Why I hate ketchup at restaurants

I grew up in Jersey and loved steak fries with brown gravy.

On shoestrings - cold Heinz Ketchup.

Because of all the Devils Candy(High Fructose Corn Syrup) in ketchup, I buy the organic versions which don't use Devils Candy.

[Robin Garr]

ketchup is so sweet and sugary that it really overpowers most food. I like it better when it is mixed with a hot sauce to cut the sweetness.

Heinz makes a similar but better product, <b>Heinz 57 Chili Sauce</b>, that's substantially more palatable to adult palates. It also makes a remarkably good "secret ingredient" to kick up homemade Sichuan and Hunan dishes. It's not at all hot-and-spicy, but it has a more complex flavor and isn't nearly as sweet as ketchup.

I also understand that a few hot spots in NYC are offering house-made ketchup as a sort of retro, tongue-in-cheek offering. Come to think about it, I think I'll play with that while tomato season is still on.

I also understand that a few hot spots in NYC are offering house-made ketchup as a sort of retro, tongue-in-cheek offering. Come to think about it, I think I'll play with that while tomato season is still on.[/quote]

Good luck- I hope you find a good receipe. I've tried the house made stuff at 4 or 5 places in NYC and none of them are very good, at least to my palate. Some have odd sweeteners- molassas, honey, pureed fruit; and some have odd acids. The sum total is an off tasting condiment- not the clean bright slightly sweet, slightly tart taste I want when I want catsup.

[Robin Garr]

Good luck- I hope you find a good receipe. I've tried the house made stuff at 4 or 5 places in NYC and none of them are very good, at least to my palate. Some have odd sweeteners- molassas, honey, pureed fruit; and some have odd acids. The sum total is an off tasting condiment- not the clean bright slightly sweet, slightly tart taste I want when I want catsup.

Thanks for the warning, Gary. I don't particularly know WHY I want to do this ... I don't even like ketchup. I haven't tried any of the currently trendy house-made ketchups, just heard about them, but your observations sound like what I'd expect. If I mess with this at all, I'll go for a traditional, old-fashioned artisan ketchup without weird additives ... or corn syrup.

As with most things, there is a world of difference in Ketchup, or catsup if you prefer. The product has come a long way from first being made from pickled fish.

Catsup to me is RED GOLD catsup and there is nothing comparable to the 'old fashioned' taste. This conclusion came from a career of world travel and the necessity of "having to have it" shipped to me or always carried back from Louisville after visits.

Once Louisville was fiercely dedicated to local brands(or thought to be) such as Gordon s Potato Chips and the Products of Paramount. The latter s pickled products were unsurpassed and their "canned hot tamales" were the first meal I cooked (heated) as a small boy.

I ve always said that Louisville s "Augusts" weren t much good for anything but growing the best tomatos in the USA. My Father claimed Southern Indiana s Tomatos and Strawberries were the BEST. Of course, when things were the "best", Louisvile always seemed to claim Southern Indiana as part of it!.

I first remember tasting RED GOLD Catsup on Mazzoni s Oysters (which were 10 cnts*** ) It was so good I just poured it on plain crackers since I didn t like the oyster itself other than the 'coating". Later, I graduated to coating a bread slice with this red gold stuff. Mr. Mazzoni s shelved the often visible bright yellow labeled cans (before the waitresses filled the table dispensers**) under the long old ornate bar with accompanying rail and spitoons (alledgely shipped from Italy and partially still used today).

Do the taste test. Compare. Too, there is something so AMERICAN and even romantic about it. A family started in a small town near Muncie(Indiana) motivated by World War II. The family STILL operates and DARES take on such dominant, although inferior, competition as HEINZ!!!

Sadly,my intial memory has vanished as RED GOLD was replaced at Mazzonis by younger generations with probably more cost effective condiments. Of course, the horseradish, a companion to the catsup, unfortunately vanished also years ago.

Taste the catsup, read the history of this company and maybe fall in love with it too. If you think it s the best, claim it as part of the "Ville" too. Those Southern Indiana Tomatos are the best thing that happens in Louisville in August.

http://www.redgold.com/red_gold_company/index.asp

*** My family has enjoyed Mazzoni s Oysters, experiencing both horseradish and catsup, for now five generations(much like White Castle s). Our family owned an ice company which iced the bar. It was said, passed down,, that the now renown Rolled Oysters were free bar food years ago!.
The family has had no association whatsoever with Red Gold or Mazzoni s other than enjoymenT of their products.

RED GOLD CATSUP IT S THE TASTE AND ROMANCE THAT MAKES IT THE BEST !

As with most things, there is a world of difference in Ketchup, or catsup if you prefer. The product has come a long way from first being made from pickled fish.

Catsup to me is RED GOLD Catsup and there is nothing comparable to the 'old fashioned' taste. This conclusion came from a career of world travel and the necessity of "having to have it" shipped to me or always carried back from Louisville after visits.

