Ask any home cook what would they consider to be their most indispensable kitchen appliance, and the reply most likely will be their KitchenAid stand mixer. And rightly so! Prior to the invention of the stand mixer, the mixing of cookie or cake batter, bread dough, egg foam etc. was all done laboriously by hand. Today, with the help of a KitchenAid Artisan 5 quart stand mixer, any cook, whether professional or amateur, using a stand mixer can make a wide range of delicious recipes, including fresh baked bread, pizza dough and meatloaf, meringue, cookies and much more, effortlessly and quickly.
The Original Stand Mixer
The idea for a stand mixer came about in 1908, after an engineer named Herbert Johnston watched a baker struggling to mix a large amount of bread dough using an iron paddle, the accepted method of the time.
The new Raspberry Ice Artisan Design Series Stand Mixer
Johnston worked for the Hobart Manufacturing Company, which since the early 1900’s had been manufacturing commercial electrical appliances for the grinding of foodstuffs such as coffee and peanuts. Johnston decided that there had to be a better way to mix large quantities of bread dough, so he set about designing an electric mixer.
By 1915, Hobart, through their subsidiary company, Troy Metal Products, released the first commercial electric stand mixer, the 80 quart Model H, based on Herbert Johnston’s design. It quickly became the “must have” appliance for commercial food manufacturers and within 3 years it was even being specified as standard equipment on U.S Navy ships.
The First Household Stand Mixer
The Original 1919 KitchenAid H-5 Stand Mixer
Hobart executives anticipated that a smaller version of the Model H stand mixer would most likely sell very well in the homewares market. In 1919, a new lighter and smaller version of the original Model H was released, branded the Model H-5.
It weighed 65 pounds and had mixing bowl capacity of 5 quarts. This stand mixer used a unique planetary action that moved the beater in one direction and the bowl in the opposite direction. This Model H-5 stand mixer also had an innovative hub design that allowed for the attachment of other devices. The first of these attachments was a food grinder and citrus juicer.
It’s worth noting that any attachments made to this today, will still fit the original H-5 and all stand mixers since then.
The KitchenAid Brand Name – How it Came to Be
During the development the H-5, company executive’s wives were asked to test them at home. When it came to naming the new product, one executive’s wife is reported to have remarked – “I don’t care what you call it, but I know it’s the best kitchen aid I ever had.” Thus the KitchenAid brand name was born.
The Following Decades
The KitchenAid H-5 mixer was a resounding success in the domestic market, and was extremely popular with housewives over the next 2 decades, removing much of the drudgery and effort required in food preparation in the kitchen. In that time, extra mixer attachments were developed, continuing to expand the mixers range of food preparation tasks.
In 1926, the Troy Metals Products subsidiary was renamed the KitchenAid Manufacturing Company, with its headquarters based in Troy, Ohio
In 1927, a lighter and smaller version of the Model H-5 stand mixer, the Model G, was introduced. The Model G weighed less than 35 pounds, and within 3 years over 20,000 units were sold.
Looking to the future, KitchenAid commissioned Egmont Arens, a nationally acclaimed industrial designer, to design new models of the stand mixer. The new design, designated Model K, was released in 1936 and in 1941 followed up with the release of Model K5A.
The iconic design of the K5A is virtually unchanged to this day, and is very popular with home cooks for its now “retro look”.
In 1955, at the Atlantic City Housewares Show, KitchenAid released a range of new colors for their popular stand mixers including:
- Petal Pink
- Sunny Yellow
- Island Green
- Satin Chrome
- Antique Copper.
In 1962, a 250 watt 4.5 quart stand mixer was released, the K45, and it went on to become the most popular mixer ever in the KitchenAid lineup. It’s still sold today under the “Classic” range badge. Later, in 1970, the colors Avocado and Harvest Wheat were added to the mixer’s color range
In late 1999 KitchenAid released a new series of stand mixers, the 325 watt 5 quart tilt head Artisan Series. These are currently available today in 26 different colors, and are considered art pieces by many owners, who instead of stowing them away in a cupboard, proudly display them on their kitchen benches as decorative piece.
In 2001, KitchenAid became a sponsor for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, a world leader in the fight against breast cancer in women. Each year KitchenAid runs a special promotion, Cook for the Cure featuring many of their products in pink, including the Artisan Series of stand mixers. The current color is Raspberry Ice.
The “Cook for the Cure” campaign has been a very successful, raising over $8 million for the Susan G. Komen Foundation in the last 10 years.