I have been asked what my favorite food is more times than I can count on all my fingers and toes (that is to say, more than 20 times). However, only once has anyone asked me, "Hey, Sarah, what's your favorite condiment?" To be entirely honest, I am not a condiment type of girl. I like most of my food undiluted. But with that said, I am not about discriminating against any food group out there. Condiments deserve as much attention as fruits and veggies, because 1) you can eat them, and 2) they contribute to your daily food intake much more than you probably imagine. Condiments are, in fact, incredibly important -- so important that I have gathered five of the most common condiments together and ranked them according to my personal preference, least to most favorite.

5. Ketchup.

I don't like ketchup.

There it is, my dark un-American secret out there in the open for everyone to see. I don't like ketchup. Never have. I literally do not remember a time when I liked ketchup.

Come on, guys, the stuff is nasty. They took a perfectly good fruit, mashed it up until it was unrecognizable, and squirted it full of extra ingredients until it didn't even taste like a tomato anymore. Ketchup is tomato abuse. Ketchup should stop.

4. Ranch dressing.

I'll admit that I've grown from despising anything ranch touched when I was little to tolerating this condiment in certain mediums now. It can be delicious in mashed potatoes. There. I said it. But drizzled in oily gobs all over an otherwise perfectly good salad? Agh! It doesn't look good, it doesn't smell good, and it ruined that beautiful pile of lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots I was about to dig into. Please, please, please, keep the ranch far away from my food.

3. Mustard.

I suppose mustard is an acquired taste. I used to hate this stuff too, and I still refuse to eat it on a hot dog or hamburger (although I suppose it's better than ketchup). But it adds a nice kick to a turkey sandwich, and my mom makes this fantastic honey Dijon chicken that I haven't actually had in a while (Mom, if you're reading this, that was a subtle hint in your direction)...

2. Sour cream.

Sour cream, unfortunately misnamed by some ignorant many years ago, is not actually sour. It's sweet with a tiny hint of bitterness. Sour cream is almost the most fabulous condiment ever gift-wrapped by heaven and handed down to mankind. I always put it in my tacos -- it's an unexpected bit of cold and bland in the middle of a fiery mouthful of meat and salsa. But the best place by far to put sour cream is in the middle of a massive bowl of chili. Chili by itself is great, but a spoon-sized glob of sour cream stirred in makes it just a tiny bit creamy (and cools it down so you can eat it sooner).

1. Peanut butter.

I feel like I don't even need to say anything about peanut butter. Just stare into the creamy depths of that photo and you'll understand. Peanut butter is the king -- no, the emperor -- of condiments. Peanut butter rules the condiment world with a fist of deliciousness. See, the thing about peanut butter is that it doesn't even need to be a condiment. You can eat it by itself and it's still the most amazing thing you've ever tasted. If that life isn't for you, you should see a therapist. No, wait...I don't know how that got in there. That's not what I meant to say. If you're not about eating peanut butter straight from the jar, put it in a sandwich. Smear it over a piece of banana or a slice of apple. Dip a carrot stick into it. Peanut butter goes with everything. Except oatmeal. Do not put peanut butter in oatmeal. But we don't talk about the peanut butter oatmeal day. Peanut butter is great.