The collaborative efforts of the online community were harnessed to uncover the origins of a kitchen tool that has firmly entrenched itself in the world of culinary endeavors.
In 1856, the inventive mind of Ralph Collier, a skilled tinner from Baltimore, Maryland, was recognized with a patent for a groundbreaking mixer featuring rotating components. A year later, in 1857, E.P. Griffith secured a patent for a whisk in England, and in 1859, J.F. and E.P. Monroe obtained a US patent for an alternative hand-turned rotary egg beater.
The Dover Stamping Company played a crucial role in shaping the early history of egg beaters, propelling Dover egg beaters into the realm of an iconic American brand. The term “Dover beater” gained widespread recognition by February 1929, exemplified by a recipe in the Gazette newspaper of Cedar Rapids, IA, highlighting a dessert named “Hur-Mon Bavarian Cream.”
The Monroe design crossed the Atlantic, with Turner Williams of Providence, R.I., unveiling a new iteration of the Dover egg beater in 1870. Expanding on this legacy, Willis Johnson of Cincinnati, Ohio, introduced further enhancements to the egg beater in 1884.
The landscape of kitchen appliances witnessed a transformative moment with the introduction of the electric motor in 1885, credited to American inventor Rufus Eastman. The Hobart Manufacturing Company, an early producer of large commercial mixers, unveiled a groundbreaking model in 1914.
Among the pioneering electric mixers in the United States were the Hobart KitchenAid and Sunbeam Mixmaster, first produced in 1910. The integration of electric mixers into domestic kitchens was a rarity before the 1920s when they became commonplace in households.
In 1908, Herbert Johnston, an engineer at the Hobart Manufacturing Company, spearheaded the development of the electric standing mixer. Inspired by a baker using a metal spoon to mix bread dough, Johnston envisioned a mechanical counterpart. By 1915, his 20-gallon (80 L) mixer became standard equipment for most large bakeries. In 1919, Hobart marked a significant milestone in the evolution of kitchen appliances with the introduction of the Kitchen Aid Food Preparer (stand mixer) for home use.