Down Goes Heinz! Down Goes Heinz!


Now, it wasn’t exactly Frazier-Foreman, but this weekend’s stunning results from the latest Taster’s Choice evaluations might make you reconsider the ketchup bottle sitting in your refridgerator door. John Kerry-favorite Heinz has long been America’s ketchup of choice; however, a blind taste test of tomato-based condiments produced some shocking results:

And the panel’s favorite burger condiment, after a blind tasting, was a humble store brand, Ralphs($1.69 for 20 ounces), sold by the Cala-Bell-Kroger-Ralphs supermarket chain … But when it comes to the ketchup itself, the panelists found it has “good tomato flavor” that’s “rich and deep” with a “good balance of acidity and sweetness.” Its texture was very thick and smooth, too much so for one taster, who called it “almost gelatinous.”

Interestingly enough, Ralphs ketchup–like most private label products–is made by an unidentified, mysterious manufacturer, so the producer of the best ketchup in the country is currently unknown.

Heinz finished a distant fifth (out of seven competing ketchups). The tasters described it as having a “nice thick texture” but the taste–described as “out of balance” and “bland”–did not receive high marks.

Full results after the jump.

Perfect score = 100

1. Ralphs 75

2. Del Monte 71

3. Hunt’s 69

4. Safeway 62

5. Heinz 59

6. Whole Foods 365 42

7. Western Family 39

Ralphs ketchup licks top-selling Heinz [SFGate]

Tags:

Down Goes Heinz! Down Goes Heinz!