Technabob » food

Bullet Train Chopsticks Speed Food into Your Mouth at 200MPH

Technabob — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:00:53 +0000

Do you like to pick up your food with chopsticks? Me too. Heck, if I could eat soup and the milk at the bottom of my cereal bowl with them, I would. Sure, they’re’ probably not as efficient as forks, but they’re a lot more fun for exercising your manual dexterity while you chow down on your Tempura veggies and Godzilla rolls. If you’re into chopsticks, Japanese culture and high-speed trains, then you’ve just won the lottery with today’s find.

These cool Shinkansen chopsticks from Daiwa Toy [JP] are modeled after the various bullet trains in service in Japan. They’re available in a variety of styles, sure to impress the most avid fan of Japan’s wicked-fast railways.

At $25.99 (USD) a pair, they’re not the world’s cheapest chopsticks, but they are officially licensed by Japan’s JR, and are bound to be collector’s items down the (rail)road. If you’re ready to eat some sushi in a hurry, you can hop on the Chopstick Express over at AudioCubes.

Time Square’s Snackbox: Lunch, Shipped Straight to You

Hazel Chua — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:00:41 +0000

People are constantly reinventing how things are made, designed, and done. You’ve probably already heard that the only constant thing in this world is change, so it probably won’t come as much of a surprise to you that even the places where you go to grab some food on the go have been redesigned.

Sure, you’re used to grabbing a burger, hotdog, or taco from a stand at the corner of the street. But from a shipping container in the middle of New York’s Time Square?

This literal “snackbox” was brought to the Big Apple by Montreal-based firms Aedifica and Muvbox. It’s basically one of those shipping containers used to transport all sorts of stuff on huge ships and barges, only it’s been fixed up and converted into a tiny food vending station.

The 20-meter long snackbox was created for restauranteur Jonathan Morr, who’s selling iconic New York street food from an equally iconic canteen. The box itself is completely portable and is entirely self-sufficient: it gets its supply of water from a tank that’s embedded into its floor, while it’s powered by a hybrid energy system that combines electric batteries and a generator.

[via designboom]

Cutest Death Star Wedding Cake Ever

Conner Flynn — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:00:24 +0000

This Death Star Wedding cake is the perfect metaphor for marriage. I think. If you can precariously stay balanced on a space station, all will be well. Or maybe it just symbolizes the fact that you do everything together, including destroying Alderaan.

It’s adorable though. Vader, do you have the ring? Do you TK-421, take the bride TK-422 as your wife? In sickness and in health? In a rebel attack or just pulling guard duty? You may now take off your helmet and kiss the bride.

I hope they don’t get sent to Tatooine for their honeymoon and spend the entire time looking for droids. Or worse yet, get sent to Endor and get beat up by Ewoks. This cake comes from Sweet on Cakes. I especially like how the bride-trooper is in her gown.

[BTP via That's Nerdalicious via Neatorama]

Plants vs. Zombies Cake: Eat Some Braaaains (and Sugaaaar!)

Technabob — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:00:42 +0000

While many mobile gamers have probably moved on from Plants vs. Zombies by now, I’m still not finished with the most painfully difficult mini-games yet, so it’s still in heavy rotation on my iPad. Somebody else is still enjoying their PvZ too, as is evidenced by this excellent birthday cake, inspired by the game.

The cake was created by Imelda Wikamulia as a present for Technabob reader Greg Off’s birthday, and it’s loaded up with all of our favorite PvZ characters. In the pics, I can see some sunflowers, peashooters, kernel-pults, wall-nuts, a couple of potato mines and torchwood among other defenses. There are also ample zombies on the attack.

Virtually the entire thing is edible, including the hardened sugar pool, and the coconut-dusted green lawn. About the only thing you can’t eat are the tiny cloth costumes made for some of the zombies. As the individual plant and zombie pops get finished off, there’s a whole bunch of additional ones for the eating.

Kudos to Imelda for a great geeky cake, and thanks again to Greg for sending along the pics. Now I need to go find me some sugar, so I can stay up late to finish those pesky mini-games.

