Gifts for Mexican Cuisine Lovers and Home Chefs

_{Image above: Tacos de al pastor. Source: Megumi on Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic}

_{Beef tacos...are you getting hungry yet?}

Chef Rick Bayless has delighted many with his wonderful television program on Mexican food and cooking, "Mexico: One Plate at a Time". The Top Chef Masters winner has written numerous cookbooks focusing on his modern interpretations of Mexican classics, and I personally consider them some of the best, most useful cookbooks in my own collection. They are perfect for anyone who wants to not just cook Mexican food but really learn about the ingredients, their presentation, tips for selection and ways to turn one single recipe into numerous variations throughout the year. No lover of this type of cuisine should be without at least one of his cookbooks, but why not get someone a set of at least 2 or 3 titles? It would make a perfect gift for any occasion.

Tortillas are an essential part of almost every Mexican meal - and if you notice in most all restaurants they are served in a special covered bowl to keep them soft and warm. If you just serve them on a plate they can dry out, get cold and tough...yuck! So a tortilla warmer is really an important piece of kitchen and dinnerware for the Mexican chef.

The more-experienced home chef may eventually want to try making her own tortillas instead of always using store-bought. (Just like in Italian food with pasta, there are some Mexican recipes that work better using homemade vs. ready-made tortillas). A tortilla-press is a traditional method for making them by placing a small ball of corn tortilla dough in the center and pressing down, creating the flat, round tortilla shape. The press does not cook the tortilla, only shapes it so that you can fry it, fill it, warm it on the griddle...use however you intend from there.

You've made your tacos, your salsas, your other fillings...now how to serve them? An all-in-one taco tray is a great gift for the Mexican food and taco enthusiast, as you can assemble everything together in one neat and organized serving platter to take direct from the kitchen to table. It's great for parties or even just for two to enjoy together. Less mess and less scrambling around for lots of bowls, plates and serving platters.

The "Fiesta Taco Tray" is both microwave and dishwasher safe - making it easy to keep tacos and meat fillings warm before serving, and then clean up in a breeze! It includes six sections to stand up taco shells as well as five compartments to organize fillings like cheese, meat, salsa, greens and more.

After tacos, what are probably one of the most popular dishes in Mexican and Southwestern restaurants? I'd say probably fajitas! There's nothing like having that sizzling pan of meat, onions and peppers brought out to the table to assemble in soft tortillas with the fillings of your choice. There's no reason not to enjoy them at home, too, as a fajita pan is not that expensive an investment - but it makes for a great gift as it's an item most home chefs wouldn't think of buying for themselves.

Fajita pans can be used for other dishes, too, like baking nachos or keeping steaks warm before and during serving.

Baked tostadas are delicious and so much fun to eat! They make perfect "edible bowls" for salads and kids love them; they're perfect for parties as well, as guests can assemble their own "taco salads" to enjoy from a variety of meats, greens, salsas and cheeses. (They're even great for Mexican-themed ice cream sundaes, too!)

igourmet.com offers numerous different types of Food-of-the-Month clubs, including one dedicated to salsas! Their Salsa of the Month program will treat recipients to a different kind of salsa each month, from traditional Southwestern and Mexican salsas to fusion-style New England crab salsa, Southern fruit salsa, and many more.

Each month the club will send one 12-16 ounce jar of salsa to the recipient with detailed information, serving suggestions and recipes. You can choose a 3, 6 or 12-month plan and can set the start date however you want, making it a fun gift for Christmas, a birthday, or other special event.

Finally, here's a gift to share with someone you really want to reward: your spouse, a parent, or perhaps as a perfect gift to a special couple in your life. Cookbook author and culinary guide Marilyn Tausend offers specially-themed tours of Mexico for those who really want to savor the country's cuisine in person via her website Culinary Adventures, Inc.

Marilyn and her staff have been offering guided tours for over 25 years. There are cooking tours where you can work one-on-one with great chefs - such as Rick Bayless himself! - while also touring tequila distilleries, exploring Mexican culture, and sampling wonderful food. There are also culinary adventures like "Ride, Cook and Eat" that you can enjoy while on vacation in Mexico spotlighted on her travel page.