Q&A: Basic Condiments

[andiesenji]

This is great! I've been wanting to make made-from-scratch ketchup for forever, now I can try it! I have two questions:

I was thinking of blending up some Roma tomatoes instead of using tomato paste; has anyone tried something like this?

Is there anything you could add to help the ketchup keep for longer? Two weeks is such a short time!

Thanks!

You have to cook the tomatoes down until you have something like tomato paste, otherwise you have a product that is too thin.

You can freeze it in containers that are suitable for the freezer and it will keep for a few months. Or you can can it, you don't need a pressure canner a water batch (boiling pan) canning procedure will do just fine as the acid and sugar content is well above the safe level for such foods.

[protoman]

Thanks, I can't wait to try this over the holidays! I'll let everyone know how it goes.

[TylerK]

Is it necessary to crush the mustard seeds at all? I'm picturing a black mustard that almost resembles caviar in texture.