Gourmet Food Gifts You'll Want to Stock Yourself

By Phillip Rhodes
December 01, 2010
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
Whether you're shopping for the holidays, birthdays, or another special occasion, there clearly could be no other gift choice than that of gourmet food for a culinarian. Premium food products make delicious presents for those who prize legendary or iconic foods and other unforgettable offerings such as exotic salts, flavorful bitters, and smoky bacon. This collection of specialty drinks, snacks, spreads, condiments, and more deliver culinary cheer any time of year.
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Our Favorite Gourmet Foods

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
The best part of giving a gourmet gift—stocking your pantry at the same time. All items can be found at specialty grocers unless otherwise noted.
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Counter Culture Coffee

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor

Counter Culture's amazingly smooth coffees are the next best thing to locally grown; each variety includes details about the exact farm where the coffee was cultivated. Check online, and you can even Google Map your selection.

Price: $11 to $14 (12-oz.)

Shop: Counter Culture Coffee

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Crofter's Pomegranate and Black Currant Fruit Spread

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor

Slather on the sweetness with Crofter's intriguing Pomegranate and Black Currant Fruit Spread.

Price: $5

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Sal de Ibiza Fleur de Sel

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor

Mediterranean fleur de sel brings out the bright flavors of tomatoes, and we just love the summery jar—no matter what the time of year.

Price: $24 (4.4-ounce ceramic jar)

Shop: The French Farm

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Grove 45 Olive Oil

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor

Grove 45’s olive trees are Italian imports. But the olives they produce are grown, harvested, and pressed into spicy extra-virgin oil in the Napa Valley.

Price: $45 (18.5-ounce bottle)

Shop: Grove 45

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Fee Brothers Old-Fashioned Aromatic Bitters

Rochester, NY-based Fee Brothers produce intense, flavorful bitters—classics as well as unusual versions like rhubarb and chocolate.

Price: $7

Shop: Amazon.com

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Granny Cho Kimchi

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor

Hot, crunchy, tart, complex: The essential Korean fermented-cabbage pickle gets better with age.

Price: $9

Shop: Granny Choe

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Spice Hunter Turkey Brine

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor

Fans of the salty soak say it results in a more tender, flavorful turkey. Give it a try with Spice Hunter's Turkey Brine, premixed with sea salt, brown sugar, dried cranberries and apples, orange zest, black peppercorns, thyme, rosemary, and sage.

Price: $10

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Tanimura & Antle Artisan Lettuce

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor

Like bagged lettuce, only better and much fresher: Tanimura & Antle's 4-pack of artisan lettuce includes petite heads of sweet, soft gem and mildly bitter tango lettuces.

Price: $4

Shop: Specialty Grocers

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Lucini Italia Vinegars

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor

Who needs oil, with vinegars this smooth and flavorful? We sampled the entire line—pinot grigio, pinot noir, aged balsamic, dark cherry-infused, fig-infused—and loved them all.

Price: $11 to $16 each

Shop: Lucini Italia

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Nudo Italian Olive Tree Adoption

Adopt an olive tree, then get tins of first-press oil from its fruit throughout the year.

Price: $109

Shop: Nudo Italia

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Neuske's and Benton's Bacon

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor

As the national bacon craze continues, we nominate two favorites: Nueske's and Benton's. A little of either goes an astonishingly long way, suffusing your dish—and kitchen—with rich smokiness.

Price: $20 for 2 pounds (Nueske's), $21 for 4-pound-order (Benton's)

Shop: Benton's Hams 

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Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor

Luxe, creamy Humboldt Fog, with its trademark ribbon of bitter vegetable ash, is as iconic now as cheddar.

Price: Varies

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Dry Soda

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor

Dry Soda's zippy flavors have a fraction of the calories and sugar of standard sodas.

Price: $19 (12-pack)

Shop: DRY Soda

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Flatout Good Whole-Grain Flatbread

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor

Superlight, and supercrisp these whole-grain flatbread rounds are ready to party.

Price: $5

Shop: Major grocery stores nationwide

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