Geo Week News

May 27, 2015

Finally, a 3D Food Printer

01.16.143dedibles

When I was cursing my family’s dot matrix printer back in the 90’s, I never imagined that the humble printer would one day be able to print food.

Well, maybe we’re not quite there yet. But the 3D printer, a technology used to create cars, guitars, and even human bones can now be used to print basic edible items, too. This week 3D Systems debuted their first culinary 3D printer at the National Restaurant Association Show.

They are calling the ChefJet the first commercial professional-grade food printer.

The ChefJet prints using sugars and other edible ingredients, in a number of different flavors and colors. As NRN writes, “And while the device is being used to make sugars and candies that can be printed into intricate designs that top cakes or act as fancy sugar cubes, the potential applications are considerable.”

3d-printed-food-sugar-5-1Though the food printer hasn’t solved any big problems, really, like how to print multiple ingredients (this means no sandwiches… yet). However, it’s definitely another interesting tool in the chef’s arsenal. And lest you think it’s going to be used only for creating intricate little candies, the article notes that a chef has already developed a “French onion soup using oxtail broth poured over a printed object infused with onion powder.”

3D Systems already has a plan to find more uses for the device. In a move that’s the culinary equivalent of “giving the hardware to developers and seeing what happens,” the company will open the 3DS Culinary Center in Los Angeles this summer. Chefs and other food professionals (including the much-maligned “mixologist”) will experiment with the device.

I hope they’ll figure out a way to print a sandwich.

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