Willis Johnson: Inventor: Father of Mechanical Mixers

By Jerome T. Peoples

Willis Johnson was born in 1858 and became a house slave, responsible for cooking and chopping wood for woodburning stoves, as well as other duties. He invented the mechanical mixer—or eggbeater—to help in the kitchen, especially when creating chocolate, lemon, and coconut cakes. He became a master chef after the Civil War. He could not read or write at that time. Willis Johnson: Inventor shares this fascinating man’s life and accomplishments…and includes recipes for cake!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: Sep 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9781977269485

Jerome T. Peoples

Jerome T. Peoples has had a long, distinguished career teaching science in Detroit public schools, including engineering classes. He realized that the achievements of Afro-American inventors are still being ignored in US schools and must be included in public education. He is also the author of Lee’s Bread Machines: The Father of Automatic Bread-Making. 

Book preview

Willis Johnson: Inventor

Father Of Mechanical Mixers

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2023 Jerome T. Peoples

v4.0

The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-9772-6948-5

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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

This book is dedicated to my wife Carol

and the unsung Afro-American chefs.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Acknowledgments

I. Woodburning Stoves and the Slave Trade

II. Plantation Versus Farm

III. The Major Slave Types

IV. Who Was Willis Johnson?

V. Evolution of Cake

VI. Effectiveness of the Whisk, Fork, and Spoon

VII. How to Extract Coconut Meat

VIII. Recipe for Coconut Cake

IX. Recipe for Chocolate and Lemon Cake

X. Preparation Difficulties for Coconut, Lemon, and Chocolate Cake

XI. Sharecropping

XII. Different Styles of Learning

XIII. Willis Johnson Makes Use of the Scientific Method

XIV. The Origins of Cakes—Coconut, Chocolate, and Lemon

XV. Why Afro-American Chefs Were Dominant in the 1800s

Summary

Bibliography

Preface

The idea for this book began when I was involved with writing about Joseph Lee. In 2013, I decided that my first book, Lee’s Bread Machines, could be complemented with an activity book. While researching Lee’s Bread Machines the workbook, I discovered that Willis Johnson, the inventor of the eggbeater, was an ex-slave.

Fast-forward a few years to 2020. It became clear to me that Willis Johnson could neither read nor write, and that the eggbeater, which is actually a mechanical mixer, was a major invention. Willis Johnson’s invention of the eggbeater was not just an improvement, but a major invention that was poised to revolutionize the entire food industry. As a matter of fact, I believe that even though Willis Johnson’s invention has been in existence for 138 years, it still has not reached its fullest potential.

Introduction

There is an ancient African origin to civilization. While there