Top Gifts for the Spanish Food Enthusiast

Any Spanish food enthusiast will appreciate a steel paella pan for preparing paellas. Although you'll find enamel and aluminum versions, the original steel pans with dimples are the best to conduct heat and are the most durable. Buy a good one and they might outlast you! They come in a huge range of sizes. Many vendors state on their web site or labels how many servings of paella they make. For example, a 17 or 18-inch paella pan serves approximately 8-10 people. That size also fits just right over a kettle barbecue grill. Include the How to Make the Perfect Paella.

Churros, long Spanish fritters are a favorite in Spain, usually eaten with thick Spanish hot chocolate. They are easy to prepare with a large "churrera" - an old fashioned manual cookie press. Follow the Easy Step-by-Step Churros Recipe, complete with photos. What a great breakfast for Christmas morning!

This press is very sturdy and a real workhorse. In fact, this is the only brand of garlic press that did not break after frequent use. It allows you to press garlic cloves without peeling the skin. The leftover skin is simple to remove and discard. Include the recipe for Gambas al Ajillo, a classic Spanish tapa, full of garlic!

Essential to the Spanish kitchen, practical wooden mortars and pestles are used daily to grind and pulverize garlic and spices.

Kitchens in Spain are never without a stick blender to create smooth and creamy purees and sauces, like alioli, Spanish garlic mayonnaise or gazpacho, cold tomato soup from Andalucia. This nifty gadget is convenient, easy to use and clean! Some of them even come with whisk and chopper attachments.

Ramekins are small dishes, usually round, about 3 inches in diameter and 2 inches in height, made of white porcelain. However, ramekins come in all different colors and several sizes. They are essential for making Spanish flan or crema catalana in individual servings.

No more struggling to get the cork out of the bottle. These clever gadgets allow you to open wine bottles simply and easily with a lever. Include one or more of these Top Spanish Wines Under $20 with the lever opener for an unforgettable gift.

Spanish saffron is an essential in the Spanish kitchen and a spice that has a special place in history, always having been considered valuable. Saffron is a very delicate spice, harvested by hand, which is actually the tiny red stigma in the center of the purple crocus flower. A very special gift for someone who enjoys Spanish cooking. Include the How to Make Paella de Marisco Step-by-Step.

Not only is this a wonderfully fresh-tasting, dry Spanish sparkling wine, but it comes in a beautiful bottle as well. It rests on an authentic pewter base and comes in a handsome hand-blown bottle with a metal crest of the Segura Viudas family. This is one bottle that your friends and family are sure to save and will remember the occasion for opening the cava.

Smokey or Sweet, Spanish paprika (pimenton in Spanish) is a "must have" for the Spanish cook. It is used in everything from sauces and soups to tapas and rubs.

If the gift recipient is a paella-lover, this economical Char-Broil burner and tripod set is perfect. We've found it to be easy-to-assemble, sturdy and very convenient. It comes with everything needed to cook - a gas hose, valve, regulator and paella pan. After assembling, attach to a propane tank and it's ready to use. Read our complete product review.