I love being in the kitchen; cooking, baking, the whole nine yards. I also love kitchen gadgets. They are one of the very few new things I splurge on. So since I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, I felt it was time to invest in a stand mixer. I was looking into getting a KitchenAid when I remembered I had my grandma's vintage Sunbeam mixer in a box in my basement.
The first thing I made was fresh squeezed lemonade with the reamer/juicer attachment. Let me just say, if you have this mixer and not the reamer attachment, head over to eBay or etsy and get yourself one -- they are AMAZING!!! They spin quickly and get every last drop of the juice of the fruit. What would have taken me much longer to juice with a traditional reamer, took me just a few minutes with the attachment.
Next I tried the actual mixer part. I was a bit skeptical; how was this vintage mixer going to stand up to its modern counterparts? I figured trying a basic cookie recipe was a great way to test out the different functions of this mixer compared to my experiences with the modern KitchenAid. The bowl rotates while the beaters spin, making for an effective way to combine the ingredients in the bowl.
I gotta say, I was really impressed with this mixer. And while it doesn't come with all the bells and whistles that a new one does (read pasta maker attachment, ice cream attachment) I love that every time I pull it out, I will think of my grandma. That's something a new gadget can't ever replace.
