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Foodini 3D food printer customizes and automates your kitchen prep

Foodini 3D food printer customizes and automates your kitchen prep
The Foodini in action
The Foodini in action
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Foodini prints a veggie patty which the user will then cook
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Foodini prints a veggie patty which the user will then cook
The Foodini's sleek structure could be mistaken for a desktop 3D printer
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The Foodini's sleek structure could be mistaken for a desktop 3D printer
The Foodini could mass produce chocolate-based custom dessert cups
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The Foodini could mass produce chocolate-based custom dessert cups
Foodini's finished 3D-printed pizza
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Foodini's finished 3D-printed pizza
Cookie tree made with printed cookies
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Cookie tree made with printed cookies
Sliders prepped by Foodini
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Sliders prepped by Foodini
Foodini preps the hamburger, cheese, and bun for a complete hamburger
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Foodini preps the hamburger, cheese, and bun for a complete hamburger
Foodini preps the hamburger, cheese, and bun for a complete hamburger
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Foodini preps the hamburger, cheese, and bun for a complete hamburger
Foodini's 3D-"printed" pizza relied on extruding dough in a spiral circle
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Foodini's 3D-"printed" pizza relied on extruding dough in a spiral circle
Foodini printing cheese onto a cooked veggie burger
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Foodini printing cheese onto a cooked veggie burger
Foodini prints hamburger patties, all the same size
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Foodini prints hamburger patties, all the same size
Foodini can create impressively detailed food art
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Foodini can create impressively detailed food art
Cookie tree made with printed cookies
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Cookie tree made with printed cookies
One of the merits of Foodini could be the ability to mass produce identical edible objects
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One of the merits of Foodini could be the ability to mass produce identical edible objects
Foodini created these sweet potato apple snacks
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Foodini created these sweet potato apple snacks
The Foodini could be used to create vegan nuggets in any shape your kid likes
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The Foodini could be used to create vegan nuggets in any shape your kid likes
A closer view of how the Foodini builds up a higher 3D structure with layers
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A closer view of how the Foodini builds up a higher 3D structure with layers
The Foodini in action
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The Foodini in action
The Foodini user has to follow up with some steps, such as adding the cheese when the machine is done with the sauce
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The Foodini user has to follow up with some steps, such as adding the cheese when the machine is done with the sauce
Foodini creates pizza by extruding dough into a spiral shape
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Foodini creates pizza by extruding dough into a spiral shape
Foodini can use any ingredients that are soft and malleable, such as sauce and dough
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Foodini can use any ingredients that are soft and malleable, such as sauce and dough
Foodini creates kid-friendly dinosaur spinach quiches
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Foodini creates kid-friendly dinosaur spinach quiches
Foodini shaped these pumpkin gnocchi
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Foodini shaped these pumpkin gnocchi
A selection of printed chocolates, some that could be used for holding drinks or desserts
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A selection of printed chocolates, some that could be used for holding drinks or desserts
View gallery - 24 images

If you don’t regularly prepare your own food, is it because of the time involved? Would you make homemade pizza more often if you could “print”’ it? Barcelona-based Natural Machines aims to automate many kitchen tasks, but its Foodini food printer resembles a sleek desktop 3D printer more than any of the appliances already in your kitchen. And like its 3D-printing cousins, Foodini also lets users add in a dash of personal customization.

While it’s amusing to compare the Foodini to a futuristic Star Trek replicator, it’s more apt to call it an automated Play-Dough machine – it extrudes, not replicates, shapes. The device relies on the user still providing their own ingredients, or buying food capsules from the company, and loading them into the machine for shaping and finishing.

While Foodini’s inspiration was to automate the creation of sweets, such as dazzling chocolate sculptures or delicately precise cookies for example, the demo recipes span a wide range of cuisine. Anything that is soft and malleable is game for the Foodini: sauces, dough, batter, purees, meat and veggie fillings, chocolate and candy.

Foodini creates pizza by extruding dough into a spiral shape
Foodini creates pizza by extruding dough into a spiral shape

To make the aforementioned pizza, Foodini extruded dough in a spiral, then layered on tomato sauce, while the user was responsible for adding toppings. While this might be overkill for one pizza, it starts to make sense when contemplating making a dozen pizzas all to the same specification.

Foodini chefs also served up vegan chickpea nuggets in perfect animal shapes. The ability to change the shape of food merely by loading a new vector image is perhaps even more compelling than the device’s automation.

A closer view of how the Foodini builds up a higher 3D structure with layers
A closer view of how the Foodini builds up a higher 3D structure with layers

While the machine does have a heating element with a maximum temperature of 100°C (212°F), this is only enough heat for functions like keeping melted chocolate flowing or warming food. A user follows up by baking the assembled foods and can also use the Foodini for finishing steps, such as decorating plates, squeezing on a pattern of icing, or applying a layer of melted cheese.

From looking at the pictures, the doughs do seem to be much softer than a human would prepare to manipulate by hand, but perhaps this isn’t an issue when the food is printed straight onto the baking surface and no human handling is required.

Foodini is aimed for both home and restaurant use, and will be available for sale in mid-2014. With an expected price of £835 (US$1368), however, Dad may not be using a food printer to prepare his signature rocket-shaped ravioli quite yet.

Source: Natural Machines via BBC

View gallery - 24 images
4 comments
4 comments
f8lee
While it's a cute novelty, I can't imagine that food prepared by this machine would be comparable to the more traditionally made goods - printed pizza? Absurd - isn't it the act of stretching the dough (while it's being tossed in the air) that give the pizza crust it's desired texture and consistency? My guess is the creations from this device might rival the looks and flavor of the plastic models made for display purposes, but little more.
Henry Van Campa
Just another way to sell unhealthy junk food to kids.
Jessica Johnson
I'm quite sure I'm not going to get one but I would be much interested in seeing it in action. £800+, that's an awful lot of money. I'd rather cook my own food at home. This is not much of a help for me at home, but perhaps it would be at a commercial level.
Riccardo Molinari
Here www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4EIOo16_1Q you can view a Foodini presentatio in Genoa-Italy. This food-machine work really good ! Thanks ;-)