View Full Version : Ranch as a condiment?
I was wondering. Here in the West, (I've lived from Southern California, Arizona to Oregon, and Ranch is a popular condiment. Used for salad dressing, but also for french fries, pizza, veggies, buffalo wings (for those who don't care for the traditional bleu cheese) hamburgers, potato chips, sandwiches, even as a pasta sauce. So, my question is, where you are, is Ranch Dressing this ubiquitous and universally and liberally applied to all kinds of foods? And if not what are your most common condiments?
Ranch is it. Unless you live in Idaho/Utah and use "fry sauce" made famous by "Artic Circle" drive-ins. We use ranch on deep fried foods - fries, onion rings, etc. + salads - but not on pasta.
IshbelRobertson
6-24-11, 4:52am
I'm Scots, and have never used 'Ranch Dressing'! What's in it?
It is a buttermilk-type dressing sold by Kraft and others that is really good.
Cool whip! :) Sort of kidding. It is the prefered "salad dressing" of the elders here, because jello is the preferred "salad". Nobody I know eats it on fries or anything though.
Ranch is not as common a condiment here in Minnesota, but it's not unheard of. My husband uses blue cheese dressing like ranch dressing, putting it on everything.
I think we must be pretty boring. Ketchup, mustard, mayo...those are the main condiments. Relish on a hot dog.
I've had it on everything including cold pasta salad.
Love Ranch dressing and blue cheese dressing.
We have ranch on our pizza! after it's cooked of course.
A wonderful condiment I had in Belgium was a sort of curry dressing. It's similar in consistency to mayo or ranch dressing, apricot colored, and curry flavored. It's served like nacho cheese sauce on top of Begian fries--a large french fry.
I would love to know how to make this condiment or even what the ingredients are so I could experiment.
iris lily
6-24-11, 10:31am
I'm Scots, and have never used 'Ranch Dressing'! What's in it?
It's this horrible salty mayo based stuff. ha ha.
ketchup is my preferred condiment.
IshbelRobertson
6-24-11, 11:25am
Thanks, IL - I'll probably pass on this stuff, then !
Salt, pepper, vinegar, HP Sauce and English and French mustards are the only condiments I use! I always make my own dressings and have never been a fan of the cream based dressings, so that's probably why I've never tasted it. I HAVE seen it for sale in bottles in various UK supermarkes. I will admit to having a store cupboard jar of Helmann's mayo, for when I run out of the home-made stuff - but that's it as far as processed sauces/condiments go in our house!
IshbelRobertson
6-24-11, 11:27am
Amaranth: I think that sauce is more or less what we use to make Coronation chicken (just add a little more tomato puree until you get the desired colour!)
Green chile is our condiment of choice on everything but salad......
Hot sauce aka salsa here. I think I stopped using ranch dressing back in the 80s.
I'm Scots, and have never used 'Ranch Dressing'! What's in it?
'Ranch' started as a salad dressing in a real place called Hidden Valley Ranch someplace in SoCal. They eventually sold it.
The original is a simple mix easily made at home and much better than the bottled stuff. Also thinner. It's only as salty as you make it. Commerically produced things of all sorts are always too salty IMO.
When I am out, I actually like a mix of Ranch and Bleu dressings on salad.
A typical Ranch recipe tends to be less fatty because it's buttermilk based. It also tastes better if you prepare it then let it stand in the fridge for an hour or more.
Mix and serve:
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup mayo
3 T sour cream
3 T chopped parsley
2 T minced onion or chives
1 minced garlic clove
4 tsp vinegar
salt and black pepper to taste
(edit: lol, I haven't made ranch in a very long time. Now I want some... )
LOL! That's interesting! So it hasn't jumped the pond? Speaking for myself I am sure I have no idea about UK condiments. Brown sauce, is it? I for one don't put Ranch on everything, but I like it on Tuna melts or other grilled sandwiches. I don't like it as a salad dressing. But that isn't to say it's horrible. Ranch can vary widely and be horrid or quite good. You can make it homemade with mayo and buttermilk and few herbs. It's mild, but I wouldn't qualify it as a salty food. It's rich though.
To me salsa is a tomatoe based chunky sauce used for dipping. Hot sauce is something HOT sprinkled onto food for taste and heat. I make 'salsa' at home, but mostly it would be considered Pico de Gallo, although sometimes I'll make Salsa Verde. I think if I lived elsewhere I might miss certain American foods.
loosechickens
6-24-11, 2:17pm
To me, ranch dressing belongs in the Universe that contains iceberg lettuce and Wonder Bread.....I hate the stuff. Luckily, we tend to eat in ethnic type restaurants and shy away from "home cooking" places and chains, so don't encounter it very much.
I've had that curry sauce over pommes frites in Belgium, Amaranth.......I could taste turmeric, coriander and cumin.....you could probably get close by thinning mayonnaise and adding curry powder.......yeah, it was good.
