BUY ORGANIC!!! I don't use ketchup often, so I don't see the point in putting in the effort when I can just pick up a bottle that will last a long time for a few bucks.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't really feel like ketchup is a necessary condiment. I used to keep a small bottle around for making pre-packaged Spanish rice mix, but I've gotten better at making that from scratch, so we don't have any ketchup. If for some reason, I did need it, it would definitely be store bought, since I could never use that quantity of ketchup in a month (or a year).

I used to make all sorts of things from scratch, partly because I had no choice (family allergies, lack of money, lack of access to products - we lived in a rural area at the time) and partly because I had lots of time as a stay-at-home wife and later mother.

Now, however, when I find a product that is less expensive in terms of both time and money which does not affect any of my family's allergies, I use the commercial product because of cost considerations, ease of access (we live in an urban area now), and less time to cook and bake.

I still love to make most things from scratch, but we use so few condiments such as ketchup that it just doesn't make sense to pay more and use more time to make it from scratch.

Your approach is more "semi-homemade" because you are using commercial tomato puree. I used to make my own puree and sauces so please make that clear.

Also - people could reuse the squeeze bottles that they had from commercial ketchup for their homemade product. Just two things need to be considered: date the bottle, because homemade products usually don't have the same shelf life, and alert people if you have used pepper (cayenne and black pepper) because more people are developing reactions to it.

Malcolm Gladwell (the author of Blink, Outliers, etc.) wrote a great article for the New Yorker on why Heinz has been so successful because of its distinct taste:

http://www.gladwell.com/2004/2004_09_06_a_ketchup.html

The wife and I have been making a lot more of our staple out of the joy of cooking, not so much for the convenience. Sandwich bread is one of those. I never really thought of doing ketchup(catsup?) though. What is the fridge life of homemade ketchup?

I don't know if I would do this for just me at home, but as a gift to bring to a BBQ, this would be great!

I recently bought Trader Joe's organic ketchup and my whole family loves it! It has a more "real" flavor to me. I'm not going to be making homemade, it I'm being honest, anytime soon, so this feels like a better option.

This reminds me of Nation Lampoon's Vacation.

"Real tomato ketchup, Eddie?"

"Oh, nothing but the best!"

My dad tells me my grandma used to make her own ketchup all the time. She used very ripe tomatoes--no canned tomatoes or paste.

I've been wanting to try to make my own, but I would only do it for an occasion that calls for using a lot of ketchup in a day, like a party or bbq or whatever.

I buy the Publix (Florida supermarket) Greenwise organic ketchup. It's not too sour or tarte, a little on the sweeter side. The interesting thing about ketchup (and mustard too) is that everyone's got a preference for a specific taste or has a brand loyalty. My parents grew up on Kern's. Myself growing up, we switched around and I think we settled for Hunt's? I feel like Heinz is too acidic.

But anyway, that's what's so fascinating about ketchup!

heinz all the way. are you kidding? i do not eat other ketchups. pittsburgh represent.

Can you freeze homemade ketchup successfully? I can't see using any more than a small amount in a month's time.

I theory I don't have any issues with homemade ketchup but I live in Pittsburgh so to not eat Heinz? EEk! That is just something that I couldn't do! I would eat homemade but I will NOT eat another commercial brand but Heinz.

I'm not a ketchup fan. I never have been so while I might make a lot of things from scratch, ketchup would be one of the things I'd never make because I never eat it. Maybe for a barbecue, but...eh.

i've tried this recipe and as much as i like it and all things homemade, i don't think i'd go through w/ the effort to make it again. i rarely use ketchup so it doesn't make sense for me. if i feel like i need ketchup, i just substitute siracha!

i don't think i like ketchup enough to make it. if i did, i think i'd be on board with hmr and anita... special occasion bbq or as a gift only.
and like inkstainedwriter, the trader joe's one is my choice, too.

I'm not from Pittsburgh but you'd have a hard time prying that ketchup bottle out of my hands. It's a staple in my house.

I'll concede that homemade ketchups are good if I think of it as a completely different condiment and not meant to substitute directly for some commercial ketchup. But if I want fries or if I'm making some thousand island dressing or grilling up some brats then it's regular ketchup all the way.

p.s. - I had no idea the Heinz was a Pittsburgh product! I dig all the hometown love for it!

@Nerves You most definitely can freeze homemade ketchup. You'll have to give it a good stir when it comes out, 'cause the liquid separates, but I don't find that to be a problem. My favorite way to freeze it is in an ice cube tray.

Slow Lorus, I'm with you. I've tried a variety of homemade ketchup recipes over the years, and they're fine, I guess, but they're not the ketchup I really *want* when I'm eating french fries. They're usually too vinegary and tart. What can I say, I like the sweet commercial ketchup I grew up with.

I prefer almost everything homemade...however, I have NEVER tasted homemade that tasted better than store bought ketchup. I have read gladwell's article and agree with it completly.

Like somebody else mentioned - it would make a "cute" gift for a bbq or houseparty, but otherwise, it doesn't make sense to put that much effort into something that is at the end of the day, mediocre or subpar...I would rather but my energy into something else that will have more impact on the enjoyment of the meal

don't use much ketchup but... we really like the taste and convenience of TJs organic when we do, so we'll be pretty content to stick with that.

my mother used to make ketchup--from the same tomatoes she grew & canned as puree, sauce, and diced. (we had some shelves in the basement where we kept all the canned goods, and the ketchup was placed there, so my guess is that it lasts as long as home-canned tomato products.) i never really cared for the homemade variety; i think because i liked all the sugar in the store-bought kind.

We make Mark Bittman's homemade ketchup every summer. It's yummy.

I will be making my own ketchup the same time that I will be churning my own butter. Yeah, right.
I live in Argentina and they have hot ketchup. It is quite yummy.

I've tried a few Chowhound ketchup recipes and all of them a) took forever and b) turned out so putrid that just thinking of them now gives me shivers. We've switched to Trader Joe's organic ketchup and never looked back. It's the best solution we're going to have in this kitchen.

All I'm going to say is.... ketchup doesn't belong on hot dogs...

I really like Hunt's new HFCS-free ketchup. Not as sweet and very tomato-y.

I can't stomach commercial ketchup because it takes like overly sugared tomatoes to me. While I've never made the homemade version above, I do make a huckleberry ketchup that I like on things from the grill a lot. Otherwise, I use mustard only.

My husband HATES Ketchup. I LOVE it. I consider it to be an essential ingredient in meatloaf. I have made my own ketchup just to trick my husband into thinking that I'm leaving it out the meatloaf I'm making so he'll eat it (he really likes my meatloaf, by the way... somehow that sounds wrong. Anyway).

ketchup is heinz and that's it. homemade might be delicious and nutritious, but it's a delicious and nutritious tomato-based sauce, not ketchup.