A mixer, depending on the type, also called a hand mixer or stand mixer, is a kitchen device that uses a gear-driven mechanism to rotate a set of "beaters" in a bowl containing the food or liquids to be prepared by mixing them.
Mixers help automate the repetitive tasks of stirring, whisking or beating. When the beaters are replaced by a ''dough hook'', a mixer may also be used to knead.
A mixer may be a handheld mechanism known as an eggbeater, a handheld motorized beater, or a drill mixer. Stand mixers vary in size from small counter top models for home use to large capacity commercial machines. Stand mixers create the mixing action by either rotating the mixing device vertically (planetary mixers), or by rotating the mixing container (spiral mixers).
History
The mixer with rotating parts was patented in 1856 by Baltimore, Maryland,
tinner Ralph Collier. This was followed by E.P. Griffith's whisk patented in England in 1857. Another hand-turned rotary egg beater was patented by J.F. and E.P. Monroe in 1859 in the US. Their egg beater patent was one of the earliest bought up by the Dover Stamping Company, whose Dover egg beaters became a classic American brand.
The Monroe design was also manufactured in England.
In 1870, Turner Williams of
Providence, R.I.
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
, invented another Dover egg beater model. In 1894, Willis Johnson of Cincinnati, Ohio, invented new improvements to the egg beater.
The first mixer with electric motor is thought to be the one invented by American Rufus Eastman in 1885.
The
Hobart Manufacturing Company was an early manufacturer of large commercial mixers, and they say a new model introduced in 1914 played a key role in the mixer part of their business. The Hobart
KitchenAid
KitchenAid is an American home appliance brand owned by Whirlpool Corporation. The company was started in 1919 by The Hobart Manufacturing Company to produce stand mixers; the "H-5" was the first model introduced. The company faced competition a ...
and
Sunbeam Mixmaster (first produced 1910) were two very early US brands of electric mixer.
Domestic electric mixers were rarely used before the 1920s, when they were adopted more widely for home use.
In 1908 Herbert Johnston, an engineer for the Hobart Manufacturing Company, invented an electric standing mixer. His inspiration came from observing a baker mixing bread dough with a metal spoon; soon he was toying with a mechanical counterpart. By 1915, his 20 gallon (80 L) mixer was standard equipment for most large bakeries. In 1919, Hobart introduced the Kitchen Aid Food Preparer (stand mixer) for the home.
Older models of mixers originally listed each speed by name of operation (ex: Beat-Whip would be high speed if it is a 3-speed mixer); they are now listed by number.
Variants
Eggbeater
![VintageMixer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/VintageMixer.jpg)
An eggbeater is a handheld device with a
crank on the side geared to one or more beaters. The user grips the handle with one hand and operates the crank with the other, creating the rotary action.
Stand mixer
Stand mixers mount the motor driving the rotary action in a frame or stand which bears the weight of the device. Stand mixers are larger and have more powerful motors than their hand-held counterparts. They generally have a special bowl that is locked in place while the mixer is operating. A typical home stand mixer will include a wire whisk for whipping creams and egg whites; a flat beater for mixing
batters
Batter or batters may refer to:
Common meanings
* Batter (cooking), thin dough that can be easily poured into a pan
* Batter (baseball), person whose turn it is to face the pitcher
* Batter (cricket), a player who is currently batting
* Batter ...
; and a dough hook for
kneading
In cooking (and more specifically baking), kneading is a process in the making of bread or dough, used to mix the ingredients and add strength to the final product. Its importance lies in the mixing of flour with water; when these two ingredient ...
.
Stand mixers are generally available in either ''counter top'' (also called bench) or ''floor'' models. Heavy duty commercial models can have bowl capacities well in excess of 25
gallons
The gallon is a unit of volume in imperial units and United States customary units. Three different versions are in current use:
*the imperial gallon (imp gal), defined as , which is or was used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Austral ...
