The Imperial Spherificator sounds like something you’d find on Spaceball One, but it’s actually coming to a kitchen near you, courtesy of Kickstarter. It basically turns almost anything into caviar-esque spheres for your most elaborate explorations into gastronomical creation.
The company is an offshoot of Montreal, Canada company Imperial Caviar & Seafood, which makes caviar substitute. The Spherificator uses the faux-caviar-making technique to turn pureed fruits and vegetables, sauces, and spices into liquid-filled pearls.
Spherification usually requires using a pipette or syringe to make beads out of liquified food and sodium alginate, which is dispensed into a water and calcium chloride mix, causing a chemical reaction that encapsulates the liquid in a membrane. The Spherificator takes the place of the syringe or pipette, shooting out the liquid mixture into the solution. The result is a “popping boba,” which bursts when squeezed.
The small appliance has three nozzles you can detach for different-sized pearls, and you can vary the pearl-making speed based on how thick your mixture is. With its seven-ounce capacity, you should be able to get between 200 and 250 spheres with each use. Some of the recipes the makers suggest include a red onion and red wine vinegar concoction for oysters, a side of mint beads for cheesecake, and pearls suspended in champagne for raising a glass and making your next toast.
“Amaze your friends with your ability to harness the spherification technique with ease,” the company’s website reads. “For you gastronomists who have already tried this, say goodbye to your syringes and squeeze bottles as the Spherificator makes the process incredibly fast and consistent.”
The product seems pretty niche, but Naor Cohen, who dreamed up the device, imagines it being used in both commercial and residential kitchens. He thinks it’s easy enough for amateur chefs to use to spruce up everyday meals.
The Spherificator’s creators are attempting to raise about $61,000 with the Kickstarter campaign; they’re now over halfway there. For a pledge of about $96, you can get one, which should be delivered in November — if all goes according to plan, that is. (And with crowd funding, it rarely does.) Until then, just toss some mochi candies in your champagne?
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.
With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.