If you've never read anything by M. F. K. Fisher, I cannot recommend her enough; easily one of the greatest writers on food (or really anything) we've ever had.

If you've never read anything by M. F. K. Fisher, I cannot recommend her enough; easily one of the greatest writers on food (or really anything) we've ever had. Consider the Oyster is a true masterpiece. She has a translation of The Physiology of Taste (La Physiologie du Goût) by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, which is a pure delight. It's a classic, and they're a perfect match for each other; I don't know that there's ever been a better pairing of work with translator. At any rate, Brillat-Savarin relays a story wherein he attends a dinner party but the host is stuck with a turbot too big for any pot. Brillat-Savarin saves the day by cooking the fish in the washer/bath tub, using another basin to catch the steam and effectively steaming it. Fisher notes the connection to more modern cookery devices, but it seems like an early-1800s-era precursor to this!