IshbelRobertson
6-24-11, 5:18pm
You can't beat good old Worcester sauce, either! I know it's Worcestershire - but we don't tend to add the 'shire' when we talk about it. And it's pronounced Wooster-sherr. I add it to everything - a good slug to Bolognese mixture, ditto a beef casserole. And where would a Bloody Mary be without a good slug, too?
IshbelRobertson
6-24-11, 5:26pm
Here's the coronation sauce I use when I'm cooking coronation chicken - I was told it was the 'genuine' recipe as served at QEII's coronation, but I can't guarantee that it is! It is nowadays served as a sandwich filling with cooked, cold chicken breasts - but many of the variations I've eaten have been pretty awful!
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and add two tablespoons of chopped onion. Cook gently for three minutes then add a dessertspoon of hot curry powder. Cook out the mix for a further two minutes. Add a glass of red wine, 1 teaspoon of tomato puree, three quarters of a small wineglass of water, one bay leaf, and bring to the boil. Add a pinch each of salt, sugar and pepper, the juice of half a large lemon and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Strain and cool. When it is cool, add Add to 450ml mayonnaise, then stir in 1-2 tablespoons of apricot purée (made from soaked and boiled dry apricots or cheat and use a low-sugar apricot jam!). Season again – just to make sure that the isn't too sweet. If it's too thick, add a couple of tablespoons of double cream.
not much here. We have it, of course, but it doesn't turn up all over the place.
You can't beat good old Worcester sauce, either! I know it's Worcestershire - but we don't tend to add the 'shire' when we talk about it. And it's pronounced Wooster-sherr. I add it to everything - a good slug to Bolognese mixture, ditto a beef casserole. And where would a Bloody Mary be without a good slug, too?
I do like Worcestershire. I think I tend to use more as an ingredient than a condiment. Good in Bloody Mary's without a doubt. As is Horseradish!
Thanks for the ingredients in the Belgian pommes frites curry sauce and the coronation dressing. More clues for experimenting!
Another fun condiment is Pickapeppa sauce
http://www.pickapeppa.com/
It's and oak barrel aged blend of tomatoes, onions, sugar, cane vinegar, mangoes, raisins, tamarinds, peppers and spices. It's dark like worchestershire but thick like ketchup. A traditional way to eat it is poured over a block of cream cheese or one of the sweeter goat cheeses. Then slice and spread on sturdy crackers. But it's good on tons of other things such as a chicken dish that is made similarly to pulled pork.
Thanks for the ingredients in the Belgian pommes frites curry sauce and the coronation dressing. More clues for experimenting!
Another fun condiment is Pickapeppa sauce
http://www.pickapeppa.com/
It's and oak barrel aged blend of tomatoes, onions, sugar, cane vinegar, mangoes, raisins, tamarinds, peppers and spices. It's dark like worchestershire but thick like ketchup. A traditional way to eat it is poured over a block of cream cheese or one of the sweeter goat cheeses. Then slice and spread on sturdy crackers. But it's good on tons of other things such as a chicken dish that is made similarly to pulled pork.
I've seen that a lot, but I like the suggestion to eat it with cheese! Thanks!
Here abouts, we have 'fry sauce' also, seeminly very popular. It seems to be ketchup and mayo mixed together.
Last night we went out late - to Applebees. Salad with ranch, dipped Onion rings into ranch, chips & salsa - also dipped in ranch. So good. And yes that was a iceberg lettuce salad. ;)
I like ranch--especially freshly made--in all its permutations: more garlic, add dill or jalapeno, buttermilk, yogurt, or kefir...I have never stopped appreciating iceberg lettuce for its cool crispness--I use it to make lettuce wraps, substitute for hamburger buns (imagine a clamshell), or in stir fries. Sambal oelek is a staple at Chez Jane, and I make an Asian-inspired dipping sauce with tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and chives. Pickapeppa sounds divine; must look for recipes!
Maxamillion
6-25-11, 11:57pm
I love Ranch, usually on salads or pasta salad. I make a Taco-Bell-Baja-style sauce with it, using equal parts Ranch to equal parts taco sauce, great for chicken burritos.
As much as I love Ranch, I think my favorite condiment is ketchup. I used to get in trouble as a kid for sneaking the bottle of ketchup out and drinking it.
Mustard (especially honey mustard) is good, and I like barbecue sauce and worcestershire sauce. Can't stand mayonnaise though.
I like ranch--especially freshly made--in all its permutations: more garlic, add dill or jalapeno, buttermilk, yogurt, or kefir...I have never stopped appreciating iceberg lettuce for its cool crispness--I use it to make lettuce wraps, substitute for hamburger buns (imagine a clamshell), or in stir fries. Sambal oelek is a staple at Chez Jane, and I make an Asian-inspired dipping sauce with tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and chives. Pickapeppa sounds divine; must look for recipes!
Iceberg gets a bad rap. It doesn't have to be eaten solely as the only ingredient in salad. You named some great other possiblities. And a little goes a long way to snapping up a mixed green salad. I still don't like Ranch on salads though. I do like Bleu Cheese. I bought Bobs brand today. I didn't get the Bobs roguefort, because it was a bit spendy, but maybe I should have.
