How Stuff Works: Food and Beverage

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HowStuffWorks is about the stuff that makes the world go ‘round. It’s truly incredible to see the ingenious lengths people go to in order to extract rubber and iron, corn and wheat, and water and salt from the earth. Equally amazing is the number of different and varied products that can be derived from something so fundamental. Who would guess that furniture, diesel additives, crayons, solvents, candles, shampoo and tofu can all be derived from the humble soybean? Follow the incredible journey of these goods from the ground to your table, car, closet, medicine cabinet and places you may have never imagined.

We re surrounded by a world we take for granted. The stuff that surrounds us is generally taken for granted, overlooked because of its relative simplicity and abundance. But, the real stories about the commodities that fill our lives and how they work are totally fascinating and filled with amazing and unexpected details. Did you know that… 99% of the world s corn harvest is inedible? Water can cut through steel? While lead in tiny amounts can be lethal, we cannot live without it. Farm raised turkeys are unable to have sex? Wheat can (and does) often explode! The sides of a beer can are thinner than a human hair? Salt may one day power our cars and trucks.

Episodes

Corn
Let's get right to the point: Corn is much more than a backyard barbecue side dish.

Wheat
Nutritional and versatile, wheat isn't just for food anymore. Explore its surprising uses in everything from brewing beverages to building houses.

Salt
We delve into the science of salt, the prehistoric, life-sustaining mineral that has 14,000 known uses from seasoning food to so much more.

Beer
Barley, water, hops and yeast might not sound like a recipe for success, but to the beer connoisseur, the fine balance of those four ingredients is the stuff of legend.

Coffee
From Columbia to coffeehouses we talk to farmers, baristas, and everyone in between about the incredible beverage that fuels the World.