A college student, a single-parent, or a just a tired soul, each of us has dreaded the task of doing the dishes. Fortunately, a couple of Belgian designers have created tableware that can be consumed along with the food. Think nacho wraps, but for everything.
The designers have come up with a new range of edible food containers that are eco-friendly and taste good. But most importantly, they save you from doing the dishes, assure Helene Hoyois and Thibaut Gilquin. The idea hit them after a party night they hosted, and were left with a huge pile of dirty dishes that needed their attention. Instinctively, the duo pondered on the question: What if we can eat the dishes too?
Instead of just joking around the concept, the duo started to investigate how to make a container that is sturdy enough to hold the food as well as edible once its purpose is served. After a lot of trial and error, the designer duo eventually managed to come-up with a workable “recipe” for the containers.
Their first workable edible container was made from a combination of potato starch, water, and oil, and it passed almost all the parameters that are needed, reported Mason & Objet Mag . The material is tough enough to retain all sorts of foods and sauces, but is also easily digestible.
Extolling the virtues of their innovation, Helen said, “They are biodegradable, and have neutral flavor that complements both sweet and savory ingredients, and are also oven safe.”
Once they knew such a concept can be made, they experimented some more to perfect the recipe and then poured their collective resources into producing the first marketable prototype. Impressed by the same, the duo has won financial support from a corporation called Wallonia Creative. They have now setup a company, which they have lovingly named Do Eat . With a small office setup just outside Brussels, the designer duo is set to mass produce their edible containers, but promise this is just the beginning.
“We’ve created something that did not exist, but we must move faster than the competition to innovate all the time with new products,” said a cautious Helen.
While the competition is currently thin, the concept of edible containers is being actively explored by many. Edible containers may sound unhygienic, but if designed well, may alleviate the problem of plastic pollution to a great extent.
Not content with just edible food containers, the duo is planning to introduce edible glasses, cutlery, and bowls as well. Moreover, the designers are even planning to create other edible objects – like a calendar – whose pages can be savored each day.
[Image Credit | Do Eat Inc.]
