3 Essential Kitchen Tools || Every Busy Mum Needs These
This post may contain affiliate links. Disclosure here.
You know that feeling when the toddler is melting down, the baby’s nappy needs changing, and dinner is… not even close to happening?
Yeah. That one.
Whether you’re working, homeschooling, or just trying to keep everyone alive until bedtime, feeding a family well can feel like a full-time job. And let’s be honest…it often is.
But here’s the good news: there are a few clever bits of kit that can actually make life easier. Tools that let you batch cook like a boss, feed picky eaters without sobbing into your (cold) tea, and get dinner on the table without losing your mind (or your entire afternoon).
So, here are the three essential kitchen tools I rely on every single week, and why I think every mum should have them.
The Instant Pot || My weeknight secret weapon
If I had to pick just one kitchen tool to keep, it would be the Instant Pot. Hands down.
This magic contraption is a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, soup maker, porridge pot, bean boiler, broth brewer and possibly also a miracle worker. I use it for:
- Bone broth
- Bolognese sauce
- Hearty stews
- Cooking beans from scratch
- Turning leftover roast meat and gravy into delicious weekday suppers
- “Dump bag” freezer meals
- Curries, porridge, rice, soups…you name it. The Instant Pot is pretty all-singing, all dancing.
It just gets on with it while I’m sorting out the kids, answering emails, or lying face-down on the sofa for a quiet moment. For working mums or anyone juggling a packed schedule, the Instant Pot is like having a sous chef in the corner who never complains.
Plus, it’s brilliant for budget cooking; buying cheaper cuts of meat or bulk dry beans becomes totally doable when you know they’ll be perfectly tender in 30 minutes flat.
Honestly? I’d be lost without it.
The Vitamix (or a solid high-speed blender)
Yes, it’s spendy. Yes, I gulped when we bought it. But the cost per use? Totally worth it.
We use our Vitamix every. Single. Day:
- Smoothies for breakfast – Packed with fruit, chia seeds, flax seeds, nut butter, oats… and disguised vegetables if needed
- Smooth Pancake Batter – Wonderful for batch cooking banana pancakes for busy weekday mornings
- Soups and curry sauces – Especially useful for picky eaters who won’t touch a carrot unless it’s been blended into oblivion
- Grinding flours – Like quinoa or oats for gluten-free baking
- Nut butters – Homemade almond butter feels very “mum who has her life together”
- Chopping veg – Think onions, carrots, cauliflower rice… all whizzed in seconds
If you’re trying to save money on gluten-free products or sneak in nutrition without a fight, a Vitamix blender like this becomes essential. There are cheaper models out there (and they work fine for most things), but if you’re cooking a lot, investing in power and durability pays off.
3. The Wonder Bag || A slow cooker with a social mission
I didn’t expect to love the Wonder Bag but I really do. It’s proved one of the best gifts I’ve ever been given.
If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a heavily insulated fabric “bag” that continues cooking your food … without power. You heat your meal to boiling on the stove or in the Instant Pot, then pop the pot in the Wonder Bag, seal it up, and walk away.
Six hours later? Dinner is perfectly cooked and you haven’t used a drop of extra energy.
It’s ideal for:
- Stews, curries, soups
- Batch cooking in large quantities
- Keeping food warm for dinner time
- Yogurt making
- Resting meat after a roast
Plus, every Wonder Bag sold supports mums in developing countries who rely on this technology to cook safely without firewood. So you’re helping the planet, your budget, and another family. What’s not to love?
(I’ve got a full post about the Wonder Bag right here and highly recommend giving it a read if you’re curious.)
Do you need all three?
Honestly? Yes. If you’re feeding a family on a budget and want to cook from scratch without spending hours chained to the hob, these three tools make life so much easier.
The Instant Pot tackles the weeknight madness. The blender handles the nutrition side of things. And the Wonder Bag is your energy-saving, slow-cooking secret weapon.
They’ve become part of the rhythm in our kitchen and a way of making home-cooked food possible even when the wheels are falling off the day.
Pin this for later, or share with a fellow mum who’s trying to cook more and stress less. Got a favourite kitchen tool? I’d love to know so send me a message!
Generated with Pin Generator
