Steampunk

The lengths Captain Nathaniel Plundermould went to in ensuring the soft centre of his boiled egg were legendary. Of course, the turnover of staff was extraordinary, but once you had the hang of it the work went with a bang. Sometimes it went with a bang anyway, but the Captain could be relied upon to provide the finest funeral teas.

Ok, you can find this in the kitchen at Tredegar House in Newport, South Wales. Nobody there was quite able to explain it's function. Shiny.