Our Indian kitchens comprise various tools and machines that play a very important role in almost every meal that we consume. With changing times, these machines have evolved in a wonderful manner. Some of them have advanced to incorporate more than one action.
One such example, which is an interesting evolutionary story, is the age old chakki that has been in use in the Indian household for ages. A grinder consisting of two flattened round stones, the chakki was an integral part of the Indian kitchen.
Up north in Punjab, the chakki was used to grind corn into flour while down south, it was used to churn urad daal to whip up various mouth watering preparations.
These chakkis used to be a part and parcel of every household initially but with the advent of the industrial revolution and commercial flour mills, the chakkis began to disappear.
This was also the time when the electric standing mixer was developed by an engineer named Herbert Johnson in 1908. This kitchen appliance was first intended for mixing, folding, beating and whipping food ingredients. By 1915 this standing mixer was being used on US Navy vessels and in commercial bakeries.
This machine can be considered the predecessor to the modern day appliance that makes a whirring sound in your kitchen every time your mother cooks yummy treats.
Before this machine could be introduced in residential kitchens, World War I came knocking. But by 1918, the company executives were testing models in their own houses.
It was in 1936 that pioneering industrial designer Egmont Ahrens trimmed the heavy countertop mixer, which slashed its price, making it more popular than ever.
To this model, food grinder and citrus juice attachments were introduced, making it the most versatile food preparation machine.
Thanks to advancements in technology, many popular brands are available in the market today, each with its own interesting story of wit, patience and hard work.
In fact, let me share an interesting story behind a popular Indian mixer brand. Have you heard your mother or maybe your grandmother mention Sumeet mixers? There was a time when women of this country swore by the name and quality of mixers and grinders manufactured by the makers of Sumeet products.
This mixer-grinder owed its invention to a wife’s challenge to her husband. The wife of the inventor of this range of appliances owned a mixer manufactured by the German giant Braun. The motor of this blender burnt out as it wasn’t meant for the heavy duty grinding that Indian cooking calls for. She told her husband, who worked as an engineer with Siemens, that if he really was an engineer he should be able to repair it. The husband did better than that. He designed a mixer powerful enough to bear the rigours of Indian grinding. And so we came to have an Indian brand that was at par with or maybe even better than what was considered the world’s best.
Want to hear another piece of trivia? I’m sure this will interest you:
The first electric blender was developed in 1922. Stephen Poplawski designed this blender to make malts and milk shakes at soda fountains. This blender was an electric device used to liquidise or chop food. One could chop, grind and puree food items into a liquid using this blender.
The invention of the small electric motor used in the blender is often referred to as the “great leap forward” for plug powered domestic machinery. This new motor revolutionised the appliance industry in a way that no one had thought possible.