Aren’t You a Little Short to Be a Stormtrooper Cake?

Conner Flynn — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:00:16 +0000

If you’re a Jedi, I suppose one way to defeat the Empire would be to start eating the Stormtroopers. Normally that would require a Rancor monster but you can get in on the fun with this Stormtrooper cake. If you can believe it, the entire thing is edible, with the exception of its PVC “bones”.

This 6′ 4″ tall Stormtrooper cake was created by Amanda Oakleaf Cakes for the Arisia Sci-Fi Convention in Boston. It took ten people two weeks to complete it and it weighs about 300 pounds. If you’re wondering how it manages to stand up under the weight of all that cake, fondant, and Rice Krispie treats, it’s got a lightweight PVC skeleton keeping things in place.

If you want more details on how they did it, the bakery posted a photo gallery that shows the process of the build. How many does it feed? Well, it was eaten by about 600 people. Sadly, I was not one of them.

[via Boing Boing via Neatorama]

TARDIS Cookies Need Lots of Blue Frosting

Conner Flynn — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:00:16 +0000

Check out these awesome TARDIS gingerbread cookies. They are geekier than you might think. First, they are shaped like the Doctor’s trusty transportation vehicle. Second, they were created with a cookie cutter that was made using a 3D printer. That’s double nerd points my friend.

But where is the absolutely necessary blue frosting? Oh well, that’s probably just too much work, since you’ll want to eat them right away. The details are really nice, even if some detail is lost as it bakes. Too bad the oven doesn’t make the TARDIS sound when they are ready to come out.

If you have access to a 3D printer and want to make your own TARDIS cookie cutter, you can find the instructions here. Then just bake some and share with all your friends across time and relative dimension in space.

[via Boing Boing]

PiepEgg Cooks Eggs with the Power of Disco

Conner Flynn — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 01:00:25 +0000

Boiled eggs are tricky to cook. You have to time them just right. That’s hard because it’s not as if you can peek inside the shell and check on them. There must be an easier way to boil an egg. If only it involved disco. There is – and it does.

PiepEgg will cook eggs right every time as it sings different songs depending on how done you want your egg. If you want it soft boiled, it will play “Celebration”, medium will get you “That’s the Way(I like it)”, and hard-boiled eggs will play “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life.”

The battery is good for two years, so you should cook many eggs with it until you get sick of disco. It sells for about $25(USD) over at design3000.

Dalek Oreos, Double Stuffing, Double the Extermination

Conner Flynn — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:00:23 +0000

Remember that time when the Doctor bluffed his way out of Dalek extermination by using a Jammie Dodger (which is a British biscuit or cookie) and telling them it was some sort of doomsday device? Well, the Daleks are having some cookie fun of their own.

That would have been a great episode in which to feature these Dalek Oreos. The Daleks could have one-upped him by wheeling out a tray of these guys to kill his cookie.

They certainly are cute and they look delicious. They were made by Flickr user Navaboo with some help from her boyfriend and she was kind enough to share her recipe along with the image here. If you plan on throwing a Doctor Who bash anytime soon, you should serve these up to your guests.

[via Neatorama]

France Getting Star Wars Burgers: Taste the Dark Side of the Bun

Conner Flynn — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:50:15 +0000

I can’t keep track of how many releases and re-releases the Star Wars movies have seen since 1977, but the latest takes the ~~cake~~ burger. Lucky folks in France will be getting a special treat along with the less than appetizing re-release of The Phantom Menace in 3D.

To celebrate, a French fast food chain named Quick is offering two versions of themed burgers. You can get the Darth Vader burger on a black bun, (I don’t even wanna know how they made it black) and the Jedi burger, which is your typical brown bun that matches Jedi robes. They’ll also be offering a Darth Maul inspired “Dark Burger”, but that really should have a red bun, shouldn’t it?

So if you find yourself in Paris, forget their fancy shmancy gourmet food. Eat like an American and get yourself the usual grub, just Star Wars themed. If anyone eats that Vader burger, let us know about any unusual symptoms you might experience. I’m not trusting the dying process. Could be worse though, the Yoda burger might be moldy as to mimic Dagobah.

