You Can Make This Heavenly Ranch Dressing in 2 Minutes (2024)

FAQs

How do you make bottled Hidden Valley Ranch better? ›

If you don't have time or inclination to make your dressing from scratch, but you want that elevated restaurant-style ranch, think about zhuzhing up the bottled version with things like finely chopped shallot or scallion, a clove of minced fresh garlic, a splash of buttermilk or dollop of sour cream if you have them ...

This might seem obvious, but you can add a lot of flavor to ranch dressing by adding more of what's already in it. I love adding lots of fresh herbs, extra garlic, or even lemon zest.

Directions. In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, and mayonnaise until smooth. Whisk in thyme, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In 1954 ranch dressing was invented at Hidden Valley Ranch, a dude ranch near Santa Barbara, California. Ranch dressing has been the best-selling salad dressing in the United States since 1992, overtaking Italian dressing. Since 1972 Hidden Valley Ranch has been owned by Clorox.

Adding freshly ground black pepper can often be an easy way to up your dressing game, but also freshening up any ingredient listed on the bottle can be useful. An extra dollop of mustard in your Dijon vinaigrette, or pinch of oregano in your Italian dressing can make a world of difference.

The ranch packet has a fresher taste, because you add your own mayo and milk. Even though all the herbs and spices in the mix are dried, they rehydrate quickly and leave you with a product that feels homemade. This version of Hidden Valley Ranch is more flavorful than the bottled version and much, much thicker.

How do you thicken store-bought ranch dressing? Add more mayonnaise. Ranch dressing = mayonnaise + buttermilk + garlic + herbs (usually dill). Adding more mayo will thicken it without introducing flavors that aren't already there.

In October 1972, the Hidden Valley Ranch brand was bought by Clorox for $8 million, and Henson retired. Kraft Foods and General Foods introduced similar dry seasoning packets labeled as "ranch style".

“But the particular flavor of traditional ranch can only be achieved with the dry versions of all those aromatics: garlic and onion powder, dried herbs, powdered pepper and buttermilk.” That's because fresh ingredients were rare in Alaska at the time.

On October 30, 1972, The Clorox Company bought a small mail-order dressing business called Hidden Valley® Ranch. Forty-five years on, the Hidden Valley brand has grown far beyond its rural California beginnings. Ranch is a category all its own, a flavor beloved the world over, and not just on salads.

What is the most popular salad dressing in 1992? ›

Homer's tastes are meant to reflect those of the American everyman, and in this case the Simpsons writers nailed it: Ranch dressing has been the nation's best-selling salad topper since 1992, when it overtook Italian.

History tells us ranch dressing was created in 1949 by a plumber-turned-cowboy in Alaska. Steve Henson is the man behind this dressing perfection. In fact, Henson moved to California and purchased a ranch he called Hidden Valley Ranch, which made the now famous dressing a staple.

It's no secret that Hidden Valley Ranch is a staple ingredient in many homemade ranch dressings, but did you know that restaurants also rely on this classic brand? According to several chefs I spoke with, Hidden Valley Ranch provides the perfect balance of tanginess and creaminess that customers love.

Because while some restaurants do use a bottled shelf stable dressing, what you are referring to is a powdered ranch mix (typically the Hidden Valley brand) that the restaurant cooks add milk/ buttermilk and sour cream to make their dressing.

One of the recalls involves Hidden Valley Original Ranch Homestyle dressing sold at Costco with UPC of 0 71100 21042 2 and a best-before date of March 28, 2024 due to undeclared mustard. “The Clorox Company of Canada is warning people with allergies to mustard not to consume the recalled product.