Have a little try.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57Quite solid. Not bad, though, not bad. OK.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59Carol, let's have a look at yours.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01Mine was bigger than yours, Chris.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05We have got a little bit of gloopiness in the middle there.
0:41:05 > 0:41:06But I have to say, bigger.
0:41:06 > 0:41:07Thank you.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09But that is only the first stage.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11That's just a bit of water. I would like you to make me
0:41:11 > 0:41:17a multi-coloured, multi-flavoured lolly. Not one, but three flavours.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19Something that looks a little bit like this.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22So, let's have a little look inside this fella. OK.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27So, it's not just a case of three colours.
0:41:27 > 0:41:32These have a central core of ice and then concentric rings
0:41:32 > 0:41:35that are smallest at the bottom and largest at the top.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38So, as you suck the lolly you'll reveal another colour underneath it.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42Slightly tricky because this is a five-flavoured lolly. Only three...
0:41:42 > 0:41:43So it should be simple.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46Only three? I thought it was five? That's fine!
0:41:46 > 0:41:48OK? So, get back to your production lines, please,
0:41:48 > 0:41:49and get back to work.
0:41:49 > 0:41:50Thank you, Stefan!
0:41:57 > 0:42:02While Carol and Chris tackle their icy, stripey challenge,
0:42:02 > 0:42:05I'm off to find out about a food which is frozen at the factory
0:42:05 > 0:42:09but you won't find it in the freezer aisle at the supermarket.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11- Are you a fan of coffee? - Yes, I am.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13- How many cups a day? - It's got to be ten cups.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Now one of these two has to be frozen in the factory.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19- Which one do you reckon has to be frozen?- That one.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21- And any idea why?- No!
0:42:22 > 0:42:25Any idea how they go about freeze drying coffee?
0:42:25 > 0:42:28- Liquid nitrogen.- Liquid nitrogen, that's a pretty good guess.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30Put it in a freezer.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32Do you know, I don't really know!
0:42:32 > 0:42:37Two types of instant coffee, powder and granules.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42But only one is frozen at the factory. Why?
0:42:42 > 0:42:44This is the cheap one.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46It's like a sort of a powder.
0:42:46 > 0:42:47And this is the posh one,
0:42:47 > 0:42:50it's got all these angular granules inside it.
0:42:51 > 0:42:56The makers claim granules seal in more rich coffee flavour.
0:42:56 > 0:43:00So, why is it that one instant locks in more flavour than the other?
0:43:02 > 0:43:07Both instants start the same - ground-up coffee beans.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11They're brewed up into the strongest stuff imaginable.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14Ho, ho, ho! Look at that!
0:43:16 > 0:43:20It's not the coffee grains they use, it's the super strong liquid.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23I think that's about it.
0:43:24 > 0:43:25Ho ho ho. Looks pretty good.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32Ooh! It's like rocket fuel.
0:43:32 > 0:43:36But now I need to get rid of all the water.
0:43:36 > 0:43:37There are two ways to do it.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41To make the cheap powder coffee, they use a machine called
0:43:41 > 0:43:44a spray drier, which involves heating up the concentrated coffee
0:43:44 > 0:43:47to get rid of all the water and leave behind the powder.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50The trouble is, that also gets rid of all the zingy bits of flavour,
0:43:50 > 0:43:52the stuff that makes the great coffee aroma.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54So I'm going to do exactly the opposite.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59To make granules,
0:43:59 > 0:44:03at the factory they don't remove the water with heat,
0:44:03 > 0:44:07they make the brew super cold.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10I've got to freeze the coffee.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14I'm using dry ice, minus 78 Centigrade.
0:44:16 > 0:44:17At this temperature,
0:44:17 > 0:44:21my super-concentrated brew will freeze solid in seconds.
0:44:24 > 0:44:28That's all frozen, so now I've got a big pile of solid coffee.
0:44:28 > 0:44:29And I need to break it up.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35Amazingly, this IS how they get the tiny, angular granule shapes.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41But it looks a bit more like coffee gravel than coffee granules -
0:44:41 > 0:44:45but if you do look closely, there's some really good bits inside here.
0:44:45 > 0:44:46Not bad. I think I've got a few there.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50But these are just bits of coffee ice.
