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The Best Episodes of The Food That Built America

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Every episode of The Food That Built America ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Food That Built America!

The Best Episodes of The Food That Built America

The fascinating stories of the families behind the food that built America, those who used brains, muscle, blood, sweat and tears to get to America's...

Seasons6

  1. Background image for Thirst Quenchers
    8.2/10(44 votes)

    #1 - Thirst Quenchers

    S4:E12

    Before juice was everywhere, these innovators used brilliant ingenuity to create the most nostalgic drink products and thirst quenchers of the last century, leading the charge on a new billion dollar beverage industry.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  2. Background image for Supermarket Sweep
    8.1/10(44 votes)

    #2 - Supermarket Sweep

    S4:E13

    At the turn of the 20th century, Bernard Kroger and another upstart grocer come up with genius innovations that help invent the modern supermarket.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  3. Background image for The Kings of Burgers
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #3 - The Kings of Burgers

    S2:E3

    In the 1950s, Ray Kroc franchises McDonald's nationwide, but right behind Kroc, a wave of other entrepreneurs try to cash in on the fast-food restaurant craze. Two Florida visionaries start up what will become Kroc's biggest rival, by re-inventing their kitchen's equipment into the pioneering "flame broiler."

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  4. Background image for American Cheese
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #4 - American Cheese

    S2:E4

    At the turn of the 20th century, James Kraft challenges centuries of cheese-making tradition and forever alters the dairy industry with his new cheese innovation. Meanwhile, the Pabst brothers are desperate to keep their successful beer empire solvent through Prohibition.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  5. Background image for Cola Wars
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #5 - Cola Wars

    S2:E5

    In the 1970s, one major cola brand launches a blind taste test marketing plan that takes direct aim at their biggest competitor. As a new era of competition heats up between the behemoth brands, each side selects a new leader who takes the companies to battle in a rivalry that will birth countless iconic soda products and memorable marketing stunts.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  6. Background image for Soup Wars
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #6 - Soup Wars

    S2:E8

    The fascinating stories of the families behind the food that built America, those who used brains, muscle, blood, sweat and tears to get to America's heart through its stomach, those who invented new technologies and helped win wars.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Food That Built America

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  8. Background image for The TV Dinner
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #7 - The TV Dinner

    S2:E10

    Gilbert Swanson inherits his father's frozen turkey company and partners with a food chemist to innovate a revolutionary dinner that Americans can heat up at home... they call it the TV Dinner. And when a restauranteur named Vernon Stouffer tries to bring his frozen meals to market, he's blown out of the water by the TV Dinner... until he harnesses a new technology called...the microwave.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  9. Background image for When the Chips Are Down
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #8 - When the Chips Are Down

    S2:E13

    As C.E. Doolin and Herman Lay are out to prove the potential of the chips business in the 1950's, their success inspires one of the biggest companies in the world to enter the chip market. When a chemist begins work on a secret project, designing a strong, saddle-shaped chip and a revolutionary container to ship them in, the companies go head to head for market dominance.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  10. Background image for The Rise of a Rival
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #9 - The Rise of a Rival

    S2:E14

    When candy company president Charles Guth gets shafted by a Cola salesman, he decides to buy a bankrupt rival company and go to war with the supplier who wronged him and its new CEO, the maverick businessman Robert Woodruff. The battle will help shape the world of soda for decades to come.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  11. Background image for Submarine Warfare
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #10 - Submarine Warfare

    S3:E1

    High School friends see an alternative to fast food with the "submarine" sandwich. But they are quickly met with the fierce competition of a new submarine joint, started by a physicist, that is trying to perfect the art of the franchise, and will go on to be the biggest restaurant chain in the world.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  12. Background image for The Beef is On
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #11 - The Beef is On

    S3:E7

    When Col. Sanders sells his company to investors in 1964, the new owners identify a rising star within the organization: Dave Thomas.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  13. Background image for Clash of the Coffee
    8.0/10(50 votes)

    #12 - Clash of the Coffee

    S4:E5

    Coffee's quality and popularity wane by the 1960s, until a handful of visionaries turn the industry on its head. First, three college friends create an iconic brand of revolutionary gourmet Coffee. Then, this now-iconic chain creates an entirely new category of restaurant.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  14. Background image for Where There's Smoke
    8.0/10(48 votes)

