3D Food Printing

3D printing isn’t something radically new; the origins can be traced back to 1986. However  it was only recently that the average person could purchase a 3D printer for home or commercial use. The technology may have been shrunken down but the novelty of printing an image in complete 3D is very exciting. So what if this technology combined edible food with 3D art?

A 3D food printer consist of nozzles, powdery food materials and guided lasers. Some machines crystalize thin layers of fine grain sugar into virtually any shape or geometric configuration imaginable. Others use syringes to dispense chocolate in beautiful patterns. One such machine is dubbed – Foodini. It uses fresh ingredients which are loaded in stainless steel capsules and its used to create a large variety of dishes. The applications and artistic approach to this technology is limitless. It would be like playing god when creating foods.

I would love to incorporate this 3D food printing machine into my kitchen labs. It would really supplement and further the study of molecular gastronomy, which is the art of blending physics and chemistry to transform the tastes and textures of food. Student and instructors can create amazing one of a kind culinary masterpieces with the textbook knowledge combined with technology.

This marvel is truly an evolution of molecular gastronomy, the future of food.

However, one immediate limitation or drawback is that 3D food printers are still expensive and considered a novelty and so very few culinary institutes would have one at their disposal. Maintenance would also be costly if the machine fails to work properly. I would imagine with such a delicate machine, it cannot be operated by students unsupervised.

Tablets in the Kitchen

A tablet is short for a tablet computer which is a flat, thin, extremely mobile computing device with a touchscreen display. Gestures are recognized by a simple touch or a swipe of a finger or stylus. These hand-held computers are often equipped with a rechargeable battery, digital facing and rear cameras, a microphone, build in speakers, and sensors such as an accelerometer. They also have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities as well so users can connect to the internet or cellular networks to access content and media.

By embracing tablets and incorporating such technology into the culinary classroom, students and instructors are able to interact on whole new level. With its small footprint, tablets take up very little space on a busy workstation. You could install a magnitude of useful culinary applications that would benefit a tenure instructor or an aspiring chef in the making.  Below are just a few applications this wondrous slate can provide:

Cookbooks & Recipe Apps:

Gone would be the days or lugging around large, heavy cooking and baking textbooks. You could purchase an Ebook or PDF version and have it at your fingertips. Plus creating digital bookmarks to your cooking projects “du jour” couldn’t be simpler.

Food Cost Manager Apps:

 A Food Cost Manager used to maintain your day to day food expenses. Using this app, students and instructors can record, track and organize food inventory to reduce cost and wastage.
Also you can update or delete records and view monthly or yearly reports.

Unit Converter Apps:

How handy would it be if learners in the kitchen labs could quickly convert measurements and temperatures? There are a few apps that do just that! And most of them are free to download.  

Pinterest:

Pinterest is a content sharing service that allows users to “pin” images, videos, text and other digital objects to an online pinboard. With this app students and instructors can share recipes and create class pin boards. Students can feel proud by posting or uploading pictures and videos of their culinary creations for the world to see.

Some limitations with this technology do exist however. The tablet is mostly reliant on a good internet connection since only partial software is installed and it must constantly retrieve data upon usage. This could be an issue in older culinary institutes due to architectural design and use of building materials that inhibit a wifi or cellular connection. Also most kitchens are equipped with a lot stainless steel cooking appliances and counters or workstations. These surfaces could deflect and weaken the wireless signals.

Another limitation would be battery life. Even new tablets with show signs of battery decay over a short period of usage. Since these batteries are internal and not easily replaced it would need a constant level of power when on the go or when a power receptacle is not available at a cooking workstation.

Virtual Reality Cooking

VR Headsets

The latest tech trend right now is VR head gear and its many potential applications. This virtual reality headset provides the user with an immersive VR environment through sight and sound. These units are meant to be wireless and convey a sense of freedom upon wearing it. Though the technical specifications differ, at the moment they offer a stereoscopic head mounted display with provides a separate image for each eye. Stereo sound is provided with onboard speakers and head motion tracking sensors could include gyroscopes, accelerometers and eye tracking. Additional peripherals such as wireless motion or gaming controllers may be used simultaneously to interact with the virtual environment. Companies who are on the cutting edge see vast potential for such technology are jumping on this virtual bandwagon and trying to secure a portion of the pie so to speak.

This emerging technology is already being used in virtual medical and flight training. So why not have this technology advance the culinary kitchen and provide virtual simulations? If students and instructors had such equipment then culinary training could reach new heights. Certain cooking procedures and methods such as caramelizing sugars could be done safely without the harmful risk of a third-degree molten sugar burn.

360 degrees VR Videos:

One New York chef recently had an audience when merging food with virtual reality. He had his guests don on Samsung’s VR headset and demonstrated classical French dishes from start to finish. The virtual video showcased the preparation from the kitchen to completed meals on the table. It gave the viewers a feeling of being right there alongside this Michelin-starred chef as they watched each and every ingredient being expertly prepared.

I imagine taking this concept and bringing it to e-learning classes and online culinary distance education. Where a group of chefs could carefully craft a collection of videos to demonstrate hard to master techniques.  The benefit is that the learner can replay the VR videos as many times as possible until s/he understands the lesson. It could supplement the cooking program if nothing else.

A limitation I can foresee would be the limited availability of software to be coherent with the culinary curriculum. The cost of setup and maintenance would be a huge burden on the culinary institute’s budget. Also VR headsets only provide sights and sounds of simulated virtual cooking. You cannot smell or taste or feel the temperatures or textures of different foods and cooking methods.