Is it time yet to accept 3D food printers?
There are many jokes and memes on the internet about technology inventing such pizzas that you don’t put on weight eating those pizzas, but jokes apart the combination of technology and food has been a research topic of sorts for scientists since ages and they might have a cure too soon.We all have heard stories about magic pills which serve as a whole meal providing daily dose of nutrition we get from regular breakfast, lunch and dinner but most of us thought it not to be feasible. But, 3D printers proved us wrong and now we have reports of 3D printed food being available in a short span of time.
3D printing kidneys and prosthetics still made sense when the concept was first introduced but food is a different ball game. In today’s fast paced life, nobody knows what we are eating( not literally though, we just don’t know the process and the ingredients to the core). Many professionals and even home users have taken to processed foods whether it is the Mac ‘n’ Cheese, ravioli, chips and more and now people have started getting deep into what they intake as the world has started becoming conscious about the intake of salt and sugar because most diseases are prevailing due to the food we consume whether it is diabetes, high blood sugar, anxiety or even obesity.
The concept of 3D printed food is quite fascinating and it is not that the 3D printers would be marketed as such that one should consume only 3D printed food. But just like we don’t eat straight out of the oven all the times, we don’t need to eat 3D printed food all the times. But, just think about the time and energy we save while making a 3D printed item, as opposed to ideally making it which includes buying the ingredients, cutting vegetables, giving shapes ( like in a ravioli or a pie) and the final presentation. 3D printers are a boon in such cases.
Why do we need 3D printed food?
As our lives get more complexed and busier, we are used to more convenience foods, processed foods or ready to cook meals because of the time constraint and the laziness of preparing a wholesome meal at the end of a tiring day at the office. But again, making a holiday dinner for your family and friends needs your time and personal touch, not because that food can’t be printed but the people who are going to eat that food mean a lot to you. Just imagine, a grandmother printing cookies for her grandson instead of making it on her own, just because it gets done in a jiffy and the poor grandson wants it quick. No, she will go through the pain of traditionally making him cookies because that smile on his face when he takes the first bite of those cookies is what she lives for.
What is Foodini?
Foodini is a 3D printer cum new generation kitchen appliance which is designed to make the difficult parts of food making simpler( washing the items, cutting veggies, preparing dough) and more. With the help of this appliance from Foodini, one can easily focus on the core part or the personal touch to a dish and feel like a high profile chef who doesn’t indulge in small talks(tasks in the kitchen) and enters only for assembling the ingredients.
Foodini will help in preparing the packaged foods in our style( which is presumably healthier than the processed food available in the market). Think of all those baked chips instead of doritos, healthy oatmeal cookies instead of buttery chocolate cookies and many more items.
Foodini and other similar products are not yet available in the market and we don’t expect people to just ditch their ovens and food processors all of a sudden, but 3D food printers have created quite a stir among professionals and geeks alike let’s us see how they can make it better and give a personalised touch to these appliances. In case we missed out any feature of 3D food printers, don’t hesitate to mention it in the comments section below.
Keval Padia is the founder & CEO of Nimblechapps, a fast-growing mobile app development company. The current innovation and updates of the field lures him to express his views and thoughts on certain topics.