Alex Guarnaschelli Doesn't Get Why Chefs Bother Making This Condiment
There's one condiment that so many chefs make from scratch that just doesn't seem worth the effort. The topic came up in conversation on Twitter recently as cooking pro King Kvetcher Tweeted, "I've cooked professionally since the age of 16, and I still don't understand why chefs insist on making their own ketchup. Who asked for this?" And while there was quite a varied response to the Tweet, one from Alex Guarnaschelli got some attention — she shared the post, adding, "totally agree."
A few others chimed in, adding that bottled, mass-produced ketchup was totally worth using rather than making it from scratch. One person responded to Guarnaschelli's re-Tweet by writing, "Nothing better than Heinz." Someone else wondered, "why anyone but Heinz is making it ... Especially Hunt's. They need to throw in the towel." Another person called out the 'scam' by stating, "And call it tomato jam, slap it on a burger and charge $25." But there were quite a few defenders of the homemade ketchup practice, too.
This is why chefs opt to make their own ketchup
Several people responded to King Kvetcher's Tweet by explaining just why they don't like big brand ketchup and choose to make their own. Most that defended the practice wrote comments about how mass-produced ketchup simply has too much sugar for their liking. And, as it turns out, that's exactly why so many chefs started making it themselves.
In 2014, Nation's Restaurant News reported on the trend of chefs increasingly moving away from bottled ketchup to make their own. According to culinary professionals in the article, many said that regular bottled types had far too much sugar and corn syrup in them, and that by making their own ketchup, they could control what goes into the condiment. By making it from scratch, chefs can also control exactly just how sweet or sour it turns out to be. So, while Guarnaschelli doesn't see the point, other chefs do have their reasons for snubbing the classic bottles.