Printable Food Coming To Your Kitchen

A lot of people hate to cook. What often starts off as perfectly good chicken embryo quickly finds itself burnt to a crisp and unable to be consumed. Thank goodness for technology. Forget having to borrow a cup of sugar from your neighbor, just make sure you stock up enough edible ink! Simply go to the iGrub recipe store, pick out whatever your palatte desires, click print, and enjoy. Just like grandma used to make!

3D Printers have been being perfected for over a decade, and are finally being produced on such a scale that they are becoming affordable. If you still aren’t sure how 3D printing works, then you can find out more here. The applications are nothing short of amazing; soon we’ll be able to print everyday objects with color and depth that we can use immediately. So why not change the “ink” of a 3D printer to something edible? Now that’s an Easy Bake Oven.

Scientists at Cornell University are taking advantage of technological advancements and filling syringes with nutrients and raw materials, that can be assembled, layer by layer, into edible treats. MIT students have created a similar model, providing refrigerated food canisters than can be layered into a particular ‘food file.’ The machine will feature both heating and cooling tubes so you can create the perfect temperature for you.

Many people admit to not being very creative cooks. With a food printer, you can customize the size, shape, and color of your favorite dishes! You’ll also be able to fine tune the nutritional value. Dr. Jeffrey Ian Lipton, leader of the Creative Machines Lab at Cornell describes it best: “Maybe you really love biscuits, but want them extra flaky. You would change the slider and the recipe and the instructions would adjust accordingly.”

The limitation right now is that the ingredients have to be able to fit through a syringe. You would think that they’d address this issue with future models. Nonetheless, you can definitely still make the important stuff such as cookies and cake.

With current models, heavier food needs to come in a pureed blend that can then be reproduced into something bigger. You may say, I’m not a fowl, I don’t want regurgitated food. Believe it or not though, scientists have already successfully printed a hamburger complete with ketchup and mustard. Chef Homaro Cantu of Chicago has already printed some sushi as well. Cantu believes that “3D printing will do for food what e-mail and instant messaging did for communication.”

Some people will understandably want nothing to do with this. They are traditionalists who like to know exactly what they’re eating. If it tastes good and it’s healthy, though, why not? I could see this becoming a hugely profitable venue for famous restaurant chains and celebrity chefs to sell precision recipes. In theory, you could sell five star cuisine to customers without having to reserve them a table. What are your thoughts on this technology? Let us know below.

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