Salt Gift Set, Four Jars

Why it works as a gift

Consumable gifts solve the problem of the person who already owns everything, and salt is one of the few that every cook uses. Saltverk works on Iceland's remote Westfjords peninsula, where, according to Fortune, hot geothermal water is boiled down in pans until crystals form, and the salt is then harvested by hand, dried and packaged. The company was founded in 2011 and, Fortune reports, revived a centuries-old saltmaking tradition at a site first used for salt in the late 18th century.

This set gives four distinct salts rather than four sizes of the same one. Per the Amazon listing, the flaky sea salt is a general finisher for eggs, bread, seafood or chocolate; the lava salt is blended with charcoal and is black; the birch-smoked salt is dried over birchwood smoke for grilled meat and roasted vegetables; and the Arctic thyme salt carries a sweeter, lavender-like scent from a thyme-family flower that grows in Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. That range invites experimenting, which makes the gift feel thought out.

The usual alternatives at this budget are a bottle of wine, a candle or a box of chocolates. Wine is gone in one evening and a candle depends on taste in scent. Salt lasts through months of meals and is a reminder of the giver every time the jar comes out, while still taking up almost no space.

Who it’s for

• Your host at a dinner party or holiday weekend, in place of the usual bottle of wine
• A friend who likes to grill and would put the birch-smoked salt to use the first weekend
• A colleague or neighbor you want to thank, when a personal object would feel like too much
• Someone who has traveled to Iceland, or wants to, as a small edible souvenir

Skip it if

• They are on a low-sodium diet or rarely cook at home
• You want a gift with weight for a big birthday or anniversary; at about 12 ounces in all, this reads as a thoughtful extra, not a centerpiece
• They prefer one everyday salt; the lava and Arctic thyme salts are for finishing and experimenting, not bulk seasoning

Giving it

• It is sold as a four-jar gift set, so a ribbon and a card may be all it needs; check the listing photos for the packaging
• Write a line on the card about which salt goes with what, since the jar labels may not say
• Pair it with the Brightland mini olive oil set for a pantry gift, or tuck it in with the Shun chef's knife for a cook
• Food items are often non-returnable once opened, so check the seller's policy before ordering a spare

The facts

In the box

Four jars: flaky sea salt, lava salt, birch-smoked salt and Arctic thyme salt; 12.33 oz total

Lava salt

Flaky salt blended with charcoal, black in color

Birch-smoked salt

Dried over birchwood smoke

Arctic thyme salt

Flavored with an Arctic thyme flower that grows in Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands

How it's made

Geothermal water boiled in pans; hand-harvested, then dried and packaged, in Iceland's Westfjords

Maker

Saltverk, founded in 2011 by Björn Steinar Jónsson

Consider instead

• Brightland Mini Olive Oil Gift Set, Four Bottles — The same idea in olive oil, for a host who cooks with oil more than they finish with salt
• Neuhaus Classic Ballotin, 1 lb — A sweeter consumable gift for someone with more of a dessert habit than a cooking one
• Shun Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife — A larger, lasting kitchen gift when the occasion calls for more than a host present