Documentary Discovery: How It's Made

Factories hold a certain fascination for me. I still remember how, as a child, we went to visit the pink buildings of the Chelsea Sugar Refinery (unfortunately, public tours are no longer offered). I was intrigued to learn that they didn't have a problem with ants, because the insects killed themselves from eating too many of the sugar scraps, before reaching the main production area. I was also surprised to see the machinery packing sugar into bags labelled with the supermarket brand Pam's. Oh, and we got a free sugar sample, of course.

Chelsea Sugar Refinery at Birkenhead.

Recently, I discovered a TV series called How It's Made, which shows you what goes on in the making of everyday things, from contact lenses to toothbrushes to straw sombreros. The first season of the show aired in 2001, and it is so popular that it is now in Season 22, and is translated into numerous languages. Of course, among the episodes are many food-related ones, which I have linked to below, along with some similar videos I found on YouTube.

Some of the topics sound obvious, like frozen fruit. Uh, I thought, don't you just stick the fruit in a freezer, then seal it in a bag? Once you watch the episode, however, you realise there is slightly more to the story, like washing the fruit in chlorinated water, sorting it by size, removing any pips, and slicing the pieces. Likewise, the making of orange juice may seem trivial, until you consider how to pick a very large volume of fruit quickly.

As the programme is produced in Canada, it is American-centric. For instance, one episode shows the washing of eggs, which is something done in North America, but not in New Zealand or the EU (see Why American Eggs Would be Illegal in a British Supermarket, and Vice Versa). And we have grass-fed cows, of course.

Whether the details apply to us or not, they are addictive for the curious, as long as you can overlook the terrible puns in the narrative. I assume the producers are happy for us view the episodes on YouTube, since there's a channel that calls itself The Official How Its Made Channel, and they have also made some videos available on the Discovery Channel website (though I had difficulty viewing these). If you want to know exactly where filming was done, there is a list of factories which opened their doors to the camera crew.

Basics
Beet Sugar
Cane Sugar
Caviar (farmed sturgeon eggs)
Chicks (hatchery)
Cocoa Beans and Bulk Chocolate (cocoa nibs, cocoa butter, chocolate chips, bulk bars)
Couscous
Eggs
Fish (farmed trout)
Flour
Honey
Maple Syrup
Olive Oil
Oysters (farmed)
Pasta
Solar Salt
Vegetable Oil

Dairy Products
Blue Stilton Cheese
Butter
Goat Cheese
Milk
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Swiss Cheese
Yoghurt

Processed Meat
Bacon
Beef Jerky
Cooked Ham
Deli Meats
Hot Dogs
Poultry Deli Meats
Smoked Salmon
Tinned Sardines

Fruit and Vegetables
Canned Corn
Canned Tomatoes
Cranberries (frozen, juice, and dried)
Frozen Fruit (strawberries and peaches)
Greenhouse Tomatoes
Hearts of Palm
Hydroponic Lettuce
Mushrooms
Onions (chopped)
Pineapples (fresh, dried, or tinned)
Raisins

Dips and Sauces
Horseradish
Hummus
Ketchup
Ketchup (Heinz)
Mayo
Mustard
Salsa
Soy Sauce
Sweet Thai Chilli Sauce
Tabasco
Worcestershire Sauce

Spreads
Chocolate Spread
Peanut Butter

Breads and Pastries
Bagels
Bread
Croissants
Filo Dough
Pretzels
Sticky Buns

Cereal
Frosted Cereal
Oat Cereal
Shredded Wheat Cereal

Sweets - Confectionery
Bubble Gum
Candy Canes
Chocolate (filled)
Chocolate (moulded)
Chocolate Coins
English Toffee
Gummy Candy
Hard Candies
Jawbreakers / Gobstoppers
Jelly Beans
M&Ms (Mars)
Snickers

Sweets - Biscuits
Fig Cookies
Fortune Cookies
Marshmallow Cookies
Oreos

Sweets - Desserts
Apple Pie
Blueberry Turnovers
Cheesecake
Doughnuts
Frozen Pancakes
Ice Cream Cones
Ice Cream Treats
Ice Lollies
Muffins
Snack Cakes  (jelly logs and chocolate cream cakes)
Tapioca Pudding
Waffles
Yule Logs

Savoury Snacks
Doritos / Corn Chips
Frozen French Fries
Popcorn
Potato Chips (Frito-Lay)
Pistachio Nuts (roasted and  salted)
Plantain Chips
Pringles / Stackable Potato Chips
Roasted Nuts
Sandwich Crackers
Soda Crackers

Savoury Dishes
Airline Meals
Black Pudding
Enchiladas
Frozen Fish Products (fish fingers and crumbed fillets)
Frozen Fried Chicken (wings, tenders and breasts)
Frozen Fried Shrimp
Frozen Pizzas
Haggis
Kelp Caviar
Lasagna
Pork Pies
Pre-packed Sandwiches
Sushi
Tofu
Veggie Burgers

Non-Alcoholic Beverages
Apple Juice
Coffee
Desalinated Water
Drinking Water
Flavourings
Orange Juice
Soft Drinks

Alcoholic Beverages
Beer
Champagne
Corn Whiskey
Rum
Tequila
Wine

Packaging
Aluminium Cans
Glass Bottles
Tetra Pak Containers
Tins

Kitchen Consumables
Aluminium Foil
Charcoal Briquettes
Detergents
Paper Towels
Paper Cups
Plastic Cups and Cutlery
Steel Wool
Toothpicks

Homewares
Aluminium Flasks
Beer Steins
Bundt Pans
Cast Iron Cookware (Le Creuset enamelled)
Crystal Wine Glasses
Glass Cookware
Kitchen Accessories (wooden rolling pins, mallets, chopping boards, trivets)
Kitchen Knives
Non-Stick Cookware
Nutcrackers
Pepper Mills
Pewter Tankards
Pizza Cutters and Vegetable Peelers
Silver Cutlery
Silver Plated Teapots
Stainless Steel Cookware (with aluminium and/or copper core)
Stainless Steel Cutlery
Wooden Bowls

Whiteware and Kitchen Appliances
Barbecues
Dishwashers
Ice Makers
Induction Cooktops
Kitchen Mixers
Ovens
Pressure Cookers
Range Hoods
Refrigerators
Water Heaters

Commercial Equipment and Decorations
Automatic Pizza Maker (pizza vending machine)
Beverage Coasters
Deli Slicers
Industrial Steam Boilers
Produce Scales
Replica Foods