According to Maggie Glezer in her Artisan Breadbaking across America
(p.10), the Della Fattoria bakery uses plastic tortilla chip baskets as
bannetons. You can get them at restaurant supply stores. She says that the
baskets are "just as nonstick and even easier to care for than the imported
baskets." On the other hand, if you really want the imported baskets, why
not get them? I'm in grad school now, so I use mixing bowls lined with
heavy linen. But I wouldn't turn down the more expensive ones as a gift!
Rosemary Moore