by The holiday season is upon us, and as you are shopping for gifts, you may see one of those generic hot sauce samplers and decide to get it for a friend or family member who likes spicy things. But my advice is to pass that on by (I go into more detail on that here). Instead of these mass-produced concoctions, look for name-brand sauces that are a known quantity or craft sauces. And if you have a World Market near you, then you should be able to find plenty of good options. I will note before proceeding that I am not getting paid to promote World Market products, nor are there any affiliate links in this article—I just happen to like the store. (But hey, World Market, if you want to pay me to promote your products or send me some affiliate links, give me a call.)
Most World Markets have a shelf dedicated to hot sauces, and you can also find other sauces throughout the store. The Asian shelf will generally have several types of sriracha sauce, and the Italian shelf will have some bottles of Calabrian pepper sauces and/or pastes. They also have a section with sampler-size bottles, and you can put together a nice gift set there. (Though check your local Walmart first, because they may have some of the same sauces cheaper. More on that here.)
World Market also has some hot sauce sets, but you will want to be careful when selecting from those. They have some name-brand and craft sauces, but they also have the generic sets, so pay attention to what you are buying. Take a look at the set above as an example. It claims this is a “Gourmet Hot Sauce Assortment,” but there are no recognizable names attached. If you zoom in on the back side, it says “Product of the U.S.A.,” but below that, it says “Packed in China.” So, even though the company itself may be in the U.S., the sauces are made in China. If you look at the ingredients, you see these all are made with distilled vinegar, some sort of pepper mash, and a few other ingredients. So, they will be vinegary sauces of varying heat and flavor, but the difference will be minimal. These may actually not be bad sauces (when they drop the price after Christmas, I may pick it up), but there are much better options.
If you look at the picture above, this has several other sets, including some known brands. That Hoff set is a pretty good deal at $29.99 and would make a good gift (you can read my review of their sauces here). The Hot Ones Party Pack is a bit pricey at $59.99 (Sam’s had it for $50 last year), but that is still a pretty good set (you can read my review of it here). The Torchbearer three-pack makes a nice stocking stuffer at $16.99 (read my review of it here), and I am not familiar with the Murder Hornet brand but will probably check it out (that runs $29.99). The Culinary Passport set is just another generic collection, so you can pass it on by. And while that Melinda’s set is a good sampler, it’s kind of pricey at $24.99. Check Walmart first because I got it for $9.99 last year (more on that one here).
So, World Market gives you plenty of options for hot sauce this time of year, and they have quite a few other spicy items throughout the store that can make a nice gift basket. Any friend or family member who likes foods that bring some heat will certainly appreciate the extra time and care you put into that gift.
