Kitchenaid was founded in 1919 (by then parent-company the Hobart Corp.) and immediately made some insane counter-top mixers. Indeed, their first model weighed more than 65 pounds! Restauranteurs loved them, and right from the start the Kitchenaids could replace the industrial-sized mixers chefs were used to. In 1986, Whirlpool bought Kitchenaid, but each mixer is still made in Greenville, Ohio.

In restaurants, at schools, and at home, cooks adore their Kitchenaids. The mixers are elegant, durable, and come in colors to fit any home—but they are also versatile. The silver flap on the nose of the mixer-arm opens to reveal a mechanical power-take off (like on heavy-duty diesel trucks) that can run numerous attachments. Among them are pasta-rollers, a grain mill, a can-opener, juicers, and a sausage stuffer. And incidentally, the attachments are American-made too.

My mom wrote me when I was putting this site together with the following comment: “Where - oh, where - is my lovely Kitchenaid stuff. Right now it is more of a guys’ site and some of us soccer moms really love American stuff, too.” But you needn’t take her advice. Look at the 700+ (!) glowing reviews of the mixer on Amazon. People who cook their own food absolutely LOVE this thing. It may be a staple in any professional kitchen, but it has a cult following, for it’s a legendary workhorse.

Kitchenaid’s mixers epitomize the “extra millimeter” of old American manufacturing. They really would last past the apocalypse. If you haven’t massed one out, they have the same feel as those old Singer sewing machines that weigh tons, and they’ll churn cement.

More information:

Kitchenaid - Home
Kitchenaid on Amazon.com (Mixers and attachments are made in Ohio)