Food Tech (2010 - 2010)

A cheeseburger and a side of fries--last year, Americans ate over 7 billion of them. And there's an amazing story behind every one. Any idea how they get the sesame seeds to stick to the bun? What does it take to stuff 20 tomatoes inside a ketchup bottle? And what's the secret to getting the dill in dill pickle chips? Host Bobby Bognar sets off on a quest to find out, as he travels the country to unearth the hidden mysteries inside our cheeseburger and fries. It's the science behind perfectly melting cheese, the production of jet-black seeds that sprout into Spanish onions, and a French Fry factory where every day mountains of potatoes are sliced and diced in to 36 million French fries.

Since an influx of Chinese immigrants to America in the mid 1800s, Americans have devoured Chinese take-out. But have you ever wondered what's really in an egg roll? What is the secret ingredient in beef and broccoli? And did you know a fortune cookie can actually make you rich? Host Bobby Bognar is off to the far reaches of America to find some ancient Chinese secrets. From the amount of salt in those hard to open soy sauce packets, to the waxing of Pekin Ducks, it's time for take out ...Chinese style.

With Americans eating more than 85 billion tortillas a year, Mexican Food is very popular. But did you know that a donkey is a key to great tequila? Ever wondered how many times they refry refried beans? And what do sound waves have to do with guacamole? Watch host Bobby Bognar as he travels south of the border to help an old artist make a classic Mexican cooking dish from volcanic rock. On the high seas, he'll try to keep his cookies in a rough and tumble hunt for mahi mahi. And he'll show us how a fruit that resembles a human brain becomes a classic Mexican after-dinner drink.

Nothing beats the taste of a Southern fried meal--and host Bobby Bognar traces its amazing journey to your plate. In Alabama, Bobby wades among 275,000 catfish during feeding time--and discovers how each fish scooped from the pond becomes a fillet within just one hour. At a Louisiana alligator farm, he dares to grab a gator from its holding tank, and learns how gators owe their survival--in part--to those who eat them. Did you know that one popular Southern favorite, rice, reaches your plate by falling from the sky? Or what it takes to extract frying oil from a lint-covered cottonseed? Or what makes the South's favorite spicy condiment, Tabasco sauce, so hot? And what do giant fans, fire and cannons have to do with putting peach cobbler on the table?

From IHOP’s to greasy spoons, there’s nothing sweeter than a pancake breakfast. Did you know that the secret to making pancakes rise lies 800 feet below the earth's surface? What’s really in breakfast sausage? And how can orange juice be fresh all year round? Host Bobby Bognar crisscrosses the country to reveal what’s behind a seemingly simple pancake breakfast. He’ll drop in on a pig farmer whose prize hog has fathered thousands of offspring, and then get fresh with a cow in a quest to learn if there really is butter in buttermilk pancakes.

For generations, people have been gathering around the table to experience the traditional recipes of America's most popular ethnic cuisine – Italian food. Have you ever met anyone who hasn't tried pasta? Probably not since Americans eat over 2 billion pounds of it each year. But pasta's just a part of our big Italian family dinner. Host Bobby Bognar travels from coast to coast in search of what makes this dinner so special. He'll trawl the waters off North Carolina and crawl the forests of New Mexico for the ingredients in our pasta sauces. In New York, he'll learn the secret behind pasta's many shapes. Then he'll press some California grapes and learn how one type of bacteria makes both vinegar and wine. And when it's time for dessert, Bobby goes from New Jersey, where he learns the difference between gelato and ice cream, all the way to Costa Rica for an after-dinner caffeine boost. So pull up a chair, grab a plate and help yourself.

Host Bobby Bognar travels to America's buffet capital, Las Vegas, to kick off a nationwide exploration of our most popular buffet dishes. Off the sunny Florida coast, Bobby discovers that the secret to catching shrimp is to tickle them. In snowy Wisconsin, he finds out what makes the horseradish for our cocktail sauce so spicy. In California, he dons a protective suit to see how bees make the honey that will glaze another buffet favorite, ham. Can you guess how many flowers bees have to visit to make just one pound of honey? And at a sugar cane farm in Hawaii, he follows the fascinating process of making the sweet stuff key to every buffet dessert. Finally, Bobby explores the immense logistical challenge of staging the buffet itself. And what better place to do that than the biggest buffet in Vegas, the Rio Carnival World Buffet, where an army of chefs whip up 380 different dishes for 4,000 hungry diners every day.

Pizza may be a product of Old World Italy, but it's now as American as hot dogs and apple pie. Delivered or in a restaurant, thick crust or thin, plain cheese or loaded with toppings, it's the favorite we can't resist. Americans eat 350 slices every second – or 100 acres of pizza every day. Over the course of a year, that's enough pizza to cover every inch of Manhattan. Twice.

An afternoon at the ballpark isn't complete without a few trips to the concession stand. Today, more than ever, food service vendors offer increasingly finer fare, but American fans still eat more hot dogs than any other ballpark food--22 million a year at Major League ballparks alone. Have you ever wondered what really goes into a hot dog? What does a pine tree have to do with its shape? When you wash it down with a draft beer, would you believe a flower is responsible for its bitter taste? And, there is more to that tasty morsel at the bottom of a Drumstick than just sweetness. Bobby Bognar travels to Washington's Yakima Valley to help farmers grow the spice of beer. In Michigan, he uncovers how a special hybrid of popcorn is vital to making Cracker Jack. In Arkansas, he reveals wood pulp is responsible for giving hot dogs their uniform shape. And in Missouri, he discovers the culprit responsible for the mustard stain on his shirt.