The Vindicator’s ketchup & mustard blind taste test Which condiments taste best?


May 25, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

By Robert McFerren

mcferren@vindy.com

Memorial Day officially kicks off the beginning of the summer grilling season, meaning every cookout you attend likely will be offering hamburgers and hot dogs.

And with those hamburgers and hot dogs go lots of ketchup and mustard. While most people are very brand loyal when it comes to their condiments (especially our neighbors to the east in Pennsylvania who eat only Heinz brands, so I am told, as Heinz’s world headquarters are in Pittsburgh).

So, is there really any difference in the taste of a more expensive brand-name ketchup or mustard vs. the less-expensive store-brand names?

We decided to do a blind taste test of seven different brands of ketchup and mustard in The Vindicator lunchroom and have our staff vote on their favorites.

17 staff members took the taste test in order to give you their opinion of what the best ketchup and mustard are for your next cookout.

Each taste tester dipped bite-sized pieces of hot dogs into samplings of each condiment, and then rated each on a scale of 1 (being the best-tasting) to 7 (least favorite).

In the ketchup corner, we tested the two big brand names of Hunt’s and Heinz against store brands, including Giant Eagle Ketchup, Nature’s Basket Organic Ketchup (Giant Eagle), Frank’s Ketchup (an Ohio-made ketchup), Valu Time Ketchup and Our Family Ketchup (Rulli Bros.)

And in the mustard arena, we tested the two bigger brand names of French’s and Plochman’s against the store brands, which included Our Family Mustard (Rulli Bros.), Bell-View Mustard, Crowning Touch Mustard (Marc’s), Classic Mustard (Rulli Bros.) and Valu Time Mustard.

Here are the results:

Ketchup

  1. Hunt’s

  2. Nature’s Basket Organic

  3. Giant Eagle

  4. Our Family

  5. Frank’s

  6. Valu Time and Heinz (tied for last place)

Mustard

  1. Classic Mustard

  2. Our Family

  3. French’s

  4. Bell-View

  5. Crowning Touch

  6. Valu Time

  7. Plochman’s

Some comments the ketchups included:

Hunt’s had the most flavor, sweet. One taste tester, who doesn’t even like ketchup, commented the Nature’s Basket Organic ketchup was the best ketchup they had ever tasted.

Some comments on the mustards included:

Several noted Classic mustard’s slight dijon-style flavor, while another taste tester wrote that Classic was “nasty.” One tester wrote Plochman’s had the most kick of all the mustards tested, while another tester commented that it had too much of a vinegar flavor.

Note: Of all the products tested, each product received at least one vote as the best and at least one vote as least favorite.

While a brand name was picked as the best for ketchup, Giant Eagle’s Nature’s Basket Organic Ketchup came in a close second. However, the organic ketchup costs a little more at $2.29. Classic Mustard and Our Family (sold at Rulli Bros.) were priced well below the more expensive brand names. Classic sells for 85 ¢ and Our Family mustard costs $1.15.

Now, fire up those grills and get the ketchup and mustard that will impress all of your guests.