Ranch dressing

[bcla]

I'm addicted to this stuff. I know I'm from an area where simple baby greens with a vinaigrette was popularized in this country, but it's also the place where a company (Clorox) decided to branch out into the food industry by buying the Hidden Valley Ranch name.

Of course the history of bottled ranch dressing is interesting. It basically can't be bottled and stored at room temperature without adjusting the acidity and affecting the taste. So after owning the brand for over a decade, some food chemist at Clorox determined that they could adjust the formula and bottle it.

I don't necessarily mind the bottled stuff, but the seasoning packets with the dried buttermilk are much better when properly done (half mayo and half milk). They simply have a kick that's lost in the bottled versions, although they have to be refrigerated and will only keep for a couple of weeks.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

"I think I could eat a pile of dog **** if it was covered in enough Ranch!"

John Caparula

 

[Handbag Lady]

I love the stuff, too. I really like it when I find a restaurant that does it perfect.

 

[Shmily1]

I love the bottled stuff but the homemade stuff is the best!!

 

[minkydog]

I remember when it first came out. I thought I had reached nirvana. The bottled stuff doesn't even come close.

 

[mamacatnv]

Hate the bottled crap.
Always make it fresh, came from an area that always made it fresh. Moved to TX where they profess to love Ranch Dressing but I have yet to find a single restaurant/bar that makes their own, they all serve the bottled icky stuff!

We have deemed ourselves Ranch Snobs

 

[DWGal210]

I LOVE homemade Ranch, and you're right, it's not that hard to make. The one I use is from Pioneer Woman and it's the BOMB. Some mayo, sour cream, garlic, salt and spices and some chives? Yummy city!! Add some blue cheese crumbles and you've also got an amazing blue cheese dressing.

 

[barkley]

in our home ranch dressing is called 'yummy sauce'. it's a throwback to when my kids where in an infant/toddler center and the only way they could get some of the toddlers to try any kind of new foods (esp. veggies) was if they gave them a tiny condiment cup of 'yummy sauce' to dip in.

 

[daughtersrus]

I'm addicted to this stuff. I know I'm from an area where simple baby greens with a vinaigrette was popularized in this country, but it's also the place where a company (Clorox) decided to branch out into the food industry by buying the Hidden Valley Ranch name.

Of course the history of bottled ranch dressing is interesting. It basically can't be bottled and stored at room temperature without adjusting the acidity and affecting the taste. So after owning the brand for over a decade, some food chemist at Clorox determined that they could adjust the formula and bottle it.

I don't necessarily mind the bottled stuff, but the seasoning packets with the dried buttermilk are much better when properly done (half mayo and half milk). They simply have a kick that's lost in the bottled versions, although they have to be refrigerated and will only keep for a couple of weeks.

I'm not s fan of regular ranch but I could dip just about anything in the avocado ranch from Chili's!

 

[Wishing on a star]

HAS to be fresh made.
The bottled stuff is nasty!

I also make home-made thousand...

Like the OP has posted, I haven't found a bottled dressing yet that was not horrid.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Hidden Valley is owned by Clorox?!?

Well then... you learn something new every day. Might have to try to make my own sometime and taste the difference. Y'all have got me intrigued.

 

[kacaju]

Oh my.. I work in a school cafeteria and if I didn't have the ranch dressing packets right with me I would go through a case a day. The kids grab it by the handfuls and put it on everything!!

 

[Liberty Belle]

I don't think the bottled stuff is horrid - my favorite is Naturally Fresh, even their "lite" version is delicious, but I do prefer homemade.

 

[mamacatnv]

Oh my.. I work in a school cafeteria and if I didn't have the ranch dressing packets right with me I would go through a case a day. The kids grab it by the handfuls and put it on everything!!

When we first moved to TX, DD's middle school was making the Ranch dressing but then switched to the packaged stuff, DD was threatening to lead a mutiny Then the school dropped it entirely due to cost and DD and friends went on strike, started bringing their own lunches. The school brought back the homemade Ranch but with small fee to purchase, I increased DD's lunch account spending to accommodate her Ranch addiction.

in our home ranch dressing is called 'yummy sauce'. it's a throwback to when my kids where in an infant/toddler center and the only way they could get some of the toddlers to try any kind of new foods (esp. veggies) was if they gave them a tiny condiment cup of 'yummy sauce' to dip in.

awesome!

 

[kacaju]

When we first moved to TX, DD's middle school was making the Ranch dressing but then switched to the packaged stuff, DD was threatening to lead a mutiny Then the school dropped it entirely due to cost and DD and friends went on strike, started bringing their own lunches. The school brought back the homemade Ranch but with small fee to purchase, I increased DD's lunch account spending to accommodate her Ranch addiction.

OH MY!! Thank goodness these kids don't know about homemade ranch!!

 

[bcla]

Hidden Valley is owned by Clorox?!?

Well then... you learn something new every day. Might have to try to make my own sometime and taste the difference. Y'all have got me intrigued.

Hidden Valley Ranch was a dude ranch near Santa Barbara. I understand the name is still in use, but apparently as a party or wedding venue only. The legend is that they came up with the original recipe and sold little packets of dried seasoning to mix with mayo and buttermilk. Then Clorox bought out the rights to manufacture that salad dressing in 1972. The bottled version didn't even come out until the 80s. I've read that they had to increase the acidity and take out some ingredients that may affect shelf life. Otherwise, mold and bacteria will pretty much make it inedible sitting on a shelf at room temperature. I guess before that, their big breakthrough with the powdered seasoning mix was to include dried buttermilk, since most homes don't normally have buttermilk on hand.

Clorox puts all their food items under the HV Food Products Company. If you check the address (1221 Broadway Ave, Oakland, CA) it's the same address as Clorox. When they bought out the KC Masterpiece line of barbeque sauce, they originally placed it under another Clorox brand, which was Kingsford Charcoal. I suppose it sort of made sense.

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

We much prefer the homemade buttermilk ranch as well. But in a pinch, the bottled stuff does the trick! I thought I read somewhere kind of recently that ranch dressing has overtaken ketchup (or catsup to some of you ) as the #1 condiment. I'll try to find where I read that...

aha! http://www.limelife.com/blog-entry/Has-Ranch-Dressing-Replaced-Ketchup-As-1-Condiment/139080.html

 

[bcla]

"I think I could eat a pile of dog **** if it was covered in enough Ranch!"

John Caparula

A French coworker of mine was telling me exactly how they consider escargot a delicacy.

You can eat almost anything if you use the right sauce.

Frankly they aren't much different than any other properly prepared mollisk, such as abalone. Abalone are really just sea snails, but most people don't recognize it as such.

 

[Minnesota!]

Ranch is amazing. The only bottled ranch I can tolerate, though, is, oddly enough, our grocery store's generic version. Used to love bottled HVR, but even that tastes too acidic/fake now.

I, without fail, always have the dry mix on hand. It's good in so many different ways!!

 

[Squirlz]