Grilled cheese w/ ketchup: moral imperative, or mortal sin?

[Greg]

Just the opposite with me, the mustard overpowers the cheese. And, my wife is a ketchup freak, uses it on most casual foods. I'm of the opinion it's only used on fries and burgers also, sometimes meatloaf, bad meatloaf at that.

Ketchup only goes on bad burgers or fries. Mediocre fries are best used as a ketchup and salt delivery system, for that they can be quite excellent. Good fries don't need that.

[Flintlock Tom]

Ahgggg!
Ketchup bad?!
Heresy, heresy! La, la, la, la...I CAN'T HEEEEAR YOU.

[Greg]

Ahgggg!
Ketchup bad?!
Heresy, heresy! La, la, la, la...I CAN'T HEEEEAR YOU.

Hee hee. I like ketchup quite a bit. But ketchup is its own thing, and when you're eating it that's all you're doing. Slathering ketchup onto things is really just nutritionally enhancing the ketchup you're decided to eat.

[rightisright]

The bottle of ketchup for guests in my fridge is probably 3 years old. My friends have good taste.

[Rich]

My question is, do you add the ketchup before or after the grilling?

Actually, I'm in the anti-ketchup crowd.

[HTRN]

Commercial ketchup is basically red sugar paste. The homemade stuff is generally better, but I'm still not fond of it.

Also, What we think of as Ketchup, is properly, Tomato ketchup. In the previous century, varietys like mushroom and Walnut ketchup were popular, before tomato ketchup became the mainstay. In the Philipines, banana ketchup is very popular - it origins are due to the substitution of bananas there during WW2, because of tomato shortages.

Historically, it's allegedly a mutation of Chinese fish sauce from the 1690s. It was discovered by the British in Southeast Asia a coupla decades later, and soon became a staple of British cooking.

[Les Nessman]

Never tried the GCw/ketchup, but I may now. I think I'd prefer fresh ripe tomato slices, but I'm very picky about tomatoes. They have to be ripe RED on the vine, fresh and from my own garden, neighbor's garden or local farmers market. Around here they're only like that in July, August and Sept.

Mac and Cheese mixed with a dollop of tomato juice is delicious, btw.

Ketchup isn't greatness but it doesn't deserve the bad rap either.

[HTRN]

Ketchup isn't greatness but it doesn't deserve the bad rap either.

BURN HIM! HE'S A WITCH!

Beware the Red Menace!

[Darrell]

I thought I read somewhere that ketchup originated as an east Asian fish sauce or something of the sort. I was a bit surprised when reading a menu that ketchup is used in some Chinese dishes.

[TheIrishman]

meatloaf, bad meatloaf at that.

Actually putting ketchup on meatloaf is wrong. Making a glaze with ketchup and brown sugar for the top of a meatloaf while it's cooking is the proper use.