So, I find myself driving through north Georgia at lunchtime. The best choice is McDonalds - wouldn't consider the lesser choices. I order a cheeseburger, diet coke and side salad. My dressing choices: ranch or ranch.

If the Hidden Valley ads are to be believed, Ranch dressing is a recent phenomenon. And, if the ads are shot anywhere near the real ranch, it's a long way from the south. I'd say it looks more like Montana or Idaho. But, southerners have taken to Ranch dressing like no other geography. In addition to topping salads, it is used on sandwiches, to fill baked potatos, for a dip, and for all I know, as a sunscreen. At 75% fat, it's no surprise. Most people here wouldn't see the produce section of Winn Dixie if they didn't have to pass it on the way to the bacon department.

But, the stuff has no more flavor than mayonaise. Paul Newman should be ashamed of himself. I wouldn't put my name, let alone my likeness on a package of anything so bland. Yet, I'm in the minority here.

How 'bout y'all?

I'm not a big fan of ranch dressing either.
I don't eat a lot of salads but when I do, my dressing of choice is usually bleu cheese or Roquefort cheese if it's available.
One of my favorite dressings at home is Green Goddess (http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=11938&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=39&iSubCat=171&iProductID=11938&searchid=inceptor) but that stuff is very hard to find nowadays and I usually order it online.

I wouldn't put my name, let alone my likeness on a package of anything so bland.

Try what I do... when I make up a batch I like to add several dashes of Tabasco. ^

So, I find myself driving through north Georgia at lunchtime. The best choice is McDonaldsWhoa.....Now that speaks volumes about restaurant choices in north Georgia. Thanks for the warning.

But, southerners have taken to Ranch dressing like no other geography. In addition to topping salads, it is used on sandwiches, to fill baked potatos, for a dip, and for all I know, as a sunscreen. At 75% fat, it's no surprise. Most people here wouldn't see the produce section of Winn Dixie if they didn't have to pass it on the way to the bacon department.That also speaks volumes....

I LOVE ranch, and I have no idea what's in it. Ranch + fries, please. I'll sometimes even request a Caesar salad, but with ranch instead. :D

Also, it seems like ranch from a restaurant/salad bar, without fail, tastes better than ranch from the market. Why is that?

I'm not a big fan of ranch dressing either.
I don't eat a lot of salads but when I do, my dressing of choice is usually bleu cheese or Roquefort cheese if it's available.
One of my favorite dressings at home is Green Goddess (http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=11938&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=39&iSubCat=171&iProductID=11938&searchid=inceptor) but that stuff is very hard to find nowadays and I usually order it online.

Cholula, I'm with you. Until they rolled it out nationally, I had difficulty getting Ken's Steak House Lite Caesar where I lived. I once had to open my carryon at TYS security to show a dozen bottles of salad dressing and a dozen packages of Martha White raspberry muffin mix (since discontinued). When they wanted to open one of the muffin mixes to prove it wasn't heroin, I went the mail order route.

I LOVE ranch, and I have no idea what's in it. Ranch + fries, please. I'll sometimes even request a Caesar salad, but with ranch instead. :D

Also, it seems like ranch from a restaurant/salad bar, without fail, tastes better than ranch from the market. Why is that?

Some restaurants make their own Ranch dressing. When I was a salad bar attendant (yes, that was my title) for a summer as a teenager, I was schooled in making Ranch dressing "from scratch." The process is sort of gruesome (combining one part mayonnaise, one part buttermilk, and spices; we used to make it a gallon at a time so 1/2 gallon of each = bleh) but it does come out tasting pretty good and is less expensive than ordering a gallon of Ranch dressing from a supplier.

