Electrolux Ankarsrum Assistent

Assistent is a household kitchen appliance, introduced by Electrolux in 1940.

The original that this article was based upon can be seen at sv:Electrolux Assistent in the Swedish Wikipedia.
A 1940s model Electrolux Assistent N1 model exhibited at the Museum of Technology in Stockholm.
A c. 1950s N3 model on display at the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden.
N3 model with accessories.

The distinctive feature of this mixer is that it spins the bowl and its contents, not the stirring paddle. As a result, there is more torque and less noise. The bowl is driven by an electric motor and worm gear from beneath. The power of the motor has increased over time from 250 W[1] to 400 W, 450 W, 650 W, 800 W and even 1500 W.[2] Original machines had a simple single speed switch; modern machines have both variable speed and a timer.

History

It was designed by Alvar Lenning (1897–1980)[3] and became a bestseller for Electrolux.[4]

The first Assistent had the model number NG1, and featured a 250 watt motor. A wartime recipe collection was also included in each box. In 1945, the second model, number N1 was introduced, although post-war material shortages meant that deliveries took as long as three years. At the start of the 1950s, model N3 was introduced with several improvements, including a switch from wood to plastic for the roller and paddle, and a motor upgrade to 275 watts. This was followed by model N4 in 1954 which featured a new mixer socket design. Until 1962, the Assistent was produced at Lilla Essingen in Stockholm, when the production line was then moved to Motala. Since 1969, the Assistent has been produced in Ankarsrum when Electrolux acquired the metallurgy firm Ankarsrums bruk and moved the production line to there from Motala. Originally produced in a crème colour,[5] it is sold today in several different colours.[1][6] Electrolux subsequently sold the Assistent appliance line to the investment company Traction AB in 2001, and in 2009 the now-renamed Ankarsrum Industries AB took over all rights to produce, market and sell the Assistent, but still sharing the rights to use the name "Assistent" with Electrolux.[5]

For a number of years after the war, a Danish variant was produced in Ballerup and sold as Ballerup Master Mixer. It was made by Helmuth A. Jensen A/S, and some sources say this was the original design from 1940, that Electrolux overtook.

Accessories

A range of additional accessories are available, most of which are the typical accessories for a large mixer.[7] Most attachments are driven using the main drive shaft used to drive the bowl, however, some – such as the meat grinder or pasta roller – require the machine to be tilted on its side.[8] The attachments available are:

  • Meat mincer
  • Vegetable grater
  • Citrus press
  • Pasta roller
  • Coffee and grain mill
  • Double beater for lighter cake mixtures.

The meat mincer also has many additional attachments, such as a sausage horn, strainer or nut grinder.

One is an unusual attachment, favoured by the Swedish market

  • Flake mill
This rolls grains such as oats and buckwheat to make muesli.

One attachment, the blender, uses a separate higher rpm drive shaft at the rear of the machine.

Example of a bread hook being used, in an Assistent of approximately mid-to-late-1990s vintage.

In the United States and Canada, a custom model released in 1990 had an attachable scraper, roller and a dough hook in each box. There is some disagreement as to whether the dough hook is needed or not (as opposed to the scraper and roller).

References
  1. "History". Assistent. Archived from the original on 2015-06-22. Retrieved 2014-12-13.
  2. "Assistent Original Food Mixer – Matte Black". www.purecookshop.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2013-08-18.
  3. US D126657, Lenning, Alvar, "Design for a food mixer", published 1940-04-15, assigned to Electrolux AB
  4. "Electrolux Group".
  5. Dunne, Linnea (July 2016). "Swedish-made Retro Design for All Your Kitchen Needs". No. 90. Scan Magazine. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  6. "Assistent Original – Svensk Köksmaskin Hushållsassistent Köksassistent Kitchen machine Kitchen Assistant – Bäst i Test". Archived from the original on 2010-07-20. Retrieved 2014-12-13.
  7. "The Assistent Accessories". purecookshop.co.uk. PureCookshop.
  8. "Assistent Mincer Manual" (PDF). assistent-original.se/en/produkt/meat-mincer. Ankarsrum. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
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