Do you make your own condiments?

[firelily99]

I know that people will make their own mayo but do you make any other condiments from scratch?

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

mostly things like caramelised red onion chutney and such things get made from scratch (once a year that is and then jarred for the rest of the year) - that way we can have them as sweet/spicy or chuncky as we want them!

 

[Tara]

I make my own salad dressing. I keep a wide range of mustards to makes various flavors of mustard based salad dressings. I'm not a fan of mayo, but I look forward to what others will post in this thread.

 

[Jade]

I've made ketchup before, although it was probably more of a chutney, but it was fairly simple and it tasted way fresher and more natural than bottled ones. Also, like Tara, I like making dressing from scratch as well besides ones that I can't duplicate and my particular favorite when jt comes to this is honey mustard.

 

[Food4thought]

I think homemade salad dressings and sauces are always better than anything that comes out of a bottle or a tube, if you can get the ingredients. When I do buy jars of mustard, horseradish or mayonaise, it is to use them ingredients in my own sauces, rather than as condiments.

 

[crimsonghost747]

Only some very simple salad dressings. Everything else I buy ready made, it's just so much more simple that way. And seeing as I use very little condiments to begin with, it's handy to be able to buy different things in small amounts.

 

[OhioTom76]

I've never been able to make a good home made mayo myself for some reason. I have a really old stick blender, but it must not be powerful enough or have the right type of blade on it to make mayo. I've also tried making it my blender with no luck at all, it just became a runny mess.

I have made other condiments from time to time though - although in most cases, I couldn't quite get the flavors to my liking yet. I make home made BBQ sauces from time to time, and home made salad dressings. One of my current favorites is a dead simple recipe using Morton's Natures Seasonings blend - you just mix it with some oil and vinegar and shake it up. I also make fresh salsa pretty often, and I've just recently started making fresh pickles as well. They came out pretty good but my attempt at pickled jalapeno's was a disaster (they turned out just like the canned variety, so there was no advantage what so ever).

 

[Ellyn]

While not quite from scratch, one of my favorite condiments is kecap manis, although I enjoy the surprising versatility of peanut butter. (And oh, wow, I didn't notice...there was already a Cooking With Peanut Butter thread existing here!)

 

[Rachele]

I make my own salad dressings and chilli oil, although I need to crack on with another batch as I've down to the last dregs of the last lot I made. The chilli oil in the stores is never hot enough for my tastes, so I prefer to make my own so I can pack it full of the hottest chillies I can find!