Grandma Mary’s Yellow Hand Mixer
I was looking for a bowl on the bottom shelf of my mother’s closet to make a salad, and I saw an old, faded blue box. Reaching, I pulled it out and brought it to my mother. “Whose is this?!” I asked. “It’s your grandmother’s,” mom said.
My mother doesn’t bake, so I’m guessing that when Grandma Mary passed away in 2012, it went from her kitchen to my mother’s kitchen and hasn’t been touched since.
I carefully opened the box with frayed corners. It revealed a mustard yellow mixer. It instantly brought my heart back to Grandma’s kitchen with her yellow, ornate wallpaper. Of course, she chose the yellow mixer over the pea green – to match. I do the same with red. What makes this vintage appliance unique are the little illustrations of pie, butter, jam, and cake on the body.
It’s heavy by today’s standards and that’s funny because the marketing on the box boasts how lightweight it is. The handle showcases a bright orange “extra power” button perfectly placed where your thumb naturally rests. The speed switch is more of a dial—the higher the number, the stronger and faster it goes. It’s loud!
It was made by General Electric, and the brand is the Sunbeam Mixmaster, New DeLuxe, 1960. I know the year because my grandmother saved the user booklet, which doubles as a recipe book with over 20, now vintage recipes to explore. Alongside it, in this treasure box, I found a Mirro (the “Finest Aluminum”) Fancy Cookies, Donuts, and Pastries recipe pamphlet.
It’s fascinating, really—just 65 years ago, discovering new recipes came from exchanging them with neighbors, friends, and family. Or you’d get a new recipe book for Christmas and actually use it, or find recipes on boxes of food in the supermarket or included with new cookware and kitchen appliances. Now, Instagram feeds them to us. Only 65 years, and it’s a different world.
I mentioned in my column last week how funny it is to hear General Electric as the maker. Today, when we think of GE, we picture air conditioners, oil and gas, and military aircraft—not Grandma’s trusty baking mixer! And trusty it is. I’ve used it three times now, to make besciamella, banana bread, and last week’s ricotta cookies. She’s a strong and powerful machine, something we all should aspire to in 2025!
This mixer will now live another lifetime. I’m happy to give it that new life as I experiment, grow and learn more about the art of baking. All the while having my Grandmother’s memory in hand.
Follow my baking misadventures on Instagram: @theglorifiedtomato.
The hand mixer was invented in 1953 by the Sunbeam Corporation, which, strangely, began as a manufacturer of sheep shearing machinery (Chicago Flexible Shaft Company). Over time, the company expanded into the lawn sprinkler market. Sunbeam’s long and wildly diverse duration ultimately ended in a massive accounting fraud scandal. Oops.
