We all have run out of ketchup when it is mostly needed. We have our warm french fries or eggs on the table, and we crave for the flavour of ketchup only to find that there is none of it. We normally end up eating our meal plain, while in our head one wishes to have remembered to buy some. We do not have to suffer through this any longer, because I have faced the problem and compiled a recipe. Here is a small unfolding of what happened followed by some nice tips.

The first thing to be done was to find the main ingredients. In order to get an idea, I looked at the ingredients on back of the empty ketchup bottle. A small amount of the required ingredients are not frequently found in every kitchen. I happened to be quite hungry at the time, so I decided to skip the ingredients that were hard to find and concentrated on the main ones. This proved to be a wise decision that was happily favored by my hungry stomach.

The main ingredients are:

• 1 (227 g or 8 oz) can of tomato sauce¹
• 1/2 of a (170 g or 6 oz) can of tomato paste
• Grape wine vinegar, apple vinegar or distilled vinegar
• Salt
• Sugar

The instructions:

1. 
   Take a small bowl (about the size of a cereal bowl) and pour the can of tomato sauce in it
   

2. 
   Pour less than half of the tomato paste can. It is important that you follow this rule; otherwise, the ketchup will result extremely thick
   

3. 
   Mix the tomato paste and sauce
   

4. 
   Do not be afraid to pour a decent amount of vinegar. In the end, you should pour around a quarter cup of vinegar. However, start by pouring less than this amount so that you can adjust the flavor to your personal preference
   

5. 
   Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
   

6. 
   Mix the ingredients and taste
   

7. 
   If it tastes is too sugary, you should pour some more salt
   

8. 
   If it tastes too salty, you should pour more vinegar and some more sugar may be needed
   

9. 
   Finally mix the ingredients, taste the ketchup, and if necessary repeat the last two steps until the desired taste is achieved
   

Ok researchers, you shall no longer need to worry about what to do when you run out of ketchup again. You may find out that your homemade ketchup is much better than the bottled kind.

If you go out and buy:

If you decide to run out and buy a new bottle of ketchup (non-squeeze type), the following tip should be a good one to remember.

Lets say that you finally made it back home from the food store and your food is cold. Now you just want to pour the ketchup and eat, but when you try to pour it, it will not come out. This usually happens when one uses a brand new bottle of ketchup.

You should hold the bottle in an approximate 45-degree angle. Then proceed to firmly move the bottle in a forward and back motion². It is important not to do it too hard; otherwise, too much ketchup will come out.

When you buy a bottle of ketchup of the squeeze type, it is important to squeeze it at first in your kitchen’s sink³. The reason behind this is that there is usually a watery residue on the bottle. This also applies to squeeze type mustard bottles.

Well this pretty much covers what to do when you run out of ketchup. Do not forget that practice makes perfect. More suggestions are of course welcomed⁴.