Most Important Discoveries in Food and Drink

I’m a man that fully believes that technological progress is a good thing and there is a right tool for every job. The other day I got into a conversation with a friend about the most important gadgets and appliances for the kitchen. That led me to see if anyone came up with a list.

The Daily Meal had posted a list of the 50 most important inventions and discoveries in food and drink. Here are a few highlights from 11-50:

• 43 – Teflon: This was a crucial invention for the home cook. It made it much easier to turn a fried dish into something other than a disaster.

• 34 – Microwave oven: I am surprised this did not make the top 10. Even if I am not regularly cooking with it, I use it almost daily. Whether it is melting butter, helping to defrost chicken I forgot to lay out the day ahead of time, or reheating leftovers, it is a critical part of my kitchen.

• 27 – Recipes: Not having to remember or make it up new every time you cook? Invaluable.

• 26 – Refrigeration: This needs to be in the top 5. No question about it.

• 15  – The Restaurant: I am so glad this discovery was made!

Now for the top 10:

10) The Fruit Press – Important for wine, spirits and juice, but more important than recipes, refrigeration or restaurants? I’m not buying it.

9) The Barrel – Used for storage, moving of foods and aging of spirits, it deserves its place.

8) The Fish Hook – In conjunction with the net, food could be found in every stream, lake and ocean.

7) Mortar and Pestle – Corn into corn meal. Wheat into flower. Peppercorns into pepper.

6) Fermentation – Beer! Nuff said.

5) The pot – Soaking, boiling, soup making

4) The spoon – Yes you can stir with it and use it to eat but a stick and a small bowl works well too. Important but not in my top 5.

3) The knife – Critical. Needed for almost all types of cooking and many types of eating.

2) Fire – Yeah. Hard to argue with this one.

1) Salt – For eons it was the primary way to preserve meat, is the most important flavoring and, probably most critical, is a base component for our bodies to function.

Check out the whole list here.

Oatmeal Lemon Herb Chicken

I think almost half of the 50 was used somewhere in this recipe!

I started with a chicken already cut.

Vacuum sealed chicken and spices.

Food processor…that’s on the list.

Ready for the oven.

Baked.

A tasty dinner and a good way for me to use up some extra oats I had in the pantry.

Oatmeal Lemon Herb Chicken

INGREDIENTS

1 whole chicken, cut in 8-9 pieces zest and juice of one lemon ½ tsp salt ½ tsp pepper 2 cups oatmeal ½ tsp ground sage ½ tsp ground thyme 1 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon dry mustard ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 2 eggs DIRECTIONS

Marinate the chicken pieces in the lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper in a large Ziploc bag for about a half hour.

Process the coating ingredients in a food processor for about 30 seconds. Dip the chicken pieces in an egg wash of 2 eggs whisked together with 4 tbsp water. Coat the chicken pieces by dipping them in the oatmeal crumb mixture and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Spray the tops of the chicken pieces with a little olive oil if you like and bake at 375 degrees F for 50-60 minutes depending upon the size of your chicken pieces.