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This rechargeable lunchbox uses steam to reheat your food
Tired of cold lunches, or queueing for the one microwave in your office kitchen? It might be time for a self-heating lunchbox. Many companies have tried to deliver this Tupperware holy grail, however they're often poorly designed and strip your food of moisture. The Heatbox, meanwhile, uses steam to warm everything up and maintain important nutrients.
Don’t worry: Impossible Foods is already working on fake bacon
Impossible Foods CEO Pat Brown has revealed that his company is working on a plant-based version of bacon. Brown shared the tidbit during a Q&A session that followed the company's Impossible Pork announcement at CES, reports CNET.
Impossible Sausage will be in Burger King’s breakfast croissants
In addition to its faux pork announcement today, Impossible Foods also officially launched its Impossible Sausage product, which it announced last year. Not only that, but you might be able to try it very soon. Starting in late January, Impossible Sausage will be available exclusively at 139 Burger King restaurants in five test regions: Savannah, Georgia; Lansing, Michigan; Springfield, Illinois; Albuquerque, New Mexico and Montgomery, Alabama.
Impossible Foods' faux pork is just as convincing as its fake beef
Last year, Impossible Foods made headlines at CES when it introduced a new formulation of its Impossible Burger. It tasted so close to the real deal that we even gave it a Best of CES award. Now, Impossible Foods is back again at the annual tech event to introduce its latest product: Impossible Pork.
The Julia smart cooking system even washes itself up
For some, cooking is an exercise in passion, relaxation and creativity. For others, it's a tedious, time-consuming chore. Fortunately, for the less culinary-inclined folk, there's an ever-growing market of gadgets that promise to make cooking an altogether easier, quicker and more intuitive experience -- and the latest to arrive is Julia, an intelligent autonomous cooking system that pretty much does everything. (While it's not officially associated with the late master chef Julia Childs, the insinuation is pretty obvious).
Moen's voice-activated faucet gives cooks precise amounts of water
Moen, one of the biggest faucet companies in the US, was last spotted at CES showing off its shower "concierge," but now it's turning its attention to more traditional sink fixtures. This year, it announced the U by Moen Smart Faucet -- a voice-activated faucet that helps you do everyday kitchen tasks hands-free. From preparing a baby's bottle to filling a pasta pot, just tell the faucet how much water you need, and at what temperature, and it'll dispense it on command. You can set unlimited personalized presets for specific cooking tasks, and activate water flow through voice control, a wave sensor, or via a good old fashioned button. Moen hasn't announced pricing for its latest addition, but it's likely to cost a substantial amount more than old-fashioned mechanical faucets.
Whirlpool's smart thermometer ensures your food is cooked properly
Whirlpool wants to be sure you never serve an undercooked roast again. Its Yummly subsidiary is introducing a Smart Thermometer that uses sensors to check the temperatures of both the oven and your food, letting you know through a mobile app when they reach the right temperature. You won't have to periodically check your turkey to know when it's ready to eat.
LG's first indoor gardening appliance helps beginners grow vegetables
LG wants to hop on the vegetarian bandwagon, and it's venturing into unfamiliar territory to make that happen. The company will use CES 2020 to launch its first-ever indoor gardening appliance. The modular device you see at left grows lettuce, arugula, basil and other plants by matching outdoor conditions through time-sensitive LED lighting, air circulation and fine-grained water control. All you need to do is plant all-in-one seed packages (with fertilizer and peat moss) and keep an eye on your crop through a mobile app. Even a "complete novice" could grow a garden with this device, if you believe LG.
UK regulator opens probe into Amazon's Deliveroo stake
Amazon may be in hot water with the UK's Competition & Markets Authority (CMA). Earlier this year, the watchdog expressed concerns that Amazon's acquisition of a minority stake in Deliveroo, a UK food delivery company, could hurt competition. Now, CMA says Amazon has failed to address those initial concerns, and it has referred the deal for an in-depth investigation.
Meal replacement startup Huel brings its 200-calorie snack bars to the US
If you find yourself constantly without time to prepare food, there's a new "healthy" option when it comes to nutritional snacks. Huel, the British-equivalent of Soylent, is launching its snack bars in the US. Starting today, you can purchase the company's v3.1 snack bars through its website. They're available in two flavors, chocolate and salted caramel, with a single order of 30 bars priced at $62.22. You can also buy 30 bars for $56 if you sign up for Huel's subscription service. That works out to $2.07 and $1.87 per bar respectively.
Chipotle is redesigning its restaurants to better serve mobile orders
No one wants to wait in line for their Chipotle order, and honestly, most people don't want to talk to anyone either. For those reasons, Chipotle's "digital business" -- orders placed through the app, online or via third-parties like DoorDash -- has grown to $1 billion. Now, Chipotle says it's going to make the digital ordering process even better with new restaurant designs optimized for pickups.
