Gourmet gift baskets

Another day, another birthday, another occasion to celebrate. With tons of kinds of gifts already given and suggested through the years, people might be running out of ideas on what to give, especially for a loved one who loves to cook. Fret no more, because a gourmet gift basket of herbs and spices will come to the rescue.

One might wonder, why should you give a fresh supply of herbs and spices to a receiver who loves to cook? Well, simply because herbs and spices are things that a cook cannot do without. And they are the ones always being replenished in the kitchen cupboard.

In choosing what kinds of spices and herbs to include in your gourmet gift basket, a discreet inspection of the receiver’s kitchen will not go in vain. Maybe, a friendly visit once in a while and asking a well-loved home-made recipe from the receiver will give you a whole lot of context clues on what to give. Let us examine the usual roster of herbs and spices out there that are ideal for your gourmet gift baskets.

For your list of culinary herbs, it’s usually ideal to balance out the tastes for variety. It’s suggested to have not only a few jars of sweeteners and salination but other flavorings as well. For instance, a good gourmet basket is suggested to contain a jar or a pack each of the most common herbs used in cooking, such as oregano, basil, chives, stevia and thyme. The good thing is that these manufactured culinary herbs come in different sizes, so a medium-sized or small-sized jar would be enough for your gourmet gift basket. Another advantage of using herbs is that preserved, they last longer than the spices so it would be perfectly fine to have a ratio of 2:1 for containers of herbs against spices in your gift basket.

As for the spices, since these culinary flavorings are less commercially available and are more expensive—as  they usually are imported from Asian countries—a few jars of these would be fine for your gourmet gift basket. Further, spices are not as commonly used as flavorings, since not all people appreciate spicy, hot or chili-tasting flavors in food. Usually, a cook only needs one or two teaspoons of a particular spice to a dish that would serve 15 to 20 people, so they are not used in copious amounts compared to herbs. Therefore, a good gourmet gift basket may contain a small-sized container each of some of the most used up spices such as black pepper, cayenne pepper, curry powder, chili and paprika.

After choosing your herbs and spices for your gourmet gift baskets, a bottle or two of well-known brand of seasonings such as an oyster sauce or Tabasco sauce would also be a good bonus. Adding a small-sized healthy food cookbook can also go in the basket so that the receiver will truly know you have been complimenting his or her culinary talents as well as inform him or her that his or her efforts are well-appreciated.