Ranch Dressing

[bdubdab]

I am a huge fan of ranch dressing. Most people are, so who cares, right? Well, I just want to know a few things. Why do some places' ranch taste homemade, and some taste like it came from an old shoe? There are places that I'd eat at more often if they just had good ranch. How do you make good ranch? Anyone ever work at a place that makes it? I reckon the "homemade" tasting stuff comes from a powder, and the nasty comes from a bottle filled with emulsifiers and guar gum and carrageenan. If so, I want to know how to get that secret powder: Hidden Valley just don't cut it for me. I've found one internet recipe for Outback's dressing, but even it calls for a spoonful of the hidden val, and it wasn't great.

Good: Buns over Texas, Sharky's, Pizza Planet, Hummer's, Jason's Deli, Hooter's

Bad: Buffalo Wild Wings, Bakers Bros., any Store bought bottled, and even the name brand mix-it-yo-self stuff.

What made me think about this is, I went to Buns O-Tx the other night for the first time in probably 5 years. I passed up a ho-hum burger to get their ho-hummier cheese fries, and their ranchichito stole the show.

[sailorwes]

In my experience, you have it pretty much right. Many restaurants us a powder based Ranch dressing mix, which is reconstituted with buttermilk and mayonnaise. Sour cream might also be added, as could be other things. The mixing is where some differences come in. The brand most used is Hidden Valley.

Also, factor in level of attention the person mixing it gives to the task.

Other places use a cheaper pre-mixed version from a gallon jug, often with more non-food ingredients than real food. These can look yucky in the jar and worse on the salad.

[mustakister]

The trick is keeping it simple and letting it sit in the fridge for at least an hour after mixing. I always make mine to taste and don't follow a recipe. It always contains:

Mayo & Milk until desired thickness

seasonings: S&P, sugar, garlic powder, (or even better, fresh roasted garlic in which case you'll need to puree in a blender) NM chile powder &/or cayenne (small pinches of some or all these things)

add seasonings in small quantities and add a pinch of sugar at the very end to round it out. Remember to let it sit in the fridge and the flavor will be much better. Stored airtight in the fridge will keep about a week.