Printed dishes.

Fast Company has its eyes on tomorrow’s dinner with a new application for 3D printing – food printed to order:

The newest 3-D food printer, now being honed at [Cornell Creative Machines Lab], can produce: tiny space shuttle-shaped scallop nuggets (image above); and cakes or cookies that, when you slice into them, reveal a special message buried within, like a wedding date, initials (image below) or a corporate logo. They can also make a solid hamburger patty, with liquid layers of ketchup and mustard, or a hamburger substitute that’s made from vegan or raw foods.

“Foods that aren’t considered ‘food’ will become food in the future,” says Homaro Cantu, executive chef at the Moto Restaurant in Chicago. He is exploring making foods look and taste like something they’re not. “The fact is Americans will never give up their cheeseburgers and French fries, so we need to replace them with healthy raw ingredients. 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.”

Yep. Food transmogrification.

[via How’s Your Face?]