Bama, I'm with you. I don't get it either. I've tried it several times, only on salads, but I have not acquired a taste for it. Maybe Ii should try it on sandwiches or taters. Now that sounds interesting! :D

Depends on the ranch you get. I've found a lot that are pretty flavorless, but good ranch shouldn't be. I don't mind it from time to time. I will say, however, this whole trend away from bleu cheese in favor of ranch on Buffalo wings is an absolute disgrace. :)

I will say, however, this whole trend away from bleu cheese in favor of ranch on Buffalo wings is an absolute disgrace. :)And where is the HQ of this bizarre trend? :confused:

And where is the HQ of this bizarre trend? :confused:

I don't know specifically, but it's got to be in the south.

I love Ranch dressing.

It's essential for my pizzas, breaded chicken... yum.

I usually do sprinkle some Tapatio (take that Cholula :D ) into it to give it a nice kick.

Hey, get your tapatio and tabasco out of my thread. This is Cholula country! :D

But, southerners have taken to Ranch dressing like no other geography. In addition to topping salads, it is used on sandwiches, to fill baked potatos, for a dip, and for all I know, as a sunscreen.
Yeah, no kidding. Was just travelling in SoCal with an associate who hails form Georgia. So, one night we just go to a pizza joint for dinner and beer. We get some breaded mozzarella sticks to split as an appetizer.

Waitress: Marinara sauce for the mozzarella sticks?

Him: Do you have ranch dressing?

Waitress: Sure. Want that?

Him to me: Ranch okay?

Me: You effing kidding me? No.

Me to the waitress: We'll take marinara.

Him to me: ~all crooked eye and stuff looking at me~

Me to him: You're disgusting.

I usually do sprinkle some Tapatio (take that Cholula :D ) into it to give it a nice kick.

Hey, everybody to his/her own preferences.
Tapatio is "Mexican" hot sauce made in South Central Los Angeles.
Cholula is made in the State of Jalisco, Mexico with authentically grown peppers and by workers who tenderly massage each pepper before it is converted to hot sauce. :p
But, as I think of it and considering the demographic makeup of Southern CA, Tapatio may well be the more Mexican than Cholula. ;)

Ranch dressing is basically straight fat. The appeal is in the hypothalamus or limbic system.

I'm shocked at how so many people use Ranch Dressing on EVERYTHING, more so for the 15-28 year old crowd. Since I'm in the food biz I see it, and we go through 3-4 cases of packets/gallons a week.

For me, the only thing I like to use it with is Chicken Fingers/Chicken Tenders & Fried Zucchini. I see people that will not eat pizza unless they dip it in Ranch (yuck) others that won't eat chicken wings without dipping in ranch or bleu cheese, Some ordering Caesar Salad wtih Ranch instead (another yuck) and, well just about everything else (Fries, Onion Rings, Fried Cheese, Burgers, Sandwiches on and on) Then there are folks that mix salsa and Ranch and call is South Western Ranch....To me creamy and tomato-ey don't mix.

Ranch Dressing is Mayonnaise (Oil, Eggs, Lemon Juice, Seasoning) Butter Milk, and the Seasonings are mostly Garlic Powder, Onion Powder and and a few other Spices. It's Very Dairy for sure.

Damn, BV...having a tough Southern week, are you? Between dogging out the local populace for being too fat and for using too much ranch dressing...next thing you know you'll be hacking away on the family trees. :D

[i]Waitress: Marinara sauce for the mozzarella sticks?

Him: Do you have ranch dressing?Mmmhh... good choice! :cool:

(seriously)

Tamazula and Tapatio and such have more herbal presence -
epazote, comino, whatever; you can drink them like soup,
they're mild enough. Cholula is more a pepper sauce. I prefer
Cholula to most sauces in its class (I've been using it
for a couple decades and have no particular interest, as you
know, in flogging the products of my FT brethren, so am fairly
unbiased) - but Tapatio has its place, too, such as on wings or ribs
(I've been using it since it was made in some guy's garage
and had his home phone number on the label).

