The mixture of salty Canadian spices that I use on everything, from popcorn to beef stew

Ketchup powder belongs next to the Nanaimo bars and Céline Dion in the pantheon of large Canadian cultural exports. I first fell in love with the ketchup powder during the visit of my brother-in-law in Vancouver, where the brick-red spice mixture is a common aroma on the chips. I smuggled a shaker through the border when I returned to the United States and I started testing other applications: chex mixture, fries, mixed nuts. Combined with tangy cultivated butter, the seasoning of the ketchup made a popcorn that seemed chemically designed to trigger the pleasure centers of my brain. I haven’t done popcorn otherwise since.

I admit that there is an image problem to correct: for many, ketchup is a symbol of culinary immaturity – taste buds that have never grown up. But the highest call for ketchup is its ability to improve flavors, not hide them. Consider the tradition of lexington barbecue, where a small amount of ketchup helps to complete the thorny edges of the Caroline vinegar sauce. The main components of ketchup – salt, sugar, vinegar, tomato – will cover four of our five basic tastes. It makes ketchup powder a surprisingly versatile pantry player. It is useful in much more than snacks. More and more, I reach the ketchup powder every time I want the fours of salted, sweet, sour and Umami stool without the Gloopy and Siruper base.

Where to buy ketchup powder

The flavor of ketchup has made a few breakthroughs in the United States in recent years – Tradier Joe launched a Ketchup sprinking in 2023 (although he has since disappeared from the shelves), and Doritos has reissued a “Ketchup” flavor “Tangy” flavor this summer. But the Shakers are not yet omnipreed on the shelves of American grocery stores. online.

While the formulations differ slightly from one brand to another, the base must include salt, sugar, tomato powder, vinegar powder and granulated onion (some mixtures add garlic to the mixture). Check this vinegar powder on the list of ingredients before buying it, because some marks rely on the citric acid juice or lemon juice – this gives the mixture of the signature flavor.

How to use ketchup powder

The ketchup powder is good for much more than the snacking of snacks and the furtive seasoning of your hot dogs around the chicagoans.

As an increase in entry -level flavor: Try to add a few teaspoons to your favorite dry friction (it is particularly good on the ribs) or your seasoning mixture for potatoes and fries. Because the powder is designed as a mixture of finish – something to shake generously on the popcorn and the tokens – it is difficult to do too much.

To increase ketchup dishes: Unsurprisingly, ketchup powder is also a great way to maximize flavor in dishes that already include bottle ketchup. The seasoning can stimulate the flavor in the red cabbage salad of lexington style without changing the texture of the vinaigrette, or umami amplifier in a mixture of meat bread without adding humidity, harmonizing the interior of the bread with its frosting.

Like a secret weapon experiences flavor: Once you are comfortable with ketchup powder, the world is your oyster [sauce]. In my house, the powder has become a sneaky way to deepen the flavors in all kinds of sauces and sautés. Try to add a few Shakes to the sweet and sour pork, Sichuan style aubergines or Chinese scrambled eggs with tomatoes. It can add depth to the spice mixture in an American beef stew, or increase color and acid in a Bhindi masala.

For daring and collaborators: The subtlety is not required. Cread yourself from Canada ketchup tokens and try to mix it with sure cream for the beginnings of a “all dressed” chip.

Power – and powder – are in your red stained hands.