10 party recipes starring those appliances you never use

We’ve all been there: you got hyped about a new appliance that you saw at a friend’s house or on “Chef’s Table” and became obsessed. You looked up recipes, researched prices and couldn’t live without it. So you bought it … and barely used it.

For some, it was a Vitamix; for others, an expensive vacuum sealer. Many are now experiencing this with the Instant Pot (don’t get me started). And join the club if you have some kind of stand mixer you never touch.

For me, it was the sous vide device, a tool that busy chefs in nice restaurants use to cook meat and vegetables to perfection. And with the Anova models, you can control the time and temperature from your phone. “I can cook while I’m at the gym or the bar,” I thought. “This will literally change my life.” So I picked one up. It’s still in the box.

While Marie Kondo wants you to throw out everything that doesn’t “spark joy,” I think differently, especially when it comes to kitchen gear. When your friends see you pouring fresh salsa from a Vitamix or working at a flour-covered mixer, they’ll think you put in a lot more effort than you actually did.

Resurrect something from your appliance graveyard and use it to spice up an upcoming party like, say, that Super Bowl get together that’s right around the corner. Here’s how to become a party snack superstar.

1. Sous Vide Device
Got a sous vide device and don’t know what to do with it? Make some effortless pork carnitas to use in nachos, dips, mini-sandwiches or even straight-ahead tacos. Take a tip from a Serious Eats recipe and combine 2 pounds pork shoulder, a quartered onion, a few cloves crushed garlic and a bay leaf in a bowl and then move the mixture in a large zip-top bag (bonus: if you have a vacuum sealer, use it here).

Submerge the bag in a pot of water and set the sous vide device to 185 degrees and cook 8 hours. Remove the meat, shred it with a fork, crisp it under the broiler if you want and serve.

2. Vitamix
This amped up blender is your best friend when it comes to quick, party-accessible dishes. Whether you’re feeling hummus, guacamole, pesto or queso, the Vitamix has your back. Salsa is always a winner at parties, and if it’s homemade, you’ll blow your friends’ minds.

Pulse a couple fresh tomatoes, a chopped onion, a garlic clove or two, a diced chile, pinches of salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime. For a baller (and shockingly easy) dish, make Bon Appetit's charred tomato salsa.

If salsa isn’t your jam, make a killer muhammara or baba ghanoush. Broil a couple whole eggplants until they’re soft, then scoop out the flesh and blend it with tahini, a couple fresh garlic cloves, salt, pepper and olive oil. Adjust seasoning to taste and throw in some cooked chickpeas if you want a heartier texture.

3. Instant Pot
Is there an Instant Pot collecting dust in your basement? Clean that baby off and dazzle your friends with a quick beef stew or some classic cocktail meatballs. Mix three parts barbecue sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray’s) with two parts grape jelly, then add it to the Instant Pot with two bags frozen meatballs (beef or meatless) and stir to coat.

Seal the pot and press the Pressure Cook button. Cook about seven minutes, let the pressure release naturally, then open and stir the meatballs. Press Saute and let simmer a few minutes to reduce the sauce. You’ll be left with nicely glazed meatballs that have maintained their texture and, most important, taste awesome.

4. Vacuum Sealer
That abandoned vacuum sealer will help you make some great pickles. If you want to wait until the day of, opt to quick pickle with brine. Combine 1 cup water, 1 cup vinegar, ¼ cup sugar and 2 teaspoons salt. Place it in the vacuum seal bag with sliced cucumbers, carrots or jalapenos and seal it. Refrigerate about 30 minutes, then watch your friends go insane when they try the pickles you made literally less than an hour ago.

If you’re playing the long game, take a page from “The Noma Guide to Fermentation” and make lacto fruit or veggies. Weigh the veggies you’re using, calculate 2 percent of the total weight and measure that amount of salt, then use it to coat the veggies. (For example, you’d coat 400 grams sliced cucumbers with 8 grams salt.) Place in a vacuum seal bag, seal and let rest at room temperature 1 week, then find a creative way to incorporate your pickles into something. I’m a huge fan of lacto tomato bruschetta. And on that note... 

5. KitchenAid Stand Mixer
Thanks to “The Great British Baking Show,” you probably thought you were going to become a bread or pastry master when you bought that showstopping KitchenAid stand mixer. The bad news is that between now and the big game, you’re not going to learn to make Union Loafers-level bread, but you can still throw together something impressive. DIY cheese crackers with a Southern twist, or try your hand at an easy recipe for rolls. King Arthur Flour dinner rolls recipe is excellent and fairly simple. Now if only there were a really simple way make some pork to serve with them...

Adam Rothbarth is a staff writer at Sauce Magazine.