“All kitchens are alike, inasmuch as the various articles used for cooking purposes strongly resemble each other,” an 1851 article from Bizarre observes, “yet there is a marked difference in the quality of such instruments.” Indeed, some kitchen utensils seem altogether more useful than others. And though an anonymous reader of an 1896 edition of The American Kitchen Magazine warns readers about the dangers of “labor-saving machines” in the kitchen, earlier cooks welcomed ingenuity in the field of culinary arts.

Take for instance a particular invention of Sir Samuel Morland, who was known for his inquisitive mind, and who distinguished himself chiefly by his many mechanical inventions: the speaking trumpet, the fire engine, the steam engine, and the capstan for heaving anchors.