Making your own ketchup! Is it worth it?

I think it’s a great idea. I have never been moved to try it, but I would love to sample some.

Isn’t avoiding high fructose corn syrup reason enough? I’ve been thinking of making homemade as well, but I don’t even care if it tastes better.

You can also make fermented ketchup to get in some good bacteria.

Commercial ketchup is full of sugar, so of course it is worth it.

They have (Heinz and others) No Sugar Added catsup, which only contains the natural sugars in the tomatoes.

You can get untainted catsup (and relish also) at your health-food store. No high-fructose corn syrup in anything.

I’ve never made it, but it sounds like fun. I went to a Polynesian restaurant that made their own roasted pineapple ketchup that was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. They said they just used regular ketchup (which you could make yourself) and then added pineapple that had been cooked on a barbecue grill and then put it all in the blender. It was divine!

I also haven’t got around to doing it but when the possums leave me sufficient tomatoes to work with, I would love to give it a go. For me the motivation is that I suspect it would have more real tomato flavour and be a more natural product with no additives. I can’t see how fresh tomato sauce, made with love and tomatoes grown in my own garden and picked fresh, could be anything but more scrumptious than something produced on mass by Heinz. I could be dreaming though.

Making it is fairly easy; it is the necessary process of using sterilized and sealed containers (similar to making jam) that is time-consuming.

Here’s one version

I make a mean tomato sauce which I then use for pasta sauce in the evening, then as a base for shakshuka the following morning – or, alternately, as a base for a pita pizza – with the sauce and a slice of cheese in a pita. I don’t use ketchup much for anything except fries.

My mom used to make homemade ketchup. I don’t know how to make it, but I can certainly tell you that as far as taste goes, homemade ketchup tastes nothing at all like Heinz. Now whether you enjoy it or not, be prepared for a very different taste.
My mom also made ’‘green ketchup’’ from tomatoes that weren’t ripe yet. Kinda tastes like relish.

I’ve heard of ketchup made from yellow and purple heirloom tomatoes, but haven’t made it. Think I will try it this summer!