Eating

Looking at a sugar-glazed confection might lead one to ask how it could be bad for you when it looks so good. Putting temptations aside, another question one might ask is just how such treats are formed.

The answer, at least in the case of the Bella Cucina Fluted Cake Maker, simply has to do with batter poured into a mold and then cooked. This specialty electric appliance creates five cakes, each with a distinctive design.

Combining a mold and a cooking appliance allows for instant gratification. Clamshell-type countertop appliances tend to heat up quickly and this 1,400-watt gadget … Read more

We see QR codes everywhere these days, from advertisements to print cartridge packaging. However, you may soon find yourself biting into a QR-coded cookie.

Meet the Qkie.

The brainchild of a German food company, Juchem Gruppe, and DFKI, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, the Qkie's QR code can be scanned to open up a link to a Web site, a love note, or even a party invitation (as seen in the video below). … Read more

We usually cover news about Apple, the computer company, but here's some news about apples, the fruit.

Supermarket produce often comes with those pesky labels that are a pain to pull off without injuring the fruit's skin. But Scott Amron, award-winning electrical engineer and concept artist, has come up with Vanishing Fruitwash Labels, which dissolve into an organic produce wash.

The labels are water-resistant and are triggered when rubbed with water. The wash can help remove dirt, wax, fungicides, and pesticides. The labels can display price look-up codes, which are used for inventory and checkout purposes, and can be pulled off like a sticker, too.

Some may argue whether washing your fruit is really necessary, and that all you need to do is to shine up that apple on your shirt. You can also use something like baking soda or vinegar in a spray bottle to wash your produce. Regardless, this is an interesting idea.

The idea is still a concept, and Amron is advertising a 10 percent stake as an investment opportunity. … Read more

MAKUHARI, Japan--For many Japanese, food safety is an urgent concern in light of the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, from which radiation has entered the food supply.

Kyoto-based scientific equipment maker Horiba is trying to help with a radiation detector kit that can tell users if their food is contaminated.

It's basically a transparent bucket with a radiation monitor in the bottom and an upper compartment that holds rice and other foods. It also works with soil.

The bucket works with Horiba's new PA-1000 Radi monitor, which was being shown off here at Ceatec trade show outside Tokyo ahead of its release this month.

Priced at 125,000 yen ($1,628), the Radi can detect radiation ranging from 0.001 to 9.999 microsieverts per hour and has a buzzer option for alerts.

Horiba staff members said Japan residents are now looking for higher quality detectors instead of cheaper imports. The company's PA-1100 Radi is a monitor with USB and Bluetooth for links to PCs, smartphones, and tablets. It can be used with GPS applications to quickly create radiation maps. … Read more

Entertaining is often not about supplying option for guests, but about supplying options for one's self. Making what you want to make is a great way to eat what you want to eat, without needing to come up with excuses. Why, of course there should be a bacon cheese dip for the big party. And chili. And perhaps another gooey cheese dip. It's only civilized after all.

To get any trifecta of party favorites going on, by definition, there needs to be three choices. When it comes to the hot and gooey, slow-cooked favorites that so often highlight … Read more

A lot goes on behind the scenes in the nonstop effort to bring produce to our plates. Before we even lay eyes on our dinner as we hunt it among the grocery store aisles, it must be picked, sorted, transported, weighed, and priced. But before even that, before the myriad middlemen have had their say about it, the food in question must first be grown. In the case of vegetables, specifically root vegetables, rarely is this process seen. Everybody knows that the magic of restocked shelves has to start from a seed, but that growing period that occurs immediately after … Read more

Dear Krispy, I'm breaking up with you. Thanks to the new Automatic Mini Donut Factory, there is no longer any reason to venture out into the world.

The $179.99 doughnut maker from Nostalgia Electrics sits on your kitchen counter and magically transforms raw doughnut batter into little halos of sin. All the flipping and frying is handled automatically, with your treats popping out at the far end of the machine.

Safety windows let you observe the action without accidentally frying your fingers. It even has a component called the "donut slide."… Read more

I have attempted to make sushi at home using a bamboo mat, seaweed, vegetables, sushi rice, and fumbling fingers. The resulting rolls bore a vague resemblance to the real thing, but they would have gotten me laughed off the set of any respectable cooking show.

The Rice Cube sushi maker promises relief for enthusiastic, but ultimately incompetent, home sushi chefs. This kitchen gadget looks like it was pulled from a game of Tetris and given 3D life in bright red plastic.

The small device squishes rice, fish, and other ingredients into perfect little squares that will make your potluck buddies envious. It works through a series of pushing and sliding motions. Check out the video below if you're having trouble visualizing that.

There's no reason to stop at sushi, though. Adventurous chefs can come up with all sorts of things to press into cubes. It's only a matter of time before someone slips some bacon in there.… Read more

Food on the go is an essential part of modern life. It's a wonder it took as long as it did for the food truck thing to catch on, but the important thing is, it did. Good food no longer has to be subject to long periods of idleness. If you're wondering what might be the next big thing concerning mobility, you are not alone. Electrolux, with its 2011 Design Lab exhibition, has just released the 25 semi-finalists for the competition. The theme is "Intelligent Mobility." Here are a few examples of the concepts that perhaps … Read more