I've been buying the "Simply Heinz" since it came out a year or two ago. No problem with watery... I might add I've never refrigerated ketchup, nor did our family growing up, we all survived...

I remember Heinz separating like that back in the glass bottle days. I also prefer Simply Heinz which tastes more like real ketchup. It does seem to separate less. I don't think you would have asked, though, Darrah, if it weren't an extreme case. It could be that a whole truckload got too much sun or something. Have you tried buying a bottle from a different store? And maybe a different size/shape bottle? The other thing you can do is call the customer service number and tell them about the issues you've been having. They may be very helpful.

I quit purchasing Heinz several years ago because of this issue and started using Hunt's 100% Natural. Hubby is the ketchup connoisseur, although he rarely uses it now except for fried potatoes or hash browns. His mother purchased it by the 10# can, rather than bottles, because they used so much (that might indicate what kind of cook she was ;-). Anyway, he likes Hunt's better than Heinz.

-Grainlady

I buy Simply Heinz and a few drops separate between uses, enough for me to give the bottle a shake. I've always found that, with any brand I've used.

I always shake the catchup bottle, always have. Used to buy a local brand in New Jersey called Pride of the Farm....no longer available so now I buy Heinz...either simply Heinz or the regular. Can't tell the difference and when I compared the ingredients on the bottle, I didn't really see a difference. Hunt's just doesn't taste right to me.

I used to use Heinz exclusively. Used to use a lot of it and always had to shake it. Even when it was a thicker product. Tried Hunts and switched to them. Taste was noticeably better to me. Even some store brands were better than Heinz. Was interesting to see a few taste tests on TV (America's Test Kitchen for one) who were former Heinz endorsers who went to Hunts. I buy the Hunt's 100% Natural now. I tried the Heinz Organic and Simply Heinz and didn't care much for either. Tried the "hot" version too. Nothing special about it either IMO. More expensive too. And they're definitely not the "s..l..o..w" ketchup anymore! I don't use much ketchup these days. I use more BBQ sauce, Ranch or something like that when I need or want a sauce or I make a fry sauce. Even for adding to recipes when I want tomato flavor I tend to use more tomato puree rather than ketchup. Don't need all that extra sugar (and other things) in there. But occasionally I want a dab of ketchup on something so I keep a bottle of Hunt's 100% Natural around. Although I do shake it (now a force of habit from the Heinz days) I don't think it's a necessary as often as with the big dog in the ketchup biz.

My son-in-law, Dave, will only eat Heinz and he eats it on EVERYTHING. I always shake the bottle. Now I shake it because it does separate, before I shook it because it was thick and I couldn't get it out of the bottle, definitely not a problem now.

When we owned the bar and grille, we filled catsup bottles from a large can of catsup. I never refrigerated catsup either until one of the customers complained that something was wrong with the catsup. I tasted it and it was definitely not right. It had fermented and was actually bubbly. After that I made the waitresses wash the empty bottles and refill them only with fresh catsup, no refilling half full bottles.

Anyway, I use very little catsup, I do can my own and like that better than anything I can buy. Elery prefers hot sauce or Sriracha, Amanda likes mustards, Makayla won't eat any sauces, not ranch, not catsup, not mustard. She won't even dip apple slices in peanut butter! Cheeseburgers are eaten plain, as are fries, salads, everything. So other than Dave and Bud, there are few catsup users in the family and a bottle lasts a long time, and I always keep it in the refrigerator.

Annie

Well....after saying I didn't find Heinz watery....the last bottle I bought left a puddle of watery liquid on my plate around the edge of the real stuff.

Murphy"s Law.

I love the new upside-down bottles and think the inventor should receive some sort of special Nobel prize!

Forgot about the ketchup packets. Most always are separated. I always knead and work those things before opening them.

As for the top-down bottles, I'm not too crazy about them. Not so much the bottle but the cap that doesn't let you put a little bit onto anything - shoots the stuff all over. The design requires pressure to open it. (I defy anyone to put a little dab onto a fry or two.) I had no problem with just inverting the old bottles when the bottle got low. Then you still had control. I wonder if the old style caps would fit on the new style bottle. Don't use much ketchup but guess I'll check that sometime.

The trick with the inverted bottles is to store them on the cap, but turn them cap up when you take it out to use, and even give a little bang as you set it down to make the air come up to the surface. It won't all come up, and even though the ketchup will settle some, it won't get stuck like if it were that way in the fridge. When you turn the bottle over, it'll slide back down to the opening. To get a little dab, hold it at an angle. You do have to squeeze, but just a little. That works for me, anyway. Anyone remember the Big Foot? A big ol' paw that screws onto the glass bottle so you can invert it? I think I still have one at the back of my drawer.

The last two bottles I’ve purchased are definitely watery. If you tip it like normal expectingthave to squeeze the bottle, surprise itcomes out like a waterfall, then I’m scraping excess of the food and counter. Add to that I’m paying more now that it’s watered down. heinz was the king of ketshup, not anymore.

I don't ever remember buying ketchup, but I have saved packets of it from restaurants. It is one of the ingredients in okonomiyaki sauce, and so I just buy okonomiyaki sauce at a Japanese market instead of making it myself. You can get it from Amazon, but it costs twice as much. In other recipes, I often substitute homemade chili sauce for it, which is quite different, but I like the results better.