Ode to my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer.....

Yes! I do love my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. It is a vintage model 4C. When Doug and I got married, I hoped to get one for a wedding gift. However, no rich relatives turned up! So, I settled for a handmixer. It did fine for a novice cook and lasted about the average 4 years.

Then I really began to commit the sin of covetousness. I wanted a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer with all my heart. However, with a small child, the usual doctor bills and necessary things like paying the morgage and household bills, this was an extravagance we could ill afford.

I am, among other things, a hardcore yardsale junkie. I love them. Any shape, size, place and name you choose to call them, I don't pass one by as a rule. One Saturday morning, Doug and I were cruising, that is what we call it when we are not really out there for yardsales but if we see one, we hit it) near our home. We saw a crudely lettered sign saying "Estate Sale". "Wanna follow it?" Doug asked. "Sure!" I replied and off we went.

The sign led us to a slightly run down 60's subdivision. These usually produce some good things so I was more than interested. As we approached the house with the matching sign on the mailbox, I spied a white item with a familiar shape sitting on the ground just outside the garage door. I quickly headed for it, all the while pretending to look at other items nearby. As I approached my heart began to race and as I stooped to get a better look at a cheap glass florist vase, I took a hard peek at the object of my excitement.

YES! It was! It was a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer! Not one I'd seen before in style, but it said Kitchenaid on the side. Dirty and greasy, but it said Kitchenaid on the side!

I leaned over and picked it up and turning to the man in charge I asked in a slightly uninterested tone of voice, "How much for this old mixer?". He glanced up and said, "Oh, that was my Mom's favorite thing in the kitchen. I'll take $10.00 for it." "Does it work?" I asked in that same...er....uninterested tone. "It did a few years ago, you can plug it up and see, over there." I strolled over to the drop cord he had pointed to and plugged it in. My heart soared as I turned the knob on top of the crome handle and heard that sweet sound of a working motor. I quickly paid the man and not finding anymore treasures, Doug and I headed for the car. I showed him my prize and that is when I realized that in my inital excitement I'd not noticed that there was no bowl or beater! I went back and asked for them but the man said that they'd been lost when they moved his mother's things.

Ebay to the rescue! As soon as I got home I began researching my new prize. It was a Model 4C I learned and was made during the early 1960's (1962 to be exact) and there were limited items out there to find to use with it. I needed a bowl. I needed a whisk (beater) and I needed them now! So, I began to shop ebay for the desired items and found that there were a lot of people doing exactly what I was doing. I was also very suprised to learn that even as old as my 4C is, it is quite desireable and valuable.

I found a lovely bowl and the same lady had a whisk as well! I made my purchase, total $12.00 and $5.00 shipping. Now my mixer was up to at least $27.00. Compared to a new one that is quite a difference.

While I waited for my bowl and whisk to arrive, I gave my new toy a good cleaning. It is quite lovely to me, sleek and modern looking for it's day. It reminds me of the cars of the day, with their angles and chrome everywhere. I love chrome....but that is another story!

The bowl and whisk arrived 5 days later. I tore into that box like a kid on Christmas morning. TaDa! I ran to my mixer and put the bowl and whisk on it, turned it on and aaaahhhhhhh.......such sweet music to my ears!

That day I made 2 cakes, 1 dozen muffins and a big old pone of cornbread! I was in heaven. To date it is the rare day that goes by that I don't use my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. It can't make breads, no bread hook, it can't make stiff batters, the whisk is not a good tool for that but it can mix up some serious creamed potatoes, pies, cakes and muffins not to mention the southern staple, Cornbread.

I actually own 2 of the "vintage" Kitchenaid Stand Mixers'. The second one has a place of honor on top of my fridge. It is a Model 3B. circa: 1944-1953. See the photo at top left. It works, but not as well as my 4C. I found it at a flea market. I don't know why I bought it....... (grin) just couldn't resist I suppose.

As I type this, I am saddened by the fact that my beloved mixer is on it's last legs. It just doesn't seem to have the old pep it used to have. The motor smells hot sometimes and Doug tells me it is the "brushes" in the motor doing that. He also tells me that it isn't long for this world.

So, I am in the market for a "new" Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. I'd dearly love a brand new stainless steel one, but yes, well......