Ketchup anyone?

[Kobi]

I have company coming and for the first time in my adult life, I had to buy ketchup. Standing in the condiment aisle, oogling all the choices, my mind wandered to why do they call it ketchup anyway?

So, I looked up ketchup and found some interesting stuff. There is a question at the end of this, so be patient.

Where did it come from?

Indonesian and Asian culture invented what we know today as ketchup. The spicy, pickled fish sauce made of anchovies, walnuts, mushrooms and kidney beans, dating back thousands of years was called ke-tsiap or kecap and was popular in 17th-century China. British seamen brought ke-tsiap home with them where the name was changed to catchup and then finally ketchup. It wasn't until the late 1700s though that canny New Englanders added tomatoes to the blend.

The big success came in 1872 when HJ Heinz added ketchup to his line of pickled products and introduced it at the Philadelphia fair. The Heinz formula has not changed since, and has become the standard by which other ketchups are rated.

Interesting Facts about Ketchup

-97% of American homes keep ketchup in their kitchen.

-Each person eats about 3 bottles a year.

-A tablespoon of ketchup has 16 calories and no fat.

-4 tablespoons of ketchup have the nutritional value of an entire ripe, medium tomato.

-In 1992, ketchup sales were $723 million.

-As with wines, there are good and bad ketchup years depending on how sweet and flavorful the tomato harvest.

-Most brands are made from tomato paste or tomato concentrate, boiled down in late summer when tomatoes are harvested, and used throughout the year to cook the final product.

-Ketchup made in summer is made directly from ripe tomatoes.

-Ketchup is great for restoring the glow to copper pots and pans. The acid in ketchup removes tarnish and brings out the shine.

"Fancy" ketchup

Some ketchup in the U.S. is labeled "Fancy". This is a USDA grade, relating to specific gravity. Fancy ketchup has a higher tomato solid concentration than other USDA grades.

Fancy 1.15 gravity 33% total solids
Extra Standard 1.13 gravity 29% total solids
Standard 1.11 gravity 25% total solids

Health Benefits

Ketchup has health benefits which are offset by the salt and sugar content. Ketchup is a source of lycopene, an antioxidant which may help prevent some forms of cancer. This is particularly true of the organic brands of ketchup, which have three times as much lycopene.[18] Ketchup, much like marinara sauce and other cooked tomato foods, yields higher levels of lycopene per serving because cooking makes lycopene in tomatoes more bio-available.

Viscosity

The ketchup gets stuck right? You have to turn it over and smack the bottom right? Thats because tomato ketchup is a pseudoplastic — or "shear thinning" substance — which can make it difficult to pour from a glass bottle.

Turning the bottle over and hitting it helps the ketchup flow by applying the correct shearing force. These techniques work because of how pseudoplastic fluids behave: their viscosity (resistance to flow) decreases with increasing shear rate. The faster the ketchup is sheared (by shaking or tapping the bottle), the more fluid it becomes. After the shear is removed the ketchup thickens to its original viscosity.

Secret Lives of Ketchup Lovers

If you want to learn the more about a person, look no further than how they pour their ketchup. From dippers and squirters, to sprinklers and smotherers, psychologist Donna Dawson has identified seven "sauciological" types.

Those who dunk into a well of ketchup are methodical and trustworthy. But they may also be control freaks who are afraid of change. Ambitious people splodge their sauce in the middle of their food. Creative types squirt and swirl their sauce in thin lines. But deep down they are impatient and do not tolerate fools or time wasting. Those who dot their ketchup are friendly, but live conservatively and dream of adventure holidays. Smotherers are the life and soul of the party, while artists who draw faces and words on their food have an easy-going approach to life. And gourmets who keep ketchup in a cruet appear charming, but deep down may be snobbish social charmers.

The Question

When I think of ketchup, I think what might be called traditional uses for it i.e. on burger, hot dogs, fries. But, others have used it in, what is to me, are unconventional ways. Nixon smothered his cottage cheese with it. The Japanese reportedly use it on rice. One ice cream maker reportedly once tried to make a ketchup ice cream. Others smother their eggs with it. My Mom uses equal amounts of tartar sauce and ketchup on fish and chips.

