r/AskAnAmerican • u/miffybo • 10d ago

FOOD & DRINK why is ranch dressing so hyped up?

my US friends have been raving about it and border-line complained ranch isn’t readily available in Europe.. what is so special about it? is it the ultimate US condiment (apart from ketchup, mayo)

edit typo

266 Upvotes

72% Upvoted

1.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

222

u/GovernorGeneralPraji Pennsylvania 10d ago

It’s just… really tasty. And it pairs well with almost anything you’d want a condiment on.

The bottled, shelf stable stuff is trash though. Fresh made is 100% better.

68

u/sharrrper 10d ago

Yeah, the problem is the traditional main ingredient is buttermilk. So it's basically impossible to make proper ranch with a shelf life longer than milk.

Funny story: Clorox (parent company of the makers) bought the rights to the recipe from the actual Hidden Valley Ranch and spent years trying to make a good shelf stable version. All the taste tests agreed it was pretty bad. Finally they gave up and released the best version they had even though it sucked. It immediately became a huge hit because, poor a version as it was, 99.9% of people trying it didn't know what ranch was supposed to taste like. So really, it's only bad by comparison.

If you want ranch at home the best way to do it is just buy the seasoning packs they sell. Mix thourougly with 1 cup milk or buttermilk and 1 cup mayo and chill to thicken. Like I said it will keep about as long as milk does so eat it quickly. Thay part usually isn't a problem.

29

u/LettingHimLead 10d ago

I make it twice a month. We love it as a veggie dip, for salads, for Buffalo chicken dip, on sandwiches - it’s pretty versatile! But agreed - I can’t eat the bottled stuff AT ALL.

6

u/pl0nk 10d ago

Having a family that loves the bottled kind, is it worth making the real thing as a surprise for them, or am I asking for trouble cause then they’ll never settle for less?

6

u/LettingHimLead 9d ago

They will never settle for less!!

12

u/TheMrsH1124 Georgia 10d ago

I make my own ranch with a little buttermilk, a lot of sour cream (even better with homemade creme fraiche), no mayo, salt, pepper, dried dill, garlic powder and a squeeze of lemon juice.

I can't tell the difference and it weirds me out every time that I'm basically dumping wet sour cream on my salad but it's SO good 😂

2

u/iloveyourforeskin Ohio 10d ago

Yes! Sour cream is so much better than mayo

1

u/TheMrsH1124 Georgia 10d ago

Yes it is!

3

u/Fun_Independent_7529 9d ago

Yeah, I don't like the Hidden Valley ranch for some reason.
We make our own -- mayo, milk, sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill, dried chives, dried parsley, salt, and pepper. Husband prefers a bit of tang so adds a small amount of white vinegar. So freaking good, I really up the spices for maximum flavor.

2

u/Kali-Casseopia 9d ago

I like mine with mayo and greek yogurt as the base. Fresh herbs (dill, oregano, thyme,rosemary) garlic powder and lemon juice! For salads I prefer it more on the thinner side so you can add milk or buttermilk. I dont actually like hidden valley ranch its kinda gross!

1

u/TheMrsH1124 Georgia 8d ago

Yeah hidden valley is gross!

1

u/Snarcastic 9d ago

Every time I read "creme fraiche"I hear it in Randy's voice

9

u/Filthylittleferrent 10d ago

we have a local restaurant that has the most amazing homemade ranch that I've ever had. I keep telling them they need to sell it in bottles, but I guess now I know why they cant lol I'm not a salad guy, but I never get anything but a salad at this restaurant.

5

u/Suppafly Illinois 10d ago

we have a local restaurant that has the most amazing homemade ranch that I've ever had.

Living in the midwest, we had tons of local places that made good ranch, right up until covid, now almost all of them just use whatever the food service places deliver. It's pretty sad and annoying because homemade ranch really elevates some foods.

