Growing up, going to the grocery store as a family always felt like a special treat. While I would like to say that it was nice because it was something we did together, what really motivated my younger self to help out was to advocate for what snacks and drinks I thought we should buy “for the house.”
And during every grocery run, there are items that automatically get added to our cart every time, and ketchup was always one of them.
When you buy a bottle of ketchup, you want to be able to get your money’s worth by consuming every last drop of it before going out and purchasing a new one.
It may not look like it, but there is more physics to getting ketchup out of a bottle than you realize, and understanding this fact actually comes in handy when getting every last drop of it out of the bottle. If you want to avoid throwing away your ketchup bottle prematurely, try out these four tricks!
1. Shake the bottle
This is usually my first instinct whenever I know for a fact there is still a good amount of ketchup left in the bottle—glass or plastic.
I’d hold the bottle upside down and start shaking downward over and over again. I’d keep doing this until I can visibly see the ketchup from the bottom of the bottle finally move nearer to the neck, and just keep going from there. Even after removing the cap and trying to get some ketchup out, you can also gently tap the bottom if you think you need to.
2. Spin the bottle
Another way to force the ketchup left at the bottom of your bottle is to spin it. You’re essentially performing arm circles with a ketchup bottle in your hand. Just remember to hold onto the neck of the bottle and have a good grip on it. Make sure the lid is completely closed before you start swinging vigorously.
When trying this for yourself, it might feel silly at first. But trust me, the centrifugal force from quickly rotating the bottle in your hand will help bring out the ketchup left in the bottle.
3. Tapping the sweet spot on the neck of the bottle
The 57 Trick is specifically associated with the glass Heinz Ketchup Bottle. The number 57 embossed in every one of their glass bottles has a very practical purpose beyond referencing their slogan “57 varieties.” Confirmed by a Kraft-Heinz spokesperson as early as 2016, you can easily get ketchup out by holding the bottle at an angle and firmly tapping on the “57.”
But in general, this trick would work with any glass ketchup bottle with a tapered neck.
4. Use a butter knife or a straw
If nothing you physically do to the bottle works, then it’s time to call in reinforcements in the form of your kitchen utensils.
You can try using a flat-edged butter knife to reach for and scrape the ketchup clinging to the sides of the bottle from the inside. Just make sure you use one that is long enough to reach for the bottom of the bottle and that its blade is thin enough to fit into the bottle so that you still have some wiggle room to work with. You can actually try this same technique with a chopstick—or really anything long and thin enough to fit into the spout of the bottle and reach the corners.
Another trick is to stick a straw into the bottle and gently shake it. Here, the straw is letting air in, which can lead to the ketchup flowing more freely out of the bottle. Depending on what is happening with your own bottle of ketchup, you can either try to pour out the ketchup with the straw still inside or pull the straw in and out of the bottle to try to reach some of the more stuck patches of ketchup at the bottom of the bottle.
I know physics is probably the last thing you would be thinking about when in the kitchen or while eating. But notice how all of these tricks involve shaking or applying any force or stress onto the ketchup bottle or the ketchup itself. So understanding how ketchup works can help you know exactly which trick or hack to employ the next time you want to get the most out of your ketchup bottle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ketchup naturally sticks to itself and to the container it is in. On top of that, the lack of airflow inside bottle keeps whatever remaining sauce in place.
If there is still a good amount of ketchup left in the bottle, you can try shaking the bottle, spinning the bottle, or tapping a specific spot of the neck of the bottle.
Consider using a butter knife, chopstick, to straw if there is a lesser amount of ketchup left.
Ketchup is a mixture of water, tomato solids, thickeners, vinegar, amongst other things. The technical term for it is a “non-Newtonian fluid.”
After leaving it alone, the tomato solids start to settle at the bottom, separating from the watery translucent liquid.
This is why majority of the hacks involve agitating or applying force to the ketchup bottle or the ketchup itself in some shape or form. It not only mixes the ketchup back to its ideal form but also helps it flow more smoothly out of the bottle or whatever container it is in.
