Many moons ago when I was in college, I somehow got recruited to help out with the production of the Senior Class Film. (At Wheaton College, where I went to school, every class made a film each year…some better than others…most better than this one.) I remember being really eager to be a big part of the production–after all, this was film we were talking about. Stardom! Fame! Playing to an audience of 2,000 who would promptly forget your class’s really bad movie! Yeah, it sounded awesome. In the end, though, I made no appearance in the film and for some reason the only thing I was called upon to contribute was a batch of fake blood.

What self-respecting college student wouldn’t take a picture like this after making fake blood?

What stood out to me about making fake blood was how easy it was. Surprisingly easy…sinisterly, wickedly easy. The only ingredients were water, corn syrup, food coloring, and corn starch. You don’t even have to go to the store to make blood!

Years later, as I became an adult trying to whip up meals for my family instead of bowls of fake blood for a class film, I realized a similar truth about condiments–those flavorful accompaniments that meals so much more enjoyable. Most condiments are made of very basic ingredients, meaning that when you run out of the pre-purchased kind, they aren’t usually too hard to throw together with things you already have on hand. Additional bonus: if you don’t like added sugars/chemicals/preservatives in your food, making your own condiments makes you the chef calling the shots.

Some condiments are, of course, more complicated than others. I’ve made teriyaki sauce from scratch and it was a paaaaaiiin. (Though it tasted fantastic.) So I thought I’d share four common condiments that are super simple to make from ingredients you probably have on hand–and taste a whole lot better than the store-bought version.

Ketchup

Since we just talked about fake blood, let’s start with ketchup, shall we? If you’ve never had homemade ketchup, you’re missing out. I made this not long ago when to accompany meatloaf and was amazed at how much more flavorful ketchup can be when you make it yourself and add your own mixture of spices. Since it uses tomato paste as its base, here’s a tip that has saved me many a can of wasted tomato paste: if you can’t use a whole can, freeze the remainder in 1-Tablespoon portions. So easy to pull out of the freezer when you just need that little bit!

Look at the baby tomato paste plops!

Ketchup
(Adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 6-oz. can tomato paste
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
3/4 c. water

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Simmer gently until you get the consistency of ketchup, 5-10 minutes.

Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Tartar Sauce

I don’t know about you, but I don’t recall ever getting through an entire jar of tartar sauce before its expiration date. Mixing it up in a single-serving quantity is now my modus tartarus sauce-i. Fresher, tastier, and all-around better!

Tartar Sauce
(From Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 c. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish
1 Tbsp. minced onion (or 3/4 tsp. onion powder)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together mayo, pickle relish, and minced onion. Stir in lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 1 cup.

Chocolate Syrup

Here’s an interesting blog post about the ingredients in Hershey’s chocolate syrup. If you get to the bottom of what Hershey’s and other companies put in their chocolate syrup, you’re kind of ruined for ever wanting to purchase it again. When I think of stirring chocolate syrup into my milkshake or drizzling it over ice cream, I for one am not thinking Mmmmm….Polysorbate 60. I’m thinking of cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla, which is what this homemade version contains. It’s definitely thinner than the commercial version, which may take some getting used to, but it sweetens and chocolifies just as well (and you can keep thickening it with corn starch).

Chocolate Syrup
(Adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

scant 3/4 c. water
3/4 c. white sugar
1/2 c. cocoa powder
dash salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. corn starch

Directions:

Combine the water, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and begins to simmer. Stir in vanilla. Slowly whisk in cornstarch until syrup has reached desired thickness.

Makes about 1 cup.

Taco Seasoning

I’ve been using this taco seasoning mix for years and have no intention of ever going back to the store-bought kind. When I start running low on it, I just set out my little assembly line of spices, systematically go through them with my measuring spoons, and ta-da! In moments I have a little snap-top Ziploc container (the size I used to cart my kids’ pacifiers around in) filled with taco seasoning. A good rule of thumb for using this mixture is 3 tablespoons per pound of meat.

Taco Seasoning
(From Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients. Store in an air-tight container.

Makes 1 ounce.

Once you start making your own condiments, there’s no going back. Don’t be surprised if you find the cleaner ingredients and better, bolder flavors of the homemade versions keep you coming back to make just the little more effort it takes to whip them up yourself.

