“This tastes like ranch I grew up eating,” one taster said, complimenting it for its vinegar profile and calling it the “ideal carrot dip.” But other participants had issues with it tasting too much like mayo and not enough like ranch, saying that the flavor was too mellow. $4.99, 8.36 ounces,• 9. Annie’s Naturals Cowgirl Ranch Dressing: Participants were not kind to Annie’s dressing. It could also be a good complement to cheese curds, but most tasters complained that Wish-Bone was oddly sweet without any tang or herb flavors. Another complained that it smelled like fish or mayo, neither of which were what they wanted in a ranch dressing, and that it was too sweet. However, multiple people said it tasted less like ranch and more like Caesar dressing, writing that the flavor was off and totally unbalanced. Another participant wrote that though the dressing looked cheap, it tasted better than expected. Oh, no. Another taster said that it tasted like cheap pickles.
$3.99, 16 ounces,This ultra-thick, Target-brand dressing had a strong, garlicky scent and a super thick consistency. Tuscan Garden Ranch Dressing: The most common praise for this Aldi-brand ranch dressing was the consistency, which is thicker than most of its competitors.
Simply Balanced Organic Ranch Dressing: This ultra-thick, Target-brand dressing had a strong, garlicky scent and a super thick consistency. Another taster said that it tasted like cheap pickles. It could also be a good complement to cheese curds, but most tasters complained that Wish-Bone was oddly sweet without any tang or herb flavors. Each "~" indicates a missing or incomplete value.
Each dressing was placed in a bowl and served with carrot sticks for dipping. Tasters said this was a lighter style and looked cheap on a table. These days, you can find myriad versions of it, from wasabi to chipotle to barbecue, and 70% of consumers say they either love or like ranch.We at Chicago Tribune Food & Dining are Team Ranch. One commenter said this would go perfectly with pizza, and another said that the more she tasted it, the more she grew to like it. By the early 1970s, the sauce was nationally coveted.Ranch is king, according to the Association for Dressings and Sauces, beating out Italian, blue cheese, Thousand Island, Caesar, balsamic vinaigrette and French. Tasters said this was a lighter style and looked cheap on a table. We use it as a dip for our pizza, wings, chips, cheese curds and egg rolls; as a marinade for meats to throw on the grill; and as a topping for nachos, burgers, wraps, sandwiches and potato skins. These days, you can find myriad versions of it, from wasabi to chipotle to barbecue, and 70% of consumers say they either love or like ranch.We at Chicago Tribune Food & Dining are Team Ranch.
After including the major labels, we also added store brands.
There were no ties.See the results below, listed from worst to best.• 14. The consistency was watery and thin, and the dressing smelled like paint or a public pool. There’s only one way to find out — a blind tasting.We tried 14 brands of bottled, shelf-stable plain ranch dressings, avoiding ones found in the refrigerated section.
365 Organic Ranch Dressing . Tasters were asked to comment on the appearance, aroma and flavor of the ranch and how they felt it would pair with foods such as the carrot sticks or pizza. But some complained that it was too sweet, almost like ranch candy, and had a strange aftertaste. Many complained of a dirty water or chemical flavor, but one optimistically said that it could be the kind of ranch used for bagged iceberg lettuce or a cheap banquet salad. Some said it tasted like a factory, and others complained it was too citrusy, almost like an AirHead candy.
$3.29, 8 ounces,• 12. Tasters loved this one for its creamy texture, strong tang and peppery flavor. There’s only one way to find out — a blind tasting.We tried 14 brands of bottled, shelf-stable plain ranch dressings, avoiding ones found in the refrigerated section.
Participants were also asked to comment on aftertaste and consistency.Tasters for ranch had strong opinions, with some of the brands receiving the lowest scores ever seen by this series. Kraft Classic Ranch Dressing: Although Kraft Classic didn’t receive marks as high as the winner, tasters were pleased with its balanced flavor and called it “generic and inoffensive” with a great consistency and pleasant, egglike aroma. $4.39, 16 ounces,Tasters praised this 365 ranch from Whole Foods for its not-too-thick, not-too-thin consistency and said it hit the tangy and sour notes that they looked for in a good ranch dressing. However, multiple people said it tasted less like ranch and more like Caesar dressing, writing that the flavor was off and totally unbalanced.
We use it as a dip for our pizza, wings, chips, cheese curds and egg rolls; as a … $2.79, 16 ounces,“Unremarkable, but gets the job done without messing it up,” one commenter said. It can be found on nearly half of all restaurant menus nationwide and 60% of menus in the Midwest, said Mike Kostyo, a trendologist with Datassential, which conducts food industry market research.