Don’t Buy Cheap, Generic Hot Sauce Gift Sets, Give Quality Sauces Instead
Don’t Buy Cheap, Generic Hot Sauce Gift Sets, Give Quality Sauces Instead
by paulswhite
12 Comments
paulswhite
Each year I put out a warning about those generic hot sauce sets that people like to give out at gifts during the holiday season. Sure enough, at some point you will be walking through one of the big-box stores or a gift shop and see one of theses sets and you will want to buy it for a friend or relative that happens to like spicy food. Well, I’m here to tell you: resist that urge and just pass it on by.
These sets 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. Just skip these and look for named brand sets or collections from craft sauce makers. They may be a bit more expensive, but that friend or relative will appreciate them much more
swinging-in-the-rain
We know. It’s our family members that need to get the memo
Calidigger
Just got my bud the Torchbearer gift box and he was thrilled.
dcheesi
I was surprised to see one of these sets in Costco the other day. It even had cool skull-shaped bottles, but AFAICT it was the same cheap vinegar sauce array as in most of these.
OnTheTrail87
God I hope my family sees this post. I have a cupboard full of crappy novelty “hot sauces” that I’ve been gifted by my loving well-meaning relatives.
To anyone searching Reddit for gift ideas for the hot sauce lover in your life, don’t buy these gift sets. Instead, just search this subreddit for some of the most popular sauces people have posted about, and buy some of those individual bottles.
Toomanymondays
I would honestly just be grateful someone cared enough to buy me anything at all.
Shirkaday
The people doing the buying need to see this. Maybe there are like … male gift ideas subreddits?
coldblooded79
We already know this. It’s the people buying us the hot sauce that need to hear it.
Diagonaldog
Honestly I’m drowning in sauce I’d rather have flakes/powder/seasoning spice anyway
Chris_P_Lettuce
It’s interesting that with all the hot sauce gift sets available, there is still a huge market for quality hot sauce gift sets.
thechugdude
More for me.
sha1shroom
Or best of both world’s, a quality hot sauce gift set, e.g. a Torchbearer or Marie Sharp’s gift box.
12 Comments
Each year I put out a warning about those generic hot sauce sets that people like to give out at gifts during the holiday season. Sure enough, at some point you will be walking through one of the big-box stores or a gift shop and see one of theses sets and you will want to buy it for a friend or relative that happens to like spicy food. Well, I’m here to tell you: resist that urge and just pass it on by.
These sets 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. Just skip these and look for named brand sets or collections from craft sauce makers. They may be a bit more expensive, but that friend or relative will appreciate them much more
We know. It’s our family members that need to get the memo
Just got my bud the Torchbearer gift box and he was thrilled.
I was surprised to see one of these sets in Costco the other day. It even had cool skull-shaped bottles, but AFAICT it was the same cheap vinegar sauce array as in most of these.
God I hope my family sees this post. I have a cupboard full of crappy novelty “hot sauces” that I’ve been gifted by my loving well-meaning relatives.
To anyone searching Reddit for gift ideas for the hot sauce lover in your life, don’t buy these gift sets. Instead, just search this subreddit for some of the most popular sauces people have posted about, and buy some of those individual bottles.
I would honestly just be grateful someone cared enough to buy me anything at all.
The people doing the buying need to see this. Maybe there are like … male gift ideas subreddits?
We already know this. It’s the people buying us the hot sauce that need to hear it.
Honestly I’m drowning in sauce I’d rather have flakes/powder/seasoning spice anyway
It’s interesting that with all the hot sauce gift sets available, there is still a huge market for quality hot sauce gift sets.
More for me.
Or best of both world’s, a quality hot sauce gift set, e.g. a Torchbearer or Marie Sharp’s gift box.