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The patent for a mixer with rotating parts was granted to Ralph Collier, a tinner from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1856. Following this, E.P. Griffith patented a whisk in England in 1857, and in 1859, J.F. and E.P. Monroe secured a patent for another hand-turned rotary egg beater in the US.
The Dover Stamping Company acquired one of the earliest egg beater patents, turning Dover egg beaters into a classic American brand. The term “Dover beater” was commonly used by February 1929, as evident in a recipe from the Gazette newspaper of Cedar Rapids, IA, featuring a dessert called “Hur-Mon Bavarian Cream.”
The Monroe design also found its way to production in England. In 1870, Turner Williams of Providence, R.I., introduced another model of the Dover egg beater. Willis Johnson of Cincinnati, Ohio, brought new improvements to the egg beater in 1884.
The first mixer with an electric motor is credited to American inventor Rufus Eastman in 1885. The Hobart Manufacturing Company, an early producer of large commercial mixers, introduced a pivotal model in 1914.
The Hobart KitchenAid and Sunbeam Mixmaster (first produced in 1910) were among the earliest US brands of electric mixers. Domestic use of electric mixers was infrequent before the 1920s when they became more widely adopted for home kitchens.
In 1908, Herbert Johnston, an engineer at Hobart Manufacturing Company, created an electric standing mixer. Inspired by a baker using a metal spoon to mix bread dough, Johnston developed a mechanical counterpart. By 1915, his 20-gallon (80 L) mixer became standard equipment for most large bakeries. In 1919, Hobart introduced the Kitchen Aid Food Preparer (stand mixer) for home use.