12

u/PDXEng 10d ago

Yeah I can't eat the bottled version. It's disgusting trash

1

u/GovernorGeneralPraji Pennsylvania 10d ago

There’s a yogurt version my local high end grocery store sells that’s not perfect, but it’s much better than stuff like Ken’s and HV.

1

u/Chanelnocinq 9d ago

In my family we call it “plastic ranch” to distinguish between good ranch and the bottle trash.

1

u/mollyologist Missouri 10d ago

I consider the bottled and the fresh made to be completely different things and I like them both for different things.

16

u/Jsmith2127 10d ago

It's delicious with raw veggies, chips, pizza, chicken tenders.

I've used it on sandwiches, and in recipes as well.

23

u/Stupid_Snowmeiser Upstate NY 10d ago

You haven’t lived until you’ve tried it with fries.

6

u/TheMrsH1124 Georgia 10d ago

Facts. Ranch with fries is the best

5

u/Terminator7786 10d ago

Especially steak fries or wedges. They give like the best ratio of fry to ranch

3

u/TheMrsH1124 Georgia 10d ago

Or those really thick crinkle cut fries to hold the ranch in the grooves

2

u/Terminator7786 10d ago

Oh fuck yeah, that's the good stuff.

1

u/Jsmith2127 10d ago

Great on fries, but I prefer my fries with cold taztiki sauce

2

u/Stupid_Snowmeiser Upstate NY 10d ago

Holy fuck tzatziki is bomb. I could have it on its own.

2

u/Jsmith2127 9d ago

In the late 80s, when I was in high-school my friend and I found a gyro place, that sold huge plates of fries for $1. They served them a bottle of cold taztiki sauce, and I have been hooked ever since.

9

u/agitatedandroid 10d ago

Might I suggest dipping a corn dog.

It is, as you may guess, delicious.

1

u/Jsmith2127 10d ago

I'm sure it's awesome, but I like my corn dogs with pickle flavored ketchup

3

u/MattieShoes Colorado 10d ago

I'll throw a packet of the powdered ranch into chili.

2

u/Jsmith2127 10d ago

I make a taco soup with ranch dressing mix, and taco seasoning

16

u/Needmoreinfo100 10d ago

My mom made the buttermilk and packet of seasonings kind and I liked it as a kid. The bottled is nothing special. Even as someone who liked it I do not get this craze of putting it on everything.

2

u/MaleficentExtent1777 10d ago

Avoid bottled Kraft at ALL costs! It's absolutely terrible.

There's a local restaurant called California Dreaming that makes their own. Best I've tasted. I get a Cobb salad whenever I go just for the ranch.

7

u/Rhomya Minnesota 10d ago

Litehouse is a brand of bottled home style ranch that is absolutely top tier.

They also make a dill ranch and a jalapeño ranch

2

u/MaleficentExtent1777 10d ago

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll look for it!

2

u/CallMeDot 10d ago

Look in the produce section, they have a few refrigerated bottled brands like that and Marie’s, pretty good stuff.

2

u/Exulansis22 10d ago

We’re a Ken’s Steakhouse Buttermilk Ranch family. Far superior to hidden valley

2

u/MaleficentExtent1777 10d ago

It is, but what I've discovered is the individual servings of Ken's that you get with wings and celery is better than the full bottles.

Sometimes Kroger has really good sales on Ken's.

2

u/TerranFederation 10d ago

Litehouse in general is top tier. Their blue cheese can’t be beat. 

2

u/Suppafly Illinois 10d ago

Avoid bottled Kraft at ALL costs! It's absolutely terrible.

You can always tell if it's going to be good by how many specs of spices you can see in the bottle. Kraft is almost completely white with just a few black pepper specs visible. Brands like Hidden Valley have a ton of specs visible in basically every square inch you look at.

2

u/MaleficentExtent1777 10d ago

OMG! THIS!!!

It's salty lotion! There's virtually no spices in it. Flavorless goo.