So how do you use this popular, multifaceted condiment? Are you a traditionalist or a trailblazer, adventurous type of condiment person?

[Medusa]

I have a question:

How many Heinz people versus Hunts people do we have?

Medusa
HEINZ-girl, all the way!

[Jett]

I love toast and ketchup sandwiches! But I think the strangest thing I enjoy it on is canned corn (because I don't like canned corn) xD. Not all that weird but on the "normal" ketchup items I tend to douse stuff in it... grilled cheeses especially end up with wayyyyy more ketchup than cheese- in cases like those I'm a dunker...

Jett

[Jett]

Originally Posted by Medusa

I have a question:

How many Heinz people versus Hunts people do we have?

Medusa
HEINZ-girl, all the way!

Heinz... way better!

[Bleu]

Originally Posted by Kobi

I have company coming and for the first time in my adult life <---- a company virgin? How long are they staying? Purpose of vist? I find THIS part intruiging! (and I'm a nosey little fucker, aren't I?)


When I think of ketchup, I think what might be called traditional uses for it i.e. on burger, hot dogs, fries. But, others have used it in, what is to me, are unconventional ways. Nixon smothered his cottage cheese with it. The Japanese reportedly use it on rice. One ice cream maker reportedly once tried to make a ketchup ice cream. Others smother their eggs with it. My Mom uses equal amounts of tartar sauce and ketchup on fish and chips.

So how do you use this popular, multifaceted condiment? Are you a traditionalist or a trailblazer, adventurous type of condiment person?

I don't have many uses for ketchup and my only standard use for it is on super hot, crispy french fries.

I do, however make my own cocktail sauce by mixing massive amounts of refrigerated horseradish with HEINZ brand. Hot is guud! ~Bleu

[GreeneyedMe]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh....Ketchup!!! Mostly used in the traditional ways here...

Heinz by far is the best!

Dunk...grilled cheese for sure...smother.... tater tots....fries....pretty much anything that is bad for me.


What I don't like is when it's mixed into baked beans.....yuck!

Oh, and please don't get it near my eggs....ever.

[clay]

Great thread, Kobi!
HEINZ..the ONLY ketchup for me.
How do I use it? Welll being that suthern' gal I am....I LOVE to mix mayo & ketchup and dip my tater tots , hush puppies OR hot, crispy FF's in it.
I like it only on a BK Whopper...and I NEVER put it on my home cooked burgers OR hotdogs..nope nope.....mayo for me..and ONLY Duke's mayo at that!!!

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Kobi

The Question

When I think of ketchup, I think what might be called traditional uses for it i.e. on burger, hot dogs, fries. But, others have used it in, what is to me, are unconventional ways. Nixon smothered his cottage cheese with it. The Japanese reportedly use it on rice. One ice cream maker reportedly once tried to make a ketchup ice cream. Others smother their eggs with it. My Mom uses equal amounts of tartar sauce and ketchup on fish and chips.

So how do you use this popular, multifaceted condiment? Are you a traditionalist or a trailblazer, adventurous type of condiment person?

I'm pretty traditional in my usage of ketchup. I dip my fries in it and put it on hot dogs and burgers. Probably the most radical use for it is to dip my mac 'n cheese in it. But only the boxed mixes; not homemade mac 'n cheese.

How I use it....dipping versus lines, etc...depends on what it is that I am pairing with the ketchup. Burgers get dots or or smiley faces. Hot dogs get dots or dashes. Fries get dipped into it otherwise the fries get soggy and I can't stand a soggy fry. Now, the dipping technique may also differ. If there are portion control cups available and I'm at a restaurant, I'll use those. If not, I'll pool the ketchup in a puddle to the side of my food. The ketchup and the food really shouldn't touch. It's that soggy, non-consensual flavoring thing again.

Originally Posted by Medusa

I have a question:

How many Heinz people versus Hunts people do we have?

Medusa
HEINZ-girl, all the way!

There are other brands other than Heinz?



<----Pro Heinz girl.

