Calling all ketchup lovers! If you struggle getting this condiment out of its glass bottle, fret no more. Anthony Stickland, a chemical engineer at the University of Melbourne in Australia, recently found a simple solution to get ketchup unstuck. The secret is in the pour (see The Perfect Pour).
“Ketchup is classified as a soft solid,” says Stickland. That’s because particles of tomato pulp bind the sauce together. So instead of flowing like a liquid, ketchup moves only when the right amount of force is applied.
The downward pull of gravity often isn’t strong enough to get ketchup moving, which is why some people recommend tapping the 57 on the neck of a Heinz bottle. “That’s one way to apply force, but hitting the bottom also works,” says Stickland.
In other ketchup news: Scientists in Boston are working on a promising new bottle design that would allow ketchup to slide right out—no special pouring tricks needed!