This story is part of Mother’s Day Gift Guide 2020. CNET editors round up the hottest gadgets for Mom this year.
Perhaps your mom is a dyed-in-the-wool foodie from birth, or perhaps she has come into her foodie sensibilities recently while quarantined, along with the rest of the sudden bread-baking, scallion-regenerating, coffee-whipping population. Whatever the case, this we know for sure: not all moms are created equal. Every mom has a particular blend of qualities that makes her uniquely special and worthy of just the right treat on Mother’s Day. (Not the least of which is her ability to survive raising you without major incident.)
Neither are all foodies created equal. “Foodie” can mean a lot of things to self-proclaimed holders of the title, from someone who enjoys a gourmet dinner out, to the person who experiments at home with all the latest gadgets and products, to a food speciality niche expert, to the type who voraciously consumes all varieties of food media with an appetite like a fat kid at an ice cream social.
Whether your mom is a lifelong or newly minted, self identifying foodie of any sort, we’ve rounded up a plethora of Mother’s Day food gifts including cheese, chocolate, wine and more gourmet gift basket options. We’ve also got creative food gift ideas from the gourmand, to the experimental, to the timeless, for whatever kind of mom and foodie you are blessed to call yours.
Read more: Best Mother’s Day 2020 gifts under $50
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If your mom swoons to the tune of “sous vide” like some moms do to “diamond earrings,” then she’ll be jazzed to unwrap this sparkling little number where she can learn to do it at home. About the size of a bottle of wine, this sous vide circulator ($215) will offer her the possibility of restaurant quality, expertly executed meals with a high geek factor. Plus, everyone she may cook for also benefits, including you.
Read more: Best headphones for mom: Mother’s Day 2020 gift picks
Online Cooking School
Some people never learn. And some people never stop learning. Is your mom the forever student type? Cooking classes are great gifts for hands-on foodie moms, and also provide the possibility of the most sought-after Mother’s Day gift of all: time spent with you.
Check out culinary course offerings from knife skills to cake decorating at your local restaurants, markets or schools (many of them are offering online options during this time), or you can gift your mom with a subscription to top-notch-nerd-factor online instruction from America’s Test Kitchen, starting at $20 per month.
Williams Sonoma
Your mom says she’s a foodie, but deep down she’s really just cheesy. (Mother’s Day dad joke, amirite?) This $80 collection from one of Vermont’s royal families of cheesemaking includes selections from the mild to the wild, any of which can be employed for knockout cheese boards, bangin’ burgers and legendary mac and cheese.
Made In
Your mother has never missed an episode of Top Chef and secretly longs for Tom Colicchio’s seal of approval. Made In’s cookware line offers exactly that, with sturdy, affordable pieces whether your mom just needs an upgrade here or there or is in the process of re-outfitting her entire kitchen. Plus, proceeds from Made In’s Southern Smoke Collection go to provide emergency relief to food and beverage industry workers. Your mom will be pleased with the gift and proud of your altruism.
Mercato
Your mother, bless her, never spent one second of her life thinking that cutting carbs would help promote any sort of healthy lifestyle. Without pasta, where’s the mental health? If your mom’s idea of eating a variety of foods means changing up the shape of the noodle regularly, she might delight in preparing fresh pasta from scratch, aided by this handy little number from Marcato ($60).
Dallmann Confections
Better than the average box of gourmet chocolates, these boxes also offer your mom a much needed laugh in the moment. Sanity Saver, Chocolate & Chill and Chocolate Makes Everything Better collections ($25-$45 depending on size) feature beautiful and inventive bites from this San Diego chocolatier.
Goldbelly
While confined to her immediate area, you can help your mom scratch her wanderlust itch by bringing some of America’s most iconic foods from around the country right to her. New Orleans’s muffuletta, San Francisco’s cioppino and Chicago’s deep dish are all just a few clicks away. A City Subscription from Goldbelly ($79) also helps to support restaurants in those cities affected by the pandemic.
Mouth
Maybe you want to remind your mom of the awesome road trip you once took together, or fuel her future plans to ditch the family home and spend her retirement in an RV. This Indie States of America club offers a monthly box ($60, though you save 10% if you prepay for a full year) featuring regionally specific snacks and other culinary goodies sourced from sea to shining sea. Plus, she’ll remember what a golden child you are at least once a month when each box arrives.
Williams Sonoma
Being a foodie doesn’t always equal gut-busting self-indulgence. There is much that can be prepared that is worthy of calling oneself a gastronome while still maintaining a health-aware perspective on dining. If this seems like your mom, isn’t it about time she got a spiralizer? This luxe $60 model is heavier-duty with multiple blades to take on all manner of veggies, even sturdier types like turnips and sweet potatoes.
Rosle
Grilling: it’s not just a dad’s game anymore. But you knew that already; your mom kicked your dad off the grill years ago when she realized the coals and fire whispered their secrets to her directly. She’s already the mistress of the meats, but this $40 basket will rocket her into grill master glory as she applies her already intimidating grill skills to fish and vegetables.
Vinebox
I mean, she loves food, don’t get me wrong, but maybe your mom is the type to pair what she eats with what she is drinking, and not vice versa. (And really, who cares about pairing anyway, just bring on the wine!)
This wine subscription from Vinebox (starting at $158) is a great way to add variety to her varietals, in that the selections are cleverly portioned as glass-sized samples of the world’s greatest producers and styles. And those little vials are super purse-appropriate, just saying.
Bed Bath & Beyond
It seemed rude to write “sausage loving mom” in a Mother’s Day gift roundup, but let’s be honest, your mom has been able to pronounce “charcuterie” without fear since she learned there was a single word to summarize her favorite food group. This meat grinder offers her an opportunity to try her hand at making her own signature blend.
Bed Bath & Beyond
Your mom is literally someone who stops to smell the roses; or to gently squeeze the peaches; or to casually evaluate the density of a summer melon while chatting up the farmer about heirloom varietals. Your mom’s favorite way to spend a warm weekend day is at the farmer’s market.
For the lady who would rather have her accessories match her produce than her shoes, a set of these striking, earth-friendly shopping totes will have her feeling farmers’ market chic all season long.
Sur La Table
Even as a child when you brought your mother breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day, you knew that she expected (and deserved) nothing but the finest quality products and presentation. Now that you have paychecks, and not just an allowance, show her that you’re still paying attention to those kinds of details and treat her to the luxury of luxuries. You get two ounces of premium sturgeon caviar, six blinis, crème fraîche, and a mother of pearl spoon in this $100 gift set. (A little champagne to go with probably wouldn’t hurt, either. You always knew you were the favorite child.)
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Your mom offered you a kind of lifetime warranty on the day of your birth. You can honor that commitment with a similar gesture: the counter accessory to end all counter accessories. A KitchenAid stand mixer ($380) is sturdy as a tank, and appropriate whether your mom is more keen to make a routine, rustic pizza dough or a delicate, special occasion souffle. And since it comes in over 40 available colors, you know you can find one to match your mom’s particular shade of special.
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