0:44:50 > 0:44:54As soon as they warm up, they'll melt back into liquid.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56So I need to do something to them, quickly!
0:44:58 > 0:44:59Can you tell what it is yet?
0:44:59 > 0:45:03This cunning contraption will remove all the water from my frozen
0:45:03 > 0:45:08coffee brew, leaving me with nothing but freeze-dried coffee.
0:45:08 > 0:45:13All I have to do is pop the frozen granules inside.
0:45:13 > 0:45:15I'm choosing all the best looking, most granular
0:45:15 > 0:45:17bits of coffee that I've got.
0:45:17 > 0:45:18Put a lid on the top.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23Attached to the lid is a piece of tubing.
0:45:23 > 0:45:28And the tube is attached to a big pump which is set to suck
0:45:28 > 0:45:31and it's going to suck all of the air out of here and hopefully
0:45:31 > 0:45:35remove all of the water that's still trapped inside my coffee as ice.
0:45:35 > 0:45:36Here goes.
0:45:38 > 0:45:42In here, I'm going to create the kind of conditions you find
0:45:42 > 0:45:44in outer space.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47Earthly science rules don't apply up here.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51If I suck all the air out, I'll create a vacuum.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55Under these conditions, something really weird happens.
0:45:55 > 0:45:59The water in the ice won't melt back into liquid,
0:45:59 > 0:46:01it will turn straight into gas.
0:46:02 > 0:46:07This is the factory secret to drying out coffee without heating it.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10I need the water in my frozen coffee to go from being a solid to a gas
0:46:10 > 0:46:13without ever becoming a liquid.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15Solid to a gas, without becoming a liquid.
0:46:15 > 0:46:20As the hours tick by, my frozen coffee should gradually lose
0:46:20 > 0:46:23all its water, but, because of the vacuum,
0:46:23 > 0:46:26the coffee ice won't melt into liquid.
0:46:26 > 0:46:27That's the theory, anyway.
0:46:29 > 0:46:34But here in the barn, things don't always work first time.
0:46:34 > 0:46:36All the coffee melted.
0:46:38 > 0:46:42Turns out the culprit was this, it just wasn't up to the job.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44The hose was a bit leaky.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47My freeze drier had a dodgy vacuum.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50So, she's been into the workshop.
0:46:52 > 0:46:53Freeze drier mark two.
0:46:53 > 0:46:57New pipe work and my last few coffee grains inside.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59I hope it's worked!
0:47:04 > 0:47:05They do,
0:47:05 > 0:47:07they look like the right kind of thing.
0:47:07 > 0:47:09They're very delicate.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11Look at that.
0:47:13 > 0:47:15It feels really dry on my fingers.
0:47:15 > 0:47:16Time for a taste.
0:47:19 > 0:47:23Oh, wow, that is completely dry inside.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26Classic freeze-dried coffee taste to it.
0:47:26 > 0:47:28It's worked.
0:47:28 > 0:47:29That is fantastic!
0:47:29 > 0:47:34The frozen water in the grains has gone, leaving behind
0:47:34 > 0:47:38the dry, solid remains of that strong coffee I brewed.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41OK, let's taste this stuff.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43Don't laugh.
0:47:43 > 0:47:45It's quality, not quantity.
0:47:46 > 0:47:47Well, it dissolves - ish!
0:47:49 > 0:47:50Here goes.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53But has it got that zingy flavour?
0:47:55 > 0:48:00That is a fantastic cup of freeze-dried coffee.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03There's not a lot of it, but it's right.
0:48:03 > 0:48:04It's the right thing.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06# All I want is a proper cup of coffee
0:48:06 > 0:48:08# Made in a proper coffee pot
0:48:08 > 0:48:10# I may be off my block
0:48:10 > 0:48:12# But I want a cup of coffee in a proper coffee pot. #
0:48:12 > 0:48:16My very own freeze-dried instant coffee.
0:48:16 > 0:48:20But how does it compare to the shop-bought stuff?
0:48:20 > 0:48:22Only our taste testers can decide.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25Welcome to the world's most precious coffee.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28There's such a small amount that I've managed to produce that
0:48:28 > 0:48:30I can't actually make you a cup of coffee.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32It looks like caramel.
