Of course, no one's going to process oil shale in a kitchen.

NPR: Industry Seeks to Extract Oil from Rocky Mountain Shale

His bank sells them mortgage loans, another outfit makes the tiles that cover their kitchen floors and his oil rigs find the fuel that heats their homes.

FORBES: Magazine Article

If the kitchen seems to have the oil end of the taste spectrum down, dishes involving water fare less well.

NEWYORKER: Ootoya

OK, so here I am in my kitchen and I'm holding a piece of oil shale in my hand.

NPR: Industry Seeks to Extract Oil from Rocky Mountain Shale

One of their kitchen drawers held a jar of ground peppercorns moistened by oil a brilliant idea, because the oil captured the spice's zing and kept it always at the ready.

WSJ: Lust for Spice: Sichuan Peppercorn Recipes

Clean tech is invading the kitchen as well -- behold the Biobot, a tabletop device that converts waste cooking oil into biodiesel.

ENGADGET: Inhabitat's Week in Green: Biobot, Nintendo Power Glove and an inflatable bathroom bubble