Best Food Inventions of 2023, According to TIME Magazine

Last month, TIME Magazine unveiled its “Best Inventions of 2023” list, which included 13 food inventions (up from nine last year). The magazine spotlighted 200 groundbreaking inventions that promise to transform our daily interactions, work methodologies and overall future outlook.

To select the winners, TIME gathered nominations from its global network of editors and correspondents, complemented by an online application process for submissions. These nominations were then categorized into various fields such as food and drink, accessibility, AI, beauty and software, among others, and evaluated based on several criteria.

Here are the food inventions of 2023 that met all of its criteria and stood out this year.

Related: Best Food Inventions of 2022, According to Time Magazine

ChefDoodler

The ChefDoodler is an innovative pen that extrudes sugar in a three-dimensional form, allowing users to craft edible objects, similar to a glue gun but with candy instead. While the device is compatible with real sugar, it includes a diabetic-friendly, flavor-neutral sugar alternative called isomalt. This substitute can be extruded into thin, moldable lines for use.

GOOD Meat Cultivated Chicken

Developed by GOOD Meat, this lab-grown chicken is produced without using or harming any actual chickens. The startup unveiled its lab-grown chicken pieces in Singapore in 2020 and its competitor, Upside Foods, quickly followed suit. On June 21, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) granted both companies permission to sell their cultivated meat products in the US. 

Sweetgreen Infinite Kitchen

The Sweetgreen Infinite Kitchen technology automates the assembly of Sweetgreen’s popular salads and bowls, capable of crafting up to 500 an hour, which is 50 percent quicker than human workers. Customers place orders through a tablet, which then guides the robotic production line to add the ingredients, prepped by human staff, into the bowls. The company’s goal is to equip all new outlets with these robotic kitchens.

Luna UCR Avocado

The Luna UCR avocado is the culmination of a multi-decade breeding program at the University of California, Riverside. According to program horticulturist Mary Lu Arpaia, it shares a similar taste with its well-known counterpart, the Hass avocado, but with a slightly more “floral” note. Its ripeness is easily identifiable when its skin turns black, simplifying the decision of when to cut into it. Additionally, its extended freshness duration makes transportation easier.

GE Profile Smart Stand Mixer

The GE Profile Smart Stand Mixer incorporates a built-in scale, voice control and other advanced features tailored for baking enthusiasts. For example, its “auto sense” function reduces the likelihood of undermixing or overmixing by detecting changes in the motor’s torque, which has the capability to stir in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions.

Spinn Pro Coffee Maker

The Spinn Pro is a fully automated, Wi-Fi-enabled coffee machine capable of grinding beans and using centrifugal force for brewing. Simply load whole coffee beans into the machine, which grinds them to the perfect consistency tailored to your preferred drink and roast. The machine then brews your coffee using a centrifuge that spins at speeds of up to 5,000 revolutions per minute. 

Nama J2 Cold Press Juicer

Designed for convenience, the Nama J2 Cold Press Juicer allows users to insert large chunks or entire fruits for juice production, eliminating the need for slicing. Traditional juicers often necessitate chopping ingredients into small pieces and inserting them one by one. However, with the J2, users just need to lift the lid, add whole or large chunks of fruits and vegetables, close it, adjust the dial and leave it to do its work.

Kraft Heinz 360Crisp

Launched earlier this year by Kraft Heinz’s Lunchables brand, this food invention is a microwavable grilled cheese sandwich that remains crisp. The sandwich is packaged in a paperboard container equipped with a susceptor. When heated in the microwave, this susceptor efficiently directs heat to ensure even cooking, making sure every bite is perfectly done without any undercooked or overly crispy parts.

Invisacook Induction Cooktop

The Invisacook is an induction cooking surface installed directly into your kitchen counter, replacing traditional stovetops. Initially, using Invisacook required the Invisamat to safeguard the countertop and maintain its coolness. But in March, the company introduced Invisacookware, which includes pots and pans fitted with risers. These risers fulfill the same function as the mat but add a touch of elegance to the cookware.

Heinz Remix Sauce Machine

Introduced earlier this year, the Heinz Remix is a digital sauce dispenser that lets users create over 200 sauce combinations from bases like ketchup, ranch, barbecue sauce and 57 sauce. The machine is set to make its debut in restaurants, stadiums and movie theaters possibly as early as the beginning of 2024. Additionally, it gathers data on customer preferences, providing valuable insights to Heinz for the development of future recipes.

Breville Joule Turbo Sous Vide

The Breville Joule Turbo Sous Vide syncs with an app to continuously monitor real-time cooking factors, like the fluctuating viscosity of water, ensuring the exact amount of energy is used to cook meat to the desired temperature. This innovation reduces the cooking time for a steak to just 30 minutes, while consistently achieving gourmet-quality tenderness throughout the meat.

Dreamfarm Fluicer

This citrus juicer efficiently extracts every drop of juice from fruits and conveniently folds flat for storage in kitchen drawers. The Fluicer also innovates the primary function of juicing, by squeezing half a lime (or lemon or orange) not just from the top, but also from the sides. This design ensures more juice is extracted with each press.

Row 7 Seed Company Sweet Garleek

The Sweet Garleek, appearing similar to a scallion with its white bulb and tender green stalks, is in fact a new food invention. This unique vegetable is a hybrid of garlic and leek, developed by chef Dan Barber’s Row 7 Seed Company. A product of ten years of selective breeding and testing, the Sweet Garleek combines the sweetness of leeks with the rich, savory flavor of garlic, while reducing the latter’s strong pungency. Versatile in use, it can be sautéed, roasted, grilled or even consumed raw.

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