From tapas to sushi, little bites of exciting food are in style. One of the hottest trends in entertaining at home is tasting parties. No longer restricted to the expertise of fancy caterers, the DIY set is having a go at serving tiny portions of aesthetically pleasing gourmet treats. For instance, my twenty-five-year-old niece has become quite a cook and spends countless hours trying out new and inventive ways of preparing delicious and nutritious vegetarian and vegan dishes. She entertains regularly and offers up a dizzying array of dishes, both savory and sweet.

When she recently moved into a new apartment, I went shopping for a housewarming gift and couldn’t think of a more appropriate one than a mini tasting set. The variety pack I bought featured small dishes, bowls and even little tasting spoons. I will say that the spoons were a bit small to provide a real taste, but it was otherwise a cute and fun way for her to give "just a taste" of a new dish to her friends.

There are so many stylish tasting sets currently on the market. Any of the following could bump up the fun factor at your next party.   

Just Desserts Mini Bowl Set by Libbey

The "Just Desserts" twenty-five-piece mini bowl set from Libbey is a great way to offer small tastes of different desserts to your guests. Desserts should be beautiful as well as tasty; these clear glass bowls will allow the cook's artistic creativity to shine as well.

French Perle Mini Bowl Set from Lenox

The "French Perle" 3-piece mini bowl set from Lenox, in soft shades of purple, is a great way to offer small tastes of different desserts to your guests. Desserts should be beautiful as well as tasty; these clear glass bowls will allow the cook's artistic creativity to shine as well.

JB Prince 2-Oz. Soup Tureens

JB Prince’s Mini Soup Tureens have an elegant old world appeal that will dress up any table year round. This reasonably priced set of six is the perfect way to offer a 2 oz. taste of stew or casserole, even desserts.

World Market Mini Tasting Mugs with Platter

World Market sells a tasting mug set, complete with platter, for taste-testing specialty coffees, teas or even drinkable bisques. Old world style meets modern demands for choice with these sets.

Remember: Fun tableware can make even a weekday dinner in your own kitchen more festive. Have fun!

Linda Merrill is a Networx writer.

Updated April 15, 2018.