Genius Ideas or... Maybe You Should Have Kept That One to Yourself

The food industry is flooded with "new and improved," or simply "new" inventions all the time. Some of them, you look at and say, "Why didn't I think of that?" And others, you think, "Why on earth would you invent something like that?"

Well, with the following inventions, you be the judge of how genius (or, absolutely ridiculous) they are.

It's a waffle cone! It's a taco! No, it's a Tacone!! This invention came about when Nick, a DudeFoods blogger, wanted a solution to the problem of his crispy taco shell crumbling apart at first bite. With a simple recipe, and the help of his handy-dandy waffle maker, he came up with the Tacone you see before you. He says that"not even a single piece of lettuce" fell out during the devouring process. Kudos to you, Nick! Kudos to you!

If you were ever in the pursuit of the perfect slice of butter for your toast, look no further. The RSA Butter Cutter is here for you! It stores a standard sized stick of butter, and with just one click, you can have the perfect slice of butter you were looking for!


Are you eating a slice of pizza on a circular plate? Do you feel like you have too much plate, and not enough pizza? Well, the Pizza Plate is your solution! This plate is the perfect size and proportion to hold your single slice of pizza, without the wasted space of a circular plate. If you want the luxury that the Pizza Plate offers, it will only cost $40 for a set of four.

 Sushi + Easy = Sushezi!!! If you have ever tried to make sushi on your own, you know the perils of making the perfect sushi roll. Its never how you see it in the restaurants, and it always ends up turning into more of a 'sushi casserole.' Now you can have the perfect sushi roll with Sushezi!! Thank you Japanese inventors for making our lives a little easier!

Do you know of any 'interesting' food inventions? Please share below in the comments!

Source: Food Beast

I Scream! You Scream! We All Scream for.... ICE CREAM!!

It is officially the Dog Days of Summer. And what's better than Ice Cream to cool you down during the hottest days of the year? We found an infographic that tells you what your personality is based on your favorite ice cream flavor. What does your favorite flavor say about you? Is it spot on? Let us know in the comments below!

Enjoy!

Source: Ultimate Coupons

What to Not Eat... According to Fast Food Employees

We all know that Fast Food isn't the most nutritious food you can get, and we've all heard the horror stories like this one. But, most Americans still hold a special place in their hearts for fast food. After all, it's quick, it's easy, and it's cheap.I don't know if you will still feel that way after this post.

I recently stumbled upon an article about what fast food employees refuse to eat, or never recommend anyone eat. That was enough to get my attention. This originated from a Reddit thread that asked, "Fast food workers of Reddit, what is the one menu option at your employment that you would recommend people never eat? (Because of cooking safety, cleanliness, unhealthy, etc.)" And that's all it took to get over 6,000 comments in less than 24 hours with some comments that were to be expected, and some not-so-expected comments.

Caution: Be sure to have a strong stomach if you continue reading. And, also be prepared to lose your attachment to your favorite fast food item(s.) You have been warned...

So, let's begin with the global fast food giant, McDonald's. Their chicken nuggets had quite a buzz in this forum. Commentor, Dfunkatron said, "When I worked at McDonald's, I accidentally left a whole bag of about 100 chicken nuggets out on a counter for way too long. They melted. Into a pool of liquid. I never understood why. But they were completely indiscernible as being the nuggets i once knew." If you look at the picture below, you will understand exactly why that happened.

This is the "chicken" that makes up everyone's beloved chicken nuggets. Check out this site to find out more.

Next stop on the fast food train is Wendy's. After the whole finger in chili debacle, Wendy's vowed to make their chili fresh each day. Apparently, my version of fresh is TOTALLY different from that of Wendy's. Commenter Cozmo23 said this about Wendy's chili-making process: "The meat comes from hamburger patties that sat on the grill too long to serve to customers. They take them and put them in a bin and then throw them in the fridge. When the chili is made they take it out, boil it, chop it up and dump them in the chili." Mmmmm..... Tasty!

Normally, grilled chicken is the healthiest route to go when ordering fast food, but, not anymore! A McDonald's employee said that when preparing grilled chicken, "to keep it from sticking to the grill, we use three squirts of liquid margarine on the bottom of it. To keep it juicy, once we've lain the frozen blocks of chicken, three more squirts of liquid margarine are applied to the tops." And at Subway, to defrost their chicken, they let it soak in water ALL DAY, and at the end of the day, they squeeze the excess water out of the chicken, and refreeze it.

