Heidolph's VV Micro Evaporator: the flavor extractor

For those yearning to add more flavor to your dishes (at any cost), look no further than Heidolph's VV Micro Evaporator. Aside from rocking a Chemistry lab-inspired design, this device essentially acts as a small distillery by extracting flavored juiced from nearly any food. Users simply toss a few berries (or similar) into the glass evaporation flask, and the device subsequently heats things up until a "vacuum pump reduces the air pressure in the flask, which drops the boiling point of the water inside to as low as 112ºF." Afterwards, the vapor rises into a condenser where it's left to cool and collect into a final dish for your enjoyment. Overkill, we know, but what's a cool three grand to a chef who's obsessed with his / her art?

[Via Popular Science]

[oshean @ Oct 12th 2007 10:23AM]

Nice! An indoor moonshine still.

[MrFuNKy76 @ Oct 12th 2007 10:27AM]

lol

[Shane @ Oct 12th 2007 10:45AM]

Coming soon...To a laboratory near you!

[Brad Hill @ Oct 12th 2007 10:47AM]

I bet The Fat Duck and El Bulli have one of these, along with a couple of Gastrovac's

[pop @ Oct 12th 2007 10:52AM]

Super. Now I can make tofu taste like turd.

[Kyp @ Oct 12th 2007 11:04AM]

How did the machines know what Tasty Wheat tasted like?

[easymac30 @ Oct 12th 2007 3:16PM]

Technically, they don't.

...but neither do you.

[George @ Oct 12th 2007 11:28AM]

I believe there is a company in Canada who does something similar to this...Arbraxas Corp I think is there name.

[Scott Goosman @ Oct 12th 2007 11:33AM]

This is nothing more than a small scale Rotovap. Common piece of equipment from Brinkmann, the same company that makes this item. The last rotovap I used was 20 years old so not sure how this is news worthy on a tech blog?

The vacuum unit is not included!

[randomguy132 @ Oct 13th 2007 8:57AM]

Ah, rotovaps. Good times. Never thought to use them for food though. The only 'vacuum' you need is an aspirator, so you just to be a cheap attachment for your sink and a rubber tube.

[Zoolgod @ Oct 12th 2007 11:59AM]

So, it's basically a fancy vaporizer, except for meat?? Dude, the creators of this must have been stoned out of their minds when they thought this one up. ;)

[Alex @ Oct 12th 2007 1:36PM]

exactly what i was thinking. then they used it to get stoned again when it was finished.

[colin @ Oct 12th 2007 12:25PM]

am i the only one that thinks this looks like a high-tech bong?

[remrof @ Oct 12th 2007 12:36PM]

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2003/06/04

Perhaps a distant relative?

[Lloyd @ Oct 12th 2007 1:48PM]

It actually *is* lab equipment. The PopSci photoset basically shows how chefs are turning to high tech equipment--those created for the kitchen or otherwise--to be more creative and justify charging more for high-falutin' munchies. (Plus some down to earth actual kitchen gadgets for the home cook who can't or won't buy repurposed lab equipment or fancy chef whatchamacallits)

[Scott @ Oct 12th 2007 3:07PM]

OWEN: What I really need is a droid that understands the binary
language of moisture vaporators.

THREEPIO: Vaporators! Sir -- My first job was programming binary load
lifter...very similar to your vaporators. You could say...

OWEN: Do you speak Bocce?

THREEPIO: Of course I can, sir. It's like a second language for
me...I'm as fluent in Bocce...

OWEN: All right shut up! (turning to Jawa) I'll take this one.

THREEPIO: Shutting up, sir.

[yuppicide @ Oct 12th 2007 9:13PM]

So this is how Jones Soda makes their Thanksgiving Soda's? I want one of these!

[Buzz @ Oct 13th 2007 9:26PM]

yup rotovap, standard organic chem lab equipment. Easy to pull out of a catalog. Next up! NMR next to the fridge.