Fire - Our ancestors probably figured out how to start, and hopefully stop, a fire around 400,000 years ago. This made proper cooking a reality!
The fishhook - The earliest fishhooks date back at least 9,000 years, and were made of wood or bone.
Irrigation - Irrigation is the automatic watering of land and soil. It's used for growing agricultural crops, and in the revegetation of dry areas.
The gas oven - The earliest ovens date back to 29,000 BCE in Central Europe. The more modern gas ovens were first developed in the early 19th century.
The knife - Considered the oldest human tool, the first knives were pieces of obsidian or flint with their sides sharply chipped.
Salt - Salt has always existed, but it was at least 8,000 years ago that our ancestors figured out how to extract salt from seawater.
The scale - Scales are essential in commercial food production and in baking. The elementary balance scales were first used in southern Asia 5,000 years ago.
Refrigeration - Using ice to lower temperature and preserve food dates back to prehistoric times. However, machine-based refrigeration was developed in the mid-18th century.
The mandoline slicer - First mentioned in a culinary book published in 1570 by Vatican chef Bartolomeo Scappi, the mandoline slicer is a practical tool for cutting food into thin slices.
Chopsticks - Chopsticks originated around 4,000 years ago in China, becoming the most popular eating utensils in Asia.