The kitchen mixer, an indispensable tool in culinary endeavors, has a fascinating journey dating back to the mid-19th century.
Innovations began with Ralph Collier’s patented mixer with rotating parts in 1856, followed by E.P. Griffith’s whisk in 1857 and the Monroe brothers’ hand-turned rotary egg beater in 1859.
The Dover Stamping Company acquired the Monroe brothers’ patent, popularizing the “Dover beater.” Electric mixers emerged in 1885 with Rufus Eastman’s invention, but it was the Hobart Manufacturing Company’s commercial mixers in 1914 that truly transformed the industry.
Brands like Hobart KitchenAid and Sunbeam Mixmaster gained popularity, especially in the 1920s when they became household staples. The stand mixer was born in 1908 when Herbert Johnston, inspired by a baker mixing bread dough, created a mechanical counterpart.
By 1919, Hobart introduced the Kitchen Aid Food Preparer, revolutionizing home kitchens. Today, the mixer continues to evolve, epitomizing human ingenuity and the quest for kitchen efficiency.