You may have noticed that the condiment aisle has gotten a little more interesting over the last few years. Gourmet condiments are peeking between the familiar bottles of Heinz ketchup and French's yellow mustard. It's hard to believe but anything that comes in a jar or bottle can be made in your very own kitchen including hot sauce barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, steak sauce - if you can name it, you can make it yourself.
Homemade condiments are easier to make than you think. Most of them require a handful of common ingredients, a large pot, and a blender (or other pureeing device). If you want to try your hand at some DIY sauces, I suggest starting with the king of condiments - ketchup. The ingredient list for ketchup is more or less the same; some apple cider vinegar, garlic and onions, assorted spices, a sweetener (usually sugar) and of course, tomatoes. Start with the basic recipe, like the one shown below, and then start adding other flavoring to turn your plain traditional ketchup into a "fancy one." This means experimenting with a variety of herbs and spices to create a uniquely flavored ketchup. Perhaps you want to create a curry ketchup to go with your lamb burger or bloody Mary inspired ketchup with celery seed and Tabasco for your fries. You also might try using fire roasted tomatoes for a smoky flavored ketchup.
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