0:48:32 > 0:48:34It looks like burnt honeycomb.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36Recognisably coffee?
0:48:36 > 0:48:37No.
0:48:37 > 0:48:38Mud?
0:48:39 > 0:48:41Crystals of mud!
0:48:41 > 0:48:44So, here we have one grain of freeze-dried coffee.
0:48:44 > 0:48:48I know it's strange because you don't normally eat it like that but have a little taste.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51It's like a really bad cup of coffee.
0:48:51 > 0:48:53Very bitter.
0:48:53 > 0:48:55Do you think that that would make a decent cup of coffee?
0:48:55 > 0:48:58I think I would try and drink that.
0:48:58 > 0:48:59Yeah.
0:48:59 > 0:49:01ALL LAUGH
0:49:09 > 0:49:12Back in the barn, Carol and Chris are making ice lollies,
0:49:12 > 0:49:16not just any old lolly, but Icy Stripey lollies.
0:49:16 > 0:49:19They've tested their super-fast freezing machines, but now the heat is on.
0:49:19 > 0:49:23Carol and Chris have got to stop the stripes from mixing together
0:49:23 > 0:49:25and they've got to freeze the lolly faster than
0:49:25 > 0:49:29they could in a home freezer - that is really difficult!
0:49:30 > 0:49:33They need a mould to pour the syrup for the stripes into.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35Tod's raided his toolbox.
0:49:35 > 0:49:39OK. Plumbing fittings, so the idea is when we
0:49:39 > 0:49:41connect all these together we get a lovely rocket shaped...
0:49:41 > 0:49:42Oh, I see what you mean.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45Nice idea, but careful with that blowtorch, Carol.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49Chris and Marty are using bubble blowing bottles for moulds.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51I hope they're not soapy inside.
0:49:51 > 0:49:55But how are they going to keep the three different coloured stripes separate?
0:49:55 > 0:49:58So, Chris, can you explain to me, what is your system?
0:49:58 > 0:50:02We put the green one in, and as soon as it starts freezing over on the outside we'll then
0:50:02 > 0:50:04suck out that to make a little shell.
0:50:04 > 0:50:08- And then, moving on to the next one, same thing...- Same thing.
0:50:08 > 0:50:12- And fill it up, so your core is going to be orange? - Because we love orange.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15- Fantastic. Are you feeling confident about this?- No!
0:50:16 > 0:50:20The ice lolly factory calls this technique "suck and fill".
0:50:20 > 0:50:23When the syrup around the cold sides of the mould has frozen solid,
0:50:23 > 0:50:27they suck out the unfrozen gloopy syrup left in the middle.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30Carol's using the same trick.
0:50:30 > 0:50:31Wow, look at that, a work of art.
0:50:31 > 0:50:36The key thing is, have you left behind a layer of ice?
0:50:36 > 0:50:38Have a look.
0:50:40 > 0:50:41Yes!
0:50:41 > 0:50:43Fantastic, so you're getting ice.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45- Well, crack on.- Thank you.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49Because the syrup around the sides is now frozen, when they fill
0:50:49 > 0:50:52the hole with the next liquid the colours can't mix together.
0:50:52 > 0:50:57That's suck and fill. Genius.
0:50:58 > 0:50:59WHIRRING
0:50:59 > 0:51:01Making a good racket, guys.
0:51:01 > 0:51:02Is it working?
0:51:02 > 0:51:04Well, have a look.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06Oh, my word that is...
0:51:06 > 0:51:08that's a beautiful thing.
0:51:08 > 0:51:13As well as the super-fast freezing, there's another reason
0:51:13 > 0:51:17shop-bought lollies have a softer, less solid texture than home-made lollies.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20It's because of the syrup the factory uses to make
0:51:20 > 0:51:21the coloured stripes.
0:51:21 > 0:51:23Inside here you've got
0:51:23 > 0:51:26millions and millions of tiny, solid ice crystals,
0:51:26 > 0:51:31surrounded by sugary syrup that's still liquid.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34So an ice lolly isn't completely ice.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39The sugar syrup doesn't freeze, even at minus 20 Centigrade.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43So it's still soft, even when the ice is frozen.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46That's what helps make shop-bought lollies so biteable.