Well, I'm officially never eating fast food again. How about you? Did this effect your outlook on fast food? Do you know any 'fast food secrets' we don't? Please share in the comments.

Source: Huffington Post, Reddit, Business Insider, AOL News

Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!!

At Express Waiter, we're in the mood for pizza, how about you? After choosing our favorite pizza from San Francisco Oven, we decided to do a little pizza exploration.

While exploring, we stumbled upon a pizza vending machine. You read that correctly, a pizza vending machine. If you want your pizza with as little human interaction as possible, you can get a pizza in three minutes from a Let's Pizza machine. These pizzeria/vending machines had their start in the Netherlands, and will be in the U.S. later this year.When they get here, you will be able to choose from over 200 different toppings, and your pizza will be made from scratch in about three minutes!

If you like pizza like we do, you will be happy to know that a scientist has created a pizza that is healthy enough to eat every day, three times a day. Now, I wouldn't suggest you actually attempt that, but if you really wanted to, I guess you can. You can easily get 30% of your daily calories, fat, protein and nutrients from a serving of this pizza. Professor Mike Lean, inventor of the "healthy pizza" said that you can eat this pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner without any negative side effects. His team is in talks with supermarkets to have them in your local freezer later this year.

And if that pizza's not healhty enough for you, why don't you try the 'Satan (Seitan) Meets Jesus' pizza from Los Angeles pizzeria, Pizzanista. This pizza is a play off their original pizza, 'Meat Jesus' which is a sort of meat-lover's pizza. However, the 'Satan Meets Jesus' is a vegan option that has all vegan-approved ingredients. A slice will cost about $4, and a whole pizza is around $25.

But if your taste buds are tingling for something a little more extravagant, and a lot more expensive, you can buy the 'C6' pizza from Steveston Pizza Company in Canada. It will only cost you a measly $450, and consists of  lobster thermidor, Alaskan black cod and a side of Russian osetra caviar. This bank-breaking pie is so expensive, it holds the record in the Guiness Book of World Records. 


Source: Food Beast

Happy National Chocolate Chip Day!!

America’s favorite cookie is undoubtedly the chocolate chip cookie, and with it’s soft, gooey deliciousness, why wouldn’t it be? 

There are many variations to this classic cookie recipe. Some versions are sweet, subtle changes like caramel, M&Ms, or peppermint.  Others are a little more adventurous like pineapple, coffee or  candied cherries. And then there are the downright strange and bizarre additions such as chili peppers, raw ginger or gummies. Either way, it’s apparent that America loves their chocolate chip cookies!

Here are a few examples of some unusual chocolate chip cookie recipes.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (softened, feel free to replace some with bacon grease)
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/8 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chunks
5 strips bacon (I used candied bacon)

Directions:
1. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl.
2. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.

3. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl.
4. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet.
5. Mix in the chocolate and the bacon.
6. Place the dough onto a cookie sheet one table spoon at a time.
7. Bake in a 350F preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.

Source: Closet Cooking 

Cricket Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 12-ounce chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup dry-roasted crickets

 Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla; beat until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture and insects, mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded measuring teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

 Source: Mommie Daze

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On stove heat 12 in. cast iron skillet on medium. Once the skillet is hot, turn to medium-low heat, add butter. When butter is completely melted add both sugars. Onto the sugar butter mixture add flour, baking soda, salt, vanilla, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and egg. stir to incorporate all ingredients. Lastly stir in chocolate chips, don’t stir too much or they will all melt. Place skillet in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. It’s done baking when two inches in from edge comes out with smooth when tested with toothpick. Don’t bake until center is totally cooked, the pan will stay hot and it will dry out the cookie and it won’t have that really great moist center. Serve warm with a drizzle with hot fudge sauce and vanilla ice cream and sprinkle some nutmeg on top.

Source: Created by Diane

To commemorate National Chocolate Chip Day, try baking one of these unusual Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes!

