Ketchup: like or dislike?

Welcome to Like or Dislike, where you get to share how you really feel about ingredients from the pantry, ingredients I'm thinking about adding to my pantry, other seasonal foods, even favorite cooking gear. Do you like, dislike, love, crave, despise, wish for, use in your own kitchen? The things you like are sure to find their way to the recipes here on The Perfect Pantry, so do tell!

In the house where I grew up, ketchup occupied a place of honor in the refrigerator door. I ate everything with ketchup: eggs, burgers, chicken, and fish, and the occasional piece of calf's liver my mother tried to pass off as healthy food (the liver required an extra-large dose of ketchup). More recently, I've added it to Pad Thai (weird?), barbecue sauce (less weird) and turkey meatloaf (not at all weird). I still put ketchup on my cheese omelets, and I mix it with Greek yogurt to make a low-fat "Russian" dressing for salads. There's always a place for ketchup in my refrigerator door.

Ketchup: like or dislike?

Last week: Balsamic vinegar. We love it, even though the real thing is super-duper expensive and out of budget for many of us. Balsamic condiment can be pretty terrific, so thanks for sharing your great ideas for how to use it (not just for salad dressing).

Last week: Balsamic vinegar. We love it, even though the real thing is super-duper expensive and out of budget for many of us. Balsamic condiment can be pretty terrific, so thanks for sharing your great ideas for how to use it (not just for salad dressing).

Comments

Ketchup- like. I don't want it on all those things but it has its uses. I still want it to put it on salmon patties, fried fish and french fries. But I also mix it with jam for meat balls during the holidays.

Hate it!!! Hate it!!! I can make fresh ketchup in a flash! I do not need this over priced over sugared over oiled and over processed food product!

I like ketchup on and in some foods, but do not slather it on all. Ketchup can be a useful ingredient in making sauces as well.

I like ketchup well enough, but the traditional brands have too much sugar for me. I'm not a huge ketchup user, I like ketchup on eggs, mixed with mayo for "fry sauce" and definitely on meatloaf.

I like ketchup, but only with meatloaf and pot roast - I never ever use it on French fries!

When I like i, I like it. A bottle lasts a long time. I love to make it--my first effort turned out perfect, no idea what I did.(Vita Mix texture perfect) But I do not like it that it is not made in Leamington, ON Canada anymore. Apparently, the Heinz USA & CDN recipes were different, but that is gone forever. And organic was available.Anyone got a great recipe? starting with plum tomatoes?

Like--especially with sauteed calf's liver!!

I like it with a few things but always mean to make my own. As for French Fries, give me mayo, a taste I picked up on a trip to Brussels years ago. Fattening but good.

There are certain food I would not like if I didn't have ketchup to eat it with. Hamburgers of course. I don't eat it everyday but make sure I always have it.

Love ketchup but it doesn't love me. Too much sugar and sodium. I will make my own to use for things like meatloaf, but unless I'm having an egg and hash browns breakfast at my favorite local cafe, I just do without it. Ever tried Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard on fries? Delicious!

Love it. Love the proliferation of brands that take care with their ingredients, too.

I love it. I can't remember not loving it!

I like it baked on top of meatloaf. Since I have little kids in the house, we go through quite a few bottles, but I try to only buy the organic no HFCS variety.
I just saw an article that there are a few chefs who will kick diners out of their restaurants for asking for it, though?
that's extreme. I wouldn't want to dine in such a stuff place.

I like it. Especially on a fried egg sandwich, French fries and in meatloaf. Yummmm..

Love it on fries and burgers and meatloaf. I also love mayo on fries but don't do it often to keep some of the guilt at bay.

Generally like it but the commercial varieties are pretty sweet.

eggs - yes, but more often use a good hot sauce
burgers - yes
chicken - no
fish - no
calf's liver - yes

French fries - sometimes although prefer malt vinegar
hot dogs - no
meatloaf - yes
steak - no

I do like it but I only have used it on french fries, on meatloaf mixed with brown sugar as a glaze and in a few other recipes.

Love it, but use far less than I used to.

I love the taste, but only for hamburgers, meat loaf (beef or combo, not turkey) and French-Canadian meat pies. I don't mind it on French fries, but prefer them naked or with vinegar only.

Like! But don't use it much. Love it mixed with mayo for fries. :-)

Like it - mixed a little curry powder in for a dip for sweet potato fries.

Thanks for the Russian Dressing tip.

All I can say about ketchup is yeach. It ruins nearly everything it touches. For those that like it you are most welcome to my share.

Love ketchup! Sometimes I'll make my own and spice it up a little.

Like ketchup lots. Really like it in bbq sauce or on burgers. Like it more with lots of black pepper in it for fries. Don't like it on hot dogs, but then again, I'm from Chicago.

Like, although I don't use it much. I like it on hamburgers, but not on French fries. And it is the major ingredient in the sauce for my Jack Daniel's Hot dogs.

Love it, but made the switch to organic Heinz, and have never gone back to regular Heinz. Use it on eggs, fries, burgers, and a secret ingredient for Spanish rice.

Like, but resist the high sugar varieties. We have Heintz organic and Golden Krust Island flavored Ketchup on hand now. Sometimes I mix up an unsweetened and uncooked version from Laurel's Kitchen (cookbook), which we used in a natural foods deli we had in the 80's.