Many failed attempts, but the engineers at Columbia University did not give up. Now, they've finally managed to 3D print a cheesecake, and it's beautiful. No, it's not true: it's ugly as death, but it's starting to look like a real cake. And the printed kitchen seems to emerge from an atmosphere of "alchemy" to enter reality.
Towards a kitchen of the future
The project aims to demonstrate that 3D printing can revolutionize the world of cooking. With a system of food "inks" of different composition and consistency it will be possible to create edible and, in the future (perhaps) even inviting dishes.
Jonathan Blutinger, an engineer at Columbia University's Creative Machines Lab, is already convinced. For him, a 3D printer can do much more than cheesecakes. It will be possible to print meat, vegetables and cheeses, as long as they are transformed into pastes, liquids or powders.
In short, you will obtain meals "children" of the marriage between software and analogue cooking, "consecrated" by laser cooking which will make future devices true digital chefs.
The research
In the document published in npj Science of Food (I link it here), researchers describe a 3D printer that cooks edible products using seven different ingredients. In the case of the cheesecake, for example, cookie dough, peanut butter, strawberry jam, Nutella, mashed banana, cherry sauce and icing were used. The printer is also equipped with a blue laser to bake layers as needed.
Just five attempts were "enough" for the team to identify the right mix of consistency for the different layers of the dessert, preventing it from "imploding". And the flavor? Blutinger honestly admits, “we are not star chefs”.
The possible applications of the 3D kitchen
Where do you imagine 3D food printers entering? Will it be in an industrial plant or in the kitchen of restaurants and private homes?
The first scenario will probably be the corporate one, then we will see these devices in homes too. Among the pros, the possibility of "tailor-made" printing a meal with the exact quantity of food, nutrients and calories, meeting our needs perfectly. On the other hand, we will be able to stimulate culinary creativity with new food drawings, shared as digital files on social media.
It is a trend that in a few decades could transform the way we eat in an unimaginable way.
And then, punctually, there are also the doubts
Some experts like Andrew Feenberg, professor of philosophy of technology at the University of Vancouver, wonder whether printed food will really have widespread application. Others like Duane Mellor, a dietician at Aston Medical School, fear that turning basic ingredients into “cooking inks” will kill the nutrients, fibre, and cell tissue in fruit and vegetables.
I can't say how it will go. I have a feeling the 3D kitchen will have a safe place, but maybe it will in vending machines for long-duration space travel, such as those planned by NASA.
A tasty future
For many of us, traditional cuisine and the art of preparing meals with passion will remain a fundamental element. However, 3D food printing could open up new possibilities and change the future of cooking in unexpected ways.
And then, as always, time will tell. Maybe one day we can all have a personal digital chef in our kitchen, ready to delight us with innovative and personalized dishes.
