Have you ever stopped to think how the kitchen tools we rely on every day came to be? Today, let’s take a trip back in time to explore the fascinating history of one such essential appliance: the mixer.
The Early Days of Mixing
Our story begins in the mid-19th century when inventors across the globe were experimenting with ways to make the process of mixing ingredients easier and more efficient. In 1856, Ralph Collier, a tinner from Baltimore, patented the first mixer with rotating parts. Just a year later, E.P. Griffith introduced the whisk, a revolutionary tool for blending ingredients. The Monroe brothers, J.F. and E.P., also made their mark with their hand-turned rotary egg beater, which was granted a patent in the United States in 1859.
These early designs caught the attention of the Dover Stamping Company, who acquired the Monroe Brothers’ patent. The Dover egg beaters became a beloved American brand, known as the “Dover beater.” These beaters were held in such high regard that even a recipe from the Gazette newspaper of Cedar Rapids, IA in February 1929 featured the famous Dover beater in a delightful dessert recipe called “Hur-Mon Bavarian Cream.”
Enter the Electric Era
It wasn’t until 1885 that the first electric mixer made its debut, thanks to the ingenious mind of American inventor Rufus Eastman. However, it was the Hobart Manufacturing Company that truly revolutionized the industry with their large commercial mixers. In 1914, they introduced a groundbreaking new model that forever changed the landscape of mixers.
In the early 20th century, two notable American brands, the Hobart KitchenAid and the Sunbeam Mixmaster, became popular choices among consumers. But despite their popularity, domestic electric mixers were still a rarity in most households until the 1920s when they began to be widely adopted for home use.
The Stand Mixer: A Game Changer
In 1908, Herbert Johnston, an engineer for the Hobart Manufacturing Company, had a eureka moment while observing a baker mix bread dough with a metal spoon. He realized there had to be a better way and set out to create a mechanical counterpart to simplify the process.
By 1915, Johnston’s 20-gallon mixer had become standard equipment in most large bakeries. Just four years later, in 1919, the Hobart Manufacturing Company introduced the Kitchen Aid Food Preparer, which went on to become known as the stand mixer. This revolutionary invention quickly became a staple in kitchens across the country.
From the hand-turned rotary beaters of the 19th century to the introduction of electric motors and the birth of the stand mixer, this essential kitchen tool has come a long way. It has undergone numerous innovations to make our lives easier in the kitchen.
So, the next time you whip up a batch of cookies or blend together a mouthwatering cake batter, take a moment to appreciate the rich history behind your trusty mixer. It’s a testament to human ingenuity and the desire to simplify everyday tasks.
In addition to the mixer, another versatile kitchen tool that has a fascinating history is the meat grinder. Also known as a “meat mincer” in the United Kingdom, this appliance has been used for mincing and mixing raw or cooked meat, fish, vegetables, and more.
The journey of the meat grinder dates back to the nineteenth century when Karl Drais invented the first version of this remarkable tool. Initially, meat grinders were hand-cranked, pushing the meat through a metal plate with small holes, resulting in long, thin strands of flesh.
With advancements in technology and the widespread availability of electricity, manufacturers began creating powered meat grinders. These modern electric grinders enable the seamless and uniform processing of several pounds of beef. Some models even come with attachments that add functionality, such as sausage-making, kibbe, and juicing, which has dramatically expanded the range of applications for meat grinders.
So, the next time you’re mincing meat for a savory dish or experimenting with homemade sausages, remember the journey and ingenuity behind your meat grinder. It’s a testament to how kitchen tools have evolved to make our culinary adventures more accessible and enjoyable.
Husband Returns from Business Trip and Sees Newborn Baby on Table with Two Notes beside — Story of the Day
A man is accused of being the father of a baby abandoned on his doorstep and it costs him his marriage and his way of life.
Kyle Greenbecker had spent a year working on an oil pipeline in Alaska, but finally, he was on his way home to his beautiful wife. He and Lisa met in high school, and Kyle had never regretted marrying her at nineteen.
Maybe he was old-fashioned, but Kyle was proud that Lisa was the only woman he’d been intimate with in his life. He didn’t need and didn’t want anyone else. It never occurred to him that Lisa would ever doubt him — and with good reason.
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When his plane landed, Kyle collected his luggage and walked out with the other passengers, scanning the crowd for Lisa’s beloved face, but she wasn’t there to pick him up.
Probably, Kyle thought, she’d been held up at work with some emergency. He sent her a quick text telling her he was on his way home but got no reply. He hopped into an Uber and in an hour he was walking up to his front door.
The lights were on in the lounge, but Lisa wasn’t there. He made his way to the kitchen and stopped in the doorway, stunned. Resting on top of the kitchen table was a bassinet, and Kyle could see a small arm waving aimlessly.
He took a step closer. There was a bassinet with a baby on his kitchen table! The child was looking back at Kyle with that astonished look babies have, and Kyle stared back just as astonished.
Then he saw a folded paper on the table next to the bassinet. He picked it up and unfolded it. Inside was another sheet of paper with a message in a handwriting he didn’t recognize: “You had your fun, now take responsibility for your child.”
Meanwhile, the note addressed to him in Lisa’s elegant script read:
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“Kyle, yesterday I found this child on our doorstep with that note attached. I always suspected you cheated on me during your business trips, but I didn’t hold a grudge on you for that — after all, I had plenty of flings while you were away — but saddling me with someone else’s child is too much. I’ve filed for a divorce, and I earnestly hope I will never see you again.
“P.S. And about the baby, don’t worry, I only left when I saw you walk up the drive. Enjoy your life, Kyle, I certainly intend to enjoy mine.”
