28. Denis Papin invented a new method of cooking
In 1679 a physicist in France named Denis Papin was studying the power of steam and its potential uses in society when he realized that the boiling point of water was increased when it was under pressure. Papin used his findings to create a sealed vessel which he equipped with a safety release valve to prevent it bursting when the pressure became excessive. He called his device a steam digester, and presented it to the Royal Society in London. The steam digester decreased the time needed to cook food placed in the vessel with small amounts of water, the world’s first pressure cooker. More than three centuries later pressure cookers, after largely fading from the culinary scene, regained popularity.