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Ketchup is traditionally cooked. The tomato component changes the mostwith cooking. Try tasting a fresh tomato sauce after simmering 5minutes and one simmering an hour... 3 hours. It's night and day. Thatlong simmered taste plays a big role in ketchup. You get a sweeter, moreflavorful product
That being said, simmering takes time and is a hbuttle. Besides, mostbrands of tomato paste have been cooked for ages anyway. Vinegar iswater and acetic acid. Acetic acid is volatile- it has a tendency tocook off. If you do make an uncooked ketchup, make sure you don't usetoo much vinegar because you won't be tempering it by cooking it off.
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Before Heinz 1 carb came out, I was making all of my own ketchup. Itwas highly cost effective and the quality was superb, but it took a lotof time to do. One of the biggest drawbacks, btw of homemade ketchup,is shelf life. Without the preserving effects of sugar ketchup doesn'tkeep long. The acid in the vinegar helps a little, but not much. Heinz1 carb has preservatives.
Whatever recipe you choose, make sure it contains allspice. Not a lotof allspice, just some. Allspice is the defining spice in ketchup andis frequently overlooked by aspiring ketchup makers.-- scott123
