Talk:Ranch dressing

Safety of warm ranch

Is it safe to eat warm ranch dressing?

Well, that depends.

If it has been heated with the Microwave or something, that is fine.

But if it has been sitting out, open or unsealed for a period of time to where it gets warm, then no.

Jack Cain 06:46, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

Ranch vs. House Dressing

I've noticed several restaurants will give you "house" or "buttermilk house" dressing if you ask for ranch. Tastes the same to me. Is there a difference? Perhaps "ranch" is too much associated with Hidden Valley. Anþony 22:34, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

In my experience, "house dressing" isn't always ranch dressing; it's whatever style the establishment (the "house") chooses. And the term "ranch dressing" almost certainly comes from Hidden Valley. I remember when they sold the original dressing mix packets; the company was called "Hidden Valley Ranch" and the product was "buttermilk dressing". Later, the word "ranch" became associated with the flavor of the dressing instead of the brand name. B7T 03:04, 17 September 2007 (UTC)

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.245.26.102 (talk) 00:14, 24 May 2010 (UTC) 

why not, Boston?

OK, so I am left hanging. Why does the article explicitly say this popular "outside the northeast"? --Coryma "Go brain go." 22:21, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

The line was added by Russoc4. Quite probably, Russoc4 was attempting to disassociate his own portion of the country from a practice he finds uncultured or gluttonous. Since national restaurant chains such as Denny's (Maine locations) or Hooters (New York locations) are known to serve ranch as a dipping sauce with fried foods, I would argue that it is truly a nation-wide phenomenon, despite anyone's personal feelings on the matter. There's even a Hooters in Boston. -Anþony 00:16, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

The first time I left New England (well, except for trips to Europe, South America, and Egypt) was when at 19 I visited a friend at college in the midwest. I definitely remember being shocked at how pervasive "ranch dressing" was, and vaguely disturbed that no one could tell me what it was. If chain restaurants serve this substance east of the Hudson that doesn't make it part of our cuisine, or change the fact that it's unfamiliar and unsettling to natives not raised on a diet of TGI McFunster's hungry boy deep fried sampler with bacon bits. Wormwoodpoppies (talk) 23:34, 5 February 2009 (UTC)

Lifted entry?

This entry seems almost entirely lifted from the Slate article. http://www.slate.com/id/2123991/ I could read that link and not have to read the Wiki entry. --Navstar 00:47, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

The Slate piece is stunningly good, and without it, it would have been original research for us to say that ranch dressing has a generally more pleasing texture than mayonnaise (or any of the other things that seem true but nobody in the press has explicitely said it). So the Slate piece is important.

Also, this article merely states the facts from the Slate article, without any copyright issues, so this is in GFDL and can be redistributed (and tweaked, and more sources added, ...) whereas the Slate piece can't be. (on the other hand, the Slate piece and associated MP3 are clearly more entertaining than this article) --Interiot 01:31, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Nutritional Information

Considering that the #1 ingredient in all non-diet salad dressing is oil, I find it hard to believe that Ranch is *that* much fattier than other traditional dressings. Anyone have any nutritional info on Ranch dressing? --Navstar 00:49, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

The source given in the article there says [1]:

McDonald's Crispy Bacon Ranch with Newman's Own Ranch Dressing: Receives the dubious distinction of having the most fat of any other salad rated. At 51 grams of fat and 661 calories, this salad is a diet disaster.

I don't know why specifically it's listed as having the highest amount of fat... I certainly think it should be possible to find a better source for this and/or clarify a bit. --Interiot 01:35, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Slate information

This is a very odd paragraph an I fail to see what it adds to the article other than confusion:

Its popularity likely stems from the fact that it is easy way to add extra fat to a dish. Compared to mayonnaise, dieters may view it as more a acceptable condiment (though nutritionists do not [3]), and it has a generally more pleasing texture than mayonnaise. Compared to oil and vinegar, ranch doesn't make bread soggy.

This info may be from Slate, but Slate is an editorial website (meaning opinionated). In case you don't believe me, this is strait fro Slate's website:

Slate is a daily magazine on the Web. Founded in 1996, we are a general-interest publication offering analysis and commentary about politics, news, and culture. Slate's strong editorial voice and witty take on current events have been recognized with numerous awards, including the National Magazine Award for General Excellence Online.

I vote this paragraph be removed. 71.9.58.46 21:19, 30 September 2006 (UTC)

If you feel strongly, go ahead and remove it or refactor it. Slate asserts that Ranch dressing is the most popular dressing in the U.S., and if that's true (it'd be nice if there was a reliable source for that), then there must be reason(s) why it's popular, and it wouldn't hurt to explain those reasons. But maybe the current text doesn't do a good job of that. --Interiot 17:42, 12 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't know why it is the most popular (if it is), but I don't think that these are the reasons. This seems more like speculation and opinion. I will remove it. Feel free to re-add it can be cited as fact. 71.9.58.46 04:33, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Sauce

Is Ranch dressing considered a sauce? I have looked at the definition of salad dressing "a sauce for a salad, usually with a base of oil and vinegar or of mayonnaise. " (dictionary.com)

and also the definition of sauce

"A flavorful seasoning or relish served as an accompaniment to food, especially a liquid dressing or topping for food. " (American Heritage Dictionary, Dictionary.com).