Probably most people who have a kitchen have a few basic kitchen appliances. I’d be willing to guess that if you’re reading this on a computer somewhere in the First World, you probably own a blender, a toaster, and maybe even a crock pot, if you’re married. (Crock pots just seem like one of those things people love to give as wedding presents.) But for the serious-ish cook, these few basics really don’t cover the spectrum of cooking you’re likely to want to do. As I’ve become more experienced in the kitchen, I’ve found that my repertoire of small appliances has become pretty varied. Still, I don’t believe you need to amass an army of kitchen robots to do your culinary bidding. Allow me to share the few special ones I think are worth going the extra mile for. If this were a playlist, these small appliances would be the “deep cuts.”

P.S. For the pictures, I really wanted to top each of these off with a party hat to show enthusiasm…but I didn’t have any party hats and I don’t actually know how to use Photoshop. So, you know, use your imagination.

1. Juicer

This little guy has been going strong for over 20 years. It was a hand-me-down from my mom, who received it as a gift for her wedding in 1991. To my knowledge, it has never been repaired or had any parts replaced (nor, until this photo, had it been cleaned in 22 years…ahem). So yay Oster “Designer” Citrus Juicer! You win the prize for durability.

I have to say I’m surprised how often I use this thing. Granted, I live in Arizona, where citrus abounds, so I might be a little biased in the direction of frequent usage of a juicer, but no joke, I find I get this out at least once a month. Obviously, it’s a workhorse for when someone gives you a giant bag of grapefruit you’re not going to eat every day at breakfast–but it’s also a handy gizmo for the smaller fresh-fruit-juice jobs, too. I don’t actually drink fruit juice, but I’m a big ban of fresh when it comes to juice in recipes. Fresh lemon juice in a lemon meringue pie or fresh lime juice in a salad dressing far has so much more pep (or dare I say “zest”?) than the bottled variety. So the juicer makes the top five.

2. Food Processor

Yes, I know I waxed poetic in a previous post about my food processor, but I’m gonna say it again: this is one heckuva kitchen appliance. It is the Slicer-Dicer-Chopper-Cutter of infomercial legend. (Call now and you’ll receive THIS FREE GIFT!!!) Hummus, pesto, black bean puree, shortbread dough, and shredded carrots are just a few of the things I’ve made with mine recently. New York Times columnist and cookbook author Mark Bittman says, “after the refrigerator, and maybe the dishwasher, it’s the most useful kitchen appliance invented in the twentieth century.” You could make baby food and kill a man with this machine.

3. Ice Cream Maker

“Yeah, it makes ice cream,” you might be thinking. And you’d be right. It makes ice cream and not much else (unless you count sherbet, sorbet, and gelato). Obviously, an ice cream maker is not as multifunctional as some of the other appliances on this list, but it’s still worth getting. If you, like me, enjoy ice cream and care about the ingredients in your food, making your own starts to look pretty attractive. Ice cream should not contain artificial colors or flavors, hydrogenated oils, or anything else wacky–and it doesn’t have to. All it needs is to start is cream and sugar…and this little machine.

4. Electric Griddle

Have you ever tried cooking pancakes for a crowd on a stovetop skillet? You’ll get three good-sized pancakes at a time, max, and then everyone is sitting there waiting wondering how long this is gonna take while those three pancakes get cold at the bottom of a dish while you make three more at a time until finally everyone can eat. Whoa, this sounds like a pancake stress dream. Enter the electric griddle. I was skeptical about getting this–believe it or not, it was my husband who wanted one of these–but since we have owned one, I’ve become a believer. I thought this black monolith would sit in our pantry collecting dust, but we use it surprisingly often. In addition to pancakes (which it helps with beautifully), the electric griddle works like a dream for eggs, bacon, French toast, grilled cheese and other hot sandwiches, tortilla warming, and even funnel cake, in case you’re feeling like a trip to the state fair without involving carnies and hog judging.

5. Immersion Blender

Meet my new baby–er, blender. I don’t want to put a hat on this one. I want to knit it its own special blender cozy and tuck it into its sweet little blender bed. I want to keep it safe and snug where no one can ever hurt it. Because this, THIS, is my favorite kitchen appliance. Partly because I love its playful turquoise color; partly because I saved up and bought it for myself after lusting for it on Amazon for months…but mostly because it is fabulous. As a soup lover who has made the hot, messy mistake of trying to puree soup in a blender, I can say that that one function alone makes this gadget worth it. But really, the sky is the limit with this thing. Besides blending soups, an immersion blender does the job on mashed potatoes/sweet potatoes, smoothies, sauces, berries, and whipped cream. It’s extremely light and (at least in this model) the bottom detaches so it can go right in the dishwasher. Plus, on Amazon you can get it in something like 25 colors, from sage green to sugared plum to metallic pink.

So if you don’t have some of these, go get working on your Christmas list! Awesome cooking awaits!