All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
Do you have a flavor extremist in your life? Someone who would keep mini hot sauce bottles on their key chain and always asks for salt, even at the kind of restaurants where it’s considered an affront to the chef? Do they squeeze every last drop of juice out of both limes they order with their gin and tonic and eat “Thai hot” dishes without breaking a sweat? Whether they’re salt fiends or heat seekers, some people constantly need a little extra something sprinkled on all their food. Here are 22 gifts for your friend who thinks everything is underseasoned.
Travel salt
A grimy old restaurant salt shaker is obviously a better option than choking down an underseasoned meal, but table salt will never compare to high-quality sea salt. Good salt that can go anywhere makes an excellent gift for just about anyone, and while that box of 2,000 Maldon salt sachets is great on its own, you can also break it to make stocking stuffers for a crowd.
Travel-friendly hot sauce
Beyoncé may have been referring to her trusty baseball bat when she told the world she had hot sauce in her bag, but the famous lyric was also a nod to a Black cultural norm that makes a lot of sense. So if you know a heat seeker who needs spicy stuff within arms reach at all times, help them build their stash with these mini hot sauce bottles.
A pocket-sized pepper mill
In addition to grinding pepper on the fly, a tiny spring-loaded pepper mill or salt grinder feels like it might come in handy in some kind of MacGuyver-like emergency situation.
Restaurant-style packets
A bulk order of restaurant-supply sauce or seasoning packets isn’t the kind of thing most people would think to buy for themselves, and that’s exactly why it would make such a hilariously wonderful gift for anyone who’s constantly trying to add more flavor to everything.
Itty-bitty bitters
The cocktail equivalent of underseasoned food is a too-sweet drink, and these tiny bottles of bitters can help bring a little balance to a dive bar beverage. In a pinch a few discreet drops can even turn basic soda water into something a little more exciting.
Spicy swag
People who think heaven is a place called Flavor Town (no, not that Flavortown) are rarely shy about their gastronomic preferences. Help them make a fashion statement and a Scoville statement with some super-hot swag.
A cookbook that will make them feel seen
In the introduction to her new cookbook, More Is More, former Bon Appétit food editor Molly Baz writes, “I'm sick and tired of recipes that call for one garlic clove," and declares that “there’s nothin' worse than a bland piece of meat." Throughout the 100 recipes, Baz always encourages the reader to add more—more salt, more herbs, more char, more all of it—which is why this instant New York Times bestseller is a great gift for anyone who thinks everything is underseasoned.