Wildflower
6-26-11, 3:12am
I like a little Ranch every now and then. Freshly homemade is the best. And iceberg lettuce with added diced boiled eggs, carrots, radishes, tomatoes, grated cheddar or bleu cheese with croutons and Ranch is DH's favorite salad. I indulge him with it every now and then. So everything in moderation - even iceberg lettuce and Ranch. ;)
Ok this joke is off-color but I heard it after moving to Wyoming and I think it's really funny. It totally fits with this thread ----
Q: How do you get a midwestern girl to **** your ****?
A: Dip it in ranch!
To wit, there are some restaurants out here that in addition to the ketchup bottle on the table have a ranch bottle too! :)
Really? I haven't seen that yet. But fries are offered with a choice of ranch or ketchup to be sure.
Bastelmutti
6-28-11, 8:32am
The holy trinity - ranch, ketchup and sriracha. Those are the most-used condiments at our house!
I have to agree with whoever said "homemade" that's ranch. I believe back in the "good ole days" it was even referred to as Cowboy dressing. Here in the PNW there were at least 2 different main companies that were producing the "mix" for ranch, Hidden Valley and one other (help me out here folks) but you mixed it with Buttermilk and mayo (1 cup each) then came the new one you could use plain milk or someone figured out mix it with sour cream and call it "dip".
In my house it has gotten kids to each raw vegies they normally would never touch, now my adult kids dip pizza, wings, fries etc. It is a staple of all bar food.
But for me, NO JAR, must be from scratch, otherwise it taste to vinegary.
Mrs. B
Sriracha rocks the house. Love that stuff.
When it comes to barbecued potatoes (and steamed), DH prefers Ranch over sour cream. A little Ranch, a sprinkling of fine herbs, some dried chives, a dash of dill, and he's off to the rodeo! Have to say I enjoy it too.
Bastelmutti
6-29-11, 8:03am
Sriracha rocks the house. Love that stuff.
Next up - sriracha-love thread!
...what is sriracha? I have NEVER heard of this stuff??
I found that after eating bottled/mix ranch, I feel kinda bad. So I started making my own..........just mayo, buttermilk, onion and garlic powder and parsley.
I just drink it with a straw.:laff: rrrrr
I never thought of mixing it with potato salad. That sounds yummy.
Actually, there's very little that doesn't go well with ranch!
treehugger
6-29-11, 12:10pm
Next up - sriracha-love thread!
Now that's a love thread I could get on board with! Not so much the Ranch. Sriracha makes so many things more delicious! Ranch just drowns flavors and textures in Ranch-i-ness, IMO.
Kara
P.S. Greg: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha_sauce
...what is sriracha? I have NEVER heard of this stuff??
Siracha is an asian hot sauce that is very popular. I like Sirachua. I don't know if I really like it on non asian-y foods though. Though my BF likes it on Mexican/Italian/anything. I've become a bit inured to sirachua actually. It doesn't seem to pack the kick it once did. I like the Garlic/chili paste made by that maker also. I've been looking for a step up from Sirachua and haven't found it yet.
treehugger
6-29-11, 7:13pm
I don't know if I really like it on non asian-y foods though. Though my BF likes it on Mexican/Italian/anything.
It's good on omelets.
Your post reminded me of something I was thinking about condiments in general. I can't think of one that I like on everything (or even a huge amount of different dishes). I like different food to taste different, and I am usually OK with eating it the way it's prepared (OK, I do all the cooking, so I better like it! but, even eating at someone else's house).
I don't care for ketchup at all, so this may not be a good example, but I've never understood people who put ketchup on everything (potatoes, eggs, meat, etc.) since then doesn't everything taste like ketchup? Ranch is the same way for me.
Another one is black pepper. I know people who, quite ostentatiously, have to remove the cap of the pepper shaker because the holes are too small and not enough comes out, so they can shake a large amount of pepper on whatever they are eating. I like pepper. I think it can enhance food. But I think it veers into overpowering territory very quickly and then all food tastes peppery.
Salt is another example. It definitely enhances most other flavors, but add too much, and then all you get is a SALTY! taste.
Kara
Ha ha - I thought I had no idea what you meant by Sriracha sauce. But when you said it was really popular, I had to check my fridge. I've always heard it called Rooster sauce, because of the rooster picture obviously. I do love it!
I love it as veggie dip..........
IshbelRobertson
6-30-11, 6:17am
I'm another one who positively dislikes tomato sauce (ketchup) - but LOVE HP Sauce - a brown, spicy UK sauce (now, sadly, the company has been sold and I believe the stuff is made in Holland or Belgium :( )
The Thai hotsauce is usually called just that in the UK! I like it, but on Chinese/Asian influenced dishes only.
treehugger
6-30-11, 12:09pm
Ha ha - I thought I had no idea what you meant by Sriracha sauce. But when you said it was really popular, I had to check my fridge. I've always heard it called Rooster sauce, because of the rooster picture obviously. I do love it!
That's funny. We sometimes call it **** sauce. And yes, I know **** will get censored. :)
Kara
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