Tamazula and Tapatio and such have more herbal presence -
epazote, comino, whatever; you can drink them like soup,
they're mild enough. Cholula is more a pepper sauce. I prefer
Cholula to most sauces in its class (I've been using it
for a couple decades and have no particular interest, as you
know, in flogging the products of my FT brethren, so am fairly
unbiased) - but Tapatio has its place, too, such as on wings or ribs
(I've been using it since it was made in some guy's garage
and had his home phone number on the label).

Well, since you're obviously in a different league when it comes to south-of-the-border flavor enhancers, it's ok. :D

I read your title and thought you were going to tell me you dipped apples and oranges in ranch dressing! Now that I have not seen.

Damn, BV...having a tough Southern week, are you? Between dogging out the local populace for being too fat and for using too much ranch dressing...next thing you know you'll be hacking away on the family trees. :D

Let no one get the impression that I am unhappy here. My first move south to SC from MA opened my eyes. My values are more in line with southern culture than that of my home state. I especially like many southern foods, but I wish for their own sake, that folks here would cut back a little on fat and large portions. I will miss some of then when they predecease me.

I always feel a little out of place among people whose family bible traces back ten or more generations. 2 short anecdotes:

When I worked close to the Sevier (TN) county line, I glanced through the phone book one day to discover more pages occupied by Ogles than any other name. Someone told me 4 surnames made up 25% of the population. Tell me how you accomplish that without a lot of inbreeding?

Soon after we moved here, my 2 youngest sons came home after a Friday night at the mall with friends. I asked who they had hung out with. the youngest one told me, and added that they had incremented their crowd with several cousins of friends. "Isn't that weird", he said, "I thought cousins were supposed to live in another state."

So, I find myself driving through north Georgia at lunchtime. The best choice is McDonalds - wouldn't consider the lesser choices. I order a cheeseburger, diet coke and side salad. My dressing choices: ranch or ranch.

But, the stuff has no more flavor than mayonaise. Paul Newman should be ashamed of himself. I wouldn't put my name, let alone my likeness on a package of anything so bland. Yet, I'm in the minority here.

How 'bout y'all?

It's not just you - that stuff is preferable to bleu cheese, but that's about it. I'd rather have margarine on my baked potato first.

Doesn't MacDonald's offer standardized choices of dressings - even in GA?

I think plain mayo has more flavor than ranch dressing. An idea: could you mix in a packet of Mickey's catsup as "homemade" French dressing to jazz up the ranch a bit? ;)

It's not just you - that stuff is preferable to bleu cheese, but that's about it. I'd rather have margarine on my baked potato first.

Doesn't MacDonald's offer standardized choices of dressings - even in GA?

I think plain mayo has more flavor than ranch dressing. An idea: could you mix in a packet of Mickey's catsup as "homemade" French dressing to jazz up the ranch a bit? ;)

I suppose there are standards, but possibly with local options. I notice Subways vary in their 3rd cheese selection. I've seen provolone and pepper jack and maybe more? I might be worried about the expiration date on anything but ranch where I was. That's probably why the manager opted for one dressing - he couldn't afford to throw out half a case of something every year. I'm guessing he doesn't sell a lot of salads to begin with.

The ketchup's an idea. My late MIL used to mix mayo, ketchup and relish for "homemade" Thousand Island. She may have added something else, but I was never watching that closely.

I suspect that ranch dressing is "surprisingly low in fat"

I suspect that ranch dressing is "surprisingly low in fat"

According to the packet of Newman's I was given by Mickey D's, 130 out of 170 calories came from fat. Surprised?

Cholula is made in the State of Jalisco, Mexico with authentically grown peppers and by workers who tenderly massage each pepper before it is converted to hot sauce.Sometime last year, I went to a weekday FT luncheon at Don Pepe's in Newark. I believe I was the only woman at this luncheon. Anyway, I think it was ozstamps who gave me a bottle of Cholula sauce to take home. I'm not a hot sauce fan but my husband is. Let me tell you, he LOVED it. We need to get some more. Ok....back on topic. :D

According to the packet of Newman's I was given by Mickey D's, 130 out of 170 calories came from fat. Surprised?

