Phantom Gourmet: Spicy Ketchup Taste Test

BOSTON (CBS) -- Phantom recently purchased four bottles of spicy ketchup at a local supermarket. The tongue-tingling contenders were French's, Heinz, Huy Fong, and Tabasco. See if you can guess which fiery condiment ended up at the Top of the Food Chain.

Tabasco spicy ketchup finished in last place. The tall glass bottle gives this brand an element of class and sophistication, but it also makes it a bit of a pain to actually get to the ketchup. But maybe that's a good thing, since the dark red recipe tastes pretty awful. With barely any tomato flavor or hint of sweetness, it's a one-note wonder that blasts your mouth with heat and not much else.

Next up is French's buffalo ketchup. Blended with Frank's Red Hot buffalo wing sauce, this bottle delivers some seriously strong stuff. The sweet ketchup flavor is quickly overpowered with a shot of vinegar and cayenne that makes this brand reserved exclusively for fire eaters. If crazy hot wings are your thing, this might be your ketchup, but Phantom is looking for something a bit more balanced.

The runner-up is Huy Fong sriracha ketchup. The company that made sriracha a household name also happens to make a really good ketchup. With its iconic rooster on the label and bright green spout, this brand serves up plenty of that fantastic sriracha flavor with some sweet tomato to smooth things out. If you love sriracha, this should definitely be your new favorite ketchup.

At the Top of the Food Chain is Heinz sriracha ketchup. As it turns out, America's favorite ketchup brand also makes Phantom's favorite spicy ketchup. Benefitting from a base of that classic Heinz recipe, this spinoff starts sweet and familiar, then brings the unexpected heat. It's nicely balanced, with enough spice to get your tongue tingling without setting your entire face on fire. That's why Heinz sriracha ketchup is at the Top of the Food Chain.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.