Review: Why not make your own ketchup creations
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 3, 2013
I thought it was pretty odd to see a book titled "Homemade Tomato Ketchup" in the Amazon Kindle store, but after thinking about it for a minute or two, I purchased it. Ketchup's a condiment, readily available in any supermarket, so why go to the trouble of making your own? Well, for one thing, you get exactly the taste and consistency that you like. For another, you know exactly what goes into it, and if you don't want sugar or corn syrup, sodium, or preservatives, you don't have to use them. Author Dan Ionescu makes a good case for making your own ketchup from fresh or canned tomatoes (and I have a couple of gallons of chopped-up frozen tomatoes in the freezer from last summer - maybe they'll go into a bottle of homemade ketchup).It's easier than I would have thought. There's some chopping, some stovetop cooking, and some blending required, but most cooks do that every day anyway, so there aren't any new skills required. Most of the equipment needed is already in most kitchens, too. The book's recipes take you step-by-step through the process, including how to sterilize the bottles or jars you use.Most of the recipes look fairly simple to make, and I'm looking forward to trying some of the ketchups that appeal to me the most, like Low Sodium Ketchup (the commercial ketchup we buy has 160mg of sodium in a tablespoon); Moderately Hot Ketchup (the heat is from black pepper and dried pepper flakes); and Roasted Tomatoes, Onion, and Garlic Ketchup (with basil, oregano, and thyme).The book includes a link to a free online tool for making labels for your ketchup bottles and jars, especially useful if you're giving your ketchup creations to family and friends.