Now wait a minute - if a salad dressing does NOT have most of its calories come from fat - doesn't that just mean it has a lot of sugar?

Anyway...I do remember when ranch was a new item. (But can't exactly remember what year it began its ascent.)

Growin' up here in Texas, it seems like Thousand Island and French dressings really took the hit from Ranch's popularity. (As child - in the 60s - it seems like Italian, French and Thousand Island were the top choices.)

Growin' up here in Texas, it seems like Thousand Island and French dressings really took the hit from Ranch's popularity. (As child - in the 60s - it seems like Italian, French and Thousand Island were the top choices.)

Same thing I remember growing up in Mass. I worked at mid-scale restaurants as a high school and college student. We would have a 3 bowl serving dish for dressings with those 3. There was also vinegar and oil in cruets on the table. I don't see those much anymore either.

Interesting that when McDonalds launched their new salads they claimed they were very healthy - "balanced" was the term used. Then of course people realised with the dressing the chicken salad was the most fattening product on the menu. Ranch dressing - might be nice - but it isn't healthy!

If the Hidden Valley ads are to be believed, Ranch dressing is a recent phenomenon.

But, the stuff has no more flavor than mayonaise.
Apparently the real stuff does taste good, just not what they sell. From a recent New Yorker article full text here (http://www.gladwell.com/2005/2005_09_05_a_bakeoff.html):

This was a reflection of what might be called the Hidden Valley Ranch principle, in honor of a story that Samson Hsia often told about his years working on salad dressing when he was at Clorox. The couple who owned Hidden Valley Ranch, near Santa Barbara, had come up with a seasoning blend of salt, pepper, onion, garlic, and parsley flakes that was mixed with equal parts mayonnaise and buttermilk to make what was, by all accounts, an extraordinary dressing. Clorox tried to bottle it, but found that the buttermilk could not coexist, over any period of time, with the mayonnaise. The way to fix the problem, and preserve the texture, was to make the combination more acidic. But when you increased the acidity you ruined the flavor. Clorox's food engineers worked on Hidden Valley Ranch dressing for close to a decade. They tried different kinds of processing and stability control and endless cycles of consumer testing before they gave up and simply came out with a high-acid Hidden Valley Ranch dressing -- which promptly became a runaway best-seller. Why? Because consumers had never tasted real Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, and as a result had no way of knowing that what they were eating was inferior to the original. For those in the food business, the lesson was unforgettable: if something was new, it didn't have to be perfect.

Then there are folks that mix salsa and Ranch and call is South Western Ranch....To me creamy and tomato-ey don't mix.

Eww. As a native Southwesterner I would like to register my strong objections to this combination. :td:

Ranch dressing is disgusting. So is bleu cheese. Come to think of it, there is no "creamy" dressing I like.

Pizza bones go in ranch
Red Robin french fries go in ranch
Buffalo wings go in bleu cheese

Meat goes on a pizza
Vegetables go in a salad

All is right with the world :cool:

Pizza bones go in ranch
Red Robin french fries go in ranch
Buffalo wings go in bleu cheese

Meat goes on a pizza
Vegetables go in a salad

All is right with the world :cool:

Pizza bones :confused: the crust after all the gooey stuff has been nibbled off? Interesting expression. Stuffed crust pizza has "marrow"?

