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M$4.20  Funded By Mahalo ? |  November 09, 2009 10:49 PM

What is your best trick to get ketchup flowing smoothly out of the bottle?

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Interesting: jasoncalacanis M$1.45, gno M$1.00, lesliec M$1.00, buddawiggi M$0.50

Uninteresting: bunnyphuphu

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bunnyphuph... bunnyphuph...
 
 November 10, 2009 04:14 PM
@shinju was correct with his comment.

~quote~
"Yes, I agree. Simply hold the bottle horizontally and tap the neck on your extended finger."
~end/quote~

Instead of holding the vertically upside down, you hold it more horizontally.
I grew up with the glass Heinz bottle. If you look closely on the bottle, you'll see "57" etched into the base of the neck. That is area that you should tap on to release the suction from the shape of the bottle. Works every time!

http://blog.luon.com/public/heinz1.jpg

I also found this interesting video that touches on all the other ways to get ketchup out of a bottle. I'm surprised that so few people know about the tap point that is on the bottle.

*please note: I hit 'uninteresting' by mistake (mouse issues...)
I will personally double tip back the next person to tip this thread!
(within reason....) *update: @buddawiggi gets a $1 for his 50 cent tip. Thanks!



Tags: suction, ketchup, bottle

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fallen_ang... fallen_ang...
 
November 09, 2009 11:02 PM
Have it upside down all the time? LoL XD


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cosmopinki... cosmopinki...
 
November 09, 2009 11:33 PM
The best way for me is to turn it upside down and shake the ketchup down. Remove the lid, hold the bottle side ways and tap the side. The ketchup flows out as you tap the side.
Source(s):
My personal experience


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shinju shinju
 
November 10, 2009 01:10 AM
Yes, I agree. Simply hold the bottle horizontally and tap the neck on your extended finger.

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extrudedco... extrudedco...
 
November 09, 2009 11:54 PM
With the glass bottles that are often refilled at many restaurants, it's almost impossible to get it to start flowing after they've filled it up to the top. My solution has been to insert a butter knife to extract the ketchup. It doesn't get it 'flowing', but it will get the ketchup out a whole lot faster than any other bottle abusing methods I've seen.

If the bottle is only partly full, I shake the bottle slightly side to side to get the ketchup flowing, while making sure to leave space in the opening for air to flow back into the bottle.

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lidyax lidyax
 
November 10, 2009 12:38 AM
I do this to. I usually use a chopstick to gauge the ketchup (or in my case, chilli sauce) out.

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kty2777 kty2777
 
November 10, 2009 02:21 AM
NASA has even worked on this problem!
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/07jun_elastic_fluids.htm

It has to do with fluid dynamics and thermodynamics - the changing consistency of a liquid dependent on temperature and pressure. If you want to read the details get a copy of Computational fluid dynamics in food processing
By Da-Wen Sun - its online and if you understand the physics its a great read

Now with that out of the way, I'll explain why shaking the bottle gets the sauce flowing, so to speak.

At rest the molecules in sauce are relatively immobile and thus non-dynamic. Apply heat and the molecules warm up, move around more and become more fluid. Shaking the bottle warms up the sauce slightly - only slightly but its enough to change the dynamics.

So, you can get the sauce out of a cold bottle by shaking it first ( vigorously shake shake shake ) OR you can keep the sauce warm and it will always flow well, but I don't like the idea of warm sauce sitting around so best to do the shake and shake :P
Source(s):
see above and
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Xt-Y1ZwU0WwC&pg=PA539&lpg=PA539...


Tags: tomato, mahalo, sauce

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amarande amarande
 
November 10, 2009 02:58 AM
I always just put a little water in it and shake it up. Usually gets most of it out!

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lauriedm lauriedm
 
November 10, 2009 04:04 AM
I stick the blade of a regular place setting dinner knife (clean) in the top of the bottle while it is upside down and at an angle, about a 45 degree angle and pull a little bit out. Then if I need to I shake it while it is still tilted upside down. It breaks the suction of the ketchup in the bottle.

Make sure you have it over something you want ketchup on, or over a small bowl so when it comes out you do not end up with a mess.

