My parents used a Model 9 Mixmaster, produced in 1948. I couldn't pronounce the name correctly and instead called it a Mah-coo. Yes, I heard that story for years and years. The Mah-coo sits on my kitchen counter and still works.
In the early '50's my dad bought two optional attachments and I remember watching in the kitchen as he experimented with his new toys. When Dad tried the meat grinder- food chopper for the first time he used boiled potatoes instead of meat. I was more interested in trying to grab and eat the resulting potato-spaghetti. He also bought the drink mixer and made milkshakes with chocolate ice cream.
Other attachments shown in the instruction book provide insight into the evolution of the modern kitchen. For example, we take an electric can opener for granted but 60 years ago it was a marvelous innovation and was described with over-the-top enthusiasm. The description is also amusingly sexist, stating that women hate to open cans and have to rely on someone else to do this difficult task. Click on a picture to enlarge it.
Especially for my friend Thea... Because the instruction book generally disappears before the mixer wears out I've scanned a couple of pages related to care and maintenance.
The machine has to be oiled and greased from time to time. I've used products from the Singer Sewing Machine company to do both.
Additional information: Mixmaster collector, repairman and seller DecoDan has photos of his exceptional collection at http://www.decodan.com/Attachments .
Simply amazing. I wish I had known more about the mixer when I bought it. I would have looked more thoroughly around the store for more attachments!!
ReplyDeleteA special thanks for the maintenance page. I think I may need to do an oiling.