"FoodTechnology" news and stories

Ever wondered where that lettuce leaf you're eating was grown?

Kroger says it's become the first grocery chain to employ traceability technology on its salads, so consumers can see exactly where its packaged Fresh Selections salad greens come from.

For its pre-washed, ready-to-serve salads, Kroger is using HarvestMark technology -- a 16-digit tracking code on packaging that consumers can plug into HarvestMark's Web site to trace the greens back to the source, including the region where the produce was grown and the date it was packed. It's part of the grocer's new "Quality You Can Trace" program.

Instead of having to cut butter with a knife, you can use a butter dispenser (pictured to the right). Or, better yet, why not try out this new device that creates butter ribbons? You don't even have to exert energy to spread the butter on your toast. As ridiculous as this sounds and looks, how can you not be mildly intrigued?

Fellow blog Dvice explains that all you have to do is insert a stick of butter, twist the handle, and out comes a paper-thin ribbon of butter. Another blog, Bookofjoe boasts that it can turn each stick of butter into 10 feet of butter ribbon. But, don't fret, you don't have to use it all at once. You can leave the stick of butter in the dispenser and place it in your refrigerator.

The device also works with margarine. It's dishwasher safe, and it can be purchased from Amazon for just under $15. So, if you're concerned about accidentally cutting yourself when slicing butter, this is the perfect alternative. Forget sharp knives and decorate your toast in butter ribbons!

Watch out Geroge Foreman - this anti-griddle will knock you out.

In the spirit of Grant Achatz's uber-technological cuisine, PolyScience has what they call the Anti-griddle, a cooktop that, instead of heating foods to cook, freezes them. The "cooking" surface can reach down to creativity-chilling -30F, freezing foods on contact. According to PolyScience, it allows imaginations create "tantalizing dual-textures [that] help satisfy increasing consumer demands for new dining experiences."

Not sure if this is something you'd want in your home kitchen, but if you're innovative enough, and you have $845, you just might.

[via BoingBoing]