Food Factory Season 4, Episode 1: Pop Goes the Cake

Shaken Not Stirred

The process of making instant ready-to-blend fruit smoothies is so cool that it takes a river of liquid nitrogen to make it happen; find out how raw organic cocoa beans are turned into luscious salted almond chocolate bars; delicious paneer isn't just the most popular cheese in southeast Asia, it doesn't melt when it's cooked; and, with a killer combination of kick, wasabi horseradish mustard features a spicy family story that only science can explain.

Gold Bars

Featuring shredded coconut, toasted almonds, and rum, this Caribbean-inspired candy bar takes a trip through a chocolate waterfall; it takes three kilograms of rosemary, six kilograms of roasted garlic, and 100 kilograms of corn meal to produce a single batch of irresistible polenta crisps; sprinkled with walnuts and glazed by hand, every maple-flavoured Danish is a patriotic pastry that's packed with a magical filling; and, laced with butter and parmesan, Alfredo risotto is so popular that more than 25 million boxes of it are produced every year.

Pasta Straight Up

Two fun-loving brothers have put an organic spin on the classic cheese twist, and their high-tech assembly line includes a video system that scans for defective curls; if you've got a hankering for bite-size mint chocolate patties, the good news is that millions of them roll off the assembly line every day; it takes 200 litres of vodka every month to help put the zing in a buttery bacon-scented tomato sauce; and, the surprising thing about high-end chili powder is that it contains seven spices harvested from the four corners of the globe.

Everyday Is Sundae

It takes 1.5 million kilograms of strawberry sauce to satisfy the annual demand for strawberry shortcake ice cream; hundreds of delectable tacitos are hand-rolled every minute, and if you want to join the assembly line, it'll take you three months to get up to speed; with gallons of chocolaty fluff and just minutes on the clock, making marshmallows is a race against time; and, after a massive shredder cuts the vegetables down to size, broccoli slaw is washed twice before hitting the spin cycle.

Viva Los Churros

The surprising thing about this protein-packed breakfast cereal is that it's made from navy beans, lentils, garbanzo beans, and brown rice; a love for soda pop was the inspiration for an artisanal cream soda that delivers a flavour high without the sugar rush; the recipe for vegan mayonnaise came to its creator in a dream, and a 24-hour production cycle means a whopping annual yield of 4 million kilograms; and, steeped in Spanish history, a quarter of a million churros are dusted with cinnamon and flash-fried to perfection every day.

Lights, Camera, Popcorn

Fishing for Spuds

Crepe Escape

Green with Envy

My Cup Runneth Over

Cuckoo for Coconuts

Pigging Out

Chocolate Under Wraps

If you've got a serious hankering for chocolate, head to the state-of-the-art factory that produces 1.5 billion truffles a year; packed with veggies, bananas, and heaps of chocolate chips, meet the guilt- and gluten-free muffin that's as satisfying as it is healthy; retro Hot Tamales are North America's number one cinnamon flavored candy, and 73 million of them are produced every day; and, layers of buttery pastry dough and two tangy cheeses are the secret to light and flaky gourmet cheese crisps.

Let's TalkTofurky

Complete with holiday stuffing in the centre, Tofurky is a hearty vegetarian alternative to Thanksgiving roast turkey; two best friends have put their passion for healthy eating into making tasty and nutritious snack bars that are guilt-free and packed with energy; it's arguably the most famous kiddie cocktail ever, and the good news for fans is that 1.5 million cans of Shirley Temple soda are produced daily; and, these one-bite snacks combine three generations of love with crunchy almonds, tangy cranberries, and decadent white chocolate.

Just the Flax

Pepper Party

Ready for This Jelly

From Argentina with Love

Juiced Up

A Florida factory that produces orange juice; a family-run business that turns out 2.5 million balls of pizza dough; bite-size cream puffs rolling off a California assembly line; and the makers of flavorful chewy candies.

30 min

Working for Peanuts

Miso Hungry

Brine Time

Pipe Dreams

Easy as Pie

Red Hot Delight

"Food Factory turns up the heat with a legendary hot sauce, a century-old cereal,

30 min