Sometimes I like to dive deep into a culinary creation, making
everything I can from scratch. However, there are a few items that
I haven't really given much thought to making - ketchup immediately
comes to mind. It turns out that even though they spend their days
creating complex dishes where they tweak every flavor, chefs also
take shortcuts, especially at home. Food and Wine talked to several
chefs about what they won't make from scratch.
Turns out I'm in good company - chefs Alex Guarnaschelli
and Norman Van Aken both think store bought ketchup is better than
homemade. You might not expect Daniel Boulud to prefer buying
versus making a condiment, but he uses purchased tapenade instead
of making it himself. "Usually, tapenade is made with small
olives from Provence, which are pain to pit," he
says.
It isn't just condiments that chefs leave to others.
"It's kind of embarrassing because I'm known for my fried
chicken, but I live for Publix fried chicken," confesses
chef Michelle Bernstein. Brad Kilgore - chef,
restaurateur and founder of Kilgore Culinary Group - buys bacon and
smoked salmon. "Both of these are really tough to do in
your apartment or house, and there are really tasty, high-quality
versions of both available just about anywhere," he
says.
Photo of Easy
homemade chipotle ketchup from Tinned Tomatoes by
Jacqueline Meldrum