Until I saw this advertisement for Blue Whirl Egg Beaters in a hundred-year-old magazine I’d forgotten all about hand-crank beaters. I think that I once owned one, but have no idea where it is. I haven’t used it in years. The last time I used it was when my children were small and I didn’t trust them to use my electric beaters.
Does anyone still use classic hand-crank beaters? I did a quick online search and hand-crank beaters are still available, but the comments made it sound like they are difficult to find in stores and generally must be purchased online.
According to Home Grail, a commercial-sized electric mixer was invented in 1914, and home stand mixers were starting to become available in the 1920s; however, a hundred years ago, hand-cranked beaters were still the norm.
Whisks are another tool that can be used to beat eggs and do other tasks that a hand-crank beater might do. According to Wikipedia, whisks have been around for hundreds of years. The earliest ones were just bundles of twigs that were used to beat foods. Wikipedia noted that whisks were not very popular in the early 20th century and that cooks generally preferred beaters, but that they again became popular after Julia Child used them when she appeared on television.
I remember using a beater like this as a kid. I know my grandmother had one, and I think my mother did, too. I hadn’t thought about one of these in years! 😃
Similarly to you, I hadn’t given them much thought until I saw this ad in an old magazine, though I’ve occasionally seen old recipe directions that indicate that they should be used when making the recipe. For example, the original recipe in my post for French Chocolate (Hot Chocolate with Coffee and Brandy) says “Beat with Dover egg beater and serve with beaten cream.” (I think that Dover egg beaters were another brand of hand-cranked beaters.)
I remember using these. My mother’s had a red wooden handle. Eventually, she passed it on to me, and I kept it for years until at some point I decided it took up too much drawer space for something I never used!
I know the feeling. I also have trouble with various kitchen utensils taking up too much drawer space. I basically have a 3-tier system for my utensils. The utensils I regularly use (spatulas, rolling pin, etc.) are in the top drawer right under the counter. Those I occasionally use are in a plastic storage box (nut cracker, metal shish kabob skewers, etc.) are in the bottom drawer. Those I almost never use in are a box in a storage room (an odd shaped spatula, etc.). And, I guess I also have a 4th tier. Those utensils that I don’t think I’ll ever use. I throw them out.
I still use this…it was my mothers’s. -:)
It’s awesome that you still use one – and that it once belonged to your mother. I wish I knew where mine was. If I could find it, I’d try using it. I suppose that I must have thrown it out somewhere along the way.
I have my mom’s and I use it now and then, just because. It’s fun!
Wish I could find mine. It would be fun to occasionally use it (and time period appropriate) when making hundred-year-old recipes.
It will turn up!
I still have one! But I don’t know if it has traveled with me all these years, or if it belonged to my husband’s late wife. I use it occasionally, but not nearly as often as my electric mixer.
You’re lucky to still have one.
When I was a beginner cook, I wanted to make my grandmother’s waffles, which called for using an egg beater, so I went out and bought one. It probably was in the early 90s. I also remember beating up Ivory Soap Flakes and water with the egg beater to make snow sculptures.
I’d forgotten all about using Ivory Soap Flakes to make snow. That might be a fun activity for me to do with my grandchildren sometime.
As soon as I saw the picture of this beater, memories of cooking with my mother when I was small came flooding back. Though I think I was still using one in the early years of my marriage.
Nice to hear that this post brought back some warm memories.
My grandmothers and mom used them. My mother-in-law gave me hers when I first got married, over 40 years ago. I used it until I could afford a handheld mixer.
Love this ad! I have a similar one purchased at an antique store. It has a worn, red-and-white wooden handle at the top and on the turning part. There is no brand name. The only words besides the patent number are on the round, silver part toward the top. It says, “high speed super center drive beater.” Guess that could be true if you can turn the handle quickly?! I don’t use it but display it with a few other pieces.
Love the words on the beater about it being high speed. Sounds like something thought up by a marketing person.
I know!
My mum had one, and that was the only kind of beater we had. And i still have at least 2, tho i don’t use them tbh. Ah the good old egg-beater brings back the memories…
sherry
Nice to hear that this post brought back some good memories.
I remember my crank egg beater – sometimes I wish I still had it. I still use my whisk a lot.
When, I just need to beat an egg a little, I also sometimes just use a fork.
I beat one egg with a fork. I used to use a mini whisk, but that thing was hard to clean well. hahaha It stirs hot chocolate, both the fork or the mini whisk.
Similarly to you, I tend to use a fork when I need to beat just one egg because it just seems easier.
This brought back some memories, we had one in the kitchen as I was growing up and I had one for a while when my own kids were small. I remember struggling to keep the bowl from moving around on the counter while I was using it. Like you, I have no idea what happened to it!
Like you, I remember it being challenging to keep the bowl from moving around the counter. I had similar problems at Christmas. My grandson wanted to make a holiday treat, and I helped him use my electric hand beaters. He kept wanting to tip the beaters and bits of batter would fly out. Additionally, the bowl kept moving on the counter. I had to keep one hand of the beaters to keep them upright while he operated it and the other hand on the bowl.
Granny had one….Mama had one…I’ve used one but have no idea where one is now!
Red handled and worn down to the wood. used most often in our house for egg whites and cakes!
It sounds like it was well-used. Back in the day, hand-cranked beaters were a very popular kitchen tool.
I do remember my mother using one of these. They seemed to work well!
I also seem to remember that they worked well. But, somehow it just seemed easier to use electric beaters or a whisk, and the hand beaters languished in a drawer (and apparently eventually vanished).
I was quite delighted to see your post on egg beaters, and I do use mine btw. I do not have an electric handheld mixer, I usually do my stand mixer or the egg beaters.
I would send a picture, but don’t see a way to do that. Mine is not a Blue Whirl. I picked it up an a shop over 20 years ago, most happily.
I was delighted to read the comments.
It’s interesting that you use hand-crank beaters rather than an electric handheld one. They must work really well. It’s nice to hear that you enjoyed this post. As you noted, readers wrote some really interesting comments on this post.
I have a blue whirl beater & use it quite often. Why is probably because I’m 83. LOL 😂
Wow – It’s awesome that you have a Blue Whirl Beater that you regularly use. Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate and value more and more some of my very old kitchen tools and utensils that I’ve had my entire adult life.