So you bought a tasty hot dog or a sandwich, and now you want to eat it with your favorite red condiment. Yes, we are talking about ketchup here. Unfortunately for you, your refrigerated ketchup is cold and no one likes cold ketchup. Immediate question is, can you microwave ketchup?
To put it simply, NO you cannot microwave ketchup. Yes, it would probably make your food taste cold but it is better than having it explode inside your microwave. Don't believe me? Read on to get an idea about the side effects of microwaving ketchup.
Microwaved Ketchup Tastes Bad: Ketchup is made from crushed tomatoes, vinegar, citric acid, and other seasonings. As you microwave ketchup, the liquid part in tomato ketchup turns to steam and the remaining tomato pulp starts burning. As a result, it loses its flavor and tastes really bad. If steam cannot escape then your ketchup may even explode! If you are picky about your sauces then you will definitely not like the new burnt up ketchup flavor.
Ketchup Packets will explode and cause sparks: Ketchup, from fast food restaurants, is usually inside packets, with aluminum foil covering the inner packing. Aluminum is a metal and you cannot microwave metal ever! If you microwave it, it will cause sparks and your microwave might burn and explode.
Avoid heating ketchup at all costs if it is in a packet. There are multiple instances of sparks and explosions happening inside a microwave. It simply happened, because some genius decided to microwave ketchup.
Can you microwave ketchup in the bottle?: So, can you microwave a ketchup bottle? The answer is again NO! The bottle might explode as the liquid inside the ketchup boils. It will leave a huge mess inside your microwave and cleaning it will be a huge chore. It is better to use another condiment or get more ketchup.
Burnt Ketchup May Smell Bad: If you microwave ketchup at high temperatures, it can smell bad. That is simply because burnt things smell. I doubt you would want to spread bad smelling and tasteless ketchup on your burgers.
Microwaved Ketchup Alternatives: Ketchup alone should not be microwaved, however, if ketchup is present on the burger itself, then the burger can be microwaved. That does not put ketchup in direct contact and the heat from the surrounding bread will warm up your ketchup a bit.
Final Verdict: Microwaving ketchup is just not worth it. There are a lot of risks involved and even if you successfully microwave it; the end result will leave much to be desired. So do yourself a favor, avoid microwaving ketchup and instead put on some mayo or other sauce for awesome flavor.
Sources and References:
https://www.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/4bg2gv/tifu_by_trying_to_warm_up_my_ketchup/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-hotchkiss/revealed-why-does-tomato-_b_4784824.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbGQfLIfld0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nNofPO-BKU