0:51:49 > 0:51:50Back on the production line,
0:51:50 > 0:51:53Chris is taking the fast freezing very seriously.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58Kirky! That's the old sticks gone in. Finished for us.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00We're going to have a lie down.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02It is the quality, not the quantity.
0:52:03 > 0:52:04But inside those moulds,
0:52:04 > 0:52:09has all the syrup run into a single, gloopy splodge,
0:52:09 > 0:52:13or have they got lovely, separate stripes?
0:52:20 > 0:52:24As the competition hots up, I'm off to find out how the big boys use
0:52:24 > 0:52:28super-fast freezing so we can enjoy another of our frozen favourites.
0:52:30 > 0:52:32Are you a fan of frozen peas?
0:52:32 > 0:52:35I prefer fresh - because I grow them.
0:52:35 > 0:52:40How long do you reckon it takes to get the pea from the field frozen into a packet?
0:52:40 > 0:52:41A day.
0:52:41 > 0:52:42About an hour
0:52:42 > 0:52:43A week.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46It actually takes under two-and-a-half hours.
0:52:46 > 0:52:51We can be from the allotment to home and in the freezer,
0:52:51 > 0:52:53- 45 minutes. - You should run a food factory!
0:52:55 > 0:52:57Well, let's see how the professionals measure up against
0:52:57 > 0:53:00our amateur allotment enthusiast.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03Of course, they're working on a slightly larger scale.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10None of these peas gets picked and put inside a Birds Eye bag
0:53:10 > 0:53:13unless Anthony Kitchener says so.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17Sweet. Beautiful pea, yeah, perfect.
0:53:17 > 0:53:21For me, too small, they'll go into the machine, they'll just squash and crush - there'll be
0:53:21 > 0:53:23- nothing left of the pea. - I'm rubbish at pea testing.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25Well, you're not very good, Stefan, to be honest!
0:53:25 > 0:53:26See the next field.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28Good idea. I'd agree with that.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33- Have a look at these, you tell me how good these are.- Ooh, yeah.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36So still really sweet but they've got a definite structure to them.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39I think these are actually bang on ready.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41There's no time to waste.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43From the moment they're picked,
0:53:43 > 0:53:45the peas start losing their sweet flavour.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47I've taken that out of the pod there.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50It's dying, basically, that pea's dying.
0:53:50 > 0:53:53With every passing hour, the lovely sweet sugars
0:53:53 > 0:53:56are turning into bitter starch.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58Within 150 minutes, or two-and-a-half hours,
0:53:58 > 0:54:00they have got to be in a bag frozen.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03- You'd better make a call, then, haven't you?- Exactly!
0:54:03 > 0:54:05The race is on.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07Lorry 46 to the rise 15.6 field.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14You're about to witness a childhood dream coming true.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17You sure I'm allowed to do this?
0:54:17 > 0:54:21This amazing machine separates the peas from the pods.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24All I've got to do is steer it in a straight line.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27I'm going to leave a bit of a wobbly path, aren't I?
0:54:27 > 0:54:30It's all right. We'll straighten it up!
0:54:31 > 0:54:33Now we've got to get the peas from the farm to
0:54:33 > 0:54:36the factory before they turn bitter.
0:54:36 > 0:54:40Meet the man in charge of keeping the peas sweet and tender.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43He's head pea honcho, James Young.
0:54:44 > 0:54:47First of all, we've got to stop the reactions inside the pea.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50If we just freeze them straight away we'll lose that lovely sweet quality.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53Instead of freezing them, James heats them up.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56# Splish splash I was taking a bath. #
0:54:57 > 0:55:01To stop the chemical reaction that turns the sugar to starch,
0:55:01 > 0:55:06the peas are given a quick bath in almost boiling water for 80 seconds.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08It's called blanching.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12Take the sample evenly across the whole of the belt.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15A few from each bit. Ah ha, ha!
0:55:15 > 0:55:17We've got a good sample there. We can go down and do the test now.