    #13 - Where There's Smoke

    S4:E11

    A century ago, most backyard grilling essentials were not yet invented; Henry Ford, a tinkerer named Kingsford, and a passionate butcher created recognizable summer brands and changed the face of American backyards.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  15. Background image for The Chicken Coup
    7.9/10(50 votes)

    #14 - The Chicken Coup

    S4:E6

    A devout Georgia diner owner stumbles into the chicken game when he develops a unique fried chicken sandwich with a batch of cast-off filets. The unique sandwich he creates will become the menu centerpiece at one of the most popular fast-food chains in the world.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  16. Background image for Peanut Butter Battle
    7.9/10(49 votes)

    #15 - Peanut Butter Battle

    S4:E9

    When an entrepreneur creates shelf-stable peanut butter out of his garage, it leads to the birth of an iconic sandwich; as competition heats up to be America's favorite peanut butter, three famous brands battle it out to be number one.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  17. Background image for Bring Home the Bacon
    7.9/10(40 votes)

    #16 - Bring Home the Bacon

    S4:E14

    A young upstart named Oscar® Mayer creates one of the most iconic meat brands on the planet; pioneer Jay Hormel invents a meat product sold the world over, which becomes part of a $20 billion food empire.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  18. Background image for Beer Run
    7.9/10(38 votes)

    #17 - Beer Run

    S4:E16

    At a time when U.S. beer is dominated by the same lager style, one Milwaukee company experiments with something new.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  19. Background image for Dog Eat Dog
    7.8/10(37 votes)

    #18 - Dog Eat Dog

    S4:E15

    At a time when dog food is a rarity and cat food is almost nonexistent, it will take visionary innovators to invent the first dog treat, dry food, the first cat food, and many more innovations that will carve out the billion-dollar pet food industry.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  20. Background image for When Food Freezes Over
    7.7/10(44 votes)

    #19 - When Food Freezes Over

    S4:E7

    Four intrepid food entrepreneurs race to harness emerging technologies like the home freezer and microwave, to bring revolutionary frozen snack icons to a waiting world, and forever change what we eat, when we eat, and how we eat.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  21. Background image for Thanksgiving Dinner
    7.7/10(49 votes)

    #20 - Thanksgiving Dinner

    S4:E8

    A look at some staples of Thanksgiving dinner that weren't around until a few brands used technological advances to reinvent turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and more; food innovators made each part of the meal accessible.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  22. Background image for Breakfast That Pops
    7.6/10(52 votes)

    #21 - Breakfast That Pops

    S4:E1

    Two heavy-hitting cereal rivals duke it out for breakfast dominance; competition heats up when an idea is stolen; the ensuing battle transforms the breakfast landscape from a labor intensive meal at the table, to a meal of convenience on the go.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  23. Background image for Candy Revolution
    7.6/10(49 votes)

    #22 - Candy Revolution

    S4:E4

    A cereal executive's bold idea to finance the "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" movie will kick-off a candy revolution that produces some of the most iconic, imaginative confections in history.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  24. Background image for Holiday Treats
    7.5/10(47 votes)

    #23 - Holiday Treats

    S4:E2

    The top selling candy days of the year revolve around Easter, Valentine's Day and Halloween. And it all started with a few bold pioneers.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  25. Background image for Flight of the Buffalo Wing
    7.4/10(59 votes)

    #24 - Flight of the Buffalo Wing

    S4:E3

    Before chicken wings were America's favorite Sunday football snack, they were considered an undesirable cut of meat. Until two restaurateurs in Buffalo, New York, reinvent the way wings are cooked.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  26. Background image for American Spirits
    7.3/10(45 votes)

    #25 - American Spirits

    S4:E10

    Two entrepreneurs rise from the ashes of Prohibition by staking everything on two liquors -- a bitter, bottom-shelf whisky, and a flavorless foreign moonshine -- and go on to save an industry and create two of the most popular brands in the country.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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Best Episodes Summary

"Thirst Quenchers" is the best rated episode of "The Food That Built America". It scored 8.2/10 based on 44 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 6/18/2023. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Supermarket Sweep".