3D Food Printing: The Future of Cooking?

B2/C1 video lesson on food technology, software-controlled cooking and innovation.

Lesson Overview

Students watch a video about 3D food printing, software-controlled cooking and laser cooking. The lesson explores how digital tools could change food design, textures, ingredients and the future of cooking.

Before you watch

Would you eat food made by a 3D printer?
What problems could digital cooking solve?
Is food printing a gimmick or a serious innovation?

Video

Open video on YouTube

Prep Part 1

Drag the correct sentence ending into each gap.

1. If a printer deposits ingredients,...

2. If something is controlled by software,...

3. If the sky is the limit,...

4. If food has a new texture,...

Sentence endings

a computer program decides how the process works.it feels different in the mouth.there are almost no limits to what is possible.it places small amounts of food material in a controlled way.

Watch Part 1

Watch from 0:00 to about 1:35. Focus on how the printer deposits ingredients, uses lasers and controls the cooking process with software.

Open video

Comprehension 1

Click each question to reveal the answer.

How does the food printer cook the ingredients?

It deposits ingredients in fine patterns and cooks them at the same time with lasers.

What controls the cooking process?

The cooking process is controlled by software.

Why does the speaker say the sky is the limit?

Because software control makes it possible to create new textures and food forms that were impossible before.

What example of a raw ingredient does the speaker mention?

He mentions salmon, which can be pulverised into a paste.

What does the printer do with cartridges?

It moves the cartridges around and deposits the ingredients at high resolution.

Vocabulary from Part 1

The machine deposits food .

It cooks the food with .

The process is controlled by .

The technology can create new food .

Options

ingredientslaserssoftwaretexturespatterns

Prep Part 2

Drag the correct sentence ending into each gap.

1. If an ingredient is pulverised,...

2. If a process has high resolution,...

3. If something is uncharted,...

4. If technology is democratised,...

Sentence endings

it can create very small and precise details.ordinary people can access and use it.it is new, unexplored or not well understood.it is crushed or blended into tiny pieces or paste.

Watch Part 2

Watch from about 1:35 to the end. Focus on food CAD, investors, innovation and the move from manual to software-controlled cooking.

Open video

Comprehension 2

Click each question to reveal the answer.

What does the speaker mean by food resolution?

He means precision at around the scale of a millimetre, not inkjet-style 300 dpi.

How is the laser controlled?

Software controls galvo mirrors, which direct the laser beam and control the heat applied to the food.

What kinds of ingredients have they printed?

They have printed dough, spinach, broccoli, chicken and salmon.

What is food CAD compared to?

It is compared to the Photoshop of food.

Why does the speaker compare food printing to smartphones?

Because it may not solve an obvious existing problem, but it could make new things possible once people have it.

Vocabulary from Part 2

Raw salmon can be turned into a .

The printer uses loaded .

The laser beam is directed by galvo .

The field is relatively .

Options

pastecartridgesmirrorsunchartedwavelength

Vocabulary Review

Word / phrase	Meaning	Example
deposit	place a substance somewhere	The printer deposits ingredients in fine patterns.
fine pattern	a detailed, precise arrangement	The ingredients are arranged in fine patterns.
software-controlled	controlled by a computer program	The cooking process is software-controlled.
the sky’s the limit	almost anything is possible	With software control, the sky’s the limit.
texture	how food feels in the mouth	The printer can create new food textures.
pulverise	crush or blend into tiny pieces	Raw salmon can be pulverised into a paste.
cartridge	a container loaded into a machine	Ingredients are placed into cartridges.
high resolution	very detailed and precise	The printer deposits food at high resolution.
wavelength	a property of light that affects how it behaves	The laser wavelength affects cooking.
browning	making food brown through cooking	Some settings create browning.
penetrative cooking	cooking that reaches deeper into the food	Different lasers allow more penetrative cooking.
run the gamut	include a wide range	The ingredients run the gamut from dough to salmon.
uncharted	not explored or understood yet	The space is relatively uncharted.
food CAD	software for designing food digitally	Food CAD could let non-programmers design meals.
democratise	make something available to more people	The aim is to democratise software-controlled cooking.

