That 57 On Your Heinz Ketchup Bottle Actually Serves A Clever Purpose

Harry Heinz started making his first condiments in the 1869 and within a few years, he was marketing his "catsup" made with just five ingredients, including sun-ripened tomatoes. By 1896, he had created over 60 products and had came up with the "57 varieties" slogan as a marketing tool. According to the Heinz website, the number isn't actually about the number of products the company made. Instead, he chose the number five because it was his lucky number and seven because it was his wife's lucky number. 

In addition to appearing on the sticker, the "57" appears embossed on the glass at the base of the bottle's neck. This may not be everything you need to know about ketchup, but there's a good reason for the placement of that embossed number.

The H.J. Heinz company is famous for its advertising slogan: "The best things come to those who wait," referring to the slow pace at which its ketchup oozes from the top of the glass bottle. The 1980s ad campaign even featured "Friends" star Matt LeBlanc pouring the condiment from the top of a building, then having time to get it onto a hot dog bought from a street cart stories below. 

Waiting on the slow pour of its thick ketchup was, of course, eliminated by the introduction of the plastic squeeze bottle, but Heinz's iconic glass ketchup bottle made a comeback to celebrate its 157th birthday. And if you're still using the vintage bottle, there's a clever trick to get the ketchup to come out quicker.

In your impatience to get the ketchup to come out of old-school bottles more quickly, you may have tried techniques like smacking the bottom of the bottle, leaving the bottle upside down, or sticking a knife into it, often without success. File this fun fact away for your next pub trivia night: The placement of that embossed "57" at the top of the nostalgic Heinz ketchup bottle is completely intentional. To get the ketchup to come out easier, simply hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle and gently tap the part of the bottle that with the number on it. The ketchup will release and flow out more quickly. As it turns out, the best things can also come to those who don't, in fact, wait. 

There's actually some science behind why this works, and it has nothing to do with where Heinz ketchup sources its tomatoes. A University of Melbourne engineering professor named Anthony Stickland has come up with a three-step physics-based method for getting ketchup to come out quickly. Strickland told the Australian university's Pursuit magazine he starts by giving the bottle a shake to mix it up, then turns it upside down to let the ketchup get into the neck of the bottle, and finally uncaps it while held at a 45-degree angle. 

According to Stickland, no tap on the 57 is necessary, though he sometimes offers "gentle but firm taps on the bottom of the bottle" to "balance the force applied with the mechanical strength of the sauce in order to get it to flow." But there's no harm in trying out that old waitress trade secret next time you're at a diner trying to put ketchup on your fries.