Gourmet Prepared Gifts Tips
Read these 7 Gourmet Prepared Gifts Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Prepared Food tips and hundreds of other topics.
Top Foods to Send During Flu Season
Your friend just got over the flu and after a week in bed sipping water and nibbling crackers you want to send a gourmet food gift/get well gift to help fill her food-deprived stomach. Here are some helpful guidelines about foods that pack the most minerals and nutrients and should be eaten in large quantities during flu season.
By glancing at this list before creating your menu, you can perhaps prevent your friend from suffering a relapse.
While all vitamins and minerals are important to keep an immune system up during flu season, here are four that are particularly important to try to get in your diet each day, according to www.familyeducation.com.
1. Vitamin C - found in strawberries, oranges, potatoes, bell peppers, and raw leafy vegetables.
2. Vitamin E - found in milk, sunflower, corn and soybean oils, and avocados.
3. Beta carotene - found in sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, cantaloupe and winter squash.
4. Zinc - found in meat, fish, shellfish, poultry, dairy products, dry beans, nuts and grains.
Sending Food Gifts to the Military
If you'd like to send a gourmet food gift to a loved one in the U.S. Military, you are limited as to what you can send.
Food safety specialists at USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline offer the following advice concerning food gifts for armed forces serving away from home:
Recommendations for food gifts:
1. Dried beef or poultry such as beef jerky, turkey jerky, or beef slims are safe to mail. Bacteria can't multiply in food preserved by removing moisture.
2. Dehydrated soups and fruit drink mixes are lightweight and safe to mail. Regional condiments such as hot sauce and Cajun seasonings in packets are useful for spicing up Meals Ready to Eat (MREs).
3. Canned specialties such as patè, corned beef, shelf-stable hams, anchovies, shrimp, dips, and cracker spreads make nice treats. However, tell your loved one not to use any cans that are damaged or swollen. Foods in glass containers should not be mailed because the container can break.
4. Dense and dry baked goods such as fruitcakes and biscotti are good choices for mailing because they will not become moldy.
5. Other suitable baked goods include commercially-packaged cakes and cookies in airtight tins, dry cookies such as ginger snaps, and specialty crackers.
6. High-moisture baked goods such as pumpkin bread - while safe at room temperature for a few days - should not be mailed because they will most likely mold before delivery.
Fragile foods like delicate cookies won't make the trip intact. When mailing firm cookies and homemade candies, wrap each piece individually and pack items in commercially popped popcorn or foam packing "peanuts" to help cushion the trip.
Place the food gifts in a sturdy box and seal it securely with packing tape.
Dried fruits such as raisins and apricots, canned nuts and fruit, and commercially-packaged trail mix need no refrigeration.
Hard candies and firm homemade sweets such as fudge, pralines, and toffee are safe to mail because their high sugar content prevents bacterial growth.
As an alternative to homemade gifts, some families may wish to send a military member's favorite mail order foods. Shelf stable beef "summer sausage," cheeses, cakes and snacks can be ordered on the Internet or through mail order catalogues. Because of the delivery time and distances between the U.S. and duty stations overseas, do not order any food gifts that must be kept refrigerated for safety.
And one last thing to remember when sending food overseas to the military: you must have a specific address for your service member. Mail addressed to "Any Serviceman" will not be accepted by the U.S. Postal Service for security reasons.
Gourmet Baby Food Gifts
If you know a new mom, help make her transition into motherhood easier with prepared food packages. You can order prepared food meals to arrive in bulk, or have gourmet prepared food meals delivered once a week or once a month after the baby is born.
New moms are busy adjusting their lives with their new addition to the family, and that means lack of sleep, nutrition and general rest and relaxation. Having prepared food meals delivered to the new mom will eliminate the need for preparing and cooking dinner, so mom and baby can spend more time together and get more rest. By contacting the prepared food company directly, you can ask about getting a basket or box shipped right to mom's door.
Lactose Intolerance in Food Gifts
If you are sending a gourmet food gift to someone who is lactose tolerant, make sure you inform the chef of the company you are ordering from. People who are lactose intolerance differ in the range of dairy foods their bodies will accept or reject. For this reason, there is no one rule that applies to everyone who is lactose intolerant. Because of this, you should avoid foods with lactose. So think twice before ordering an Italian meal because many cheeses used in Italian foods have lactose (ricotta, mozzerella). Think twice about sending foods with creamy bases because there is probably milk in them. And also think twice about your dessert selection because ice-cream and chocolate could be off-limits. Do your research about lactose intolerance before you place your order so your well-meaning gift doesn't turn into a health disaster for your friend.
Money-Back Policies on Perishable Gifts
If you plan to send a perishable get well gift, make sure to check the money-back or satisfaction guaranteed policy before purchasing. If the food turns out to be unedible, you'll want to be able to send it back. Some companies say up front that they will not accept their food back if you are not satisfied, but they will offer you a refund or re-ship the food free of charge. Other companies have a satisfaction guaranteed policy, which means they stand by the quality of their products 100 percent and will offer a reimbursement if you find any aspect unsatisfactory.
However, some companies require that you contact them within a certain amount of days of the delivery. And say to allow 30 days from the time you contact them for the refund to appear on your credit card statement.
Also beware that many companies will not allow you to cancel your order once they receive your e-mail notification and purchase confirmation number.
So be sure you are completely familiar with the company policies before ordering so you're not caught by surprise.
Gift Policies at Hospitals
If you'd like to send a get well gift of gourmet food to a friend or relative in the hospital, it is a good idea to first check with the hospital policy on food gifts.
Check with the nurse before sending gifts of food or drink to a patient because the patient may be on a special diet. And make sure you check with the staff if your friend is in the intensive care unit before sending any gifts, flowers or food.
Ordering Gourmet Food Catalogues
If your gourmet food gift went over well and it's something you may want to give to others throughout the year, it might be worth your while to invest in a gourmet food catalogue. Many of the companies that deliver food have catalogues you can order so that their products are always at the tip of your fingers. So the next time you're unsure of what gift to give, open your drawer of catalogues and soon your only decision will be figuring out what will make his or her mouth water!
| Guru Spotlight |
| Candi Wingate |
