Today, Hamilton Beach is part of a conglom-erate that makes one out of every four small kitchen appliances sold. Mirro, Presto, West Bend and Regal A handful of plants in Wisconsin, along with some others in Ohio and Pennsylvania, served as the crucible for the modern American cookware industry, spurred by the 19th century isolation of aluminum a highly conductive metal light in weight, easily cleaned, and resistant to chipping and cracking. Since its first use in 5300 B.C. by the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, the best pottery cookware had been made of aluminous clay. In a pre-microwave world, this was a speed cooking revolution. As pressure increases, the boiling point of water gets higher.
Foods inside can therefore reach a higher temperature and cook faster.
Presto still makes pressure cookers, as do Mirro and the Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry, both in Manitowoc. Invented in the 1920s, it s still the best-selling brand in the world. The cold temps simulated high-altitude conditions, for testing rocket motors and more. So next time you re puttering in the kitchen, remember your culinary heritage and if you do something clever, take notes. You just might have come up with the next groundbreaking Wisconsin idea.