[Mintinbox(FR) via Golem13(FR) via Buzzfeed]

PorkKleen Bacon Hand Sanitizer Might Attract Miss Piggy

Jack Kieffer — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:00:03 +0000

Hands get dirty – they touch handrails, they touch tables, and, if you’re like me, they touch the floor when you’re army-crawling across the mall. You usually whip out that alcohol-smelling Purell stuff, but now you can use some PorkKleen Bacon Scented Hand Sanitizer!

If you’re one of the many people who does not like the smell of alcohol in hand sanitizers, but loves bacon, this geeky product is for you! To eat! *Sprays PorkKleen in mouth and runs, screaming like an idiot* Though I do not frequently change my mind, since I am an opinionated, bullheaded person, I am going to rephrase. *Clears throat* Do not eat the PorkKleen. Or the gum that’s under the subway railing, but that is undoubtedly more delicious. *Picks gum off of the floor and chews it*

For just $4 (USD), you get a 2.25 ounce bottle of PorkKleen Bacon Scented Hand Sanitizer, which should last you a pretty long time. This is the perfect gift for any of your germaphobe friends and family, but can also be bought for personal use if you’re a selfish little hobbit. Yo, man! Give me some of your bacon-scented hand sanitizer! *Thinking* “Why would I do that?” Because my hands are unclean, and I need some hand sanitizer! “NOO! IT’S MINE… MY PRECIOUSSS…” A vicious battle of riddles ensues, and the fish creature ends up having to share his precious PorkKleen Bacon Scented Hand Sanitizer.

This geeky bacon-scented hand sanitizer is currently available from ThinkGeek, your source for random junk that you need to pay for to have it. Again, this would prove that you are superior to the rest of the human race, who is still using un-scented sanitization liquids. PROVE YOURSELF, OR FALL VICTIM TO THE RISE OF THE APES. Which was actually a great movie, but I’d hate to get those monkeys mad. Scratch that – I’d be scared if they were even a little bit irked, let alone RAGE QUITTING my life. *Hides in a closet*

Jack Kieffer owns Cool Gizmo Toys, a blog that rants about random geeky products.

TARDIS Cake is Tastier on the Inside

Technabob — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 23:00:57 +0000

There’s nothing us geeks like more than stuff that looks like Doctor Who’s TARDIS. Except maybe a TARDIS that’s actually edible. Sign me up. You have to send mad props to the guys at UK bakery Confarreatio Cakes for pulling off this incredible TARDIS cake.

The TARDIS cake was made for the wedding of a couple of serious Doctor Who fans, and it’s intricately detailed to look just like the real deal. The iconic blue police box was made up from a stack of four 6″x6″ cakes, and apparently even has flashing LEDs up at the top powered by batteries stuffed inside the icing. Yum. Batteries.

Despite the fact that the cake was a huge hit with the bride and groom, the bakers insist they weren’t the least bit geeky. Yeah, right. Because there’s nothing at all geeky about a TARDIS wedding cake. Besides, all geeks are welcome here.

Check out more pictures of the TARDIS cake over on Confarreatio Cake’s flickr stream.

Diablo III Gingerbread Skull Has Delicious and Demonic Candy Soulstone

Conner Flynn — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 14:00:43 +0000

The latest geek gingerbread treat is an evil one. I present to you the Diablo III Gingerbread Skull, complete with Candy Soulstone. It’s yummy and evil. Now we are officially ready for the game, which is rumored to be released on January 24, 2012.

Too bad you can’t munch on this skull while playing the game. It’ll probably be pretty nasty by the time the game comes out in a month. That’s okay. This guy is so evil it just wants to upset your stomach anyhow. In fact, a demon would probably burst from your chest after you swallow it. Yeah, so maybe it isn’t a great idea to eat this thing.

But it is still an awesome homage to the dark lord of the Diablo games. Is it still considered a gingerbread house if it’s a skull? I guess that doesn’t matter. This gingerbread skull will eat other gingerbread houses for breakfast, belch and grow larger, until it encompasses everything gingerbread in this world.