0:55:17 > 0:55:22We're checking the blanching has stopped the chemical reaction.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24If the peas haven't been blanched properly
0:55:24 > 0:55:28and there's still reactions going on which may affect the flavour,
0:55:28 > 0:55:32- we'll see bubbles rising up through the tube. What do you think? - That's a no-bubble situation there.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34- No bubbles. - Excellent, so good peas.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37We know we can maintain that sweet flavour as we go into freezing.
0:55:37 > 0:55:43So, these peas will stay sweet, but we like them tender too.
0:55:43 > 0:55:45That means freezing them very fast.
0:55:52 > 0:55:54This crazy pea dance is caused by blasting them
0:55:54 > 0:56:00with jets of very cold air - minus 30 Centigrade.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03It's so cold they're frozen in just six minutes.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07Freezing this fast produces tiny ice crystals
0:56:07 > 0:56:09which don't damage the pea.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11If they're frozen slowly,
0:56:11 > 0:56:15the ice crystals would grow big inside and turn the pea to mush.
0:56:15 > 0:56:19Next time you pop some frozen peas in the pan, don't forget what
0:56:19 > 0:56:22they've been through to keep them sweet and tender.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26All that frenetic activity so the peas in your freezer
0:56:26 > 0:56:29are as fresh as when they were picked in the field.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40Back in the barn, Carol Kirkwood and Chris Hollins
0:56:40 > 0:56:43are reaching the climax of their chilling challenge.
0:56:43 > 0:56:47They're making rival Icy Stripey ice lollies.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50Now all they've got to figure out is how to get the lollies
0:56:50 > 0:56:51out of the moulds.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54Um, I'm not quite sure how to do this,
0:56:54 > 0:56:57so we've got to warm the outside and try and slip them out.
0:56:57 > 0:56:59They're frozen solid.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02But Tod's not one for messing about - he's gone
0:57:02 > 0:57:04straight for the blowtorch.
0:57:04 > 0:57:07So let's just see if there's any turning at all on that.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15For Chris and Marty, it's a more softly, softly approach.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18I think it's all ready now, isn't it?
0:57:18 > 0:57:20I think it's ready. Let me take this out.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24Inspired by that old trick of running the ice tray under the tap,
0:57:24 > 0:57:26they're using a tray of warm water
0:57:26 > 0:57:27to liberate their lollies.
0:57:27 > 0:57:32But Carol's rocket lollies are still stranded on the launch-pad.
0:57:32 > 0:57:33This is when you pray
0:57:33 > 0:57:37- when it comes out that it comes out as one.- It better do.
0:57:37 > 0:57:41It's the moment of truth - syrupy sludge
0:57:41 > 0:57:45or a multi-coloured rainbow of loveliness?
0:57:45 > 0:57:46Here we go.
0:57:46 > 0:57:48Wa-hey! Look at those!
0:57:48 > 0:57:50They are beautiful.
0:57:50 > 0:57:52I think I overdid the green.
0:57:55 > 0:57:57- Look at those! - Look at the colours. We did overdo
0:57:57 > 0:58:00the green, didn't we? I got a bit excited with the green.
0:58:00 > 0:58:04But Chris has succeeded in making Carol and Tod green with envy.
0:58:04 > 0:58:06Did you see their ones?
0:58:06 > 0:58:09Oh, I did, they were brilliant, brilliant.
0:58:09 > 0:58:10Oh, we've got movement.
0:58:12 > 0:58:16- Ah! That's fabulous!- Right, we need to get this in the freezer.
0:58:16 > 0:58:17But it's not over yet!
0:58:18 > 0:58:20That's the number one.
0:58:20 > 0:58:22Ooh, he's ever so thrilled!
0:58:23 > 0:58:25Careful, Chris, don't drop them.
0:58:25 > 0:58:26Put that there like that...
0:58:26 > 0:58:29Carol and Tod's rockets look like they rock!
0:58:29 > 0:58:33- Fantastic. They're great. - That's great.
0:58:33 > 0:58:37OK, Carol and Chris, can you package up your ice lollies
0:58:37 > 0:58:40and bring them over to me for some quality control.
0:58:48 > 0:58:50Look at this exquisite one here.
0:58:50 > 0:58:53- Oh, it worked! - Tricolour, as requested.
