Cuisinart and Kitchenaid:

Two Brands Worth Having In Your Kitchen

Here you will find some of the finest small kitchen appliances by two of the very best companies; Kitchenaid and Cuisinart. Leading the way in appliances and cookware, let’s see why these companies are superior and how they came to have their wonderful reputations.

Cuisinart: The Story of a Man Who Wouldn’t Settle for Less.

Cuisinart was founded by Carl Sontheimer, an engineer and physicist. The story begins in 1971 when he was visiting a housewares show in France. He observed a restaurant food preparation machine, and decided he could create such a machine for home use. In the interim, he and his wife established a housewares business, importing cookware from Europe. They called this company,” Cuisinart”, but that’s not where the fame came from.

In 1973 he revealed his invention at a National Housewares Exposition in Chicago; a redesigned restaurant food processor for home use, what we know today as the Cuisinart Food Processor. The food processor was unknown until that time and originally sold very poorly.

 

Sontheimer approached the well known American chef, Julie Child, as well as James Beard and others in the culinary field, in hopes of their endorsement of the product; which proved to be successful and sales accelerated.

With the acceptance of Cuisinart’s food processor in the market, other companies began developing their versions.

Sunbeam and Hamilton Beach, for example, released their food processors in 1977. By the end of that year there were 30 models of food processors from which consumers could choose. They ranged from $30 – $400.

In spite of the competition and cheaper version processors, Sontheimer refused to make a smaller or cheaper model; instead he made an even bigger and more expensive processor while still remaining the leader in this industry.

Between 1979 and 1980 legal issues arose; one a lawsuit between Cuisinart and the original French company that manufactured them (though they had not been manufacturing them since 1977), and another accusing Cuisinart of price fixing. Cuisinart won the former and lost the latter.

In spite of all these issues, Cuisinart introduced 6 new food processors in 1982. These were larger, more expensive and had more attachments. Sontheimer was trying to diversify, but this was not the type of diversity the public wanted. What the public wanted, according to some critics, were more diverse kitchen appliances in general, not just more food processors.

Around 1983, Kitchenaid produced their equivalent food processor which was expensive and manufactured by Robot-Coupe, Sontheimer’s original manufacturer with whom he was recently in a lawsuit.

The next year Sunbeam debuted their small food processor, called “Oskar”. It was half the size of the huge Cuisinart, and cost approximately $165 less.

The demand for cheaper, smaller food processors continued into 1986, with Sontheimer not wanting to do the same, saying that he could not manufacture a product any better than the standard Cuisinart model that he had. Even so, at the end of 1986, Cuisinart revealed the Mini-Mate, a small processor that was only $40. This was less expensive than any of its competitors, and was highly advertised in magazines and campaigns. The next year Cuisinart came out with the Mini-Pro, in the $75 range.

It was just after this, in 1988, that the Sontheimers sold Cuisinart to a group of investors. Unfortunately, sales continued to fall as the public felt their products were too heavy, too expensive and there was too much competition with cheaper models.  So, they filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company was sold to Conair Corporation, who was already known for their home appliances and personal care products.

Conair initiated a new marketing program for Cuisinart that proved to be very successful. They introduced a food processor with a tube feed large enough to hold an entire tomato; a Mini-Prep food processor; it’s first hand held and countertop blenders; a pasta maker; coffee makers; wide slot toasters which are excellent for toasting bagels; cappuccino and espresso machines; pressure cooker; slow cookers; hard anodized non-stick cookware; and small kitchen utensils such as prep boards, towels, oven mitts, etc.

And that brings us to today, where Cuisinart is still a leader in kitchenware.

Kitchenaid: Named after their Kitchenaid Electric Stand Mixer

Did you know, the stand mixer was around much earlier than the food processor. Sontheimer’s food processor came on the scene in 1973, but the Kitchenaid stand mixer has been around since 1919!

Hobart Manufacturing Company introduced the Kitchenaid electric stand mixer in 1919. When it was taken home for testing, allegedly an executive’s wife stated that she didn’t care what it was called, it was the best kitchen aid she had ever used. . . and thus the name, “Kitchenaid”.

The Kitchenaid mixer was very popular in the 1920s and 1930s. It was purchased from door-to-door salesmen; or by hosting a Kitchenaid party in which the mixer was used to prepare food for the party, and then hopefully the participants would buy the mixer.

In 1924, Hobart renamed their Kitchenaid manufacturing division “Kitchenaid Manufacturing Company” and established it in Dayton, Ohio.
Over the years, Hobart acquired various appliance manufacturers and integrated their products into their Kitchenaid line. This included home dishwashers; food waste disposer; hot water dispenser; trash compactor.

In 1980 Kitchenaid acquired a manufacturer of built-in cooking equipment, after which it introduced its line of ovens and stovetops. By 1985, Kitchenaid was considered a hugely successful manufacturer of home appliances.

In this same year, 1985, Kitchenaid was approached by Whirlpool Corporation, a leading manufacturer of home appliances in its own right, who was interested in acquiring Kitchenaid. The purchase occurred in 1986. The next year Whirlpool underwent a reorganization of its subsidiaries which were Kitchenaid, Whirlpool, and Roper and Estate Brands. Roper and Estate would market budget brands; Whirlpool would market mid-range brands, and Kitchenaid continued to represent premium, top of the line brands. That’s good news for us!

Kitchenaid continues to be a profitable division of Whirlpool, manufacturing high quality, dependable appliances.

Cuisinart and Kitchenaid are two manufactures of small kitchen appliances that are sure to endure and bring you years of satisfaction!