Nonhuman chefs are far from extraordinary, but the latest culinary guru crafted in Japan has a taste for the extreme. Reportedly, the EZ Order Robot was spotted in Osaka whipping up octopus balls (of all things), but apparently, the creature was able to concoct the dish totally from scratch. Interestingly, the demonstration wasn't really established to showcase its kitchen prowess, but rather to highlight other capabilities such as speech recognition and the ability to perform routine tasks without human intervention. Click here for the video, but remember, we're not responsible for ruining your appetite.

[Via Live Science]

Although this won't go down as the first restaurant to mix in a little iPod action with the meal, it's fairly safe to say that Fat Duck chef Heston Blumenthal has melded portable audio with dining like no other. Apparently, the culinary guru "wanted to experiment with using sound to enhance a dining experience," which landed a person with a plate full of silver electronics and tangled white cord to compliment the rest of the Sound of the Sea dish. Aside from the food itself, the iPod was pre-loaded with "soothing sounds of the sea breeze and waves gently caressing the seashore," presumably to further enhance the eating experience. Still, we can't really envision how listening to sounds related to our meal would make things more appetizing -- you know, unless deafening moos just jazz up your taste buds when rolling by a burger joint.

[Via Kottke]

Electrolux has been known to crank out some wicked appliances (and other household gear) over the years, but now its getting a taste (ahem) of just how snazzy its lineup will be once these students hire in upon graduating. Engineering minds from all over the world submitted entries into the firm's 2006 Design Lab contest, and while props were (understandably) given to a plethora of participants, only three could claim top honors. Above all was the Nevale Food Carrier (pictured above), which rocks four separated layers for toting "different hot / cold meals" at once, and the digital screen atop its lid provides a real-time readout of the storage conditions while the built-in vacuum system keeps food "fresh and free from bacteria." The first runner up, dubbed The Organic Cook, puts a nasty right hook on Mr. Foreman's offering, as it touts "oil-free frying, grilling, and boiling using infrared technology and vacuum cooking." Taking home the bronze is VESSTO, a "sleekly-designed, portable cooker" that utilizes renewable energy as power via an "advanced version of the Stirling Engine," and also features touch-sensitive controls and a screen for displaying recipes. So if you're interested to know just how stylish your kitchen will look in just a few more years, be sure to click on for a few more snapshots, and hit the read link for the full rundown of spectacular contrivances.

[Via Appliancist]