Ketchup review

>> Monday, July 28, 2008

When we started on this quest to rid HFCS from our home lives, I was really more than a bit concerned about finding a suitable ketchup replacement. My husband is a ketchup fiend. He loves ketchup and uses it liberally. And until recently, only one ketchup would do - regular, HFCS laden, Heinz ketchup. He was adamant about his ketchup brand, and I have to admit that I thought that Heinz was the best too. So, I'm more than a bit surprised that we found three HFCS-free ketchups that we find perfectly acceptable, and we found them fast. Yay!

Let me start by saying that there are not many ketchups out there that do not have HFCS as an ingredient. And the ketchups that are HFCS free are muy expensive. It probably isn't surprising that all of the HFCS-free ketchups that I found were organic. I'm not knocking organic foods, but the organic label generally knocks a product's price into a higher zone. I know that organic foods generally cost more to grow in large quantities, but I also suspect that an extra premium is placed on foods simply for the organic label. Is it too much to ask for some non-organic products that don't contain HFCS? But I digress...

Back to ketchup. Here's what we found. First up, Heinz Organic Tomato Ketchup. It has a good texture that is very much like the HFCS-containing Heinz ketchup. I thought that the flavor was very much like the original Heinz too, but my husband thought there was a slight flavor difference (though he couldn't or wouldn't elaborate on the difference). The only problem with the Heinz is that it was the most expensive of the three ketchups that we found at 20 cents an ounce. (I can get regular Heinz ketchup on sale for 6 cents an ounce!)Our next ketchup find was Muir Glen Organic Tomato Ketchup. My husband (here on out referred to as Ken, since that's his name) thought that it had a pleasant worcestershire kind of kick to it that Heinz doesn't have. The texture, which is a bit runnier and grainier than Heinz, reminded me of ketchup you might get at a cheap diner. Overall, the flavor was pleasant, and even though the texture is a departure from what we're used to, we could be happy using this ketchup.Last is Wild Harvest Organic Ketchup. Wild Harvest is Albertson's new organic line (at least, I think that it is exclusive to Albertsons). This ketchup's texture is kind of in between the organic Heinz and the Muir Glen ketchups. And it had a fine flavor. (I couldn't get a flavor review from Ken, and I'm not so much of a ketchup connoisseur to have much of an opinion on the flavor.) And, at 13 cents an ounce, the price is almost bearable!
In the end, we've decided to go with the Muir Glen ketchup. Price is what swayed us. At the grocery store, we can get it for 16 cents an ounce - not as economical as the Wild Harvest ketchup. But, we don't mind buying in bulk, so I just ordered a 12 pack of Muir Glen ketchup from Amazon for 11 cents an ounce. That's a lot of ketchup, but we'll go through it fast!

15 comments:

Hil July 28, 2008 at 9:39 AM  

Here's another item you can review: hot dog/hamburger buns.

I was in Albertson's the other day and cannot find non-HFCS buns for the life of me!

I did find some though. Wheat Montana makes a great HFCS-free bun, however, this brand is only available in three states (MT, ID, WA). Not sure if anyone else has trouble finding a decent bun.

cathy July 28, 2008 at 12:26 PM  

Yes, that definitely deserves a post all to itself. We're having the same problem. There are some out there, but unfortunately, they're not sold around here!

fatfighter July 29, 2008 at 3:09 AM  

Thanks for the review. I love ketchup, too, and worry I will not like the taste if I make the switch, but I will have to try the ones you mentioned.

JEN September 4, 2008 at 9:21 AM  

we love wegman's organic ketchup, it's amazing, not runny at ALL (one of my pet peeves is when you forget to shake the normal ketchup and the watery nasty comes out, LOL)and the taste is soooo freaking good. thick, yummy, and not terribly $$ IMO. $2.69 for 24oz, not on sale-and it often is.

JEN

JEN September 4, 2008 at 9:22 AM  

oh here's the link

https://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10052&productId=554891&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&krypto=u%2Fyz4%2Fmb%2F3tlxkVWU72OLKOE7nG8zT2yV3TgMDZoBKAX%2FT%2B66CiuJQ%3D%3D&ddkey=https:WegSetStorePreferenceCmd

cathy September 4, 2008 at 10:21 AM  

Thanks for the ketchup suggestions, Choofy Mom!

Anonymous September 8, 2008 at 11:02 AM  

Not sure how I missed this one as I always look at your posts...thanks!

Anonymous September 8, 2008 at 11:06 AM  

I've been buying Polish ketchup lately. It's a little sweeter, but uses white sugar instead of HFCS.

Beema August 30, 2009 at 11:56 AM  

Kroger/Dillon's/Genuardi's group of grocery stores now have an organic, store-brand ketchup that my children find acceptable. And in Texas, HEB Foods, including Central Market, has a non-organic, HFCS-free ketchup that is good.
I've noticed lately that a lot of different store brands are starting to remove the HFCS from their products!!
Oh happy day!!!

Silicon Cookware March 30, 2010 at 1:01 PM  

Costco has the organic Heinz ketchup. Not sure how the price compares, thought.

alex April 8, 2010 at 6:04 PM  

I heard several of the main ketchup makers are moving to a non-hcfs recipe. You might want to do another review once this happens. I love the posts!!

viagra online April 19, 2011 at 12:56 PM  

can you explain me the difference between ketchup and tomato sauce ? I mean whats the difference ?

Viagra Vs Cialis November 2, 2011 at 11:01 AM  

I have to say that Heinz is one of the best ketchups in the world actually this is what I use to buy, I hope you having the same opinion I have.

Unknown July 20, 2016 at 5:10 PM  

I found Hunt's Natural Ketchup which has very few ingredients, and sugar, not HFCS, is low on the list. The flavor and texture are comparable to Heinz.

Unknown June 24, 2022 at 11:28 PM  

Wonderful share its adorable post i have seen today. Really thanks for the share. Please keep sharing about Organic Ketchup.

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