Geek Crafts

I just saw this NPR story about the White House pastry chef, Bill Yosses, using molecular science principles in his cooking to pretty amazing effect!

From the article:

It turns out the chef who whips up pies for the president is also a bit of a scientist — calling on knowledge of how to help bubbles hold their shape and how crystals affect chocolate and salt, in the quest for healthier goodies.

You wouldn’t think taste tests would be on the menu, er, agenda when the American Association for the Advancement of Science assembles some of the world’s leading molecular biologists and geneticists and astronomers for a once-a-year look at exciting discoveries.

But White House pastry chef Bill Yosses exchanged his white apron for a bow tie Saturday to talk with scientists about how chefs are changing perceptions of taste.

• White House Chef Whips Up Desserts With Chemistry
  

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If you’re like me, you have at least a dozen Peeps sitting around your house getting stale. Before anybody freaks out–yes, I do know that some people prefer them stale, I’m not here to judge, just to let you in on a little secret I learned a few years ago.

Two Words: Peep S’mores. Now all you really have to do is take one Peep, roast it over a small flame, then throw it between two pieces of graham cracker with a hunk of chocolate (that’s how we did it). The colored sugar sort of caramelizes, the inside melts, and it’s just amazing. I wouldn’t suggest eating more than a couple unless you want to sugar crash harder than you ever have in your life.

Nicole at Baking Bites comes through with an easier Peep S’more (pictured above) where you just pop it all into your microwave and enjoy. She does warn that Peeps will explode in the microwave if nuked too long, so be careful, lest you wast precious Peeps & chocolate.

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I know this isn’t exactly a “craft” but this Egg Cuber from The Kitchen Store is just way too cool not to tell you about. Seriously, aside from the word “MONK!!” popping into my head as soon as I saw it, I also had visions of food-colored cubed eggs becoming Tetris pieces on a large platter for the Easter brunch I am planning, or a big cubed-egg Rubik’s Cube. Honestly, OCD or not, this is the most awesome invention you could own for $2.99 plus shipping.

I’d love to write more but I need to put my order in.

• Egg Cuber

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I know we don’t post a ridiculous amount of books on this site, but how could I resist posting something with a subtitle of “Wookiee Cookies”? Well, as you can see, I couldn’t. So here is the Star Wars Cook Book: Wookiee Cookies and other Galactic Recipes, that I found on geeksugar.

It is a little known fact that every single Star Wars Fan on Earth, actually, needs to eat just as much as those who do not like Star Wars (yes, there are people out there who do not like Star Wars, but rest easy, they aren’t trying to convert anyone to their twisted perspectives). So what better way to mend together your inate desire to eat food, with  your love of Star Wars? Well that’s easy, cook yourself a plate of Bobba Fett-uccini and some Wookie Cookies and turn on The Empire Strikes Back.

• Star Wars Cook Book: Wookie Cookies and other Galactic Recipes

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This is taking geeky baked goods to an entirely new level. This is a new and incredibly geek-tastic twist on an old favorite–The EZ-Bake Oven. The PC EZ-Bake Oven isn’t satisfied at merely looking geekier than its child’s-toy counterpart, it must be the geekiest oven you’ve ever seen. This PC EZ-Bake Oven actually fits into your spare 5 1/4″ drive bay, and works on your computer’s power source!

Now, you literally never have to leave your computer again (until you need to pee). The PC mod, available at Think Geek comes with replacement bulbs, a few mixes (including a caffeinated meat loaf!) and a recipe book with “office friendly” recipes such as duck sauce tarts and non-dairy creamer creme brulee. Perfect blend of nostalgia, functionality, and geekiness.

• PC EZ-Bake Oven

EDIT: I was just informed that this was an April Fool’s joke by Think Geek (too good to be true!). I apologize for posting it as a “real” item!

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A few years ago, I attended a school designed to teach cooking & presentation, and my favorite part of the course was the garnish. We had instructors that could make a watermelon look like a bouquet of roses straight from the garden. So, naturally, when I saw this Jar Jar Binks carved from a jimaca root, I was excited.

Ken posted this amazingly detailed Jar Jar Binks Salad on Cooksden, lamenting that if he had carved any other character from Star Wars, he wouldn’t have wanted to cut into it with a knife. There is a detailed how-to in the article, and no worries, you won’t have to go buy a million different kinds of knives to pull this one off yourself.

• Jar Jar Binks Salad

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