0:58:53 > 0:58:57That is brilliant. Loving the shapes. Loving the shapes. Little bit more...
0:58:57 > 0:59:00- What have heck have you done there? - I think we over-did it on the green!
0:59:00 > 0:59:04They look pretty good from the outside, but it's time to destroy them.
0:59:04 > 0:59:06- Oh, no!- To find out what they're like inside.
0:59:06 > 0:59:09Do you know how long it took to freeze them and to make them?
0:59:09 > 0:59:10OK, ready?
0:59:12 > 0:59:13Oh, my word. Look at that!
0:59:13 > 0:59:16That is not bad. So you've got a central core there.
0:59:16 > 0:59:20Each of these is a nice separate layer - they haven't bled into each other too much.
0:59:20 > 0:59:22- Well done.- Thank you.
0:59:22 > 0:59:24OK, Carol. Here we go.
0:59:26 > 0:59:28Wow!
0:59:28 > 0:59:30That's fantastic!
0:59:30 > 0:59:31It is, actually.
0:59:31 > 0:59:32Very different, though.
0:59:32 > 0:59:34You've got some colours bleeding from one into the next.
0:59:34 > 0:59:37- I'm not sure if that's good or bad. - It was actually intentional.
0:59:37 > 0:59:39- Yeah!- Yeah.
0:59:39 > 0:59:40She says that now!
0:59:40 > 0:59:43OK, what's the texture like and what's the taste like?
0:59:45 > 0:59:47Mmm.
0:59:47 > 0:59:48That's very good,
0:59:48 > 0:59:50because it's breaking down in the way a lolly should.
0:59:50 > 0:59:53OK. Let's chop the end off there.
0:59:57 > 0:59:59Oh! A lot of blackcurrant there.
1:00:01 > 1:00:03But I think you've cracked it, as well, you know?
1:00:03 > 1:00:06So, we've got lots of taste testers outside.
1:00:06 > 1:00:09They're very hungry and they're very hot.
1:00:09 > 1:00:10Grab your ice lollies, let's go.
1:00:10 > 1:00:12- Good luck, CK.- And to you, hon.
1:00:16 > 1:00:18APPLAUSE
1:00:18 > 1:00:20So, what did you think?
1:00:20 > 1:00:21It does taste nice.
1:00:21 > 1:00:23Very colourful and very crunchy as well.
1:00:23 > 1:00:26I think it would be something I would buy in the supermarket.
1:00:26 > 1:00:30Ladies and gents, bold stripes, bold colours. What do you reckon?
1:00:30 > 1:00:34To me, it looks like a traffic light, just in the wrong order!
1:00:34 > 1:00:37- Good colour.- The consistency is almost exactly
1:00:37 > 1:00:40like a lolly that you would buy at the supermarket.
1:00:40 > 1:00:42That's exactly what I was looking for.
1:00:42 > 1:00:45OK, come into the middle, please.
1:00:45 > 1:00:47Hands up if you thought that Carol's ice lolly was
1:00:47 > 1:00:49most like the ones you buy in the shops.
1:00:49 > 1:00:50Hands up, please.
1:00:51 > 1:00:5311 votes for Carol. OK.
1:00:53 > 1:00:57Now, who thinks that Chris's ice lolly is most like the one
1:00:57 > 1:01:00you buy in the shops? Hands up, please, nice and clear.
1:01:01 > 1:01:04Ten, 11.
1:01:04 > 1:01:06- Oh, my goodness!- It's a dead heat.
1:01:06 > 1:01:08APPLAUSE
1:01:08 > 1:01:10So, I was going to say that one of these ice lollies has to go
1:01:10 > 1:01:13in the bin, but what a joy, because both can go in the basket!
1:01:13 > 1:01:15Give them a round of applause!
1:01:20 > 1:01:23Chris and Carol both got the texture just right.
1:01:23 > 1:01:27Fast freezing made their lollies lovely and biteably soft.
1:01:27 > 1:01:30Freezing food is surprisingly complex.
1:01:30 > 1:01:33We're used to just sticking stuff in the home freezer
1:01:33 > 1:01:35but in the factory it's never that simple.
1:01:52 > 1:01:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd