46 replies to this topic

[heidih]

Based on a number of posts in this topicon odd pizza eating habits like dipping generic pizza into Ranch dressing, I thought I would pose the question: "Hwo and when did Ranch dressing become so popular? I eat lunch frequently with a woman who always requests it on the side so she can dip her grilled cheese sandwich and her fries into it. I have witnessed it take over the wing dip world as opposed to blue cheese. What have you observed?

[Jaymes]

I have observed that I like to pour a bit of the "lite" Ranch Dressing onto my baked potato as a low-fat alternative to sour cream.

Other than that, find it just "okay."

But it's sure ubiquitous these days, isn't it?

[IowaDee]

Our local Mexican restaurant offers it for those who can't/won't eat salsa with their chips.
I don't think they like doing it because of the way they plop the bottle on the table.  Almost as
though they want to shame the customer by calling attention to the stuff.

[HungryC]

Jeff Foxworthy did a bit quite a few years ago on "the cleaning power of ranch dressing"....smear ranch dressing on item to be cleaned, and 1,000 people will magically show up and lick your car/boat/house clean.

[GlorifiedRice]

I think it started when Hidden Valley started marketing a ready made bottled ranch

[Lisa Shock]

Green Goddess was the most popular salad dressing for a while, it was supplanted by creamy Italian in the 70's. Ranch had been around as the dry mix since the 1950's, but didn't really start to conquer the world until Hidden Valley, a Chlorox subsidiary, developed a shelf-stable ready-made bottled version in the early 80's.

What also contributed to its rise was, ironically, the proliferation of low-fat foods. Mayonnaise became a bad word in the 80's and 90's so a lot of places selling processed foods subbed Ranch for mayo to seem healthier. (which is ironic because Ranch is made with mayo)

[Jaymes]

HungryC, on 06 September 2011 - 12:59 PM, said:

Jeff Foxworthy did a bit quite a few years ago on "the cleaning power of ranch dressing"....smear ranch dressing on item to be cleaned, and 1,000 people will magically show up and lick your car/boat/house clean.

I heard a very crude version of a similar joke.  Apparently it's currently making the rounds of restaurant kitchens.

I try not to think of it, but it sure goes to the obsession for ranch dressing among some folk.  Stunning, really.

[Kouign Aman]

I miss Green Goddess.

[GlorifiedRice]

Kouign Aman, on 06 September 2011 - 01:47 PM, said:

I miss Green Goddess.

You can get it on Amazon.com search Kraft Green Goddess

[slkinsey]

Ranch Dressing : Why do Americans love it so much?


This paragraph from the article pretty much tells the tale:

Quote

Once ranch was available in a bottle, Americans fell in love with its rich-yet-inoffensive taste. It is devoid of potentially objectionable ingredients, such as chili sauce (a key component in Thousand Island) or anchovies (found in Caesar and Green Goddess). And perhaps more important, ranch is fattier than humdrum Italian, which is basically a gussied-up vinaigrette. Ranch dressing, which arrived at a time when mayo had gained a reputation as a diet-buster, was essentially a socially acceptable form of the gloopy condiment. It quickly became the preferred way to infuse otherwise healthy dishes with a palatable amount of fat. The salads offered by chains such as Little Caesars or McDonald's were soon accompanied by packets of ranch, to the chagrin of nutritionists.

Edited by slkinsey, 06 September 2011 - 02:16 PM.

[GlorifiedRice]

If Im gonna have it, Ill make it with fat free mayo and regular milk

[Chris Hennes]

For reference, Joy of Cooking's ingredients for Ranch Dressing are:

Quote

1 clove garlic
3/4 cup buttermilk
2-3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon minced cilantro or parsley
1 tablespoon minced chives
salt and pepper

Interestingly (to me), they list mayonnaise as an optional addition to make a "less runny" dressing.

[Lisa Shock]

Kouign Aman, on 06 September 2011 - 01:47 PM, said:

I miss Green Goddess.

HERE is my Green Goddess recipe (vegetarian).

[Tri2Cook]

I don't know about taking over the world but it has pretty much taken over Canada and the U.S. I'm not a fan, I'll stick with some variation of blue cheese if I'm going to use a creamy dressing/dip. I just don't find it all that tasty, it doesn't offend me or anything... but Creamy Caesar kinda does.

[suzilightning]

GlorifiedRice, on 06 September 2011 - 02:07 PM, said:

Kouign Aman, on 06 September 2011 - 01:47 PM, said:

I miss Green Goddess.

You can get it on Amazon.com search Kraft Green Goddess

or it is very easy to make at home.  check out the recipe section

[Broken English]

I don't know about taking over the world, but it certainly is everywhere in the US. I'd never had it before going there.

Edited by Broken English, 06 September 2011 - 08:41 PM.

[threestars]

Viral marketing I guess. But I love Ranch dressing too, specially on salad. :)

[Simon_S]

I don't know what Ranch dressing is, or at least I didn't until that pizza thread, and speaking as an innocent bystander, it all seems very bizarre. Of course, I don't like mayo and I can't understand its ubiquity either, so I assume this is something along the same lines?

[Jaymes]

Simon_S, on 07 September 2011 - 01:29 AM, said:

I don't know what Ranch dressing is, or at least I didn't until that pizza thread, and speaking as an innocent bystander, it all seems very bizarre. Of course, I don't like mayo and I can't understand its ubiquity either, so I assume this is something along the same lines?

Although, I suspect like most folks, a plain vinaigrette is my favorite dressing, my second-favorite has always been bleu cheese - Stilton, preferably, or Roquefort, or whatever.  I know many people like that cool, creamy topping on their greens, but are put off by the strong bleu cheese taste.  To me, anyway, Ranch is an easier version.  Creamy, with some pretty typical "salad dressing" herbs and spices, but not that strong cheese flavor.

When it first came out, you bought a small packet of dry mix, took it home, and mixed it up with mayo and buttermilk (as I recall, anyway).  It had a nice tang to it and became moderately popular, not only for salad dressings, but also for dips.  Then the company that made it, Hidden Valley, began selling it in bottles, already prepared.  And it was on its way to superstardom.  Now it seems like you can buy pretty much anything in "ranch flavor."  There are a great many recipes online for homemade versions so if you're really curious, you could whip up a batch.  Most include mayo, sour cream, chives, parsley, dill, garlic & onion powder, salt and pepper.

[Chris Hennes]

Simon_S, on 07 September 2011 - 01:29 AM, said:

I don't know what Ranch dressing is, or at least I didn't until that pizza thread, and speaking as an innocent bystander, it all seems very bizarre. Of course, I don't like mayo and I can't understand its ubiquity either, so I assume this is something along the same lines?

I'd say the fundamental flavors of "Ranch"-whatever (including actual Ranch dressing) are buttermilk, garlic, and herbs (typically parsley and chives).

[Jaymes]

Chris Hennes, on 07 September 2011 - 07:26 AM, said:

Simon_S, on 07 September 2011 - 01:29 AM, said:

I don't know what Ranch dressing is, or at least I didn't until that pizza thread, and speaking as an innocent bystander, it all seems very bizarre. Of course, I don't like mayo and I can't understand its ubiquity either, so I assume this is something along the same lines?

I'd say the fundamental flavors of "Ranch"-whatever (including actual Ranch dressing) are buttermilk, garlic, and herbs (typically parsley and chives).

I'd agree that it started out with buttermilk but it seems that even that was too strong a flavor for some folks.  Now, it seems that few versions have it.

[Chris Hennes]

Hidden Valley does. Ingredients are basically mayo, buttermilk, spices.

ETA-- HV Ranch ingredients list:

Quote

Soybean oil, water, egg yolk, sugar, salt, cultured nonfat buttermilk, natural flavors, spices, less than 1% of: dried garlic, dried onion, vinegar, phosphoric acid, xanthan gum, modified food starch, monosodium glutamate, artificial flavors, disodium phosphate, sorbic acid and calcium disodium EDTA, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate

[Simon_S]

Thank you all, I'm learning!

Chris Hennes, on 07 September 2011 - 07:42 AM, said:

HV Ranch ingredients list:

Quote

Soybean oil, water, egg yolk, sugar, salt, cultured nonfat buttermilk, natural flavors, spices, less than 1% of: dried garlic, dried onion, vinegar, phosphoric acid, xanthan gum, modified food starch, monosodium glutamate, artificial flavors, disodium phosphate, sorbic acid and calcium disodium EDTA, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate

Mmm Mmm MMMMMmmmm.  

[Jaymes]

Chris Hennes, on 07 September 2011 - 07:42 AM, said:

Hidden Valley does. Ingredients are basically mayo, buttermilk, spices.

ETA-- HV Ranch ingredients list:

Quote

Soybean oil, water, egg yolk, sugar, salt, cultured nonfat buttermilk, natural flavors, spices, less than 1% of: dried garlic, dried onion, vinegar, phosphoric acid, xanthan gum, modified food starch, monosodium glutamate, artificial flavors, disodium phosphate, sorbic acid and calcium disodium EDTA, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate

Well, good.  I can see why you will accept no other!

[Chris Hennes]

Simon_S, on 07 September 2011 - 07:57 AM, said:

Mmm Mmm MMMMMmmmm.  

Said in jest, I know, but the mayo can be omitted from a flavor perspective, I think--see the recipe I posted above.

[Genkinaonna]

I love ranch.  Kraft, specifically.  There, I said it.  And I'm not ashamed!  I like homemade better, but I don't like the decimating effect it has on my parsley and chive plants.  And I generally find I like a much higher ratio of buttermilk/sour cream to mayo, or it tastes too mayonnaise-y, which I think masks the flavor of the herbs.

[Jenni]

Like Simon, I too had never heard of this mysterious "ranch dressing" until the pizza idiosyncrasies thread. I promptly looked up the wikipedia article and then quickly dismissed it as basically a mayonnaise-y sauce.

However, have to say that the following sounds rather nice:

Chris Hennes, on 06 September 2011 - 02:34 PM, said:

For reference, Joy of Cooking's ingredients for Ranch Dressing are:

Quote

1 clove garlic
3/4 cup buttermilk
2-3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon minced cilantro or parsley
1 tablespoon minced chives
salt and pepper

Interestingly (to me), they list mayonnaise as an optional addition to make a "less runny" dressing.

Do you just crush the garlic to a fine paste and mix it all together? And are we talking cultured buttermilk (the yoghurt-like stuff) or proper buttermilk?

[Chris Hennes]

Jenni, on 07 September 2011 - 08:52 AM, said:

Do you just crush the garlic to a fine paste and mix it all together? And are we talking cultured buttermilk (the yoghurt-like stuff) or proper buttermilk?

Yes, the Joy recipe quoted there has you mash the garlic with a bit of salt, then just combine everything. And here in the US the only buttermilk readily available is cultured (though I wouldn't describe it as "yoghurt-like"). Use what you think tastes good, of course.

[jsmeeker]

There really isn't anything wrong with Ranch dressing as an actual salad dressing. Dipping other foods in it?? Like pizza?  I dunno.  Of course,  do like to have a little ranch dressing with my Buffalo wings, so I guess I am part of the problem?  Another Hidden Valley Ranch product I like is the dip mix. The poweder you dump into sour cream and eat with potato chips. That's tasty, too.

[Alcuin]

Chris Hennes, on 07 September 2011 - 08:58 AM, said:

Jenni, on 07 September 2011 - 08:52 AM, said:

Do you just crush the garlic to a fine paste and mix it all together? And are we talking cultured buttermilk (the yoghurt-like stuff) or proper buttermilk?

Yes, the Joy recipe quoted there has you mash the garlic with a bit of salt, then just combine everything. And here in the US the only buttermilk readily available is cultured (though I wouldn't describe it as "yoghurt-like"). Use what you think tastes good, of course.

I make the Joy recipe a few times a year: it does in fact taste like commercial ranch, but better because the flavors are cleaner and sharper since they weren't concocted in a lab and compounded in a factory by machines. You can also adjust the proportions to taste (natch). I puree the garlic with the back of my knife and a little salt, and if I want to thicken it I'll use sour cream not mayo. It makes for a great dressing for an American inflected composed salad. Green Goddess is also great, but I haven't made it in a few years.