Researchers at Cornell University have developed a 3D printer that can fashion food out of raw ingredients. Potentially, they say, this could mean a new kind of fast food — one that's just as fast, but made out of actual food. "We can make health food more fun, interesting, and appealing with this technology," said one of the scientists at the Cornell lab. "What kid wouldn't eat a space shuttle, even one made of peas?"
Food pros are also enthusiastic about the potential of a technology that can shape and layer ingredients into new kinds of food items. "The fact is Americans will never give up their cheeseburgers and French fries, so we need to replace them with healthy raw ingredients," one chef told Fast Company. "The home cook may never have the skill set to actually produce [the healthiest] foods — this is where food printing or what I call food transmogrification can step in and fill the void."
But then again, that may be all talk. Another chef theorized, presumably while drooling, about the ultimate purpose of 3D food printing: "We can make much larger objects to deep fry."
