Baker started out as a pomologist — one who studies fruit and fruit growing — but in 1957 he was hired at Cornell University to teach poultry science, and chicken became his passion. To help promote chicken he developed a barbecue sauce recipe that’s still regarded as terrific (see below), and then he helped develop the chicken “nugget”.
“When the nuggets came out in the 1950s,” he admitted later, “they weren’t too popular.” But they are now, thanks to Baker’s development of a better way to keep the breading on the meat. In 1970 Baker founded, and was the first director, of Cornell’s Institute of Food Science and Marketing, and in 2004 he was inducted into the American Poultry Hall of Fame. He died March 13 from a heart attack. He was 84.
Baker’s “Cornell” Barbeque Sauce:
1 cup salad oil
1 pint cider vinegar
3 tablespoons salt (adjust to taste)
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
Beat the egg, then add the oil and beat again. Add other ingredients and stir. Keeps refrigerated for several weeks.