Beyond Meat breakfast options are coming to Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s
Carl's Jr. started 2019 by adding plant-based Beyond Meat burgers to the menu at 1,000 of its locations across the US. It now plans to end the year by adding new Beyond Meat breakfast and lunch options -- something sister chain Hardee's will do as well.
Connected sous vide company Nomiku is shutting down
Nomiku, one of the companies that helped make sous vide immersion circulators mainstream, is shutting down. The small kitchen appliance maker announced the news on Friday afternoon, noting that it plans to discontinue both its WiFi Sous Vide Smart Cooker and prepared meal service, and is suspending operations, "effectively immediately."
Walmart will test driverless grocery deliveries in Houston
Walmart is about to experiment with autonomous grocery delivery in a big way. The big-box retailer is launching a pilot program in Houston that will use Nuro's self-driving R1 vehicle to shuttle food from "select" stores to customers who've opted into the program. The companies didn't outline how customers would enroll, but Houstonians can expect service to start in the "coming weeks."
Domino's GPS-powered pizza tracking is available in many more places
Earlier this year, Domino's Pizza said it would let you track your pizza deliveries using GPS. And, well, the company is now delivering on that promise. Domino's announced today that approximately a quarter of its locations across the US will have the technology in place by the end of this year. In 2020, a "significant portion" of Domino's remaining locations will allow you to track your order through the company's mobile app.
The best edibles don't taste like weed
When I think about how many milligrams of cannabis I've consumed on my quest for a good-tasting edible, I imagine their little strings of THC DNA orbiting Earth at least two or three times, flipping me the finger as they whiz by. I didn't realize this would be such a massive endeavor a few years ago when, as a food writer focused on craft chocolate, I wondered if anyone was combining quality cocoa beans with marijuana. Since then, I've sampled dozens upon dozens of products, each figuratively dashing my taste buds' hopes against a rock -- along with my few remaining brain cells.
DiGiorno and Stouffer's bring plant-based 'meat' to frozen Italian food
Nestle is expanding its plant-based 'meat' offerings to a category seldom covered in the meatless world: the frozen Italian food you buy when you'd rather not order in or start from scratch. It's introducing both a DiGiorno pizza (the Rising Crust Meatless Supreme) and a Stouffer's lasagna (the Meatless Lasagna) that use Sweet Earth's Awesome Grounds in place of ex-animals. While Nestle hasn't outlined their exact nutritional value, the mix of yellow pea protein, wheat gluten and multiple veggie oils promises the usual meat-like taste while delivering plenty of protein, fiber and, of course, reduced guilt.
The best kitchen and smart home gifts
After months of thinking, curating, photographing, more thinking, we've come up with a holiday gift guide that covers all the bases (and budgets), from laptops and mobile devices, to toys, to the smart home, to book and media recommendations (only on nerdy subjects, of course). All told, there are more than 150 items in our guide, spanning 13 categories, with advice from 25 of our writers and editors. You know, the people testing and reviewing this stuff all year long. This section of our guide focuses on the best gifts for the kitchen and smart home.
Researchers develop E. coli strain that 'eats' carbon-dioxide
While you're stuffing turkey leftovers in your belly, the last thing you want to think about is E. coli. But spare a thought for the bacterium, it's not always here to harm you (and it needs to eat, too). According to a new paper published in Cell, scientists have developed a strain of E. coli that feeds on carbon dioxide. As Nature explains, the bacteria usually prefer sugars (glucose), but the lab-created strain could be used to create biofuels with a lower emissions footprint than conventional production methods.
Hear me out: The case for Le Creuset's Star Wars cookware
Force Friday has become something of a bonanza in recent years. An event born of Disney's incredible knack for merchandising, it's the ultimate product glut for Star Wars fans. It's usually on a Friday in early October (in this year of Our Dark Lord 2019 it was triple Force Friday because of the release of The Mandalorian, the video game Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.) During this day-long reveal of incredible merchandise (from the must-haves to the I-didn't-think-anyone-would-want-this-but-now-I-want-it), different brands reveal their tie-in products. Sure, there are the usual t-shirts, Funko Pops and Porg plushes, but this year premium brands such as Bose and Adidas got in on the game with branded The Rise of Skywalker headphones and shoes, respectively. But perhaps the most shocking -- and the most talked about -- Star Wars product to come out of Force Friday this year came from cookware company Le Creuset. The premium brand, best known for its brightly colored cast-iron dutch ovens, released a pretty incredible set of dutch ovens, roasters and mini cocottes that were straight from a galaxy far, far away. If you're planning on hosting Christmas on Coruscant, these are items you need to make your holiday celebrations a success.