112 MARCH 2020
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IN 1914, when an engineer named Herbert Johnston
developed the first commercial mixer for Hobart
Manufacturing Company, the contraption wasn’t
suitable for home use—it could hold up to 80 quarts.
But it did appeal to commercial bakeries, which is
exactly who Johnston had intended the mixer to
help. (He was inspired to create such a machine after
watching a baker mix bread dough by hand using
an iron spoon.) Five years later, Hobart launched its
first stand mixer, the H-5 model, which was more
practical (it held 5 quarts and could sit on a coun-
tertop) but still not popular. Department stores
initially didn’t want to carry the mixers, so Hobart
Causing a Stir
“I don’t care
what you call
it—it’s the
best kitchen
aid I’ve ever
h a d .” —THE WIFE OF
A HOBART EXECUTIVE
AFTER TESTING THE H-5
MIXER IN HER HOME
employed a team of mostly women who went door-
to-door extolling the mixer’s virtues (moveable
bowls! automatic beating!). Over time, as the stand
mixer became smaller, lighter, and sleeker, it also
became more functional. New attachments for ev-
erything from milling grains to rolling pasta to pol-
ishing silverware helped turn the humble stand
mixer into a covetable status symbol. Today, 101 years
since KitchenAid was founded, the mixers keep get-
ting more sophisticated, and their fan base (which
includes Martha Stewart, Beyoncé, and Oprah) keeps
growing. Here’s a look back at what went into our
favorite countertop helper. —NINA FRIEND
INNOVATION TIME LINE
The KitchenAid
factory is built in
Greenville, Ohio.
(Mixers are still
made there to
this day.)
1941
Former Vanity
Fair art editor
Egmont Arens
designs the
model K, the bowl
of which secured
to the base with
an interlocking
motion.
1937
Hobart Manufac-
turing Company
trademarks the
name KitchenAid
and introduces
the H-5 counter-
top model.
1919
The United
States Navy
orders Hobart
mixers for its
battleships.
1916
Herbert John-
ston develops
the first com-
mercial mixer,
the model H.
1914
New stand mixer
colors are intro-
duced: white,
pink, green,
yellow, chrome,
and copper.
1955
The brand’s most
popular mixer,
model K-45,
launches.
1969
Hobart sells
KitchenAid to
the Whirlpool
Corporation.
1986
San Francisco
Museum of
Modern Art
names the stand
mixer an Ameri-
can design icon.
1997
KitchenAid
celebrates its
100th birthday.
2019
KITCHENAID
BY THE NUMBERS
KitchenAid stand mixer colors
available today
KitchenAid stand mixers
sold per minute worldwide
Mixers produced per day when
KitchenAid launched in 1919
$2,569.74
Cost in today’s dollars of KitchenAid’s first
countertop model, the H-5 ($189 in 1919)
80+
5
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