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Stick blender? I use it every few weeks for sauce or soup homogenizing. Cleans up easier than my supersonic blender, though it doesn't make the stuff nearly as smooth. So I use it for rustic stuff. More sauce than soup. I'm not a big soup guy. Except right now because I'm perfecting butternut squash soup for Xmas dinner's first course. Bacon fat seems to be key BTW. And I use it for emergency mayo...or elective aioli.

I only use a crock pot for dip for teenage girl parties. Big space hog indeed.

Waring Pro Deep Fryer...Too small an oil volume, too low a temp..basically a POS. Garage sale. The Cusineart MiniPrep...still used, though not a lot. Pannini presses...all ready for garage sale Sous Vide Supreme- still used, but I have room for a big box of water in the cellar Blendtech blender- its there when needed.

Nina, how do you season your red cabbage?

Kerry, tell us more about the container park please. Is it a pop-up shopping center of sorts?

I think its fair to say that although there are notable regional US cuisines that are home grown eg cajun or southwestern, but most regional tastes are derived from immigrant's home countries. Considering that the immigrants tended to be poor, the level of cooking that they brought was not elevated or, by today's standards, attractive. Pennsylvania Dutch (German) dishes where I grew up and live near now are fatty, floury, potato-y piles of calories. Stick to your ribs stuff. Can this stuff be jazzed-up and made classy? Of course, but then it isn't the real thing, its something derived from it. Hard for the real local cuisine to stand up against Italian, French or Chinese food as far as taste or appearance. Inferior? Yup.

I'm feeling a reduced balsamic glaze with this.

Tentatively... Butternut squash soup, Beef tenderloin SV w onions and sauteed mushrooms, smoked yam puree, braised kale (in the collard style), corn pudding, corn bread....steamed Xmas pudding with creme anglaise.

I use this, or Crosse and Blackwell Cranberry chutney, a lot as the base for sauces and vinaigrettes esp for pork and turkey meals.

The most I'll put in is a bit of fat, or, in the case of just cured corned beef, I'll put in an equal amount of water:meat in order to elute some salt from the beef as it cooks.

I was surprised to hear Ming Tsai say on Top chef that he hadn't had a beurre blanc in years...his loss.

I suspect that they are getting water out of the confection. I leave my candied nuts at room temp and open to the air and tey do not get sticky.

Butternut squash soup We are in a duck rut. Duck confit and mushroom risotto (that was just a bit too tight, but tasty) Leftover risotto turned into arrancini the next day

Why not cook it sous vide to keep it juicy?

This is a particularly good piece. Just use goggles when working with lye.

Charcuterie and pickled stuff will appear in a couple weeks too.

Candied nuts are always a good start. As Christmas approaches the cookies appear...I'd like them better if they were savory rather than sweet...which is why I turn to cheese straws.

Culinary Adventures of Baron Ambrosia is without question the worst cooking show.

I often make pulled pork by cold smoking a shoulder or Boston butt and then cooking sous vide x 2 days. BBQ or not? If its the product that matters...I make BBQ pork. If its the process that matters, I don't.

Does BBQ describe the product or the process?

Agreed. Esp on the pre-salt. I salt after SV before the sear, and then again lightly before serving. I've gotten a cured texture from even modest preSV salting

I do a halved romaine. Cut side down till wilted and brown, then flipped to wilt the back of the butt. Here's a photo. I don't cook so long that the browned parts are crumbly, they stay soft The soy/red wine infused onions are pretty neat with tenderloin too.

I love sauteed romaine. Sauteed in butter till its dark brown. Nutty, sweet, bitter. Great with fish and mild meats.

The only sushi that needs gravy more than soy.