"popular science" news and stories

The kitchen of the future is here and Popular Science wants to show it to us. They've put together a slideshow of 25 kitchen products that are innovative, industrial and will totally change the way you cook (although you need some seriously deep pockets in order to obtain a few of these gadgets).

Want to give your poached pears intense wine flavor without losing color or texture? Try the Gastrovac. Want to make French Fries but don't want to use all the oil that a conventional fryer demands? Check out the ActiFry, which can cook several pounds of potatoes using only a tablespoon of oil. For those folks who have an serious coffee addiction, check out the the Whirlpool fridge with the professional grade espresso maker built right into the door.

Via An Obsession with Food

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I recently came across a Popular Science article about candy rockets, model rockets that use sugary foods like Pixy Stix and Oreo filling as their fuel. By adding an oxidizer like potassium nitrate or potassium perchlorate to the sweet stuff, you can get it to burn with the speed and intensity needed for things like launching a small rocket. The Popular Science article features a link to a page of "Candy Propellant Experiments," with descriptions, photos and video of rockets fueled by Snickers, Oreo creme and Pixy Stix. There's also a link to another group that's in the process of trying to launch a sugar-powered rocket into space.