The Food Of The Future? 3D Printer Claims It Can Cut Back On Cooking Prep Time

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – For all those not a fan of the prep work that goes into cooking, you might be in luck.

A new device using 3D printing technology claims it can make your food preparation much less of a hassle.

The Foodini, as CBS2's Dick Brennan reported, is supposedly capable of cranking out a wide array of delectable dishes and the idea is taking the boring, repetitive work away from the cook.

Brennan was skeptical and questioned the co-founder, Lynette Kucsma, via Skype.

"It might sound a little far-fetched, but it's not science fiction anymore, it's science fact," she said.

Here's how it works: you prepare the fresh ingredients, put them into the Foodini food capsules and the machine assembles your recipe. When it's done, all you have to do is put the machine's creation in the oven.

Suppose you want a pizza; the machine does the hard work, shaping the dough and adding an even layer of sauce.

As Brennan reported, it works with burgers, quiche and even chocolate.

The idea: making preparation easy when you want to make packaged food by hand.

"A simple pretzel or breadstick or ravioli, that's where food printers really shine," Kucsma said.

For starters, the company says it will target professional chefs or restaurants. But will they go for the "printed food?" CBS2 asked its very own Tony Tantillo.

"Those two things shouldn't be together. 'Printed food' for a magazine, yes. But to eat? Nah, nah," he said.

Tantillo says real chefs like to prepare food the old fashioned way.

"They have to feel it. They knead the dough, they have to smell the tomatoes, you know. It's all part, it's all passion with food. If something's doing that for you, where's the fun?" he said.

Brennan: "The purists are saying that's not for me. I like to roll the dough, I like to get my hands right in the food."

Kucsma: "That's fine. The purists can continue doing that, and if everyone was a purist we would not have these huge supermarkets filled with pre-processed foods."

The Foodini is only a prototype for now and mass production is a year away. The target price would be around $1,300.

You Might Also Be Interested In: