Many years ago, car manufacturers came to the realization that we Americans want big, spacious cupholders in our vehicles, and for this we should all be grateful. Even my little Honda Civic can easily hold two 44 oz. Whataburger cups side by side in my front seat. Gluttonous? Sure. Convenient? Undeniably.
But it’s for this very reason that the lack of a similar solution for condiment containers is so baffling. Where the hell are you supposed to put them if you want to eat fries or dip chicken fingers in your car, which we all know is one of life’s great pleasures?
Luckily, a solid DIY option exists, and it’s as easy as clipping something to your air vent. This condiment holder has rubber prongs to grip your vent tightly, and a specially designed frame that’s designed to hold every common size of dipping sauce container, including those circular ones. I’ve used mine more times than I care to admit publicly, and it’s never dropped a container. My only word of warning: turn down your fan or close your vent so it doesn’t blow any sauce off your fry as you initiate the dip-to-mouth exchange. This once resulted in a small spicy ketchup stain on my clothes, which was annoying, but a worthwhile sacrifice.
This set of two holders also includes a couple of ramekins to squeeze in any condiments that come in plastic pouches rather than containers. But I admit that I’ve never used it, because adding dishwashing to my car maintenance checklist is a step too far, even for me.
You don’t have to admit to anyone that you bought this thing, and you can keep it hidden in your glove box when not in use if you don’t want to answer any uncomfortable questions (though I’ve never removed mine). But when you’re on a nine-hour road trip, you shouldn’t feel ashamed for not wanting to eat dry french fries and chicken fingers.