Food

While there are a great many people who want to lose weight by dieting, there aren't too many who can afford to have a nutritionist assess the caloric value of all their food choices. Using the PlateMate system, however, members can get an online community of laypeople to do exactly that - and for considerably less money. Although taking such an approach to nutrition might sound kind of iffy, calorie estimates generated by the crowd-sourced system are apparently just as accurate as those provided by trained nutritionists, and more accurate than self-kept logs.  Read More

If James Bond ever went on a cook-out, it probably wouldn’t be too surprising if he were to open up an aluminum briefcase, to reveal a miniature fully-functioning rotisserie inside – that Q is so clever! Well, if you want to exercise your own “license to grill,” you can actually buy such a device. The Carson Portable Rotisserie Grill automatically rotates up to seven skewers of meat or veggies over a charcoal fire, but folds into a compact case when not in use. Eat your heart out, Blofeld!  Read More

German-based company The Deli Garage has introduced a new addition to its lineup of edible products. Perfect for when you're expecting a Bond villain for dinner or just want to give that roast chicken a truly golden finish, the company is now selling Food Finish coloring spray that lets you coat your meal in a varnish of gold, silver, red or blue.  Read More

There’s a reason that the oranges you see in the store usually aren’t rotten – someone at a sorting facility has already looked over all the oranges coming in from the fields, and taken out the spoiled ones. This is typically done with the help of ultraviolet light, which illuminates the essential oils in the rinds of rotten oranges. Such an approach is subject to human error, however, plus workers can only remain in the vicinity of the harmful UV light for limited periods of time. Now, scientists from Spain’s Valencian Institute of Agrarian Research (IVIA) have created a machine that does the same job automatically. While they were at it, they also came up with one that sorts oranges according to aesthetic appeal, and one that sorts mandarin segments.  Read More

Too busy to cook, too tired to go out and sick of eating pizza, Thai and India takeaway? Well that is where UK entrepreneur Simon Prockter wants to step in with his latest venture housebites.com, a website that links customers with cooks and chefs in their local area to provide restaurant quality food delivered to the door.  Read More

Once when I was visiting Montreal, I went into a restaurant and discovered that the menu was entirely in French. Not wanting to admit that I couldn’t read the language, I was instead forced to order the only two things I recognized the names of: Caesar salad and calamari. Had smartphones been around at the time, I definitely could have used Purdue University’s new food translator app. It not only translates the names of foreign-language dishes, but it also tells you what they are and what’s in them.  Read More

Pedometers can be a great motivational tool for people looking to shed a few pounds by getting active. But since cutting the calorie intake is also an important factor in trimming down researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina have created a device that acts like a pedometer for eating. The Bite Counter is worn like a watch and tracks how many mouthfuls the wearer takes to sound an alarm when they reach for one handful of chips too many.  Read More

While the researchers at Fraunhofer have been toiling away on all manner of important technologies, from electric vehicles and printable batteries to antibacterial film and water conservation technologies, it's good to see they've also turned some of their expertize towards the equally important task of bringing the joy of ice cream on a summer's day to those with a milk allergy or lactose intolerance. A new plant-based ice cream alternative developed by Fraunhofer researchers called Lupinesse has already hit store shelves in Germany and is apparently pretty close to the real thing.  Read More

The world's failure to end as predicted last weekend may have left many survival shelters overstocked, but if there's still a little space on the bunker shelf you might want to consider expanding your rations smorgasbord with the Tactical Sammich. Available in Pepperoni or BBQ Beef, the Tactical Sammiches have a claimed shelf life of over two years if maintained at 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.7 degrees Celsius) or less.  Read More