Slice of kake…
So to celebrate the ketchup chronicles 10th post, what better than a KAKE.. yes cake with a K! why? Because its made with ketchup of course!
Now before anyone is sick, or thinks I’ve gone mad this is a tried and tested recipe and actually is nice. The cake doesn’t taste of tomatoes or ketchup in the horrible way you might think. But in a more subtle spicy way, just like carrot cake or a spiced fruit cake! It also looks just like a red velvet cake which is SO appetizing!
You can find the recipe here
all pictures are my own unless stated
A canny idea…
A few months ago i saw a really good ketchup themed DIY! In America you can buy cans of ketchup… YES WHOLE CANS OF KETCHUP! As you know my love for ketchup meant i really wanted to get my hands on this. Not only for the can full of ketchup goodness BUT for what i could use the can for after such as pen holders, planters, or just general containers for bits and pieces.
Alas after about three weeks of trying to sauce these.. I just couldn’t in the UK which lead me to think whats the next best thing? A tin of soup just didn’t cut it for me, so i decided to make my own.
I got some plain tin cans/ containers, you can buy them from ikea or just clean out a tin you use, either will do! As i couldn’t find an authentic red can and didn’t want to paint it i thought a silver would do nicely! I then soaked Bottles of ketchup in water which allows the label to peel right off without ripping or leaving a mark behind… (handy tip if you need a label off of something)
I then simple stuck them to my tins and Voila a nifty ketchup themed storage solution.
all pictures are my own unless stated
A quick ketchup: Review..
Mushroom ketchup… Supposedly a British favorite, although everyone i ask seems to find this concept either disgusting or wrong. So i thought i would try it for myself.
First impressions are okay, i appreciate the nice bottle but I don’t know much that would make up for the tinged shade of sick which I am faced with. At first I was unsure of how to use it, can I dunk and dip? Or do I use it IN stuff like a casserole? Either way I’m a dipping kinda girl so go with this option.
This Mud coloured, textured uh… delight packs a pretty huge whollop, akin to worcestershire and soy sauce which was definitely not expected. Seeing as a hate mushrooms, I wasn’t sure if i could give this a fair review, but if i hate them and find it okay… if you like them you’re going to LOVE this.
Saucing the internet has also meant I’ve found some nifty ideas for how to use this thing. As i did you can simple dunk and dip, or apparently it makes a good spread for a posh sandwich, or a whirl in a blender and then added to a recipe. All in all I found straying from the red stuff a little difficult, and i assure you this will not replace my bottle of Heinz any time soon! My feet are strictly staying on tomato territory.
If life hands you tomatoes, make bloody marys…
Here is a great recipe for an amazing homemade tomato sauce, and instructions on how to make this into a fab cocktail… If that wasn’t enough, for a valentines treat make my ketchup ice cubes to give this saucy drink an extra kick!
For the ice cubes, i used one part ketchup, two parts water and poured into ice cube trays. I usually use the stick tray, but seeing as it it’s valentines i thought the hearts were more appropriate!
Right click above to save and print my recipe card!
all pictures are my own unless stated
Sauce of fun…
Just a quick post today, whilst saucing the web this week i’ve found some really great things… all things ketchup related obviously! That i thought you sauce lovers would appreciate. Keep posted for some ketchup recipes and a special valentines idea!
clockwise from the top:
Ketchup bottle torch: Flickr
Ketchup pillow: Meninos
Ketchup phone: Dropped fork
Ketchup knit sweater: Etsy
Squeeze or dip…
Hate, is a strong word – but it seems to be the only way to describe my feelings on the sachet. Sachets are the bane of my life – everyone likes condiments whether it be ketchup, mayonnaise, or mustard. These things are like food enhancing drugs that you want to spread liberally over any and every meal you eat. But the last thing you want, when your ravenous and literally want to drown your processed burgers, nuggets and cardboard chips in the good stuff, is to spend five minuets struggling, ripping, and teeth biting at some pathetic plastic rectangle sachet which will only yield a pea size amount of the gear… if your lucky.
