MIT students Marcelo Coelho and Amit Zoran have devised a way to prepare meals with an advanced 3D printer machine. The “Cornucopia” printer and its included canisters promise “control over the origin, quality, and nutritional value of every meal, with no packaging or excess food waste.” Read on to learn about how the process works:
Cornucopias’ printing process begins with an array of food canisters filled with the “cook’s” foods of choice. After a meal selection has been made using the device’s multi-touch translucent screen, users are able to see their meal being assembled while simultaneously manipulating real-time parameters, such as calories or carbohydrate content. Each ingredient is then piped into a mixer and then very precisely extruded, allowing for very exact and elaborate combinations of food.
Once each ingredient has been dropped, the food is then heated or cooled by Cornucopia’s chamber or via the heating and cooling tubes located on the printing head. In fact, the ability to hyper-localize heating and create rapid temperature changes also allows for the creation of meals with flavors and textures that would be impossible to replicate with present-day cooking methods.
So, is this the future of food preparation? It’s highly customizable, simpe to use, and it reduces waste. As long as the end result is in fact “edible” and tasty it passes my standards. Though I have a feeling the Cornucopia will remain a concept for some time.