Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe - Cooking Classy (2024)

FAQs

How do restaurants make ranch so good? ›

Even when a restaurant does start with premade ranch, they will often fold in extra fresh herbs, and maybe even more buttermilk, to lighten and bring in some brighter flavors that can be lost in shelf-stable bottling.

One of my favorite ranch boosts is adding something spicy. Squirt in some Sriracha or Mexican-style hot sauce, or add a spoonful of Moroccan harissa paste, wing or Buffalo sauce, or some diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

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.

According to the New York Times, ranch dressing gets its signature taste from three distinct, yet equally important elements: Creaminess, herbs, and allium (that is, onions and garlic). The cream base can be various things, from sour cream to buttermilk and mayo.

Most restaurants don't buy pre packaged ranch. They buy hidden valley seasoning and mix it themselves with ingredients they already have.

While many restaurants use mass produced ranch mix, they often add it to a higher-quality base. This might include milk, buttermilk, sour cream, or mayonnaise. So when you notice that the ranch in a restaurant tastes better than the bottled dressing from the store, what you're really tasting is delicious, creamy fat.

If you want to use store bought ranch dressing, like Hidden Valley Ranch, you can make spicy ranch by adding hot sauce or cayenne pepper to your ranch dressing. I think it's better with cayenne than with hot sauce, because the vinegar in the hot sauce combined with the buttermilk flavor can lean a little too acidic.

The list of Hidden Valley seasoning mix packets is plentiful, so be sure to look for the one proclaiming to be the buttermilk receipt. From there, get creative. Add some heat with cayenne, throw in some fresh herbs, or take your homemade ranch dressing up a notch by adding lavender.

Who Invented Ranch? Around 1950, Steve Henson unknowingly made history when he whipped up a unique mixture of dry herbs and buttermilk. Originally a plumber, Steve came up with the concoction while working briefly in Anchorage as a construction worker and part-time cook for his crew.

They're the same, except for how they're used. Ranch dip, you dip food into. Dressing, you pour over the food, generally, but not only, salads.

What does Hidden Valley Ranch dressing taste like? ›

There's a hint of pepperiness that I liked and a touch of acidity, but beyond those elements, I found all the other flavors at play to be more muted than I would've liked. But let me state for the record that Hidden Valley's ranch was 100% doable.

Stored in a well-sealed container in the fridge (assuming you began with fresh sour cream and buttermilk) your buttermilk ranch dressing should keep for up to two weeks. Help it stay fresh by not dipping anything directly into the container that you're storing it in—for example, a half-bitten carrot.

This homemade ranch seasoning mix can be used for both. The difference comes in what you combine the seasoning mix with to make either a dip or dressing. Ranch dressing is typically made with milk and mayo, while ranch dip is typically made with sour cream.

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.

Key Ingredients In Wingstop's Ranch Recipe

The Importance of Fresh Herbs and Spices: The use of fresh dill, garlic, and other herbs imparts a depth of flavor that dried counterparts cannot match. These components are pivotal in achieving the signature Wingstop taste.

Restaurants sometimes charge money for extra sauces and dressings in order to cover their costs. They don't get the stuff for free, its cost isn't built into every menu item and they charge you so they don't lose money.

Is ranch like garlic mayonnaise? Not really, that's aioli. Ranch is more like buttermilk, green onion, garlic, black pepper mayonnaise. There's a lot more going on in ranch than just garlic and mayo.