Cooking Bacon with Lasers

From precision fabrication to denim distressing, laser-cutting has seen its fair share of applications. Now, Tokyo-based professor and tinkerer Kentaro Fukuchi is turning to laser technology to alter the way we prepare (and experience) food. Using a laser-cutting machine, he’s able to accurately cook only the fatty sections of a piece of bacon, leaving the rest of the meat raw—creating two contrasting flavors. Watch Fukuchi …

SOTO: An Elegant New Sake

A premium Japanese rice wine blending modernity with tradition

Sake brewing dates beyond recorded history—with its earliest textual mention in the third century. Sudo Honke, Japan’s oldest sake brewery, has been operating since it opened in the year 1141. It’s one of the oldest businesses in the world that’s still active today. There’s an illustrious history to this nuanced alcoholic beverage—a rice wine made in a way more akin to beer. And Billy Melnyk …

Union Wine Co. + Marshall’s Haute Sauce: Red Haute Pinot Noir

A mulled wine with a jalapeño finish, from two local Oregon producers

With their “pinkies down” approach, Oregon’s Union Wine Co. is forever releasing fun, forward-thinking products, from an entirely drinkable wine in a can to wine-flavored candies. Their latest offering plays upon everyone’s seasonal interest in mulled wine. Partnering with another local Oregon brand, Marshall’s Haute Sauce, they’ve just debuted a Red Haute Pinot Noir. There’s spice all around and some heat to the finish, but …