It’s incredible how the entire internet came together to solve the mystery of an old kitchen tool.

Let’s take a trip back in time to 1856. Ralph Collier from Baltimore, Maryland, invented a mixer with rotating parts and patented it. Shortly after, in 1857, E.P. Griffith in England patented a whisk. Then in 1859, J.F. and E.P. Monroe got a US patent for another hand-turned rotary egg beater.

The Monroe egg beater patent became one of the first to be bought by the Dover Stamping Company, paving the way for the iconic Dover egg beaters. By February 1929, the term “Dover beater” was widely recognized, as seen in a recipe for “Hur-Mon Bavarian Cream” from the Gazette newspaper of Cedar Rapids, IA. This whipped dessert featured gelatin, whipped cream, banana, and ginger ale – a real treat from the era.

Interestingly, the Monroe egg beater was also produced in England. Fast forward to 1870, and Turner Williams of Providence, R.I., created another model of the Dover egg beater. Then, in 1884, Willis Johnson from Cincinnati, Ohio, brought significant improvements to the egg beater.

The innovation didn’t stop there. In 1885, American Rufus Eastman is believed to have invented the first mixer with an electric motor. The Hobart Manufacturing Company soon followed, and by 1914, they introduced a commercial mixer model that became crucial to their business.

Among the early brands of electric mixers in the U.S. were Hobart’s KitchenAid and the Sunbeam Mixmaster, which first appeared around 1910. However, it wasn’t until the 1920s that electric mixers became common in many households.

Then, in 1908, Herbert Johnston, an engineer for the Hobart Manufacturing Company, designed an electric standing mixer after observing a baker struggle to mix dough with a metal spoon. His invention quickly evolved, and by 1915, most large bakeries had adopted his 20-gallon (80 L) mixer. Finally, in 1919, Hobart introduced the Kitchen Aid Food Preparer (stand mixer) for home use.

It’s incredible to see how these developments have shaped the modern kitchen tools we take for granted today!