(95
l) and weigh thousands of pounds (kilograms) but more typical home and light commercial models are equipped with bowls of around 1 gallon (4 L). Whether a mixer is a counter top or floor model depends on its size. Mixers that are 5 gallons (20 L) in size or smaller tend to be counter top mixers, while larger mixers tend to be floor models due to their size and weight.
Spiral mixers are specialist tools for mixing dough. A spiral-shaped agitator counter-rotates while the powered bowl spins in the opposite direction. This method enables spiral mixers to mix the same size dough batch much quicker and with less under-mixed dough than a similarly powered planetary mixer. Spiral mixers can mix dough with less agitator friction than planetary mixers. This allows the dough to be mixed without increasing its temperature, ensuring the dough can rise properly. Spiral mixers are preferred for thicker products, such as dough for pizza, bagels or naan bread.
Planetary mixers consist of a bowl and an agitator. The bowl remains static, whilst the agitator is rapidly moved around the bowl to mix its contents. With the ability to mix a wide variety of ingredients, planetary mixers are more versatile than their spiral counterparts. Planetary mixers can be used to whip and blend, whereas spiral mixers cannot.
Hand mixer
A hand mixer is a hand-held mixing device. A handle is mounted over an enclosure containing the motor. The motor drives the beaters which are immersed in the food to perform the mixing action. The motor must be lightweight as it is supported by the user during use. The user may use any suitable kitchen container to hold the ingredients while mixing.
The first handheld electric mixer patent was submitted by
Sunbeam Corporation in 1953 and granted in 1961.
[ ]
Dough mixer
A dough mixer is used for household or industrial purposes. It is used for kneading large quantities of
dough
Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavening ag ...
. It is electrical, having timers and various controls to suit the user's needs. Some features of dough blenders include high speed, low speed and bowl reverse (these can be combined into a programme) and a
knead
In cooking (and more specifically baking), kneading is a process in the making of bread or dough, used to mix the ingredients and add strength to the final product. Its importance lies in the mixing of flour with water; when these two ingredient ...
ing bar in the centre of the bowl.
See also
*
Whisk
A whisk is a cooking utensil which can be used to blend ingredients smooth or to incorporate air into a mixture, in a process known as '' whisking'' or ''whipping''. Most whisks consist of a long, narrow handle with a series of wire loops joi ...
, a manual kitchen utensil for mixing and whipping
*
Industrial mixer
In industrial process engineering, mixing is a unit operation that involves manipulation of a heterogeneous physical system with the intent to make it more homogeneous. Familiar examples include pumping of the water in a swimming pool to homogen ...
*
Blender
A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen appliance, kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsion, emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender ...
, an electric appliance with small blades at the bottom of a jar
*
Milkshake machine
A milkshake machine or drink mixer is a kind of countertop electric mixer used to make milkshakes, flavored milk, frappés, and other blended beverages. Milkshake machines are generally used in ice cream stores and fast food restaurants, and ar ...
, an electric appliance with a top-mounted agitator
*
Dough scraper
A kitchen scraper is a kitchen implement made of metal, plastics (such as polyethylene, nylon, or polypropylene), wood, rubber or silicone rubber. In practice, one type of scraper is often interchanged with another or with a spatula (thus scrap ...
*
Pastry blender
A pastry blender is a cooking utensil used to mix a hard (solid) fat into flour in order to make pastries. The tool is usually made of narrow metal strips or wires attached to a handle, and is used by pressing down on the items to be mixed (known a ...
*
Kenwood Chef
The Kenwood Chef is a food mixer developed by Ken Wood in Britain. It is a single machine with a number of attachments that allow it to perform many functions. The Chef, based on the earlier A200, was introduced in 1950. Kenwood mixers, along ...
, a British food mixer
*
Electrolux Ankarsrum Assistent
:''The original that this article was based upon can be seen at :sv:Electrolux Assistent in the Swedish Wikipedia.''
Assistent is a household kitchen appliance, introduced by Electrolux in 1940.
The distinctive feature of this mixer is that ...
, a Swedish made mixer that moves the bowl, not the implements
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Kitchenware
Food preparation utensils
1870 introductions
American inventions
Food preparation appliances
19th-century inventions