Long before the advent of electrical gadgets, kitchens used some nifty mechanical contraptions to get foods whipped into shape. A roasting jack was once a common sight. However, now it is mostly just an archetype of lost technologies like the steam railway or gas mantle. And I have a feeling that anybody who has ever tasted it will remember it forever.
The roasting jack was pure kinetics. It was used just to turn
meat spit so that it is evenly prepared. Consequently, it also bastes in its own state. The early ones had a hand crank on them. Therefore, somebody had to stand there next to the fire and slowly turn it. In later and more sophisticated models, the spit was turned by clockwork gears. Some were powered by a flange of heat.
That one shown above is mounted on legs and has a handle you turn. It is a dead giveaway from its mechanical roots. You would wind it and stick on the spit. You could then leave while food slowly turned into perfection.