Kyle sat down and dropped his head in his hands. He couldn’t believe this was happening to him. This child wasn’t his, he’d never cheated on Lisa, ever! A soft cooing sound made him raise his head.
The baby was waving its little hand in the air, so Kyle brought his own hand closer and to his surprise, the child grabbed onto his index finger with incredible strength.
“Well, baby,” Kyle said. “I guess it’s just us two, and I don’t know what to do with you!”
The baby cooed again and gurgled, then screwed up his face in an alarming way and turned bright red. “Oh my God!” cried Kyle. “What’s happening?” A certain smell quickly elucidated him.
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Yep, it was diaper time. But was there even a diaper? On the floor next to the table was a large backpack with several snap pockets that he’d never seen before. Kyle found a bewildering array of items inside and the diapers.
He quickly googled diaper change and watched carefully as a woman on YouTube demonstrated on a life-like doll how to change a diaper.
Kyle started following her instructions but things didn’t run that smoothly. The woman’s life-like doll didn’t move its legs, or sink its kicking heels in the stinking and unmentionable contents of the dirty diaper! After wiping the baby clean, Kyle realized it was a girl, and he didn’t know anything about girls!
“I won’t be giving you dating advice,” he told the baby solemnly. “But I can teach you how to ride a bike.”
Kyle realized in that moment that he intended to keep this baby.
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He picked up the freshly diapered baby and said, “You need me, and I guess I need you too. So how about it, kid?”
Kyle once again consulted the YouTube baby-guru to prepare the formula and settled the baby in the crook of his arm for her feed.
“You need a name, you know that? How about… Celeste? Do you like that? Or Lily…”
If anyone had told Kyle that he would settle into fatherhood so easily and so smoothly he would never have believed it. Lily had her moments and her tantrums, but somehow things worked out.
Kyle registered Lily as his child and enrolled her in daycare. For him, her birthday was on the day he’d found her. But it was on Lily’s second birthday that Kyle’s world fell apart.
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A woman knocked on her door. “I’ve come for my baby,” she said. Kyle just looked at her. She was tall, blonde, and thin, with huge breasts that were obviously a product of a plastic surgeon’s art.
“Your what?” Kyle asked.
A real parent is the one who loves and cherishes the child.
“My baby,” she snapped. “I left her here two years ago? Sorry about that, but I was a bit stoned and my boyfriend lives on the next block over and I got confused. You know how it is!”
“Sorry, I don’t know how that is because I’ve never abandoned a child on anyone’s doorstep,” Kyle said coldly. “I’d get a move on if I were you, or I’ll call the police.”
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“Now look here,” the woman said sharply. “I figured I made a mistake about a week later when Burt didn’t take my calls, but now I need that baby!”
“You need her?” asked Kyle angrily. “What do you need her for?”
“Burt just got himself a Major League contract,” the woman said. “And that baby’s gone make sure some of those millions land in my bank account!”
Kyle ran the woman off, but he had a feeling he hadn’t seen the last of her. He was right. A week later he was summoned to family court. A Miss Cherish Vegas was contesting his adoption of baby Lily.
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Suddenly, Kyle was showered with injunctions, was visited by Social Services at odd hours of the day or night, and his friends and co-workers were being questioned. Cherish really meant to get her hands on those millions!
Finally, the day of the hearing arrived. Kyle nervously handed over Lily to the social worker for the duration of the hearing and walked in. Cherish was there, of course, and a tall man with Lily’s blue eyes was on her side of the court. This could only be the famous Burt!
Cherish cried and sniveled and told the judge how much she loved and missed her baby, and how her wild college days (now long past and deeply regretted) had led her to place her in Kyle’s care.
The judge looked down at the papers in front of her. “By in his care, you mean on his porch, isn’t that right, Miss Vegas?” asked the judge.
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Cherish flushed red. “Well, I’m still her mama! No one can deny that!” she screamed.
The judge looked at Burt. “You sir, you are the father?”
Burt lumbered to his feet and said, “I guess I must be…”
The judge fixed him with a flinty eye. “Are you prepared and able to take on the parental responsibilities for this child?”
Cherish screamed, “You bet he is, judge, he just signed a three million dollar contract to play ball…”
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“Oh!” cried the judge. “Finally, the truth is out! Tell me, Miss Vegas, what name did you give your daughter?”
“Name?” asked Cherish, confused. “Why, she’ll have her daddy’s name., since he’ll be paying child support!”
Kyle stood up. “Your honor,” he said. “May I address the court?”
“Yes, Mr. Greenbecker,” said the judge. “Please do.”
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“Ma’am, my daughter’s name is Lily, and she does have her father’s name — mine. Since the moment that child came into my life I’ve loved her, and she loves me.”
At that moment, Lily, who had been playing with the social worker’s necklace noticed that Kyle was standing up. “Daddy!” she cried and stretched out her arms.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen, it seems to me that the case has been decided by the principal party,” the judge said. “I hereby overturn all claims of custody of the child Lily Grennbecker and confirm Kyle Greenbecker’s custody and adoption.
That night, Kyle celebrated his victory in court and he and Lily spent the evening catching lightning bugs in the garden. “Stars!” cried Lily. But for Kyle, the brightest star of all was his little girl.
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What can we learn from this story?
- A real parent is one who loves and cherishes the child. Kyle took care of Lily and loved her as if she were his own.
- A heartless woman will use anyone, even her child, for profit. Cherish didn’t want Lily, she just wanted Burt’s money.
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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who taught his son how to be the best husband in the world.
This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.
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