Catching Up With Ketchup
While most people think of it as a vegetable, the tomato is actually a fruit, according to the experts.
Maybe that’s the real reason that the Reagan administration’s attempt to have ketchup count as a vegetable in school lunches was laughed down so quickly in the early ‘80s.
In any event, we decided it was appropriate to categorize ketchup as a fruit for the purposes of the all-fruit summer menu we recently served to The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel.
Panelists sampled the big three — Heinz, Hunt’s and Del Monte — along with an organic ringer from Muir Glen, all accompanied by french fries.
The results: A dead heat between Heinz and Hunt’s, with Del Monte just a hair behind. (OK, so “hair” isn’t an appetizing word for a food story, but you know what we mean.)
While each brand had its fans, some tasters found Heinz too sweet, Hunt’s too tangy and Del Monte too bland.
The only clear agreement was on the Muir Glen. Most panelists were turned off by the rather, er, exotic flavor - which included “oils of clove, casia and celery” - and even more dismayed at the hefty price tag. (Guess they’re just trying to ketchup with inflation.)
There were plenty of options for fruity desserts to round out the evening. We decided to take a purist approach with a trio of strawberry-flavored frozen juice bars.
Dole’s version, with its bright, fresh fruit flavors, was a narrow winner over the darker, deeper-tasting Dreyer’s bars. Panelists found less to like about the lighter, more cloying “quiescently frozen fruit ice” from Welch’s (which, unlike the others, contained no actual fruit pieces).
They’re just lucky we didn’t find any ketchup-flavored Popsicles.
Heinz Tomato Ketchup
Price: $1.89 for 28 ounces.
Nutrition: 15 calories (1 percent fat calories); 190 milligrams sodium per tablespoon.
Taste: ***
Value: ****
Comments: “Thick, rich, ruby red - made my french fries stand up and dance.” - Beverly Smick
“Fairly sweet for a ketchup.” - Nate Swinton
Hunt’s Ketchup
Price: $1.39 for 24 ounces.
Nutrition: 15 calories (1 percent fat calories); 190 milligrams sodium per tablespoon.
Taste: ***
Value: ***
Comments: “Good flavor with a hint of spice.” - Rich Clemson
“Tastes like ketchup and barbecue sauce mixed together. I’ll pass on this one.” - Jeannie Coffey
Del Monte Ketchup
Price: $1.45 for 28 ounces.
Nutrition: 15 calories (1 percent fat calories); 190 milligrams sodium per tablespoon.
Taste: ***
Value: ***
Comments: “Thick, good flavor.” - Ella Gordon-Stowe
“A very plain tomato taste, nondescript. Got a ways to go to catch up.” - Tina Johnson
Muir Glen Organic Tomato Ketchup
Price: $4.79 for 28 ounces.
Nutrition: 15 calories (1 percent fat calories); 190 milligrams sodium per tablespoon.
Taste: **
Value: *
Comments: “An odd, skunky spice hides the requisite tomato taste - yuk!” - Karen Buck
“Had a metallic taste to it. No double-dip worries with this one.” - Lisa Arsenault
Dole Fruit’N Juice Bars
Price: $3.29 for 17.5 ounces (7 bars).
Nutrition: 70 calories (no fat); 5 milligrams sodium per bar.
Taste: ****
Value: ***
Comments: “Wow - pureed strawberries on a stick. It tastes like summer.” - Tina Johnson
“Needs more fruit flavor; more of a sweet flavor than the fruit type.” - Rich Clemson
Dreyer’s Fruit Bars
Price: $3.59 for 16.5 ounces (6 bars).
Nutrition: 80 calories (no fat); no sodium per bar.
Taste: ****
Value: ***
Comments: “This tastes like the mashed-strawberry mixture my mother makes to put on strawberry shortcake. Very strawberry and very sweet.” - Jeannie Coffey
“Nice texture, but the chunks of strawberry tasted old.” - Beverly Smick
Welch’s Fruit Juice Bars
Price: $3.69 for 21 ounces (12 bars).
Nutrition: 45 calories (no fat); no sodium per bar.
Taste: ***
Value: ***
Comments: “Light, refreshing, cool taste. Pretty color, not too sweet.” - Ella Gordon-Stowe
“Kool-Aid on a stick - hard as a brick and fake, fake, FAKE!” - Karen Buck