[via Obvious Winner]

The Twist Lunch Bag: Unseal, Microwave, Eat, Reuse

Hazel Chua — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:00:16 +0000

It’s always a pretty wasteful scene at the office during lunchtime. Colleagues troop into the lunch room, unwrap their lunches that have been packed in either foil, plastic containers, or styrofoam packages that are thrown out after each use. And this happens every lunch hour. Just think of all the waste generated from disposable food packaging everyday, all over the world and what that’s doing to our environment.

That’s what designer Nick Burrows observed at his office too, which was why he came up with the concept for the Twist.

The Twist a reusable lunch bag that’s made from silicone and stiff aluminum wire. It’s microwaveable, so you can just pop the entire thing in the oven to heat up your food. Once you’re done, just wash it out and use it again tomorrow.

But most importantly, it’s reusable so that’s a whole lot of plastic bags not being added to the world’s land fills every day. It’s a simple design with a simple manufacturing process, which could make a meaningful difference in keeping our world green.

[via Yanko Design]

Gingerbread TARDIS: I Hope Your Stomach is Bigger on the Inside

Conner Flynn — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:00:24 +0000

This gingerbread TARDIS looks yummy. But is a gingerbread TARDIS better than a ginger companion? Discuss.

This awesome Doctor Who treat is not new, it was made (and presumably eaten) in 2006, but since it is the proper time of year and since it looks delicious, I just had to share it. It won’t traverse time and space, but it will fill your tummy with all kinds of timey-wimey goodness.

Is a gingerbread TARDIS better than having a ginger companion like Amy Pond? Well, this ginger won’t talk back and be a smartass and it won’t get itself into trouble so that you have to save the day. But on the flip side, Amy Pond has much better legs than this ginger treat. Then again, Amy can’t fill your belly. Well, not unless the TARDIS crashes somewhere and you go all Donner Party on her. That would be horrible though. I’m still undecided which would be better.

[via sliceofscifi]

Robots Pop Popcorn and Fix a Sandwich

Technabob — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 20:00:21 +0000

You know, there might be a day sometime in my life where robots performing mundane tasks will no longer be a novelty, and they’ll just be part of our everyday lives. But until that day, I’m still going to find things like robots popping popcorn and making sandwiches to be at least mildly amusing.

You might recall a while back that we featured robots TUM-James and TUM-Rosie cooking up some breakfast sausages and baguettes. Now, the robotic duo from the Technical University in Munich are back, with snack foods and lunch on the menu this time. James cooks his popcorn on the stovetop using a pot and hot cooking oil, and inspired by this xkcd comic, Rosie does her best to compose a salami and cheese sandwich on toast (with mayo.) Not that he quite gets how to use a toaster. Here’s a video clip showing of the ‘bots prepping some grub for onlookers:

You’ll notice that video was sped up by a 10x factor, as it apparently takes the robots a bit more time to perform their cooking tasks than we humans have the patience to watch. That said, here’s a version at normal speed which explains a bit more about what James and Rosie are up to in the kitchen:

Wow, there sure is a lot for those robots to think about. Makes our puny human brains seem so much more impressive. I love how Rosie has to stab the cheese and bread with a fork to make her sammie. If I had my own robot servant, I think I’d just have him put a bag of Orville Redenbacher’s in the microwave and press the “Popcorn” button, then send him out to Subway for sandwiches.

[via Tasteologie]

U.S. Army Creates Two-Year Sandwich, Likely Discovers One-Year Heartburn

Conner Flynn — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:00:47 +0000

Apparently the military industrial complex has never heard of the Twinkie, so they have been looking into ways to make a soldiers food last forever. And now they have perfected a sandwich that lasts for two years.

Instead of the nasty MREs that the military currently serves, this sandwich has meat, cheese, and lettuce inside of bread. It’s a lot like a Hot Pocket. Supposedly, it even tastes good. For food to rot, you need oxygen and water. This two year sandwich uses preservation techniques to keep the H2O in check.

