The Advent of Electric Mixers
It wasn’t until 1885 that the first electric mixer made its grand entrance, thanks to the brilliant mind of American inventor Rufus Eastman. However, it was the Hobart Manufacturing Company that truly revolutionized the industry with their large commercial mixers. In 1914, they unveiled a groundbreaking model that forever changed the landscape of mixers.
During the early 20th century, two notable American brands, the Hobart KitchenAid and the Sunbeam Mixmaster, solidified their positions as popular choices among consumers. Nevertheless, electric mixers remained a rarity in most households until the 1920s when they began to be widely adopted for home use.
The Stand Mixer: A Game Changer
In 1908, an engineer for the Hobart Manufacturing Company named Herbert Johnston had a moment of inspiration. As he watched a baker laboriously mix bread dough with a metal spoon, he realized there had to be a better way. This led him to create a mechanical counterpart to simplify the process.
By 1915, Johnston’s 20-gallon mixer became standard equipment in most large bakeries. Just four years later, in 1919, the Hobart Manufacturing Company introduced the Kitchen Aid Food Preparer, which would later be known as the stand mixer. This groundbreaking invention quickly found its rightful place in kitchens across the country.
