sauces

When it comes to Super Bowl foods — nachos, wings, dips — there's one common denominator: hot sauce. The wonderfully addictive red liquid burns your lips and sends you running for a beer.

I'm a huge fan of hot sauce, and while I think certain dishes require specific brands (I like Tapatio with Mexican food and Crystal in Buffalo dip), there's one brand that's my default: Sriracha.

I guess you could say it's my preferred brand of hot sauce. It tastes good in everything! What's your favorite hot sauce and why?

Source: Flickr User kim siciliano salem

After getting several requests from readers for dessert sauce recipes, I added caramel sauce to my lineup of this year's edible gifts. Little did I know what I was getting myself into! On my first try, the sauce turned into a hardened mass of sugar — and the second time, too. The third mixture was grainy. After reading your suggestions, I gave Alton Brown's tried-and-true methods a chance, adding corn syrup and cream of tartar to prevent crystallization. Without a candy thermometer, I missed the mark a bit on trial four, and the sauce turned out creamy but slightly burnt. And the fifth time was the charm!

Through my many trials, I've learned the following: Have everything ready to go; don't turn away for a second; corn syrup and cream of tartar are your allies. You can succeed sans thermometer if you rely on sight and smell. And, most important, don't be afraid! It's not nearly as difficult as it sounds — and, once you nail it, you're golden forever. See my foolproof recipe when you read more.

Over the weekend, I was attempting to make caramel sauce as an edible gift when something went terribly wrong. The result? An epic caramel bourbon vanilla sauce fail. During my first attempt, I boiled the sugar and water mixture over medium heat — but before it could turn amber-colored, the mixture suddenly and unexpectedly became a hardened mass of sugar.

The second time around, I adjusted my method, fully dissolving the sugar first over medium-low heat. Then I boiled the sauce gently, occasionally swirling the mixture. But the mixture took longer than expected to turn caramel in color, and, after about 10 minutes of boiling, it too turned into a crystallized mess.

After two tries, I feel more determined than ever to figure this out. Do you have any ideas what might've gone wrong? Should I have cooked through the crystallization stage? Was the heat too high?

Cinnamon is looking to be a popular flavor this season. Not only did PartySugar and I recently have a chance to try Ritz's new Brown Sugar Cinnamon Crackers, but we also took the time to put two of Smucker's limited-edition ice cream topping flavors, Pumpkin Spice and Apple Cinnamon, to the test. Did they prove to be goopy and gross, or were these spoonable sauces the epitome of holiday sugar and spice? Find out after the jump

When basil is in season, I can't make enough pesto. The classic Italian sauce native to Genoa tastes delicious on everything from pasta to pizza to grilled fish. It's excellent stirred into salads or slathered on sandwich bread. Although store-made pesto is widely available, it's easy to make. Pesto is simply an uncooked paste consisting of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil. It can be made with a mortar and pestle or in a food processor. Once you have mastered the basic recipe, you can get creative with other herb, nut, and cheese combinations. To learn the basic technique, read more