The pressure cooker is a modern kitchen marvel that slashes cooking times for favourite stews. But the technology was developed in China more than 2,000 years ago, and it was a lot cuter back then, because the pot had feet.

Cooking has long required a dash of skill and a knack for interpreting recipes. One needs the experience and intuition of a professional chef to get the heat and seasoning just right. But now, even this age-old art is being transformed by digitization.