What is ranch sauce, why is it put on all different foods, and why does it sound so disgusting?

Ranch dressing is an American salad dressing usually made from buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, mustard, herbs, and spices mixed into a sauce based on mayonnaise or another oil emulsion.

It is a “creamy” dressing, and in addition to being used on salads, it is also used as a dip for crudites.

Some people really like it, especially kids because it the flavoring is not very strong.

What is really disgusting is people dipping pizza into a bowl of ranch dressing.

Ranch Sauce

Main ingredients:

Mayonnaise, Sour cream, Buttermilk, Salt, Black pepper, Garlic, Onion, Chives, Parsley, Dill

For cooks, it’s basically just a twist on an alfredo sauce that a lot of people enjoy.

It’s not that different from dipping French fries in mayonnaise as the Dutch do – which yucks me out. But I’ve only heard of it used as salad dressing or a dip, not in recipes.

@janbb Yes, I only make it without mayo, personally, and very rarely. Nothing too scary or gross about it to me, especially in the Midwest where a lot of our dairy is very fresh and we grow our own herbs. Shrug.

Here’s the simple homemade recipe, serve chilled:
1 cup sour cream
½ cup buttermilk add 1–½ teaspoons vinegar to milk to equal ½ cup if you can’t find real buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 large garlic clove minced
1 tablespoon dried parsley or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh
½ teaspoon onion powder
¾ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried dill to taste or 1 teaspoon fresh

The name comes from Hidden Valley Ranch, which was its place of commercial origin. It’s still sold under that label.

I love fried mushrooms dipped in ranch.

You may find “ranch” dressing disgusting if you mistake the word “ranch” for raunch.

It’s not disgusting! It’s really good on French fries, chicken wings and onion rings.
You should try it.

It’s gross. It is EXTREMELY popular in America. This explains why I have so many problems ordering a salad in the US. @Jeruba gave you the history above.

I can tolerate it in a cold pasta salad that I make, but I use very little of the stuff, much less than what the recipe calls for.

In the US we have ranch flavored potato chips also. Oh, and Doritos. Blech. It ruins some of the multipacks for me. My husband likes ranch, so he can have anything and everything with that flavor and leave me the plain chips.

Edit: people also serve ranch with Buffalo wings, which are spicy hot chicken wings. The wings are also usually served with celery sticks, some give the option of carrot sticks. People dip both the veggies and the spicy chicken in the ranch. Again, I have to say gross for me. The wings are delicious though.

I am very grateful that I hate the dressing/sauce.

@JLeslie we have Blue Cheese dressing with wings.

I’ve got a squeeze bottle of HOT & Spicy Ranch for my ham and cheese sandwiches.

@Tropical_Willie Yes, blue cheese too. I’ve seen it both ways. Blue cheese is actually the original way it was served I think, but I’m assuming it’s served/ordered with ranch more often. I assume that purely based on Americans love affair with ranch dressing.

I use it as a substitute for mayo on cold cut sandwiches. Not to everyone’s taste, but I like it. And I hate mayo.

@Nomore Not bad on a baked potato either.

Agreed @KNOWITALL

Baked potato and sandwiches? Just no. Lol.

Great for dipping pizza, or steak fries!

I can’t help but hear Jeremy Clarkson (Top Gear) making fun of Americans in my head. He always picked on Americans putting cheese on everything, but the ranch dressing seems very similar now that I’m hearing people put it on pizza, fries, sandwiches, potatoes, just about anything I guess. Lol. Putting it on fries reminds me of Germans putting mayo on fries.

@JLeslie If you were closer I’d send you homemade, there’s nothing gross in it.
Oh fried pickles in ranch is good, too.

@KNOWITALL I don’t like creamy dressings, or sour cream dips, or sour cream as a topping, or yogurt, not even yogurt ice cream, or cream cheese, or cheese cake, not even much of a fan of cream cheese frosting, and I never put mayo on bread, I could go on.

I’m very happy about it. My arteries are already clogging up, I don’t want to help them along more.

I do have a few exceptions like dill “tartar sauce” that I make for fish sticks, and I do use sour cream in my stroganoff recipe. Plus, that pasta I mentioned way above.

@JLeslie I get it, my husband is much the same, hates sour cream, but Ranch is actually his favorite salad dressing. He will also make an exception for stroganoff with egg noodles sometimes haha!

Ranch Lite is a good lower calorie alternative to butter and sour cream for me, as far as potatoes, which we rarely eat. Not much carbs here except an occasional pasta or BLT on whole grain wheat.

@JLeslie , I am glad to know that I am not the only one who think ranch dressing is disgusting. Just thinking about it makes me physically ill.

Now I’m feeling guilty because I love raw veggies and fried mushrooms dipped in Ranch. BUT THAT’S ALL! I SWEAR!!

I love dipping my pizza in ranch.

^^^^ @Stache and @filmfann
Ranch dressing on pizza does not go at all well with the pineapple chunks.

Pineapple? On pizza?? YUK!

YUM!!! Best pizza ever!

Anything goes on a pizza. Other than anchovies. Talk about yuk.

That’s because pineapple should not be allowed on pizza.

I used to hate mayonnaise, sour cream and ranch. I remember finding the creaminess overbearing.

But now I’m down with creamy foods. Don’t know if it’s just something I got used to. Or if it’s my actual taste buds changing.

It’s not as if I remember a consistent taste that I changed my mind about. I actually remember it tasting overwhelming.

Overtaking other flavors. Loud, for lack of a better description. It used to be a shout. Now it’s just a loud voice.

Pineapple is fine. Anchovies, hell to the no. Prescription for nausea.