Ketchup traveled a long way before becoming the dynamic sauce we all know and love today. And it really is a beloved sauce, second only to mayonnaise, which is the most popular.
Even if mayonnaise leads the game, tomato ketchup is a big industry too, an industry that sells 10 billion ounces of ketchup every year in America alone.
Americans seem to prefer popular brands like Heinz, which was among the first to produce ketchup commercially, and Hunt’s that is known to offer a more natural version of the sauce. But a lot of Americans also make their own version of tomato ketchup at home.
People who love spending time in the kitchen and experimenting with food often make all sorts of homemade sauces, adding and taking out ingredients from popular recipes to match the taste and texture of the store-bought versions.
Making ketchup at home is not at all difficult, and while sometimes ready-made ketchup is more convenient, both in terms of costs and in regards to time, making your own ketchup provides a different tasting experience and, not to mention, a healthier alternative.
So if you’re ready to give homemade tomato ketchup a try, the following recipe should help you get it right.
Remember though that it could take a few tweaks here and there to get to a result that is 100 percent good depending on your ideal of ketchup. That’s the whole thing with making things at home. You get to play with recipes and adjust them to your liking. So let the adventure of ketchup begin now.
List of ingredients:
- 1 can tomato puree (28 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 medium yellow onion
- ½ fresh jalapeno
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- Pinch cayenne
- Pinch ground ginger
- Pinch ground cinnamon
- Pinch ground cloves
- Pinch dry mustard
- Pinch ground allspice
- Pinch celery salt
How to make:
Put all the ingredients into a food processor and whizz everything together until well combined. Transfer the ketchup into a larger boiling pot and bring to a simmer, allowing the sauce to simmer on the stove for about 45 minutes.
Homemade tomato ketchup keeps for up to a month if stored in the refrigerator.
Please note if this is your first time trying homemade ketchup, that the sauce will taste different to the store-bought type. Yes, you can tweak a recipe, but ultimately everything made at home is different to commercial products.
Most of the commercial products contain ingredients that are specifically designed to make food taste a certain way. They also include more sugar and more salt.
When you make the transition from store-bought to homemade, allow your taste buds to get used to the difference and don’t be disappointed if your expectations are not met. It’s a challenge to compete against industrially produced ketchup, but give it some time and practice, and you’ll grow to love it.