Take jam for instance. It has a high water content and stays fresh because the sugar locks in the moisture and the container is air-tight. They’ve done the same thing here. The two-year sandwich has sugar and a packet of iron fillings in its vacuum-sealed wrapping. The iron draws in excess moisture, converts it into rust, and traps it. So you have a sandwich that stays fresh. This means that we can feed soldiers a better meal in the field, even if it’s been sitting around for years.

[BBC via Popsci via Geek]

Gingerbread Ewok Village: Yum Yum Jub Jub

Conner Flynn — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:00:44 +0000

Yum. Gingerbread. But eww Ewoks, the Return of the Jedi equivalent of Jar Jar Binks. Well, maybe they aren’t that bad. Screw it, I would still eat this whole damn village. Maybe by doing so, I can prevent Endor from ever existing.

It was created by Canadian baker The Infinite Yums for a charity auction. It even has a Death Star with green LED lighting that’s made of Rice Krispies. It would be a perfect dessert for after I ate every last Ewok. Go ahead, poke your spears and fire your catapults at me, you little freaks.

This huge confectionery masterpiece is nicely detailed and also features C-3PO, R2, Yoda, Chewbacca and a pile of Stormtrooper heads. Great work. If you must allow Ewoks to exist, they might as well be edible.

[via The Retroist via io9]

Space Invaders Waffle: They’re Invading Breakfast, Is Lunch Next?

Range — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:00:38 +0000

Sure, this Space Invaders waffle look delicious, but it makes you wonder if they’ll ever invade your other meals. I don’t think there’s any danger of that, but are there other meals that can be shaped like Space Invaders?

The waffle is part of an exhibition at London’s The Outsiders Gallery from the infamous street artist Invader, who puts Space Invaders on just about anything. Naturally, the Space Invaders waffle will be making an appearance since the title of the show is Attack of the Space Waffles. The best part is that you’ll actually be able to eat some for yourself, as a Space Invaders waffle maker will be doling out hot waffles to visitors during the show.

If you’re in London between December 2nd and 24th, swing by the show, you’ll get to see a brand new mosaic, an invaded disco ball, and a 20-minute documentary. And waffles.

[via Arrested Motion]

Cup Noodle Robotimer is the Most Awesome Thing to Come out of Japan in Years

Technabob — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:19:47 +0000

Japan is known for numerous technological innovations over the years, but none has ever made such an impact on me as this. This miracle of modern technology is the world’s first fully robotic Cup Noodle timer. Shut up and take my money now.

Developed by Japan’s Vstone (JP) robotics, in concert with Nissin, the Cup Noodle guys, this thing looks just like a regular old ramen noodle cup when you first get it. But start cooking up some noodles, set the timer, and watch ROBONOODLE rise! Here, check it out in all of its beauty:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Now watch the uprising of the first noodle robot army… Yatta!

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Isn’t that the most glorious thing you’ve ever seen? Unfortunately, I’m not sure if you’ll be able to get the Cup Noodle Robotimer outside of Japan any time soon. Apparently, these are being sold under some sort of a lottery system and only with proof of noodle purchase, because they are so awesome.

For now, I suggest you head on over to the official Robotimer website for more fun videos, and lots of stuff in Japanese that you probably won’t be able to understand. Meanwhile, I’m putting this on my eBay watch list.

Angry Birds Pizza Needs More Ham on It

Technabob — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:00:31 +0000

Cakes get decorated with all sorts of geeky stuff all the time, so why isn’t it that pizzas get the same artistic love? Well, if you’re one of the millions of Angry Birds fanatics out there, this pizza is just for you.

This particular pizza features the red Angry Bird, and he appears to still be pissed off, despite the fact that he’s made up of delicious mushrooms, black olives, and just the right amount of onion. I could skip all that red pepper though. Maybe he’s grumpy because he knows he’s about to be eaten.

Apparently, the guy who made this decided not to go with making a green piggie pizza, because that would have required using moldy ham.

[via Gamefreaks]