One of my husband’s best friends is a really gourmet BBQ kind of guy. And I guess just an all-around great cook. He makes the best smoked ribs I have ever had and now since they live across the country from us I will just have to dream about those ribs instead of begging him to make them every couple months.

Anyway, one day I happened to be at their house and I was glancing at his spice rack. I guess I should say racks. It was the biggest collections of spices and such I had ever seen. He had all sorts of different variations of spices, several kinds of vanilla, and several different kinds of salts. He explained to me how these flavored salts were his pride and joy and how important each and every one of them was. I was quite convinced I also needed this large assortment of flavored salts in my house and that maybe if I had that, I could become a gourmet kinda cook as well!! The salt was all that was missing in my life. ;)

Recently, I came across a beautiful infographic sharing very simple recipes for making your own flavored salts. So I wanted to share a few tips and a few simple recipes to make your own flavored salts. They would make great neighbors gifts for Christmas or they’d also be a perfect gift to give the hostess of any holiday parties you might go to this year!

Tips for making flavored salts

• Place all the ingredients in a coffee grinder or small food processor, and pulse to process and combine.

• When grinding liquids with salt, sprinkle the liquid over the salt rather than pouring in one area.

• Some recipes with fresh ingredients may also require oven-drying. Spread them evenly and as thinly as possible on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and put them in an oven set to 170 to 180 degrees F for one to two hours or until they're dried but not browning. If your salt is stuck together when it comes out of the oven, you can pulse it in the grinder or processor again.

GARLIC SALT

Grind and bake:

1 cup coarse kosher salt

12 garlic cloves, peeled

SPICED VANILLA SALT

Grind:

¼ cup fleur de sel

Seeds from 1 vanilla bean

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch clove (optional)

Pinch nutmeg (optional)

MUSHROOM SALT

Grind:

1 cup coarse sea salt

4 ounces dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms

CELERY SALT

Grind:

½ cup coarse kosher salt

3 tablespoons celery seeds

BUFFALO-RANCH SALT

Grind and bake:

1 cup coarse sea salt

2 tablespoons buffalo sauce

1 tablespoon ranch dressing mix

ROSEMARY-LEMON SALT

Grind and bake:

1 cup coarse Himalayan sea salt

9 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves

Zest of 1 lemon, grated

CURRY SALT

Grind:

½ cup coarse sea salt

12 medium dry bay leaves

¼ cup garam masala

¼ cup curry powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

CHIPOTLE-LIME SALT

Grind and bake:

1 cup coarse kosher salt

2 tablespoons chopped chipotle in adobo

Zest of 1 lime, grated

BACON-PARMESAN SALT

Grind:

1 ¼ cups coarse kosher salt

2-3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

¼ cup grated parmesan

LIME-GINGER SALT

Grind and bake:

½ cup coarse sea salt

Zest of 3 limes

1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger

SRIRACHA SALT

Grind and bake:

¾ cup coarse kosher salt

3 tablespoons sriracha sauce

ROSEMARY-LAVENDAR SALT

Grind:

¾ cup coarse Himalayan sea salt

2 tablespoons dried lavender

2 tablespoons dried rosemary

GARLIC-ROSEMARY SALT

Grind and bake:

1 cup coarse kosher salt

12 garlic cloves, peeled (roasted, if desired)

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

To give them as gifts, just pour the finished products into a series of matching spice and herb shaker jars. (Put a little uncooked rice in the bottom, if desired, to absorb moisture.) Don't fill them completely full — you should see a little empty space at the top, which makes it easier to shake out from beginning to end. Label each jar on the lid and on the front with a pretty label.

Have you ever made any flavored salts before? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below :)