Hate Opening Condiment Bottles? TikTok's Ketchup Bottle Trick Could Save You Frustration

Plastic squeeze bottles of condiments are meant to be quick and convenient to use, and they usually are. There is one inconvenient aspect of getting into a new bottle, however: the induction seal on top. Induction seals are tiny plasticized foil layers, heat sealed to the top of bottles and jars. They prevent the contents from leaking and show that the product hasn't been tampered with. It's good that we have them, but they can be a real challenge to peel off sometimes. Leave it to TikTok to come to the rescue with a hack to get through them in no time.

A TikTok from @ana..motherhood demonstrates a hack so simple you'll probably shake your head at having never thought of it yourself. Instead of trying to wrestle with the seal and pry the seal off, just open the flip top cap of the bottle you already removed to get to the seal. Inside the top of the cap is a small plastic plug that clicks into the dispensing hole. That little plug is all you need — simply press it into the induction seal to create a hole, and that's it. Your bottle is now open, and you can dispense your favorite brand of ketchup, mustard, or hot sauce as usual. Still much easier than wrestling with a glass ketchup bottle.

Once you press the plug inside of the flip top cap into the induction seal in your bottle, it may seem like the hole isn't big enough — but it is the exact same size as the dispensing hole in the cap. It doesn't matter what size bottle or which brand you use, because the plug in the cap has to be the size of the hole its plugging. It will also be lined up exactly with the hole on the inside of the lid. 

With this hack, you'll never need to get your hands dirty pulling the induction seal off with your fingers or struggle with it if it's sealed too tightly. Just one pop and you're done. But, there may be times when this isn't the best idea for the condiment you're using. For instance, if you have a squeeze bottle of relish, the hole might be too small and the chunks in the relish could clog it more easily. 

If your bottle does get clogged, that hole is still a good starting point to peel the seal away and open it up. All you need to do is hook the tine of a fork through it to get enough leverage to peel the whole seal off the top. There's really no downside to this little trick, and it saves a lot of time. Now all you need to worry about is getting the last bit of sauce out of the bottle.