Bottom Line: Cheap hot sauce gift sets are often made overseas with low-quality ingredients and very little difference in flavor from bottle to bottle. Give known brands or craft hot sauces instead.
It’s that time of year and I will issue my annual warning as gift-giving season is now upon us. Sure enough, at some point you will be walking through one of the big-box stores or a gift shop and see a hot sauce set that you want to buy for a friend or relative that happens to like spicy food. Well, I’m here to tell you: resist that urge! Just pass it on by and put a little more effort into a gift that the person can really enjoy.
Why should you avoid these hot sauce gift sets?
Because they are usually comprised of mass-produced sauces using low-quality ingredients with very little difference in the flavors. And often these come from places like China or other overseas producers of cheap products. That’s not to say that because something comes from another country it is bad, but these come from countries that are just cranking out bargain-priced sets that are not really what they appear to be.
Often these will have names like “Sauces of the World” or “Restaurant Hot Sauce Sampler” or “Food Truck Hot Sauces” or that sort of thing. But these are usually all vinegar-based sauces with only slight variances in the ingredients from bottle to bottle and the only true difference may be food coloring. Read closely and you will see wording like “inspired by” hot sauces from around the world or famous restaurants for food trucks or similar verbiage. But these are usually not branded sauces coming from a known establishment.
These might be good as a gag gift for a White Elephant Party or something like that, and it is not necessarily that the hot sauces are bad, it’s just that they mostly taste like very basic vinegar-based sauces. These are not for people who truly appreciate spicy foods, and it is best to avoid them while instead seeking out a set from a place that is known for making good hot sauce.
How do you know if you are getting a quality hot sauce gift set?
First of all, if you find the set in some place like a wholesale club or a store that does not specialize in gourmet foods and/or sauces, it is probably best avoided. If you recognize the brand like Tabasco or Cholula or Dave’s, then you should be okay. If it is a sampler pack of various brands, read the label and make sure they come from the original maker and they are not “inspired by” certain sauces. If you can’t find any information on where the sauces come from, and/or there is just a generic list of ingredients, avoid that set. And if it comes from China, definitely avoid that set.
If you want to give a gift of hot sauce that people will really remember, then select some from craft makers that truly care about the quality of their product. In HEB in Texas, you can find Yellowbird or Secret Aardvark or other top-shelf brands and perhaps make a gift set of your own. You can also find all sorts of sampler packs online.
As I did last year, I will be highlighting gift sets that include quality sauces over the coming weeks, most of which are made right here in the U S of A. These are definitely good options if you are looking for a gift that brings the spice. Just avoid the urge to buy those cheap sets, and maybe sample a few sauces yourself to decide which are the best ones to give to others this holiday season.