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.