10 Interesting Food Myths Dispelled

 

 

Source: Today I Found Out

Food Art Spotlight: Artist Jason Mercier

Rosie O'Donnell made of various junk food by Jason Mecier

Jason Mercier is a very talented and versatile mosaic portrait artist. He makes portraits out of rice, beans, dried pasta, candy, pretzels, fruits, vegetables, meats, fast food, dog food, pills… and that’s just the edible portraits. He also makes mosaics out of other non-edible mediums, particularly celebrity junk, which he has also become famous for. It takes him at least 50 hours to complete these masterful pieces of art. (That's right 50 HOURS!) When asked how he determines what medium to use in making portraits, he says he goes with the name of the subject, i.e. Condoleeza Rice made of rice, Salt-N-Peppa made of salt and pepper, and Dog: The Bounty Hunter made of dog food. Mecier’s art is shown in an array of venues to include cafes, hair salons, art galleries, major museums, celebrity homes, international magazines, and on various network television programs. If you would like to own one of Jason Mecier’s famous works of art, the prices start at $1,500 per piece. That’s a little steep for our pockets, but it is very much worth the price!

Now, enough talk, it's time to enjoy Jason Mecier's creative works of art. Bon Apetit!

The Red Vines Collection: Clockwise from top right: Freddy Krueger, Taylor Lautner, "Dexter," Mo'Nique, Kim Kardashian

Amy Winehouse made of pills

Michael Jackson made of pills

Wrestler, Triple H made of pickles, peppers, olives, onion, lunch meat, and cheeses

Taylor Swift made of candy, Good & Plenty

Spice Girls poster made of candy

Courtney Love made of pills

Jerry Seinfeld made of various dry cereal

Kristi Yamaguchi made of various fast food

Regis Philbin made of beans and corn

Condoleeza Rice made of rice

Pamela Anderson made of various candy

Roseann made of beans

Source: www.JasonMecier.com

5 Fun Facts About Your Favorite Junk Foods

Here are a some fun facts about a few of America's favorite junk foods…

1. Have you ever wondered what the M’s stand for in M&M’s?

The Answer: Mars & Murrie. Forrest Mars, Sr. (of the Mars candy company) teamed up with Bruce Murrie (of the Hershey chocolate company) in 1941 to make a hard shelled candy with chocolate in the center. The two paired up for this endeavor since there was a projected shortage in chocolate. Thus, we get our famous M&M’s.

2. Pringles aren’t really potato chips?

Pringles only have 42% of potato based content, therefore, the FDA deemed them to not be classified as potato chips. Because of this, the makers of Pringles initially named them "Pringles Nefangled Potato Chips," which didn't last very long. And now they are instead called crisps since the major components of Pringles are wheat starch and various types of flour.

3. Snickers… What a weird name. I wonder where it came from…

Well, since you asked. The name Snickers came from a horse. That’s right, Snickers is named after a horse. The favorite horse of the Snickers inventor himself, Frank Mars, founder of Mars, Inc.

4. What makes Pop Rocks pop?

When Pop Rocks are being made, they are exposed to a vast amount of Carbon Dioxide that creates little highly pressurized bubbles inside the candy as it hardens. As soon as saliva hits the candy and starts to dissolve it, the bubbles of Carbon Dioxide are exposed which makes the candy pop, and jump around your mouth.

5. How many licks DOES it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

Ahh… the age-old question. It has been scientifically proven (yes, scientists actually conducted experiments for this) that it takes the average adult 250 licks, if concentrating on one side of the candy only, and it would take about 500 licks if licking both sides evenly.

Everyone eats junk food now and then. What’s your favorite to snack on? Was your favorite guilty pleasure listed? Do you know any fun facts about junk foods not listed here? Leave us a comment…

Credit: Today I Found Out

The Lunch Dilemma

You’re at work. It’s creeping closer and closer to lunchtime. You have so much work to do! No time to sit at your favorite restaurant and enjoy their delicious food. And you’re really not in the mood for fast food. You didn’t bring lunch with you today… What do you do?

Go to www.ExpressWaiter.com and order your lunch online through our easy-to-use website. Have us deliver your food Hot and Fresh. You enjoy the same delicious food from your favorite restaurant, without having to leave your desk. How convenient!

No more dragging yourself out of your desk to get lunch. No more forgetting to eat lunch until it's 2pm. You can even pre-order your lunch and have it scheduled to come to you at whatever time you choose!

Dilemma solved! Kudos to you!

Hello World!

Welcome to our new Blog where we will update you on all things Express Waiter, including new restaurants, events, and company news.

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