Once Louisville was fiercely dedicated to local brands (or thought to be) such as Gordon s Potato Chips, Bloemers Chili, and the Products of Paramount. The latter s pickled products were unsurpassed and their "canned hot tamales" were the first meal I carefully cooked (heated) as a very small boy.

I ve always said that Louisville s "Augusts" weren t much good for anything but growing the best tomatoes in the USA. My Father annually claimed Southern Indiana s Tomatoes and Strawberries were the BEST. Of course, when things were the "best", Louisville always seemed to claim Southern Indiana as part of it! Otherwise, the Ohio River made “those Hoosiers” a little different.

I first remember tasting RED GOLD Catsup on Mazzoni s Oysters (which were 10 cnts*** ) It was so good I just poured it on plain crackers since I didn t like the oyster itself anyhow other than the 'coating". Later, I graduated to coating a complete bread slice with this red gold delicious viscous liquid. Mr. Mazzoni , and Tommy Long(Louisville Colonel Pitcher) shelved the often visible bright yellow and labeled cans (before the waitresses filled the table dispensers) under and back of the long old ornate bar. The bar had an accompanying brass foot rail and matching spittoons (allegedly, was shipped from Italy and partially still used today).

Do the taste test. Compare. Too, there is something so AMERICAN and even romantic about it. Motivated by the War Effort Movement, shortly after Pearl Harbor a family started the business in a small town of Orestes, Indiana(abt 40 miles NE of Indianapolis) . The family STILL operates and DARES take on such dominant competition as HEINZ!!!
I often think that corporate giant should be investigated as a monopoly when I disgustedly see again and again that catsup on the table.

Sadly, my intial memory has vanished as RED GOLD was replaced at Mazzonis by more knowledgeable younger generations with probably more cost effective condiments(personally, what come to mind is the expression- “ they sold out”). Of course, the horseradish dispenser, a companion to the catsup, unfortunately and sadly vanished also years ago. I must congratulate the younger generations as they did phase out wisely the spittoons.

Taste the catsup, read the history of this company and maybe fall in love with it too. If you think it s the best, claim it as part of the "Ville" . Those Hoosier farmed Southern Indiana Tomatoes are the best thing that happens in Louisville in August – just maybe so..

http://www.redgold.com/red_gold_company/index.asp


*** My family has enjoyed Mazzoni s Oysters, experiencing both horseradish and catsup, for now five generations(much like White Castle s). Our family owned an ice company which iced the bar. It was said, passed down,, that the now renown Rolled Oysters were free bar food years ago!.
The family has had no association whatsoever with Red Gold or Mazzoni s other than enjoyment of their products.

[Robin Garr]

RED GOLD CATSUP

Jim, I agree with a lot of that. Local tomatoes are amazing (we've already harvest a couple of hundred wonderful heirlooms and fat, meaty plum tomatoes this summer, and barring environmental disaster, we'll get twice as many more before the season ends.)

And I also concur that Red Gold is far and away superior to other supermarket brands. Red Gold tomatoes are my primary source for cooking when fresh local tomatoes aren't happening.

Red Gold isn't a Louisville metro firm, though. It's based in Elwood, Indiana, which is well north of Indy in the direction of Kokomo. This isn't widely known, but the major canning/commercial tomato region in the entire US incorporates northeastern Indiana and northwestern Ohio, and Red Gold is a part of that.

Great stuff. But not really local.

http://www.redgold.com

I'm with you Aaron. Although it's a struggle getting life-long ketchup-chillers to accept that the Heinz does just fine in the pantry.

This has been the biggest on-going struggle in our home since marriage.

ketchup is so sweet and sugary that it really overpowers most food. I like it better when it is mixed with a hot sauce to cut the sweetness.

Heinz makes a similar but better product, <b>Heinz 57 Chili Sauce</b>, that's substantially more palatable to adult palates. It also makes a remarkably good "secret ingredient" to kick up homemade Sichuan and Hunan dishes. It's not at all hot-and-spicy, but it has a more complex flavor and isn't nearly as sweet as ketchup.

Here's a goody: A bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce, 2 heaping tbls of horse radish,
and the juice of 1 lemon makes for a quick, tasty cocktail sauce for shrimp
and oysters and other seafoods.

Although it's a struggle getting life-long ketchup-chillers to accept that the Heinz does just fine in the pantry.

I'm sure it does. That doesn't change the fact that when I make a bologna-and-American-cheese sammich -- practically the only thing I use catsup on -- chilled catsup is an integral part of the experience I'm going for. (The other thing I use catsup on is hot dogs, which I eat once a week. Mmm.)

In my days as a manager at the old Danner's Restaurant (which morphed into Shoney's), the ketchup bottles on tables that received direct sunlight would occasionally build up enough force so that when the customer opened the bottle, ketchup would shoot out and splatter everyone at the table.