Tags: ketcup, catsup

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silverhamm... silverhamm...
 
November 10, 2009 04:13 PM - New Source
The knife trick works. Once you get some air past the bottleneck it flows fine. If you wiggle the bottleneck gently from side to side (instead of pumping it) after the knife trick it flows quite nicely. Slower if the ketchup is cold.

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imogene200... imogene200...
 
November 10, 2009 03:52 PM
I turn it upside down (lid closed) and tap the lid on the counter a couple of times until I see it start running down. I keep doing that until i get how much I want out. Also keeping it upside down all the time is a good idea.
Source(s):
personal experience


Tags: ketchup

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dayz1230 dayz1230
 
November 10, 2009 04:14 PM
Everyone always tells me to hit the 57 (on heinz glass bottles), but that has not worked as well for me as banging it with my hand against the lid a couple times (even though I have dainty hands).

By the time I open the bottle, the ketchup is ready to come out or just needs a couple of taps.

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buddawiggi buddawiggi
 
November 10, 2009 04:34 PM
Gravity is the answer.

Nobody will want to hear this but restaurants (servers) with glass bottle ketchup do this all the time as common sidework. We would "marry the ketchups".

Placing one half empty ketchup bottle on top of another that is less than half full and voila! you get a ketchup bottle that is *almost* full and we all know that once the initial seal of the ketchup is broken then the ketchup flows out just fine.

Keep this in mind when you ask for ketchup. If the thought of using recycled ketchup bothers you then make sure to ask for a brand new bottle... but be warned that the ketchup (as we can see by the popularity of this question) is quite difficult to get to come out smoothly.

So it is a trade off.. easy flowing ketchup with the recycled bottles or stuck up ketchup with the new bottles..

This video is so funny.. it is a great parody of the whole process..

Source(s):
http://www.youtube.com/


Tags: condiments

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thegreatga... thegreatga...
 
November 10, 2009 08:27 PM
The best way is to hold it at a 45 % angle and tap hard on one of the raised glass 57's on the side of the bottle. It will pour right out.


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gillians gillians
 
November 10, 2009 10:22 PM
I've always called that "hard tap" a "karate chop" and done it with the side of my hand. Works really well.

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legaleagle legaleagle
 
November 10, 2009 09:43 PM
The best way is turn the bottle upside down first, then up right shaking as it goes...when it is upright, remove the top and insert a knife, or similar object 8 inches into the bottle, replace the top,,,ketchup flows easily...
Source(s):
catsup tips


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buddawiggi buddawiggi
 
November 10, 2009 10:00 PM
@legaleagle adding an unhelpful vote to a users answer besides your own to move your answer up is just mean and in violation of the guidelines set in the Mahalo Answers Etiquette set of things that are not cool to do on Mahalo.

Be cool

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jeffhoard jeffhoard
 
November 10, 2009 10:38 PM
Please do not abuse the "Uninteresting" button

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jpknox jpknox
 
November 10, 2009 10:34 PM
Tilt the bottle at a 45 degree angle and simply tap the neck of the bottle.

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dakotamoon... dakotamoon...
 
November 10, 2009 10:51 PM
There is a simple method I use each time to get the ketchup flowing. After opening the bottle take a clean straw and push it into the ketchup to the bottom of the bottle if needed then remove it and toss. The ketchup should flow easily out of the bottle after this is done. My grandmother taught me this trick because she always had trouble getting the ketchup out of the bottle, especially if hte bottle was brand new.

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chronic_br... chronic_br...
 
November 11, 2009 10:37 AM
After shaking the bottle for a few minutes, set the bottle down on a table just like it was before you grabbed it off of the shelf and tossed it into the buggy and cut off the top with a sharp knife somewhere around the neck of the bottle. When held upside down you should get plenty of flow from the bottle.After shaking the bottle for a few minutes, set the bottle down on a table just like it was before you grabbed it off of the shelf and tossed it into the buggy and cut off the top with a sharp knife somewhere around the neck of the bottle. When held upside down you should get plenty of flow from the bottle.

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