Collocations and Expressions

raw

cooking

food

laser

software

manual to software

Options

ingredientprocessresolutionbroiltechniquescontrol

Phrasal Verb Exercise

The printer puts ingredients in fine patterns.

The cartridges are loaded before printing.

The machine moves the cartridges .

The ingredients run from dough to salmon.

The speaker wants to move a new way of making food.

Once cooking becomes digital, he says we won’t look .

Options

togetherinaroundthe gamutintobackoff

Phrasal Verb Exercise 2: Form Questions

What kinds of ingredients could be put by a food printer?

Would you feel comfortable if raw ingredients were loaded by cartridge?

How could software move ingredients to create new designs?

Could printed food run from snacks to restaurant meals?

Are we moving a future where cooking becomes digital?

Once people get used to digital cooking, will they look ?

Options

togetherinaroundthe gamutintoback

Speaking extension: Choose three questions from Phrasal Verb Exercise 2 and discuss them with a partner.

B2/C1 Grammar: Future Possibility and Innovation

This grammar section practises language for describing new technology and future possibilities.

Function	Pattern	Example
Future possibility	could / might + verb	Food printers could create textures we cannot imagine.
Result of a condition	Once + clause, you can...	Once cooking is controlled by software, you can design new foods.
Purpose	allow someone to + verb	Food CAD allows non-programmers to design foods.
Contrast	not about..., but about...	This is not about cooking faster, but about creating new food.

Grammar Exercise 1: Drag the correct phrase

Food printers new textures.

Once the process is software-controlled, people new foods.

Food CAD allows non-programmers the machine.

This is not about doing things faster, making new foods.

Laser settings might browning and penetrative cooking.

Options

could createcan designto controlbut aboutaffectto affecting

Grammar Exercise 2: Error Correction

Click each sentence to reveal the correction.

Food printers could creates new textures.

Food printers could create new textures.

Once cooking controlled by software, you can design new foods.

Once cooking is controlled by software, you can design new foods.

Food CAD allows people design foods.

Food CAD allows people to design foods.

This is not about cook faster, but about create new food.

This is not about cooking faster, but about creating new food.

Grammar Exercise 3: Sentence Transformations

Use “could”.
Food printers may create new textures in the future.

Use “Once”.
Cooking becomes controlled by software. People can design new meals.

Use “not about..., but about”.
The technology is not mainly for speed. It is for creating new possibilities.

Useful Patterns

Purpose	Useful language
Explaining innovation	This technology allows people to... / It opens up the possibility of...
Describing potential	It could lead to... / It might make it possible to...
Responding to criticism	It may not solve an obvious problem, but...
Comparing old and new	This shifts cooking from manual to software control.

Discussion

Would you trust food cooked by lasers and software?
Is 3D food printing solving a real problem?
Could this technology help restaurants, hospitals or people with special diets?
What might be lost if cooking becomes more digital?
Would food CAD make cooking more creative or less human?
What new food textures or designs would you like to create?

Useful Language for Discussion

Giving an opinion	Evaluating innovation	Speculating
I’d argue that... From my perspective... What stands out to me is...	It solves a real problem because... It feels more like a gimmick because... The main advantage is...	It could lead to... It might change the way we... In the future, people may...

Role Play: Pitching a 3D Food Printer

Situation: A start-up is pitching a 3D food printer to investors. The investors are unsure whether the product solves a real problem.

Student A: Founder

Explain why software-controlled cooking can create new textures, personalised meals and new possibilities.

Student B: Investor

Question whether people need this technology. Ask about cost, taste, safety, demand and practical use.

Challenge

Use at least three phrases from the grammar section.

Founder language	Investor language
This technology allows people to... It is not about..., but about... It could lead to...	What problem is this solving? It might be too expensive because... Once people try it, will they...?