Holiday

12 Kitchen-Related Mother’s Day Gifts That Are Under $25

Not all quality kitchen equipment has to (or should) cost a lot.
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Published Apr. 30, 2020.

Riddley Gemperlein Schirm

When my sister and I were little, we gave my mom “coupon” books for Mother’s Day. They were filled with slips for free hugs (she liked these) and for doing the dishes after dinner (she loved these). And while they didn’t cost much to make, our mom looked forward to these coupons every year because they were from our hearts. Now, she still doesn’t want us to spend a lot on Mother’s Day gifts. She just wants to know she’s appreciated.

My sister lost her job about a month ago. She worked as a hostess for a restaurant and, like millions of other Americans, has filed for unemployment. She’s worried about how she’s going to pay her rent and how to best grocery shop on a strict budget, but also about things that are of less consequence but of big importance to her, like making sure she can still get my mom a great gift for Mother’s Day. And since my parents recently moved into a new house, my sister wants to get my mom something for her kitchen that’s both affordable and useful.

The good news: Many pieces of kitchen equipment that we’ve tested and loved are under $25 (If $25 is too much to spend, we’ve included some of our favorite pieces of kitchen equipment that are $10 or $15.) Here are 12 budget-friendly Mother’s Day gifts that, hopefully, your mom will love—I know mine would.

Blade grinder

Blade grinder: At less than $20, our favorite blade grinder by Krups is a steal. If it’s in your budget, you can order a bag of your mom’s favorite coffee—Stumptown and Tandem are my family’s favorites— to go along with it. Your mom’s not a coffee drinker? This blade grinder is also an excellent spice grinder.

Measuring spoons

Measuring spoons: Everyone needs a good set of measuring spoons—and having more than one pair is useful, too. For a gift your mom can use with pretty much anything she makes, our favorite measuring spoons by Cuisipro are about $15. If you want something to round out the gift, add a bottle of one of her favorite spices (or something you think she’d be excited to try).

Salt box

Salt box: Salt boxes make it easy to get a pinch of salt to season food (and keep moisture out, preventing the salt from getting clumpy and tough to grab). This Totally Bamboo Round Salt Box is just $10 and easy to open, fill, and use. A box of salt completes the gift.

Spatula

Spatulas: Most of our favorite spatulas are still in stock on Amazon and will be delivered before Mother’s Day:

→ Our favorite all-purpose spatula: Di Oro Living Seamless Silicone Spatula
→ Both of our favorite spatula-spoons: 
Starpack Premium Silicone Spoonula
Rubbermaid High-Heat Spoon Scraper
→ Our favorite nonstick-safe spatula: Matfer Bourgeat Exoglass Pelton Spatula
→ Our favorite compact spatula: OXO Good Grips Silicone Cookie Spatula 

Cast iron skillet

Cast-iron skillets: Get your mom a workhorse skillet that’ll last a lifetime. While our favorite 12-inch traditional cast-iron skillet has surged in price, the 10-inch and 8-inch versions are each well below $20.

An illustrated print

A Cook’s Illustrated print: If your mom’s a Cook’s Illustrated fan, we have several $20 prints that would look gorgeous hanging up in her kitchen.

Grill pan

Grill pan: Our favorite grill pan by Lodge is under $20. If your mom likes to make sandwiches, steaks, or burgers and get those tasty char-grill marks indoors, then a grill pan is a great option. Plus, it’s made from cast-iron, so it gets more nonstick the more you use it.

Ice cube molds

Ice cube molds: If your mom is into making cocktails (or wants to be!) our favorite sphere ice cube molds are ready to ship and below $20. If you have the budget, you could pair it with How to Cocktail or a bottle of her favorite spirit.

Reusable totes

Farmer’s market-friendly totes: If your mom loves to frequent the farmer’s market, these mesh totes are great for toting around fresh vegetables. And at $10.98 for three, they’re a good deal. 

Kitchen timer

Kitchen timer: A new kitchen timer might seem like a boring gift, but our favorite is anything but. At $20, this OXO model has three different timers built in, so you can keep track of the pasta that’s boiling and the chicken that’s roasting at the same time.

Square baking pan

8-inch square baking pan: If your mom loves to bake, our favorite square baking pan is a great gift. It’s essential for our lemon bars and triple chocolate brownies. You can also print out a recipe you think she’d love that uses the pan.

Maldon salt

Bucket of flakey salt: This is a bit over $25, but a bucket of flakey Maldon is what finishing salt dreams are made of! This is my go-to gift for all sorts of occasions, and I can see my mom loving it for Mother’s Day, too.


If you’re looking for more gift ideas, check out our Mother’s Day Pop-Up Sale, which includes 65 of our favorite pieces of equipment, swag, prints, and books at discounted prices.

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