Tomato ketchup is one of the most popular sauces in the world. Not only can it be added to burgers, chips and hot dogs but also steak. Although tomato ketchup can be bought in a bottle, it can also be made entirely from scratch and here’s how:
Prepare tomatoes
The number of tomatoes which are used in ketchup depends on how large a batch is. When a lot of tomato ketchup will be made, use two dozen tomatoes. A handful of tomatoes can be used instead for a smaller batch. Once tomatoes have been selected, boil them in a pot until the skin is ready to come off. After tomatoes have been boiled, remove the skin and squeeze them to get rid of all seeds and juice. If juice or seeds remain, take them out by hand. After removing all seeds and juice, leave them in a strainer until they become dry.
Cook all tomatoes
After tomatoes have been put into a strainer, they should then be cooked in a large pan with salt, pepper, garlic and any other spices such as cayenne pepper. In all, tomatoes should be cooked for thirty minutes.
Wrap a celery seed in a cloth
Whilst tomatoes are boiling, the next step is to wrap a celery seed in a cloth which is twisted at the top so that it cannot escape. In a different pan, put cider vinegar and the celery in it and leave to simmer for twenty to thirty minutes.
Sieve tomatoes further
Once tomatoes have been boiled, put them through a food mill. Although seeds have been removed in the previous step, some can still remain. This process will get rid of all seeds and any tomato skin. It is important that skin is removed because this can affect how consistent ketchup is.
After the tomatoes have been sieved, the remains of the celery are thrown away but the juice should be kept. The juices which remain are then added to the tomatoes. To mix these ingredients together, they should be heated over a hob in a pan and stirred regularly. At this point, the mixture will be mildly thin but, by heating it for half an hour, it’ll thicken and will have the right consistency.
Once ketchup has cooled down, serve or bottle
As soon as tomato ketchup has cooled down, it can be served straight away. As it has just been made, it will taste very fresh. If a large batch of ketchup is made, it can be bottled. By using airtight jars, ketchup can be stored for longer. When tomato ketchup is stored soon after it has been made, it can be used several days or weeks afterwards. It could even be taken to a barbeque where it will be enjoyed by everyone. However, as soon as the bottles are sealed which contain the sauces that have just been made, they can be stored for a very long time. In fact, if ketchup is made during the summer, it can still be usable in the winter.