Apparently the real stuff does taste good, just not what they sell. From a recent New Yorker article full text here (http://www.gladwell.com/2005/2005_09_05_a_bakeoff.html):

This was a reflection of what might be called the Hidden Valley Ranch principle, in honor of a story that Samson Hsia often told about his years working on salad dressing when he was at Clorox. The couple who owned Hidden Valley Ranch, near Santa Barbara, had come up with a seasoning blend of salt, pepper, onion, garlic, and parsley flakes that was mixed with equal parts mayonnaise and buttermilk to make what was, by all accounts, an extraordinary dressing. Clorox tried to bottle it, but found that the buttermilk could not coexist, over any period of time, with the mayonnaise. The way to fix the problem, and preserve the texture, was to make the combination more acidic. But when you increased the acidity you ruined the flavor. Clorox's food engineers worked on Hidden Valley Ranch dressing for close to a decade. They tried different kinds of processing and stability control and endless cycles of consumer testing before they gave up and simply came out with a high-acid Hidden Valley Ranch dressing -- which promptly became a runaway best-seller. Why? Because consumers had never tasted real Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, and as a result had no way of knowing that what they were eating was inferior to the original. For those in the food business, the lesson was unforgettable: if something was new, it didn't have to be perfect.


Are sure that they did not just put Clorox in it? :)

It's not just the south: Ranch is slowly taking over the rest of the world, too. If you ask for ranch around here (Wisconsin) they'll bring you a huge clear ketchup style bottle of it, but any other dressings will come in a tiny paper cup. In fact, the local mexican restaurant serves it with their nachos in addition to salsa...weird.

I admit I love to dip onion rings into ranch, but prefer french for my salads...well, I actually prefer honey mustard, but good luck finding that at most restaurants :(

I don't know specifically, but it's got to be in the south.

Ding! Ding! Ding! At least in Houston, you get ranch all the time with wings. I hate it. I have finally found a bar down here that not only does pretty good wings, but also gives you a boat of bleu cheese dressing with it. BW-3 down here offers ranch by default. You have to ask specifically for bleu cheese. That seems to be the norm.

So I'd say Houston is in the running for ranch weirdness HQ on the wings front.

And, yeah, ranch is so full of fat. When I succumb to the temptation of dipping say, a fry, in ranch dressing, I say, "Could I please have some fat to dip my deep fat fried fat in?" Yeah.

I LOVE ranch, and I have no idea what's in it. Ranch + fries, please. I'll sometimes even request a Caesar salad, but with ranch instead. :D

Also, it seems like ranch from a restaurant/salad bar, without fail, tastes better than ranch from the market. Why is that?



How is it a Ceasar salad if you use ranch dressing?

Are sure that they did not just put Clorox in it? :)

I tried dipping my buffalo wings in Clorox, but it just was not the same! :D

Steve

How is it a Ceasar salad if you use ranch dressing?As you point out, it's not. But who knows, maybe it is at the Olive Garden. ;)

As you point out, it's not. But who knows, maybe it is at the Olive Garden. ;)

glad you got out of the elevator,,,

As you point out, it's not. But who knows, maybe it is at the Olive Garden. ;)

Analise lays down the ace with a cross-thread reference .....

glad you got out of the elevator,,,

... and nytango trumps with a cross-forum reference.

This is why FT is more fun than work. I just wish it paid as well. :(

glad you got out of the elevator,,,That's nice to know. :D

Duplicate. Whoops!

Ranch is great on the side salads served with dinner plates at many Mexican restaurants. Unlike blue cheese dressing or any of the others, Ranch does not compete with the many good Mexican flavors in the other items.

Ranch is good anytime you want a blander accompaniment to fried foods or veggies. Cheap ranch dressing on Carl's Jr Crisscut Fries is excellent!

I love it!!!

Love it on french fries, tater tots, cheese sticks, potato chips, great on burgers, zucchini stix. I aint found much it aint good on, its even the way I prefer my pizza with a ranch base instead of the typical ikky red sauce.

Bring on the Ranch...WooHoo....

Pizza bones go in ranch
Red Robin french fries go in ranch
Buffalo wings go in bleu cheese

Meat goes on a pizza
Vegetables go in a salad

All is right with the world :cool:

I used to work with an older guy that was rather fun loving. He took a small group to Lou Malnati's in Chicago for deep dish pizza for lunch one day. One of his buddies, Darnel, couldn't go, so he brought back the pizza "bones" for him. What a laugh we all got. Thanks for making me remember.

