Artisanal Ketchup: A Condiment To Be Reckoned With

A few days ago, we were alerted to the existence of something called Sir Kensington’s Gourmet Scooping Ketchup, a "culturally-hip gourmet product" positioning itself as "a condiment to be reckoned with." We were intrigued by the claims in the press release and the packaging of this Gourmet Scooping Ketchup (henceforth to be referred to as "GSK"), which features a distinguished-looking gentleman in a tophat and monocle. Does humble ketchup, the beloved condiment of Americana-tinged dreams, really need a makeover?

It wouldn't be the first condiment to go artisanal: in today's mixed-up, crazy world, everything from mustard to mayo has gone upscale, but somehow, ketchup always seemed immune—the final frontier, if you will. Until now. Ultimately, we had to try it. Using a batch of French fries as our control, we tasted two versions of the fancy ketchup—classic ("elevated and reborn with a rich balance of sweet and salty") and spiced ("infused with chipotle peppers, cilantro, lime juice, and coriander"), alongside good old-fashioned Heinz. The result? The GSK was thick and viscous, reminding more than one person of marinara sauce. It wasn't bad—some of us even went back for double and triple dips—but it's tough to beat Heinz, which has scientifically-proven dippability levels and a pleasant (if artificial) tang.

Should you feel so inclined as to reckon with the GSK yourself, it is available here and here.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jamie Feldmar in Food on June 16, 2011 3:05 PM

Comments [rss]

Ethan Van Beardswick

I'm always disappointed at restaurants when I ask for ketchup and they bring out that ramekin of house-made ketchup-like marinara stuff.

This New Breukelen stuff looks to me like a big $10 jar of dissapointed.

xnan

My hubby's been making our our ketchup for years. It's both amazingly cheaper and better (by a mile since you can totally tweak for flavor notes) than anything sold in a bottle or jar. Yeah, it does make way more (but lasts for a super long time in the frig) than you'll use in a single serving (or two), but so what? In a pinch, were bottled our only available flavor option, Heinz has no equals... particularly at "artisanal" prices. If you demand life-changing condiments only consider buying them (at huge prices) if they simply can NOT be made at home. Really, I am constantly horrified and, sadly, no longer shocked, at the sheer laziness of our pathetic consumer culture. *sigh*

Isaac Moore

To anyone who buys artisanal ketchup. You should be sent to the gulag and have your posessions redistributed to the working class.

KevinJWalsh

Ketchup=Heinz. Mustard=Gulden's. Cupcakes=Hostess. Tea=Lipton. Margarine=Parkay. Orange Juice = Tropicana.

There are not many things in life you can count on. Stick with the basics.

www.forgotten-ny.com

Peanut_Butter

Hunts rocks Heinz, like, a 100 times over.

Peanut_Butter

Isn't that the guy from Monopoly?

Guest

Sir Kensingtons ketchup actually has real tomato pieces in it. And lime and raw brown sugar. You really won't know what you're missing until you try it. It doesn't have that sweet, cloying high fructose corn syrup "artificial tang" as you call it, of the mass-produced brands. My friends and I also use SK in recipes.

FU Boy

If you really cared so much about ketchup - you could make much better for much less - and in larger quantity, in very little time.

Pull your head out of your a$$.

Cara Wolinsky

Sir Kensingtons stole my heart!

It's actually available in Whole Foods and Eataly for around $6.

FU Boy

Still a few bucks over-priced for something you could easily do yourself with a larger-quantity result.

SonnyBobiche

Malcolm Gladwell wrote a whole long analysis as to why mustard became a gourmet staple (Grey Poupon ads) while Heinz remains unbeatable. It's because Heinz has the perfect combination of sweet, sour, salty and umami.

FU Boy

Shouldn't this come with the tag "Paid Advertisement"?

Or do you just have such a hard-on for pissing money away on "artisanal" shit that you have to share this with the world?

I ask because $9 for 11 oz of ketchup is a f*cking waste.