Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Video: "LiquiGlide" Invention Liberates Stubborn Ketchup From Its Glass Prison
By
Nell Casey
Published May 23, 2012
Modified May 23, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Nell Casey
Published May 23, 2012
Modified May 23, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
In today's Un-Useless Inventions news, researchers at MIT have developed a product that tackles the very real problem of getting ketchup to come out of the bottle. We've all been there: futility pounding on the glass for a few fevered minutes then finally jamming a knife in there to release the pent-up tomato product trapped inside. Now, with the advent of LiquiGlide, our days of ketchup rage might finally be over!
The "structured liquid" has the rigid components of a solid but is "lubricated like a liquid," according to creator Dave Smith. Smith and his team at the Varanasi Research Group used ingredients already approved by the FDA to make sure there were no hitches when it came time to patent the product, though initially they didn't develop it for use with food. "We were really interested in...using this coating for anti-icing, or for preventing clogs that form in oil and gas lines," says Smith. "Somehow this sparked the idea of putting it in food bottles." Mmm, tasty!
The inside of each condiment bottle would be sprayed with the substance before adding any food product, meaning that in the future your mayonnaise will detach itself from the walls of the container with nary any effort on your part. Currently Smith is in talks with several bottle manufacturing companies to secure LiquiGlide's place in ketchup innovation history along with the squeeze bottle and green ketchup. For now, content yourself with this video demonstrating the product's lubricating powers.
Tagged
ketchup
liquiglide
mit
Nell Casey
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Sep 12, 2026
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
Is it worth the high price and ridiculous wait? Gothamist needed to find out.
By
Sonia Rao
Food
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
Is it worth the high price and ridiculous wait? Gothamist needed to find out.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Can a congressional candidate's dumpling diplomacy win over Queens’ immigrant communities?
By
Caroline Shin
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .