A Condiment Cost-Cutting Guide, Part I

Don’t run out to the convenience store to pay three-times the value of ketchup next time you run out. Just make your own. You can make most condiments right at home, often for less than you would pay to buy them, even on sale.  

There are so many condiments you can whip up at home, we had to break it up over a few articles. Today we’ll cover a foundation of essential condiments and tomorrow will move on other condiments you can make with them. Finally, we’ll look at salad dressings in the last part of this series.

Ketchup

Good old ketchup only has a few ingredients. Mix together the following in a blender and throw in a dash of salt and store in the refrigerator. 

• 1 Cup tomato sauce
• ½ Cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp vinegar
• 1/8 tsp cloves (optional)

Mustard

How could we mention ketchup without bringing up mustard? Another easy favorite, we’ll start with the yellow mustard that the kids like. Just combine the following ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, whisking till smooth. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer five minutes, continuing to stir. Let cool, refrigerate and enjoy.  

• 4 tsp dry ground mustard 
• 1/4 Cup water 
• 3 Tbsp white distilled vinegar 
• 1/2 tsp flour 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric 
• Pinch of paprika

Prefer Dijon Mustard? Try this! 

• 2 Cups dry white wine
• 1 Cup chopped onion
• 2 Cloves minced garlic
• 4 Oz dry ground mustard
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp salt
• A few drops of Tabasco sauce

Combine wine, onion and garlic in a saucepan. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for five minutes. Cool the mixture and strain. Add back to the saucepan, then gradually integrate dry mustard, whisking until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and continue to heat, stirring constantly until thick. Cool and refrigerate. Wait 48 hours before using to maximize flavor.  

Relish

What’s a dog without relish? Not much of a dog, I’d say. Make a quick relish by dicing 1 cup of your favorite pickles. Combine with the following ingredients:

• 1/4 cup hot or sweet mustard
• 1 Tbsp pickle brine
• 1 Tbsp fresh dill or 1 tsp crushed garlic, chopped

Mayonnaise

Another old standby, mayonnaise, can easily be made at home in a blender. 

• 1 egg (room temp)
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1/4 Cup veg oil.
• dash cayenne pepper 
• 1 Cup veg oil.
• 3 Tbsp Vinegar 

Place egg, vinegar, 2 Tbsp oil, salt, and mustard in a blender or bowl and whip for one minute. Begin adding the remaining oil, continuing to whip the mixture. When the mixture become well blended and firm, it’s ready for the fridge.

If you prefer a salad dressing type mayonnaise, such as Miracle Whip, combine the following ingredients together in the blender, mixing on high until whipped.  

• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 6 Tbsp vinegar
• 3 Cup vegetable oil 

Next, combine the following ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth paste. Add this hot paste to the mayonnaise, blending well. Refrigerate before using.  

• 3 Tbsp flour or cornstarch
• 1 Cup boiling water
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 Cup white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp salt

Maple Syrup

Didn’t notice you were out of syrup until the pancakes were done? Don’t despair, you can make your own! Combine water, sugars and corn syrup in a large saucepan. Mix on medium heat until boiling. Add lemon juice, vanilla and maple flavored extract and . Fill hot sterilized bottles with the syrup to keep it fresh longer.  

• 3 Cups water
• 3 Cups granulated sugar
• 3 Cups brown sugar
• 1 Cups corn syrup
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp Maple flavored extract 

Onion Soup Mix

One of the most versatile household mixes, onion dip / soup mix can be used for the traditional soup or dip-making, but it’s also a knockout addition to meatloaf. Simply combine the following ingredients and store in an airtight container.

• 2 Cups powdered milk
• 3/4 Cup cornstarch
• 1/4 Cup beef bouillon crystals
• 2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
• 1 tsp dried crushed basil leaves

Butter

I can’t believe I don’t have to buy butter! Butter can be made at home given you have some heavy cream and a jar in the house. Baby food jars work just fine for this. 

Fill the jar approximately half full with heavy cream and close tightly. Shake the jar up and down vigorously. The cream will thicken and begin to clump and stick together. Open the jar and pour the liquid that separates from the fat into another air tight container. This is butter milk that can be used in dressings and baking recipes. Empty the butter from the jar into your hand and knead under cold running water several minutes until no buttermilk remains. Consider kneading in salt if you prefer salted butter. Refrigerate and use as needed. 

Baking Powder

How could something like baking powder be so easy to make? It’s only three ingredients that most of us have in the kitchen already. Sift together the following ingredients and you have baking powder.

• 2 Tbsp cream of tartar powder
• 1 Tbsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch

Onion or Garlic Powder

Onion powder and garlic powder are ridiculously easy to make. All you have to do is peel and finely chop the garlic or onions, then spread the pieces on a tray. Heat in oven at 150 degrees F, or in food dehydrator, until dry. After cooling, grind the dried garlic or onion in a mill until fine. For onion or garlic salt, simply blend 3 tsp salt to 1 tsp garlic or onion powder. 

Now that your fridge is filled with the basics, we can move on to other seasonings and the condiments we can make with them. Check out other condiment recipes in our Condiment Cost-Cutting Guide Part II and salad dressing recipes in Part III. 

Jessica Bosari is an Internet copywriter and blogger for various publications and her own blog. You can read more of Jessica's work here.