Love the lid

Anticipation. Anyone who has ever loved ketchup knows it.

You tap the bottle just so, give it a squeeze, hold your breath a little, and squeeze again. If luck isn't on your side, the ketchup lands in a red splatter across your fries, and the bottle lets out a whoosh, as if it's laughing at you.

Heinz put an end to all that. The company designed what it calls the first customizable ketchup lid, with three settings: light, medium and heavy. On the label, they go by "Like," "Love," and "Crazy Love," each one a heavier pour than the last.

The patented Love Lid gives a firm click as it moves between settings, and the mechanism inside does the work of controlling the flow.

For a limited time, shoppers in the U.S. could buy it online for $3.78. Heinz made only so many, and they sold out fast. But you can find them on the secondary market, such as one lid for $125 on eBay.

There may be hope for the rest of us. Heinz says it wants to hear what customers think of the lid, a sign the Love Lid could one day earn a permanent spot on the shelf.