Retro Mixers
Defining a retro mixer is difficult. Since the mid 1930s the design has remained essentially the same (at least on the outside). The main differences in appearance between current tabletop electric mixers and those manufactured in the past is the color scheme of the mixer and the bowl. Because of this, the history of electric mixers is somewhat straightforward (admittedly leaving out a lot of the corporate details!).
Before electricity, most mixing in the home was done by hand. For smoother mixtures, such as scrambled eggs or pancake batter a hand mixer was usually used. For thicker mixtures, such as bread dough, a large metal spoon was generally the tool of choice.
The first electric mixers were larger commercial appliances designed to mix bread dough. In the early 20th century the first electric mixer was developed to be used in bakeries. The 80 quart mixer was a huge timesaver for making bread in commercial quantities, but wasn’t practical for homes for obvious reasons.
After World War I, the company, now named KitchenAid, released the first 5 quart tabletop electric mixer for home use. Although well received, the mixer was very expensive and weighed over 60 pounds. Because of this, only a few people purchased the mixer when it was released.
As time passed both the price and the weight of electric mixers decreased. By the mid 1930s the price had dropped to around $30.00 - Expensive back then, but within reach of many households. The popularity of electric mixers was helped by both the increase of access to electricity throughout the United States as well as an effective advertising campaign in which saleswomen would go door to door to demonstrate the uses of the electric mixers.
Although tabletop electric mixers are not as common as they have been in the past, they are still sold and the basic design hasn’t changed for decades. Newer models have more technology and options, but they still consist of a mixer on a pedestal that can be rotated into a bowl. A “retro” electric tabletop mixer is very similar to the current version. Many of the older models had white trim and often a clear or colored glass bowl, while modern models often don’t come with a bowl (the buyer supplies their own) or a plastic or metal bowl.