Years from now when humanity has evolved beyond the kitchen, we won't need chefs, just engineers who can use 3D printers to prepare our food. Hopefully that isn't the case, but if it is, the Culinary Institute of America is prepared. This video from the New Yorker shows how culinary scientists are building the meal of the future.
In a companion piece for the magazine, the New Yorker's Susie Neilson explains the current state of the technology — and what's coming down the line.
For the moment, those experiments in low-calorie tastiness have yet to begin, Neilson writes. "The researchers at the C.I.A. use only the sugar-maltodextrin base, so their creations have a simple, relatively sweet flavor profile and a rigid structure. But they are developing new blends with different flavors and textures. From there, they plan to start incorporating nutrient-rich carbohydrates, including amaranth and refined fiber. Someday they hope to print meat, although the complex molecular structures and textures of proteins make them more difficult to work with."
