Eggs-ellent! Can't Beat This Find.

The Blue Whirl Eggbeater circa 1950

Over the years I have seen many old kitchen utensils that I remember from my childhood in the 1950s. This is one of them, and it fits right in with my quest to move from cheap landfill-destined appliances to good ol' American-made tools that have lasted for decades. Presenting the Blue Whirl eggbeater, a stainless steel, hand-cranked kitchen gem that has stood the test. This beauty, which I have priced at close to $30 in some antique stores, was a find at $7 in an antique store in Shasta, California. When I paid for the thing I told the lady behind the counter that I was "going off the grid". Now, I know you can find them for close to $10 just by doing a search for Blue Whirl but this one is in nearly perfect condition. It looks like it's been used only for a season.
But none of this is the point. The point is that this well-made kitchen tool is of a quality that is very difficult to find. It is impossible to find this quality coming from that big country across the Pacific, a country that produces, as a friend of mine says, "future landfill".

Close-up of the Gear Mechanism.
Note the quality of the material.

Take a look at the beauty of this American product and ponder

The "Blue Whirl" Eggbeater

why we don't make this quality anymore. After all, this is a kitchen utensil that was first made nearly 60 years ago and yet it still works even better than some modern tools. I tell you, I have sworn never to buy any modern appliances or kitchen tools again. Why should I? My 1950s electric coffee percolator makes perfect coffee to this day, over half a century since it was made...in America. For a fact, a coffee maker these days will last you less than a year. I ask you, how many have you bought over the years? They break, so you buy another one. It breaks, you buy another. Yes, they are cheap enough, but the remains of these evil pieces of plastic and shoddy workmanship lie in a landfill forever. This has been my pattern and I don't think I am alone in this.

My 1970s GE Electric Beater

However, finding this eggbeater has given rise to a dilemma. I had thought to replace my existing electric eggbeater with this one and happily dug into the drawer to find the old electric eggbeater. But when I pulled it out, I realized, and remembered, that the old electric one was not "landfill" but rather a 1970s GE electric made in America, of very good quality. Not wanting to be too obsessed with getting back to basics, I will keep the electric for the time being, until I can find it a home that will appreciate it's well-made qualities. For now, however, like I told the lady at the antique show, when it comes to beating eggs and batters, I'm going off the grid.