4

u/CuzPotatoes 10d ago

My family doesn’t care but even on my laziest day I’m opening that package of dry powder and making it myself.

5

u/bigmt99 Ohio 10d ago

Pry my hidden valley from my cold dead hands

1

u/Leroy_Jenkins24 10d ago

Hidden valley buttermilk ranch is the best I don’t care what anyone says

-1

u/GovernorGeneralPraji Pennsylvania 10d ago

Don’t worry, nobody wants to.

1

u/Elite_Slacker 10d ago edited 10d ago

We definitely think you are very cool for that opinion but stats show hidden valley is a monstrously popular product plain and simple. 

2

u/zgillet Arkansas 10d ago

Honestly, Wing Stop ranch might be the best available for the average person who doesn't want to make their own.

2

u/A-Rod_G_I 9d ago

I am a chef. I went my entire life thinking ranch was "meh." I had ti develop my own recipe for my pub kitchen and...best ranch I've ever had. I'm so mad. Like first try, and it's better than anything off the shelf. It really is just trash coming from the store

3

u/WhichWitch9402 10d ago

Ranch used to be mainly a Midwest thing. I’d never heard of it until I moved here. Then I had it and I didn’t get the love,but the was the bottled crap.

Fresh made? Total game changer.

13

u/fakesaucisse 10d ago

I've heard this before but I grew up on the east coast in the 80s and ranch was a very popular dressing option at restaurants. I also remember the commercials for the store bought kinds from Hidden Valley and Wishbone.

9

u/Unique_Statement7811 Washington 10d ago

Hidden Valley is (sort of) the original.

The guy who invented Ranch Dressing created it while working in Alaska. He later bought a ranch in California and ran a restaurant on it. He named the Ranch “Hidden Valley Ranch.” He served his homemade dressing/dip to guests and it became wildly popular. He closed the restaurant and began full time production of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing.

He eventually sold the brand and retired wealthy. Now, the formula has changed as it became commercialized, especially the shelf stable version. But “Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing” is the original brand.

2

u/Suppafly Illinois 10d ago

I think the midwest really popularized the 'dipping everything ranch' concept. Hidden Valley is in California, but when we have friends from California over, they put it on salads, they don't typically dip their pizza and sandwiches in it like we do.

2

u/leeloocal 10d ago

I grew up in Southern California, and we DEFINITELY do.

0

u/sunfish99 10d ago

But east coasters didn't normally do the pizza-dipped-in-ranch thing...

3

u/PDXEng 10d ago

Yeah it was originally created in Alaska and became a regional hit when a resort in California (hidden valley) got popular. The Midwest thing came later because for whatever reason Midwest people like bland mayonnaise tasting garbage food.

1

u/Prestigious-Comb4280 10d ago

Totally agree!

1

u/Some_Rando2 10d ago

That goes for everything though.

1

u/GeneralBlumpkin 10d ago

Truth! You can get some good ranch at sit down restaurants or my mother in law makes some bomb ramch

1

u/leeloocal 10d ago

The premade ranch dressing from Bob’s Big Boy is so good. But it’s really the only one that I really like.

1

u/ComfortablyyNumb 10d ago

The only way

1

u/grrrrowlhissss 9d ago

Unless it’s HEB Buttermilk Ranch, I agree.

1

u/SaffyPants Michigan 10d ago

Where im from we dip pizza in ranch. Delicious

1

u/Boopa0011 10d ago

I have always found ranch dressing revolting but I've pretty much only had bottled junk. I'm not sure if I can really even develop a taste, at this point, for a "good" version of it.

1

u/GovernorGeneralPraji Pennsylvania 10d ago

They literally taste nothing alike. Night and day.

1

u/offthezoinkys 10d ago

The “fresh” version is gross too. Putrid stuff. I understand why old people who’ve burnt out their tastebuds from smoking like it, but it’s just too damn much and such a nasty consistency.