Goodbye Ol'e Mixer

After more than 25 years my stand mixer wore out. It was making a lot of noise. Before I pronounced it dead I opened it up to see if I could fix it. I cleaned the flour and chocolate dust out of the motor area and found the source of the noise -- the gears had slipped from their holding places. I readjusted them. It didn't help; the teeth of the gears were just too worn. The lack of a proper alignment had caused the teeth to wear away. Besides the worn gears, the speed control no longer worked.

I don't exactly know when I bought this mixer, but I'm think it was between 1979 and 1984. That makes it at least 26 years old of making cakes and other goodies. Previously I used a hand mixer. This stand mixer meant I could add ingredients without stopping and resting the machine. This mixer was made in the U.S. with a yellow plastic housing.

It took a a couple of weeks before I could decide which model to purchase. I thought Kitchen Aide machines were the top of the line for home mixers. Besides the fact they cost more than I could afford, one of my neighbors reported they had owned several Kitchen Aide machines that wore out after about 4 years. I searched for the best balance of features, cost and availability. I found the descendant of my mixer. A classic stand mixer from Hamilton Beach. I found the best deal on November 24 on line. I got a discount for ordering on line and saved shipping by picking it up in the store.

Here's a picture of the new machine. The case is brushed stainless steel and the machine is made in China. This machine looks stronger and better made than the 26 year year old machine. Is it going to last 25 years? The old machine goes the the garbage can today. Good bye sweet memories. Hello to new ones.