Through my experience, sachets seem to be designed for maximum annoyance. It’s pretty much impossible to open the thing without getting the contents all over your fingers… some i find may even be pressure packed to explode all over your clothes. Most of the time your foods gone cold by the time you’ve opened 5 sachets to dip it in…
Alas the evolution is here! The revolutionized ketchup sachet (courtesy of Heinz) is finally making an appearance. This is easy to use and extremely convenient. It holds THREE times more than normal sachets, heck bring me a bottle, a jug, a huge bowl would be great… But i’ll settle for this. And this has the nifty feature of being able to squeeze the contents, or simply peel back the lid and dip! Even better, you can buy multi packs of these at the super market – An essential necessity for anyones handbag surely?
So what are you? A dipper or a squeezer?
Shake. Wait. Splodge!
“Shake, shake the ketchup bottle, first none’ll come, and then a lot’ll”
You may have heard of this brilliant couplet by the US humorist Richard Willard Armour. Which was originally inspired by the words of a fellow country man who had succinctly written: The catsup bottle, first a little, then a lottle.
In these modern times however, the conundrum of the ketchup bottle is something we generally do not have to encounter on a daily basis, due the instant gratification of the squeezy bottle. Though sometimes we shall sit in a restaurant or diner, and be faced with this glass antagonist, teasing you with its contents. First you will probably shake, hit, stick your knife down it – you name it, you’ve probably done it in attempt to get the good stuff.
But fear not my ketchup fiends, a solution to this problem has been solved! Ever wondered on a glass bottle of heinz what the embossed 57 symbol was for… well so did i, and now i know. If you tap this magic spot in an upwards motion with the bottle slightly tilted you will be greeted with a gentle flow of ketchup!
all images are my own unless stated
Tried and tested by yours truly, this really DOES work, and not just on Heinz but any brand! Try it for yourselves, and let me know how it works for you!
Ketchup gets classy…
all pictures are my own unless stated
The humble hamburger, or as some now like to call it ‘the hamburger sandwich’, has catapulted in to an age of high-class low brow cooking. Boasting free range fillings and hand cut fries. But lets for a minuet consider the condiments… A dollop of Heinz on that grass fed patty? I don’t think so! A fancy burger without ketchup to suit, is like a royal marrying any average joe… Oh wait…
But if you’ve been to any trendy establishment serving up any posh variation of ketchup, you may begin to see your favourite squeezy bottle as half empty. We salute you, food snob!
Recently I went to a small boutique restaurant in Kent, the food was delicious but who am i kidding this place is ALL about the ketchup. Their Bin no. 157 ketchup on first appearances looks like some sort of fine wine, not to mention every table gets their own brand new bottle, wasteful… yes, appreciated…definitely! This thick tomatoey goodness is undoubtedly a good ketchup, theres an immediate hit of vinegary tartness followed by a bursting sweetness. But whereas ordinary ketchup has little ‘finish’ as wine tasters would say, this version has a depth to it with a darker and richer flavour. Bin ketchup, we raise our hats to you!
Ketchup of the day…
“BLOOD MAY BE THICKER THAN WATER, BUT IT’S CERTAINLY NOT AS THICK AS KETCHUP. NOR DOES IT GO AS WELL WITH FRENCH FRIES”
- JAROD KINTZ
Your chips shall be dipped…
Having a true love and devotion for all things ketchup, and ketchup on all things. Means many others may tell you that you should broaden your horizons, maybe try BBQ or dabble in tartar sauce for once. But rest assured my friends, ketchup on your burgers, nuggets, toast, and even cake… anything you could possibly eat in a lifetime should and will be celebrated here!
Just a little something to leave you with, an age old question sort of like… what came first the chicken or the egg?… but not really. Where do you keep your ketchup!?