My question is, Is there any evidence that suggests ranch dressing is not a sauce? I want to know if the resolution to this argument has any gray area, or if it is completely black and white. Etvander 19:49, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

"Sauce" is a mighty general term. All salad dressings would appear to qualify. Paul 10:12, 18 February 2007 (UTC)

It's pretty much white.  ;-) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Captain Quirk (talk • contribs) 06:05, 19 July 2011 (UTC)

Inaccuracies

What may be inaccurate about this article? (What is the reason for that tag on the article?) 71.210.63.76 06:18, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

The article is likely tagged because it has been picked on as a sub-standard article. (I suppose this is the actual reason . . . but seriously, the editors need to allow things to flow a bit on their own without noisome pejorative corrections, taggings, or other sundry pronouncements.) In the spirit of "ranch-house" humble commentary, and in keeping with the timbre of things Ranch Dressing, I would like to say I always thought that the flavor of a ranch sounded rather unappealing. Perhaps, then, American-style would be better. It's buttermilk-based dressing, which in Spanish, for example, has no literal translation. Personally, I always felt the hydrolyzed vegetable protein, torula yeast and other flavor enhancers/modifiers were the actual flavor bases for this dressing. Thank Goodness we can have good low-tier articles like Ranch Dressing in Wikipedia!

American

Do they really call this stuff "American" dressing in other countries? I know that Cool Ranch Doritos are called "Cool American" but I'm not sure about the dressing itself. RedAugust 20:50, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

Well it's called Ranch here in Ireland 193.120.44.162 (talk) 15:32, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

German here. Never in my life have I seen, heard or read anyone reference the name of any American salad dressing. It's non-topic. Any dressing Americans use would be referred to as an "American dressing", with no distinction made at all as to what type is used.89.166.201.52 (talk) 08:25, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Range dressing does appear to be a purely American dressing, and should be noted as such.101.98.140.129 (talk) 01:50, 23 January 2015 (UTC)

We have ranch dressing in Canada and it's called ranch dressing. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.161.165.22 (talk) 21:54, 29 March 2017 (UTC)

Only Americans would eat this slop. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.221.16.43 (talk) 22:00, 11 December 2021 (UTC)

Will that was a unnecessary comment 69.127.9.243 (talk) 02:54, 23 November 2023 (UTC)

Last paragraph

I must question the validity of the last paragraph's assertion that other manufacturers other than Hidden Valley generally don't use the "ranch" name for their versions due to trademark issues. Seems go me to be the most common name for the variety regarless of manufacturer. I know that Kraft has been running ads for their ranch dressing that particularly calls out Hidden Valley recently (indeed, it was one of these ads that prompted me to search for this article). If no one objects within the next few days, or provides a source, I'll remove the paragraph on Monday.oknazevad (talk) 01:34, 5 July 2009 (UTC)

Radula

I'll just come right out and say it: Why does this page link to radula? I think that it would be just as well to remove the link and the word from the page. It would be then read as, "...minced green onion, garlic powder and other seasonings mixed into a sauce." If I'm wrong and the word means something more gastronomically inclined, or if there are indeed tiny mollusk teeth in ranch dressing, so be it. Cinderlei (talk) 16:25, 27 March 2010 (UTC)

I can't find a reliable source (or really, any non-wiki source) for radula, so I've removed it. If someone wants to add it back, the burden of citing should be on them.--Fabrictramp | talk to me 18:44, 27 March 2010 (UTC)

Kraft Version

"Kraft (in which many agree is god awful)" I have no love of Kraft dressing as compared to any other, but is that really a valid thing to write (not sourced in any way) in a supposedly objective article? Besides, even the picture for this article is Kraft Light Ranch.

Notability?

Does ranch dressing truly merit its own encyclopedia article? If so, doesn't this article promote the Hidden Valley brand a little too strenuously?

Perhaps a more internationally-focused article about commercially-prepared salad dressings is in order. Are they found in Europe, Australia and other salad-eating regions? How do they differ from country to country? And is "Chinese chicken salad" actually consumed in China? Enquiring minds wish to know! LADave (talk) 15:07, 25 April 2011 (UTC)

Yes, I wanted quickly to know of its origin, and now I know. Thanks Wikipedia. 99.32.160.175 (talk) 05:05, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

Henson vs. Nass

The name of the inventor seems to change in mid article! We start with:

"In the early 1950s, Steve Henson invented what is now known as ranch dressing while working as a plumbing contractor for three years in the remote Alaskan bush."

But then:

"In 1954, with his wife Gayle, Nass used his savings to open Hidden Valley Ranch, a dude ranch near Santa Barbara, California, where he served his invention to the ranch's guests."

And then it's "Nass" throughout. What's going on? --Jfruh (talk) 19:44, 10 December 2013 (UTC)

Advertising?

"Often, ranch is made by combining mayonnaise and Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dressing and Seasoning packets. [2]" feels like advertising, given it links directly to a sales site for Hidden Valley — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.180.176.39 (talk) 23:25, 6 December 2016 (UTC)

1980s?

"During the 1980s, ranch became a common snack food flavor, starting with Cool Ranch Doritos in 1987, and Hidden Valley Ranch Wavy Lay's in 1994." I worked in a supermarket in Iowa in the '70s, and we started selling ranch-flavoured chips around 1977 or '78.

"Twisted Ranch" listed at Redirects for discussion

An editor has asked for a discussion to address the redirect Twisted Ranch. Please participate in the redirect discussion if you wish to do so. _signed, Rosguill ^talk 18:34, 27 December 2019 (UTC)

State of Origin

In the paragraph stating the dressing was invented during his time in Alaska, the only citation provided is an article that doesn't even say as such. It says he went to California, then up to Alaska for 3 years, then retired and came back. Then it says he began serving ranch dressing in his ranch.

It at no point says he invented the dressing in Alaska, and the article is even attributing the invention to his time in California. Is there another citation for the mention this was invented in Alaska? because no citation is listed. 73.182.96.86 (talk) 18:40, 1 December 2022 (UTC)

From the article: "Henson had come up with the recipe while trying to keep his hungry work crews happy in Alaska." --skew-t (talk) 00:03, 28 September 2023 (UTC)