10 Things Every Mom Needs In Her Kitchen

I love my kitchen. It’s not huge and it will never be featured in Home and Garden, but it has all the right widgets, gadgets and accessories to make it completely functional.

I want to share with you a few of my absolute favorites.

Instant Pot

Unless you have been living in a cave, you have probably heard of the Instant Pot. My dear friend Julie turned me on to the Instant Pot when she cooked meal after delicious meal at her house.

My husband and kids bought the Instant Pot for me for my birthday this year. So far, here are a few of our favorite Instant Pot recipes:

Instant Pot Orange Chicken
** This recipe calls for both white sugar and brown sugar. My family thought it was a little too sweet. So the second time I made this I skipped the white sugar and only used the brown sugar. My family liked it much better this way
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
- This recipe is so easy and juicy! I used this recipe when we had a group of friends coming over to our house. I set up a taco bar and the chicken was the protein. I added small bowls of various salsas, slaw, chipotle sauce, onions, etc…and it was a huge hit.
Instant Pot Stroganoff
- My husband said “Please make this every single day!”. Dad approved.
- I swapped the Greek yogurt for heavy whipping cream

Apple Slicer

Someone gave this to me as a gift years ago. This is one of the best gifts anyone has ever given me. Since my kids were toddlers, they have been able to slice an apple, pack apples for their sack lunch or serve apples to their playmates with this simple tool. Great for adults, too!

Soda Stream

Are you trying to kick sugary sodas? My family and I started spending hundreds of dollars per year on LaCroix flavored sparkling water drinks. Then we learned about Soda Stream where you basically make your own flavored sparkling water at home.

For us, a $100 investment for something we could use for years make so much more sense than buying pre-canned versions from the grocery store.

I included the package with the carbonator, an extra bottle and flavoring. You have to buy all of the extras anyways.

The best news about this product is that my family has completed stopped drinking Coke, Sprite and other sugary drinks at home. Amen. I also love that the Soda Stream doesn’t require electricity – so you can put it just about anywhere in your house.

Spiralizer for Zucchini Spaghetti

Have you ever heard of zucchini spaghetti? Zucchini spaghetti is spaghetti made with zucchini spirals instead of noodles. Not only is zucchini spaghetti delicious (and tastes just like noodles) but it is lower in carbs and overall healthier. You need a spiralizer in order to get the zucchini to form right (see photos and video in Amazon link below)

Ninja Coffee Maker

This is the best coffee maker I have ever owned. And you get a lot of bang for your buck. The Ninja Coffee Maker can make a single serving cup of coffee, includes a carafe for larger quantities and includes a milk frother. It also includes a permanent reusable filter (no more coffee filters!)

Calphalon Self-Sharpening Knife Set

I don’t know what I would do without a good set of knives. I use them every day. My old set of knives lasted me over a decade. My husband bought me a new set of Calphalon knives for Christmas this year. The coolest thing about this knife set is that they are self-sharpening. Not everyone can afford a $1000 set of good knives so I think this quality set of knives for under $200 is a steal – especially if you use them for 10+ years.

Mini Donut Maker

My daughter was given this as a gift by my sister Leigh and it has been a huge hit in our family. Not only are the donuts baked (not fried), they are bite size and much easier to eat than cupcakes. My daughter had a donut decorating party with her friends and used traditional cupcake toppings (icing, sprinkles, etc..) to top off the donuts.

Most mini baking gadgets for kids are terrible. But this mini donut maker is impressive!

Speaking of great gadgets for kids……

Hawaiian Ice Snow Cone Maker

In addition to the donut maker above, this is my kid’s favorite machine. I bought this last summer because my son smashed his tennis racquet. As a result, he had to earn $150 to buy a new one. Instead of a lemonade stand, he sat in front of our house for several days and had a snow cone sale. He earned $165 in three days! What a valuable lesson!

So the $45 investment I made in this snow cone machine paid itself back rather quickly. 🙂

** If your child has a snow cone sale, use regular cups instead of the cones. When customers drive away in their car the cups won’t spill, drip or create a mess.

Whiskey Ice Molds

Ok, my husband asked me to mention this one. He has been given these ice molds three times as gifts and absolutely loves them. I told him “Honey, I don’t know too many moms who sit around sipping whiskey”. He said “They need to buy this for their husbands”. Alrighty then.

Click on the image below and you will see photos of what the ice balls look like frozen. Very cool.

A Great Assortment of Cookbooks

I know you are thinking I get all of my recipes online – I don’t need books. Not only do cookbooks just look cute and stylish in a kitchen, some of my favorite recipes of all time have come from cookbooks. I do indeed use online recipes, but I will go to my grave a cookbook fan. Here are a few of my favorites:

Barefoot Contessa, How Easy Is That?: Fabulous Recipes & Easy Tips

This is one of the first cookbooks I ever bought when I was a new mom. I have made so many recipes from this cookbook I can make them by memory now!

Our favorites are the garlic-roasted cauliflower, turkey meatballs, weeknight bolognese and warm French lentils.

My Father’s Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness

I know you are thinking What? The Gwyneth Paltrow cookbook? Seriously?
Give her a break. Her cookbook is fantastic. My family loves her chicken and dumplings, homemade pancakes, duck ragu and many many other hits.

The Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook

Just about everything in here is magnificent!

Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering

Joanna Gaines could poop in a ziplock bag and I would buy it. #notkidding
My favorite recipe from her cookbook are the Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas. I made these when a group of families came over to our house and everyone loved them.

Rachael Ray’s Look + Cook

I eat with my eyes, so I looooooove all of the step-by-step photos in this cookbook. My favorite recipe in this cookbook I have made 8,742 times is the BBQ Orange Chicken with cashews.