Cook\'s Country - 2019-06-07

JUNE/JULY 2019 • COOK’S COUNTRY 3

KITCHEN

SHORTCUTS

THERE’S NO DENYING it: Americans love ketch-

up. Ketchup hits all fi ve basic tastes: salty, sweet, sour,

bitter, and umami. And it’s more than just a condiment.

In the test kitchen, we add ketchup not just to meatloaf

glazes and barbecue sauces but also to more surprising

dishes such as tacos and stuff ed peppers.

Heinz has dominated the market for decades, but

since our last tasting, two major condiment companies,

Hellmann’s and French’s, have started manufactur-

ing ketchup. Meanwhile, small companies have gained

traction with American shoppers looking for “artisan”

alternatives. How do these new options stack up to their

more familiar counterparts? To fi nd out, we purchased

eight top-selling ketchups and compared them in two

blind taste tests, plain and with French fries.

Every ketchup was bright and tangy enough for our

tasters. They were all sweet and salty enough, too. But

they weren’t all perfect. Some ketchups had assertive and

unusual fl avors. Our tasting panel rejected products con-

taining unconventional ingredients such as lime juice,

green bell pepper, and warm spices.

As for texture, two of our lowest-rated products were

noticeably grainy and pulpy—not OK. Our top-rated

ketchups were silky-smooth; according to industry

experts, they were likely pushed through a fi ner sieve

before being bottled.

In the end, we had reservations about three products,

but the other fi ve earned our approval. Our two favorites

were both from Heinz. Web subscribers can read the full

tasting at CooksCountry.com/jul19.

Gloomy Grilling

–Amber Nelson, Pensacola, Fla.

As a die-hard griller, I don’t let rainy days

stop me from cooking outside—especially

when I’m slow-smoking meat on a covered

grill. The grill lid protects the meat and fi re

from the rain but not my probe thermom-

eter/timer. I just throw it in a zipper-lock

bag and snake the probe through the mostly

sealed top. Bad weather is no match for a

little ingenuity!

Just Chillin’

–Sharon Norman, Sunbury, Ohio

Your equipment review of ice packs reminded me

of a trick I use to make more effi cient use of cooler

space—and to avoid buying ice packs. I fi ll empty

plastic soda bottles—large

and small—with water, iced

tea, or juice (leaving some

space at the top to allow

the frozen liquid to expand)

and freeze them. The frozen

bottles keep my cooler

contents cool. And once

they thaw, I have

cold drinks at

the ready.

Yeast Test

–Claude Charles, Surfside Beach, S.C.

I’m an occasional bread baker, so I don’t buy yeast

that often. When I decided to make your recipe for

bagel bread (CooksCountry.com/bagelbread), I

was sad to see that my yeast was more than two

years old. My friend who’s a professional baker

gave me a great tip. To check if yeast is expired,

just add a little bit of sugar to some warm water

(no hotter than 110 degrees) and stir in a teaspoon

of yeast (either instant or active dry yeast). In

about 5 minutes, the mixture should start to foam.

If it does, your yeast is good to use; if it doesn’t,

you’ll have to pitch it and buy new yeast.

PRODUCT

TASTING

Compiled by Matthew Fairman

Heinz Organic Tomato Ketchup

“Lively,” “familiar,”

and perfectly balanced

Our Favorite

HEINZ ORGANIC KETCHUP

Thick, smooth, and glossy

SIR KENSINGTON’S CLASSIC KETCHUP

Pulpy and coarse

When Tasting

Ketchup, Is

Familiar Better?

by Carolyn Grillo

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WITH RESERVATIONS