What feels like months ago, we found out about Netflix’s The Final Table through one of our favorite chefs. Monique Fiso is a Kiwi chef focusing on reviving Māori cuisine. We have followed her on social media for quite some time; when she announced that she would be on a cooking competition we were thrilled to see her in action. We were thrilled to see her bring attention to the cultures and cuisines within New Zealand.
3 stars given on Yelp
Having worked a few buildings over for two and a half years, I saw the lines outside of Tsujita, a ramen eatery on Sawtelle. I knew it was heavily hyped because of its presence on Gold’s 101 List multiple times. I think he even claimed it was the best ramen in LA. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case the only time I visited.
11 Pyrex test tubes. 1 custom wood holder. 1 tasting spoon. 1 passport to the world of SALT. All of this tucked snugly in the perfect sized box as an amazing gift idea for the right person.
This gourmet collection of eleven of the finest salts that the United States has to offer provides a grand variety of flavor, color, and texture. If you are color-blind, then you’re a bit out of luck, but if you can, see all the colors of the rainbow and more. Then the small card that comes with the set tells you what the salts pair nicely with: vegetables, chicken, red meat, fish, sauces & soup. It also tells you if they work for finishing, cooking, and/or table.
It gets maximum points for appearance and design, so let’s talk about the product and why someone would want such a collection of salts.
I can’t tell you how many times I have seen a PROFESSIONAL chef been sent home on Chopped or any other competitive cooking show for a lack of seasoning. More than any other offense, that lack of season comes from using little or no salt. Salt really is an amazing thing in the culinary and gourmet world. It can seem so simple but can augment the complexities of flavors that other ingredients offer. It’s not just about adding salt to water before cooking pasta, it’s also about using salt to FINISH dishes right before they hit the table.
Here is a break down of my favorite salts in the collection and why they can make your dishes taste THAT much better without any negative health effects. (SALT is healthy, and soon Hungry & Fit will tell you why!)
Best Taste: Carolina Hickory. The amount of flavor that they managed to pack into each grain of salt in this tube is unbelievable. It’s as potent as some of the best BBQ that I have ever had.
Best Fragrance: Apple Wood Smoked. Simply, an explosion of smell when you open the test tube. These larger pieces of salt have quite the abundant fragrance and with the popularity surge of bacon in recent years, everyone would love this smell.
Best Texture: Seneca Salt Flakes. Hailing from New York, these pieces of salt have the most majestic form. They remind me of large snow flakes from Quebec. Absolutely gorgeous and with their plain white color, they are the perfect finishing salt for look.
Best Overall: Vintage Merlot Infused. A beautiful purple color. A subtle salty aroma. A delicate flavor that brings out the best in other ingredients. This California Sea Salt is versatile and show stopping.
All of this is not to say that the other salts are lacking, they just have a more specific duty. The variety offers something for everyone, but we will make good use of all the sea salts.
This present will be perfect for anyone involved in nutrition or the culinary arts. A mother or father that enjoys cooking for the family or a professional chef can appreciate this. As an inspiring chef when I was just a child, I would have loved to experiment with these different flavors. And this isn’t the only salt collection or culinary delight that can be found at UncommonGoods.
This unique company has a lot to offer: putting artists first with amazing hand-crafted goods, being a B Corp to use their business to try to solve social and environmental issues, and a big heart. For every item you purchase, UncommonGoods donates $1 to the non-profit of your choice–now that’s something we can get behind! There are many more cool products just like this one at UncommonGoods. Click here for ideas for gifts for women and click here for gift ideas for that special, unique someone. I know I could spend days looking through their stuff…well, I may already have. Just visit the website and have fun exploring all of the amazing gifts, for others or yourself, since the holiday season is just around the corner! And as always, stay hungry and fit!
