Why, you may ask, did she post a picture of a box with a Kitchen-Aid food grinder? Well, last week, while making a batch of cookies, this 30-year-old workhorse died. My mixer was that golden color which was so popular in the 70s, when everything was earth-tone (exactly like the picture). I took the mixer to an appliance doctor, hoping beyond hope that he could restore it to life. He told me it would take two weeks to diagnose the problem and he would call me on December 13. Didn’t he know that was right in the middle of Christmas cookie-baking time? Anyway, I dared to believe there was hope for the mixer and then the phone rang on December 12–one day early. “Is this Fran?” “Yes,” I said with a quivering voice. “I am calling to inform you that the diagnosis is a worn out armature.” “Is there a cure?” I asked. “I am sorry, Fran, but there is none. Those parts aren’t made anymore. Would you like us to dispose of it or would you like to come get it?” I replied, “please give it a dignified funeral.” And I hung up. What now? I had lost a friend of 30 years and didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.
Some may argue that not much good came out of the 70s, but they were still making quality appliances back then. My Kitchen-Aid made hundreds of batches of cookies, at least 50 batches of tamale masa, countless cakes, loaves of bread and at least 10 times a year whipped up wonderful mashed potatoes. In addition, this workhorse ground meat for chorizo, sliced potatoes and carrots, and grated cheese for hundreds of meals. The stand mixer is one of those things which revolutionized home cooking and being without mine for two weeks has left me feeling lost in my kitchen.
My daughter received the modern version of the mixer 5 years ago when she got married. Already, it is tired and just slows down when she has a normal batch of cookie dough in the works. She told me hers won’t last much longer. It is a shame that the quality has tanked. In reading various forums about the products, I have learned that people really love these mixers, but they don’t have the longevity they once had. She learned to cook using mine, and told me soon after she got hers that it just didn’t sound the same. Because of her experience and those of others who have used the new machines, I have decided to change brands. At this stage of my life, I hope I can adapt. I used my mixer for most of my adult life, and it isn’t always easy changing course at this stage of the game!
