My vintage KitchenAid stand mixer has made countless batches of cookies, cakes, and other items. Even though I have a newer and larger KA, I drag out the old one for nostalgia's sake from time to time, and used it for a small batch of cinnamon roll dough earlier today. As I was scrolling through my news feed this evening, I saw a link to an article titled "Surprising facts you never knew about KitchenAid mixers," so of course I had to click on it. It turns out that there are a few things I didn't know about my trusty sidekick.

Although new KitchenAid mixers don't exactly come cheap, they are a bargain compared to what they used to cost. The first models made by Hobart back in 1919 sold for $189 USD - that translates to a whopping $2,800 in today's dollars. Until 1955, the machines were only available in white, not the rainbow of colors you can purchase now.

As to the mixer's iconic look, you have to go back to 1937, when Egmont Arens designed the Model K stand mixer that has the familiar shape we all know and love. The name that has become ubiquitous with cooking did not come from a marketing department, but rather from the wife of an executive at the company. The story is that she called the appliance “the best kitchen aid I’ve ever had.” Even if that is not true, it does make for a good story.