Mother’s Day Ideas
We all know that Mother’s Day is just around the corner. I don’t know about you, but I am perfectly HAPPY getting needed kitchen equipment for celebrations like these (hint, hint). I am not one for impractical gifts. I love a fresh bouquet of flowers, don’t get me wrong, but I would rather get something that I could use for some time to come. Something that is practical. And frankly, sometimes my family needs a little help knowing what it is that I need.
Maybe you are like me and like practicality. If so, you may want to email this post to your hubby (or children) so that they get the hint of what would make you happiest in a few weeks. OR maybe you will be excited to see a needed equipment list for what to have on your Once A Month Cooking BIG DAYS. Here is what I suggest for having on hand. Along with a few of my favorite kitchen items.
I should also mention that Amazon.com is having a kitchen and home sale TODAY and TOMORROW (April 13th – April 14th). They have a lot of this equipment on sale and a lot of it also qualifies for free super saver shipping. So now might be a good time to make the investment in some new equipment or to send that suggestion on to others. 
Preferred Equipment for OAMC days (I have included links to my personal favorites. Please note that any items will do you DO NOT have to have these specific items):
- Food Processor (not necessary but convenient) – Cuisinart Pro Classic 7-Cup Food Processor
or Black & Decker 10-Cup Food Processor
- Mixer or Hand Mixer – KitchenAid Classic 4-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer
or Hamilton Beach Deluxe Hand Mixer
- 2-4 Crock Pots – Rival 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker
- Vegetable/Rice Steamer – Oster 2-Tier 6.1-Quart Food Steamer
- Electric Griddle – Presto Liddle Griddle
- Waffle Maker – Black & Decker Grill and Waffle Baker
- 2-4 Large Mixing Bowls – Oxo Good Grips Mixing Bowl, 5-Quart
or SoftWorks 3-piece Plastic Mixing Bowl Set
or PC Classic Batter Bowl
- 2-4 Sets of Measuring Cups – Oxo Good Grips Soft Measuring Cups
or Oxo Good Grips 4-Cup Angled Measuring Cup
or PC Easy Read Measuring Cups or PC Easy Adjustable Measuring Cup or PC Measure All Cup
- 2-4 Sets of Measuring Spoons – Oxo Good Grips Soft Measuring Spoon Set
or PC Easy Adjustable Measuring Spoon or PC Mini Measure All Cup
- 2-4 Mixing Spoons – PC Bamboo Spoon Set
- 2 Baking Spatulas – Silicone Spatulas Set
or PC Classic Scraper
- 2 Cooking Spatulas – Oxo Good Grips Nylon Flexible Turner
- 1-2 Vegetable Peelers – Oxo Serrated Peeler
or PC Serrated Peeler
- 2-3 Chopping Knives (good and sharp) – Victorinox Cutlery 3-Piece Fibrox Chef’s Set
or Wusthof Knife Prep Set
- Meat Tenderizer Mallet – Oxo Meat Tenderizer
or PC Meat Tenderizer
- 1-2 Large Skillets – Cuisinart Chef’s Classic 5-1/2-Quart Saute Pan
- 1-2 Large Stockpots (I mean restaurant size) – Prime Pacific Trading 12 and 16 Quart Stockpot Set
- 1-2 Saucepans – any will do
- 2 Cutting Boards – Oxo 7-1/2-by10-1/2-Inch Cutting Board
or PC Cutting Board with Measuring Cups
- Whisk – Oxo 11-Inch Balloon Whisk
- Pasta Stirrer – Oxo Spaghetti Server
- Colander – Corelle 5 Quart Colander
or PC Colander Bowl Set
- 2-3 Muffin Tins – Farberware 12-Cup Muffin Pan
- 2-3 Cookie Sheets – Chicago Cookie/Jelly Roll Pans, Set of 2
- 1-2 Wire Cooling Racks – Wilton 3-Tier Cooling Rack
Not Needed but REALLY Nice:
- Pampered Chef Mix N Chop (great for all that hamburger)
- Bakery Mat
- Pampered Chef Prep Bowl Set (I like these for the smaller amount of chopped produce)
- Large Scoop (good for scooping muffins) – Oxo Cookie Scoop
or PC Large Scoop
- Pampered Chef Apple/Corer/Slicer (Cortney is especially fond of this item – and very helpful for baby food)
- Pampered Chef Cut and Seal
- Mini Food Chopper – Cuisinart Mini Prep Food Processor
- Blender (will be needed in an upcoming OAMM menu and is good for baby food) – Oster Classic Beehive Blender
Which item is your kitchen the most “in need” of this Mother’s Day?
Thank you so much for doing this; it’s incredibly helpful for a newbie in the kitchen like me. If only I had found this website before our wedding; I had no idea what things to register for, lol.
Funny you say that, when I asked Cortney to look over this post she laughed that it looked like a wedding registry. I suppose it does.
Wow I’m better off than I thought. Missing a meat tenderizer, spare sets of measuring gear, a second stock pot, still unsure of the size of my crock pots… and then a few of the “nice” but not “needed” items.
A breadmaker is a “must have.” Great for making banana nut bread and other quick breads that can be frozen and used later (OAMC breakfast idea!!).
We have started a garden, so I’ve asked for a pressure cooker and canning supplies. I’d also, like a wheat grinder, but the one I want is about $250 before shipping–ouch! So I will be saving up my monies for that one.
I refuse to believe anyone except Crockpot Lady really needs 4 crockpots! I think 1 and the mini one is probably plenty.
Thanks for the linking to the Pampered Chef mix and chop–I really want one of those, but I didn’t know what it was called!
we’ve been talking about buying a food processor lately…thanks for the head’s up on the amazon sale and the consumer report link. after quite a bit of research yesterday, i bought my cuisenart pro-classic 7-cup today!!
Nice! We will expect some great pictures of you using that!
I need a big pasta pot now I’m dying over here
[...] don’t see the perfect thing for the once a month cook in your life, try taking a look at the OAMM Suggested Equipment post, the Mother’s Day Kitchen Gift Guide, or the OAMM Amazon [...]
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