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What's the best mustard for a hot dog? We taste 12 brands

What's the best mustard for a hot dog? We taste 12 brands

Mustard and hot dogs just seem to go together — but which mustard? There are so many. The National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wis., has 5,975 mustards in its collection — and sells more than 450 of them.

But then there are a lot of dogs out there waiting to be slathered with mustard. Americans will eat 150 million hot dots on July Fourth alone, according to an estimate by the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, a Washington, D.C.-based industry group.

Twelve mustards were put to a blind comparison, starting with yellow mustard, the traditional go-to for hot dogs. Then we added brown, Dijon and deli mustards because they represent popular varieties.

This was a blind tasting, meaning those who took part didn't know which mustard was which. Each taster was asked to sample and rate each mustard on its own, assessing appearance, aroma, texture and flavor. They were then asked to rate the mustards with a hot dog. We used a top-selling national brand, Oscar Mayer Classic Wieners, made with chicken, turkey and pork.
We tried 12 ketchup brands to perfect your picnic or backyard barbecue

We tried 12 ketchup brands to perfect your picnic or backyard barbecue

Tomato ketchup is so ubiquitous that it’s easy to dismiss it as a simple sauce to be paired with french fries, meatloaf, scrambled eggs and, if you’re far away from Chicago, a hot dog. (On that, we do judge: Don’t!) But there’s a deceptive complexity to ketchup.

Chef Christopher Prosperi, my longtime friend in Connecticut, always said ketchup combined all five basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami. The Food & Dining staff sampled 12 brands of ketchup, searching for that idyllic flavor profile.

I was curious to see how all the ketchups would rate tasted side-by-side with no accompaniment. Although the brands sampled were regular tomato ketchup, there was a surprising variation in color, texture and flavor. A few tasted like cocktail sauce or canned tomato sauce. Some were sweet and some spicy. Textures ranged from a smooth paste to much more coarse. Clearly, not all ketchup is alike.

This was a blind tasting, meaning tasters didn’t know which ketchup was which. Each participant in the tasting was asked to rate each brand on appearance, aroma, texture and flavor.

I did not buy membership-only club brands because I wanted ketchup the general public had a reasonable chance of buying. Prices have been updated for 2021 based on listed prices at Chicago-area Jewel-Osco stores, Marianos, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market.

(Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune; Shannon Kinsella/food styling)
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27 of Chicago's best ice cream shops and frozen treats for summer

27 of Chicago's best ice cream shops and frozen treats for summer

Fun fact: Chicago was built on swamp land. So it should be no surprise that as we enter the height of summer, the days become long and humid. Of course, Chicago is a playground in summertime, even as sweaty, muggy heat waves punctuate the more temperate weeks. Thankfully, this city is full of ice cream and frozen treat spots that will help fight the heat. Looking for nostalgic flavors of bygone eras? Check out mainstay Margie's Candies for humongous sundaes, or more contemporary Spinning J's for a hit of throwback charm. Want something more adventurous? Don't miss frozen cookie dough from Cookie Dough Creations, paletas made from fresh tropical fruit at any number of vendors, or even trendy Thai rolled ice cream, which is popping up around town. There's no better time to be an ice cream lover, and we've got the scoop.
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