[The JD]

Originally Posted by Kobi

Interesting Facts about Ketchup

-97% of American homes keep ketchup in their kitchen.

-Each person eats about 3 bottles a year.

No ketchup in my home. With my bloodhound nose (I can smell ants, ffs), even eating with a dining companion who is slathering her/his fries in ketchup is an unpleasant experience.

So who on this site is eating 6 bottles a year? I figure someone here is eating my share.

Malcolm Gladwell wrote an article called The Ketchup Conundrum that explains why (despite countless efforts to tweak it, improve it, add variety), the original ketchup recipe remains essentially unchanged. It's a great article. I guess I like reading about ketchup way more than eating it.

[Kobi]

Originally Posted by The JD

No ketchup in my home. With my bloodhound nose (I can smell ants, ffs), even eating with a dining companion who is slathering her/his fries in ketchup is an unpleasant experience.

So who on this site is eating 6 bottles a year? I figure someone here is eating my share.

Malcolm Gladwell wrote an article called The Ketchup Conundrum that explains why (despite countless efforts to tweak it, improve it, add variety), the original ketchup recipe remains essentially unchanged. It's a great article. I guess I like reading about ketchup way more than eating it.

I'm with you on this one. I dont use ketchup at all, so I never bought it. So, someone on this site is eating 9 bottles a year. LOL.

I tend to use mayo on everything, including dipping fries in it. Hellmans only.

[skeeter_01]

HEINZ all the way!! On burgers I'm a yellow mustard and mayo fan, on hotdogs (LOVE a grilled hot dog!!) I like yellow mustard and chopped onions...I use ketchup very seldom (mostly for fries and every now and then, I like to dip fried chicken in ketchup) but when I need it....I just GOT'S to have it!!

[GreeneyedMe]

Originally Posted by Kobi

So, someone on this site is eating 9 bottles a year. LOL.

I use a lot of it, but I know it isn't 9 bottles a year!!

[KayCee]

ketchup <---- way too much sugar in it!

[stonewalldog]

I was born in Pittsburgh, Penn...(perhaps you have heard of our football team) so I am definitely a fan of Heinz! Although they make the Hunts in Oakdale CA which is not far from my current home.

[Beloved]

HEINZ, of course!

This thread is giving me a craving for onion rings. It's my favorite food to have with ketchup.

I have a weird relationship with ketchup. I can stand the smell of ketchup around other certain smells, like cigarettes (I hate the way they smell anyway but the mix of the 2 is puke-worthy) and other foods.

I also think it is disgusting to put ketchup on eggs, tuna salad, and hotdogs. I am vegetarian so I don't eat those things but the thought is YUCK!

[Babyangeleyez]

Originally Posted by Medusa

I have a question:

How many Heinz people versus Hunts people do we have?

Medusa
HEINZ-girl, all the way!

HEINZ girl here too. I do not care for Hunts.

[puddin']

well, i'll rock da boat and admit i'm a hunts ketchup boi. i find it's not as sweet as heinz. mo' tomatoey, lol.

i like a bit o' horseradish dip (ketchup & lots o' horseradish) wit' me hard boiled eggs, hotdawgs & scrambled eggs...

[Jett]

Originally Posted by claybaby

Great thread, Kobi!
HEINZ..the ONLY ketchup for me.
How do I use it? Welll being that suthern' gal I am....I LOVE to mix mayo & ketchup and dip my tater tots , hush puppies OR hot, crispy FF's in it.
I like it only on a BK Whopper...and I NEVER put it on my home cooked burgers OR hotdogs..nope nope.....mayo for me..and ONLY Duke's mayo at that!!!

I was always pretty sure that was McDonalds "special sauce" on the Big Mac... lol

[Glenn]

I am a Heinz fan, but boy, was I surprised when the Family Dollar Gormet tasted as good, and saved me a couple of bucks

[CeriseNin]

Mmmm, ketchup. My favourite is the store brand. I will put ketchup on just about anything. Fries, tempura, onions rings, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, eggs - starting to feel like a scene from Forrest Gump - ketchup gumbo...