Mixer

A 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.

Description
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 rotating the mixing device vertically (planetary
mixers), or by rotating the mixing container (spiral mixers).

Mixers for the kitchen first came into use midway through the nineteenth
century; the earliest were mechanical devices. The demand from commercial
bakers for large-scale uniform mixing resulted in the development of the electric
stand mixer. Smaller counter-top stand mixers for home kitchen use soon
followed.

History
The mixer with rotating parts was patented in 1856 by Baltimore, Maryland tinner
Ralph Collier. U.S. Patent 16,267 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. U.S. Patent 23,694 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.,
invented another Dover egg beater model. U.S. Patent 103,811 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. U.S. Patent 330,829 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 Kitchen Aid and Sunbeam Mixmaster (first produced 1910) were two very
early US brands of electric mixer.[4] Domestic electric mixers were rarely used
before the 1920s, when they were adopted more widely for home use.

In 1908 Herbert Johnson, 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.

Variants
Eggbeater
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.

A mixer is a kitchen utensil which uses a gear-driven mechanism to rotate a set of

beaters in a bowl containing the food to be prepared. It automates 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 stand 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 rotating the mixing device vertically (planetary
mixers), or by rotating the mixing container (spiral mixers).

Mixers for the kitchen first came into use midway through the nineteenth
century; the earliest were mechanical devices. The demand from commercial
bakers for large-scale uniform mixing resulted in the development of the electric
stand mixer. Smaller counter-top stand mixers for home kitchen use soon
followed.

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; and a dough hook for kneading.

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 (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.

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 electric hand-mixer was invented in 1964 by Dynamic, sited in western

France. Its products are essentially the same design it has always produced.
Dough mixer
A dough mixer is used for household or industrial purposes. It is used for kneading
large quantities of dough. 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 kneading bar
in the centre of the bowl.