Ketchup is a classic for hamburgers and fries, but home cooks and celebrity chefs have also developed clever ways to harness its sweet and spicy flavour. Here are six ways to cook with ketchup, from the classic wok sauce to Jacques Pépin's chicken stir-fry.
Pickling
Mix the ketchup with red wine vinegar, curry powder and honey mustard to take grilled salmon to a new level. Or do as Jacques Pépin does and mix it with balsamic vinegar for a whole new take on chicken or ribs - you'll find your guests will love it!
Barbecue sauce
To make it sweet and spicy, add chipotle chilli and maple syrup. Or mix equal parts ketchup and peach jam with a little lemon juice to make a sticky and irresistible sauce make the rib. You can make pulled pork interesting with this combination: ketchup, cola, apple cider vinegar and cayenne pepper hot sauce. The result will be unforgettable.
Wok dishes
Use ketchup to make sweet and sour wok sauce, for example in this recipe Boston chef Joanne Chang, or in this chilli shrimp recipe, by sommelier Rajat Parr, or Andrew Zimmern, who first encountered the dish in a Thai café during his first visit to Penang, Malaysia.
Fasírt
Make homemade meatloaf, like this version with cheese and two slices of bacon!
Whitefish
Did you know that ketchup is Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's amazing cod- and the mysterious ingredient in the sauce?
Crab cocktail
Mix in some Worcestershire sauce, Cajun spice and lemon for an exciting Bloody Mary-inspired cocktail sauce.
