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Ranch Dressing DYI in no time

Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 6:54 pm
by brothers
Here's the recipe:

1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
1 packet - or 1/4 cup - dry ranch seasoning
Whisk briskly or blend until fully blended
We put it in a squeeze bottle with a nozzle and keep it in the refrigerator.

Additional flavor ingredients such as bacon bits or jalapeno, black pepper, etc. can easily be added for variety.

Re: Ranch Dressing DYI in no time

Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2019 6:31 pm
by EL Alamein
Gary, sounds delicious. And it actually follows the original Hidden Valley Ranch recipe I've read about in the past.

Supposedly the Hidden Valley was a house dressing for the actual Hidden Valley Ranch. It was composed by the owner as such. He actually made it using just what you used - dry ingredients mixed with mayo and buttermilk.

It took off when the ranch hosted a party and the folks asked for it to be produced for a wedding, I believe. He couldn't make the volume required so gave them the dry ingredients to be freshly made for the wedding adding only the buttermilk and mayo. It was a huge success and took off from there.

When it was commercialized the company couldn't make the original recipe stable for consumer consumption so they altered it a bit. Thus, if you buy it in the bottle today it's not what it was and doesn't quite taste the same. Consumers would never know because they never tasted the original.

They continued to offer the dry ingredients for folks that wanted to make it fresh at home and that's the only way to experience it as it was created. You've gotta use it fairly quickly though.

Seems you've hit the nail on the head with ranch dressing, making it as it was originally.

Gotta try it one day as daughter #2 loves ranch.

Chris

Re: Ranch Dressing DYI in no time

Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2019 12:58 pm
by brothers
Chris, that's great information. Thanks for sharing that. Because it has no preservatives, we don't want anybody getting sick, so we're going to cut the recipe in half and make sure it's never permitted to sit in the refrigerator very long. Fresh is always best anyway.

Re: Ranch Dressing DYI in no time

Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2019 2:48 pm
by ShadowsDad
Gary, I post this not to steal your thunder but for those folks who don't like spice/herb packets. Personally I don't trust them. Here the herbs are listed for those cooks who DIY. I go so far as to make my own mayo with oils that aren't highly refined. This is not my recipe but taken from Barefeetinthekitchen.com

The Best Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing

Total Time
5 mins

Perfectly tangy, creamy homemade ranch dressing tastes better than anything you could buy in a store.

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk or regular milk
3/4 - 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon finely cracked pepper
freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste approximately 1-3 teaspoons, adjust to taste

Instructions

Whisk together the mayo, sour cream and milk until smooth. Add the spices and whisk until combined. Add the lemon and whisk again. Pour into a jar and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This dressing will keep nicely in the refrigerator for up to a week. Enjoy!

Notes

I frequently swap plain white vinegar for the fresh lemon juice in this recipe. Both acids work beautifully to provide the perfect amount of tang in the dressing.

Re: Ranch Dressing DYI in no time

Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2019 3:41 pm
by brothers
Thanks for the detailed recipe Brian. I am already planning to mix the herbs you listed in bulk (a cup or so) so I can just mix the liquids and the homemade herb mix in small batches and presto! 8)

Re: Ranch Dressing DYI in no time

Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2019 6:30 pm
by EL Alamein
Gosh that looks delicious, Brian I am going to have try that for sure.

Chris

Re: Ranch Dressing DYI in no time

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 6:30 am
by ShadowsDad
Gents, understand that I didn't try it and it isn't my recipe but something I got from the 'net. I posted it only for the spice/herb mix.

Good or bad, please let me know how it works for you. Ranch isn't my normal dressing of choice, but every time I've ever had it I liked it. I just don't have it often enough to compare one vs another. For me it's only pass/fail.

Re: Ranch Dressing DYI in no time

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 8:39 pm
by brothers
Thanks for the clarification Brian. I mistakenly understood it was your comment about sometimes substituting vinegar for lemon juice. Now I know that was the person who posted earlier. I think we've got most of the ingredients, except milk or buttermilk. It's worth a try, I'm thinking, if an occasion arises.