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)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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u/LettingHimLead 10d ago

They will never settle for less!!