That said, for those who add hot sauce to ranch, I tried Safeway's Jalapeño Ranch Dressing. Had a nice kick with a chile flavor and the great taste of ranch!

I'm not a big fan of ranch dressing - I much prefer a good blue cheese or failing that, Thousand Island or honey mustard. But I have to eat more salad and less carbs because of my blood sugar, so I've relented and bought some Newman's for variety. I don't like most bottled blue cheese dressings (stuff like Kraft "Roka" :puke:), so at only 2g of carbs per tablespoon, the ranch will suffice.

I'm with you, I hate Ranch.

If I get any salad (besides Caesar) its either vinigrette or Italian that goes on it.

I've never been a big fan of ranch - celery cries out for bleu cheese and wings cry out for more sauce - but after reading this thread, I think I'll skip it altogether.

The best choice is McDonalds - wouldn't consider the lesser choices. There's a novel concept.

This could be because Ranch has so many uses, but I have heard that it is the best selling salad dressing.

Ranch is over rated...better than nothing though. How about that Honey Mustard...it's the best. :)

This could be because Ranch has so many uses, but I have heard that it is the best selling salad dressing.

Probably cuz that's the only way to get a lot of kids to eat salad and veggies once they're out of toddlerhood. :(

i know i have said this before, but RANCH IS TAKING OVER THE WORLD!! I despise ranch. my sister in law eats everything with ranch. i prefer 1000 island.

i know i have said this before, but RANCH IS TAKING OVER THE WORLD!! I despise ranch. my sister in law eats everything with ranch. i prefer 1000 island.

But don't you find it frustrating that all Ranch tastes like Ranch - yes, some are better than others, but they all pretty much have the same flavor? Yet,
Thousand Island can be wonderful or really bad and the flavor varies tremendously from brand to brand. I really like good Thousand Island dressing, but buying it or ordering it does not guarantee that I'll get anything I like. If I order or buy Ranch, I know what it is going to taste like.

Ranch can be anything from bland gross stuff to very sublime and flavorful. If it's in a package or came from a package, chances are, it sucks. It's not one of my favorite dressings but will do if my choices are "Thousand Island, Ranch, Italian, and Bleu Cheese". I find bad Blue Cheese dressing FAR FAR more offensive than bad ranch. Peppercorn ranch is a nice twist and can be very very tasty. My favorite though, is Caesar dressing. Gotta second the Ken's vote. I ALWAYS have a bottle in the fridge. Makes plain 'ol Iceberg taste awesome.

I don't mind ranch dressing where I would otherwise use butter (A baked potato) but on a salad it doesn't work for me at all. I usally go with lemon herb.

But don't you find it frustrating that all Ranch tastes like Ranch - yes, some are better than others, but they all pretty much have the same flavor? Yet,
Thousand Island can be wonderful or really bad and the flavor varies tremendously from brand to brand. I really like good Thousand Island dressing, but buying it or ordering it does not guarantee that I'll get anything I like. If I order or buy Ranch, I know what it is going to taste like.


all ranch tastes the same to me, ranch is ranch. i agree with the hit or miss 1000 island. alot of people dont like the "chunks".

Ranch dressing goes great with: fried cheese, fried zucchini, fried mushrooms, curly fries (all other fries go better with mayo but onion rings go with ketchup), and really thick tortilla chips (but alternating with salsa on some, ranch on others).

Buffalo wings are always eaten with blue cheese. Buffalo tenders, however, have trouble holding the chunks and sometimes are better with ranch.

The best ranch is to get a side of wing sauce and mix the wing sauce into the ranch. That also works well with blue cheese dressing.

None of these things are on my dietary plan... but I know from experience that they taste good.

Oh, and only eat ranch where they MAKE the dressing. Homemade ranch is TEN times (or more) better than the acidic crud. I won't eat ranch out of hte bottle.