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'Scan Toaster' Burns Images Into Toast


Industrial designer Sung Bae Chang has finally given us mortals the ability to do that which was once considered a bona-fide miracle. Using the "Scan Toaster," anyone with a PC and a USB cable can burn the likeness of the Blessed Virgin Mary (or any image or text that you wish) onto a slice of bread. The toaster utilizes a network of toasting "modules" -- hot wires that rotate within a 30 degree radius -- that burn the image or text you have selected onto the delicious slice of your choice. The peripheral is a finalist in a design competition run by the appliance manufacturer Electrolux, so as-of-yet there aren't any plans to manufacture it on a mass scale. We're guessing that Mr. Sun Bae Chang probably wants to keep the awesome power of the Scan Toaster for himself anyway.

Dough-Nu Matic Makes a Dozen Donuts in Less Than Six Minutes

Mmm... Automated Donut
We're ordering one for the Switched offices. That's all there is to it. AOL will just have to foot the bill for our out of control cholesterol levels. The Dough-Nu-Matic forms, fries and dispenses mini donuts automatically.

This might the greatest invention since the wheel. Think about it. No more runs to Dunkin' Donuts to get your fill of deep fried sugary goodness. You can sit around and get fat with out the help of a drive-through window.

This symbol of American ingenuity (or gluttony) can be had for $130 through the most appropriate of retailers, SkyMall.

From Boing Boing

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How to Get Rid of Killer Bacteria in Food



Hype Check: CulinaryPrep


What it is:
CulinaryPrep is a device built to prepare your food and eliminate food-borne bacteria, including in the process.

How it works: You put your food (non-ground meat, pork, poultry, veggies), eight cups of water, and an all-natural powder (citric acid, salt, etc) into the canister, screw on the top, and use the included tube (which stretches from the main unit) to remove all of the air from said canister, creating a vacuum-sealed environment inside. You then place this canister on its side, install it on the device, and let it to roll around automatically for about 20 minutes. Presto, you've got safe and succulent food that's ready to cook.

The idea is that exposing food to the vacuum environment and the solution will kill bacteria, including E. Coli, Listeria, and Salmonella -- the manufacturers even have the independent studies to back it up.

Why it's different: There really hasn't been anything quite like it, not for the consumer or pro markets.

What we like: First off, we didn't die of food poisoning, which is a miracle considering we used CulinaryPrep to secure some smelly frozen shrimp that had been left in a car to fester for a few hours. Post-treatment, the shrimp was not only non-threatening, it also tasted moist and delicious after we fried it up – even when we had some the next day. The CulinaryPrep is superb as a tenderizer for otherwise lackluster meats – the normally dry and bland chicken breast we prepared came out tender and flavorful, despite being in the oven for 30 minutes. Same goes for the meat we cooked up.

What we don't like: This thing is huge, which is helpful when you're trying to tenderize an entire chicken or 75 fingerling potatoes, but is only practical if you've got a big kitchen. Also, set-up can be complicated, thanks to the vague directions (where to put the random plastic pieces that come with the box – one clear set-up image would have done the trick, manual-making people!)

Does it live up to the hype? We're alive, and we're now four-for-four on tasty, zero-prep meals, so we're giving it the thumbs up. If at any point in the near future we die of food poisoning, though, you'll be the first to hear about it. If you take you're a serious cook who doesn't like to waste food, you may want to add this to your cooking arsenal.

Price: $399, at the CulinaryPrep Web site. The company also sells a bunch of custom-made marinades specifically designed to be used with the Culinary Prep, like Texas Mesquite and Lemon Pepper, as well as additional ProPrep packets for about $1.25 a pop).

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Holyfield vs. Foreman Rematch -- With a Grill!



Not content with simply stealing his heavyweight boxing title, Evander Holyfield is now looking to top his former boxing rival outside the ring. Holyfield is readying the 'Evander Holyfield Real Deal Grill,' which will go directly up against George Foreman's famous "Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine" -- the iconic cooking gadget that has reportedly earned a rather staggering $100 million in sales since 1995.

It may be the fiercest rivalry the home grilling world has ever seen -- and there's already trash talking. "I've got a George Foreman grill," Hollyfield told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "It's a good grill. But don't you think the latest grill is supposed to be the best grill?" Oh no he didn't! Oh yes he did.

Holyfield appears in a 30-minute infomercial that began airing last week, describing his grill's culinary and health benefits. In a couple of weeks, Holyfield trades in the apron for boxing trunks, as he's actually jumping in the ring to fight Sultan Ibragimov at Moscow's Khodynka Ice Palace arena, as part of his plan to retire as the sport's oldest heavyweight champion. Oh, and not too long ago, he was featured on 'Dancing With the Stars.

And we can't even manage to floss once a week. Sad, really sad.

From MSNBC

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The Future According to 1967

Its always fun to look back on what we thought the future would be like. Creepily enough this short film by Philco-Ford from 1967 is pretty spot on. The gadgets may look like '60s stereo equipment, but somehow they all provide many of the tech conveniences we have come to know and love, including shopping at home via computer, e-mail (or 'electronic 'correspondence,' as it is called in the video), and online bill payment and records -- all glowingly presented in a 1960s-style suburban utopia setting.

As fun as it is to watch the dated visions of a computer run future, some of the sexist overtone make for uncomfortable viewing -- "What the wife selects on her console, will be payed for by the husband at his counterpart console."

Also, don't miss the segment -- starring the same idealized 1960s family unit -- about the kitchen of the future. According to 1960s futurists, all homes would have hand-and-face dryers in the washrooms to replace towels. They also predicted that all food would be frozen and automatically inventoried and moved to ovens and such by a computer. Guess they didn't consider today's backlash against processed foods and the move towards organic and sustainable ingredients.

We're wondering, though, why there was no place for the ridiculous LG HDTV refrigerator?


From Retro Thing

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