Robert C. Baker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Carl Baker (1921-12-29)December 29, 1921 Newark, New York, U.S.[1] |
| Died | March 13, 2006(2006-03-13) (aged 84) Lansing, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Cornell University Penn State University Purdue University |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Inventor of the chicken nugget |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 7 |
Robert Carl Baker (December 29, 1921 – March 13, 2006) was an American inventor andCornell University professor. He invented thechicken nugget as well as many other poultry-related inventions. Due to his contributions to the poultry sciences, he is a member of the American Poultry Hall of Fame.
ALansing, New York, native, Baker earned abachelor's degree fromCornell University in 1943 studyingpomology at the university'sCollege of Agriculture. For his graduate work, Baker took hismaster's degree in marketing atPenn State University and his doctorate atPurdue University.[1] Baker was a member of theAlpha Zeta fraternity.[2]
Baker travelled the world innovating how people eat and view chicken. He spent his entire academic life at Cornell University (1957–1989) and published some 290 research papers. In 1970 he founded the university'sInstitute of Food Science and Marketing. Baker was elected a fellow of theInstitute of Food Technologists in 1997.
Accredited to him are more than 40poultry,turkey andcold cut innovations, making him the "George Washington Carver of poultry". In addition to creating the chicken nugget, he is also responsible for a revolutionary way to bind breading to chicken, co-invented the machine responsible for deboning chicken and created the chicken and turkeyhot dogs andturkey ham.
McDonald's is often falsely credited with the invention of the chicken nugget. In fact, Baker published his chicken nugget recipe in the Cornell publicationAgricultural Economics Research in April 1963,[3] while McDonald's patented its recipe forChicken McNuggets in 1979[1] and started selling the product in 1980.
In addition to his innovations in industrial chicken products, Baker is notable in the cuisine ofUpstate New York for developing "Cornell chicken", a regionally popular recipe for grilled chicken, particularly small whole birds, with acider vinegar-based marinade. Baker had in fact developed this recipe while working atPenn State, but it never gained appreciation until he joined the faculty at Cornell.[2][4]
Baker was born on December 29, 1921, inNewark, New York. He married his wife, Jacoba Munson, in 1944, and together they raised three sons, Myron, Dale, and Kermit, and four daughters, Regina, Reenie, Johanna, and Karen. Baker was a dedicated family man and cherished the time spent with his loved ones.[5] He died in 2006.
Comedic singersPaul and Storm have a song titled "Nugget Man" on their albumGumbo Pants, which pays tribute to the late inventor and his most popular invention, the chicken nugget. The song humorously explores the career of Baker, lists a few of his other inventions, details the formula for chicken nuggets, and the impact of this invention.
In the TV seriesThe Wire, three of the street drug dealer characters discuss who may have invented the chicken nugget and what fortune it may have brought him, withD'Angelo Barksdale, the Crew Chief, pointing out that any such person would have been unlikely to have received any great reward but rather the heads ofMcDonald's were more likely to have been the main beneficiaries.
In the Netflix seriesBill Nye Saves the World, Baker is portrayed by actorMichael Ian Black in the angry scientist section of season 3 episode 4.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
