03/19/2026
Hello kindred vintage spirits! Recently I have been focusing on more home cooking for my health and for boys' home life. One of my ventures is making my own butter using just a mixer, heavy whipping cream, and some pinches of salt.
So far, I've had a very tiring time using my Cuisinart hand mixer. We're talking 45 minutes of convincing cream to alchemize from bubbly froth to whipped cream to realllly whipped cream to wait a sec it's separating to holy cow splattering to suddenly a bowl of buttermilk and butter chunks.
But it is quite rewarding to end up with that homemade, wholesome result, and I was determined to find a better way.
Enter (aka dig out from under my sink) the vintage 1965 Feola Sunbeam Mixmaster. My mom used it all the time, and with only two beaters to lick, this hefty beauty became a family icon.
I've had it in my household for at least 20 years, but haven't used it, fearing a fire hazard and replacing it with my whippersnapper Cuisinart.
But last night I decided to give Miss Sunbeam a shot. Very much permissified** by binge-watching Vice Grip Garage* victories of old motors sputtering back to life.
First, I dug way back in the recesses of my addled brain and figured out how to release the beaters. Then I gave them and her powertrain a good cleaning and reset the beaters in position. I plugged in the surprisingly intact cord, turned the selectmaster dial from Off to 8, and...
nothing but an inner motor hum. For a few seconds.
But then, yes, by Betty Crocker's bouffant, the mixers slowly started turning. And humming and whining, with a sound that took me right back to my mom's countertop. They kept picking up speed, slowing a bit, and then evened out into a full on whirr. I also smelled something overheating, and she did start getting hot to the touch, but the plug wasn't getting hot, so I just let her run for a couple of minutes.
So I felt reservedly ready to let her handle the grunt work of getting the separation started, then let her cool down and finish with the hand mixer. So that we did -- even without a proper bowl. I had to use a plastic one, and maneuver it constantly to keep it from rattling out of balance. It took far less time this go-round, and I ended up with about 12 ounces of lightly salted butter, with my extra touch of local honey swirled in.
CJ's Sunbeam Honey Butter for the win!
So now I am on the hunt for a proper milk glass bowl for her, to fit the indented base. These custom bowls were made by Glasbake, but if my mom had one, I never saw it. So Miss Sunbeam needs her partner!
I have seen these Glasbake mixer bowls at thrift stores, so I know I can secure one pretty easily. In fact I have a bid in at shopgoodwill dot com for a set of the small and large size. But I thought I would also ask THN followers and fellow sellers if they have one I can buy. Let me know!
* I highly recommend VGG. The host/gearhead Derek is quirky and entertaining as well as knowledgeable. Steve and I spend hours on weekends watching and **have picked up his vernacular. You'll see what I mean if you watch. :) His classic car restorations are satisfactorizing in ways you never knew you could be satisfactorized. Let me know if you start!
