For some reason, I have been fascinated with KitchenAid mixers since I was a little kid. I think it is because my parents had a large Hobart mixer at their restaurant, and I thought the smaller home edition was novel. Or more likely, they have gears, mechanical attachments, and a motor… three of the things that are dearest to my heart.

I bought one a while ago from Craigslist, and it leaked oil the first time we tried to use it. After getting over the initial horror of oil dripping into the dip we were concocting, I read up and found out this problem is fairly common. The grease they used breaks down over time and becomes a combination of a cakey substance and a fairly thin oil which drips from the case. I disassembled it, replaced the grease with Food Grade Machinery Grease, and all was good. This was about a year ago, and there has not been another drop of oil.

Tonight I was at a good friend’s house, and she mentioned she was having the same problem. She was even thinking about getting a new KitchenAid. I brought it home, did the same procedure, and it is now as good as new. I am posting this as a public service announcement. Don’t throw out your KitchenAid mixer if it drips oil! It is a fairly simple fix.

I included some pictures of the inside in case you’re curious. I know that I was. I didn’t include a picture, but it also has an interesting electromechanical governor system that adjusts the power delivered to the motor to maintain the selected speed under varying load conditions.

A couple more things:

• Yes, the pictured mixer is purple.
• No, it is not mine. Mine is much more masculine.