The Ranchifacation of America

I am not a big fan of ranch but my wife likes it on her salad. It got so that she had problems finding the spice packets and when she did they were getting expensive. She does not like the premixed stuff.

I went searching and found a recipe and tweaked it.


Dressing – double batch

1 c Mayo
1 c Diet Mayo
2 c Butter milk

¼ tsp Dill

½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried chives
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp garlic powder


Cakes

quote:

Originally posted by stevekoe

Our university no longer employs an Executive Chef. We once did, and I am not sure why we no longer do -- though, I would bet it has to do with money. We do employ a Banquet Chef, a Production Chef, and a Sous Chef (or so says their titles according to the school). Despite the fact that some of these meals are prepared for campus dining services, many others are prepared for the President of the school in fund raising efforts, and the food would rival that which you would find at an upscale hotel -- still wouldn't go out of my way to eat there versus someplace extraoridnary, but when the Prez is eating, and someone offers a free meal on a college campus, you could do a lot worse.

I'm sure this place has a "chef" and, as an alum, I could join: http://www.jhuclub.jhu.edu/dining.html . I admit I used to wish I could eat there as scholarship-dependent undergrad many years ago. And I bet they have ranch dressing on the menu, but probably only for salads.

quote:

Originally posted by BT

I'm sure this place has a "chef" and, as an alum, I could join: http://www.jhuclub.jhu.edu/dining.html . I admit I used to wish I could eat there as scholarship-dependent undergrad many years ago. And I bet they have ranch dressing on the menu, but probably only for salads.

I know that you are a "Dookie", but I recall a place very similar to this at UNC from when I lived in Chapel Hill. May be college dining, but I have had far worse meals!

quote:

Originally posted by stevekoe



I know that you are a "Dookie", but I recall a place very similar to this at UNC from when I lived in Chapel Hill. May be college dining, but I have had far worse meals!

Yeah, well here's the Blue Devil alternative where I had a few
"far worse meals" (and I bet they make ranch dressing available for every occasion):



Maybe I just find Georgian architecture more refined than Gothic.

Cornfed, I come from the Gulf Coast and I don't think it's a regional thing. College age kids today were raised on McTrash...do you think they have learned to cover any quick meal they get in goop to make it semi-palatable or to make it taste like the meals they are getting at home?

quote:

Originally posted by BluePlate

Cornfed, I come from the Gulf Coast and I don't think it's a regional thing. College age kids today were raised on McTrash...do you think they have learned to cover any quick meal they get in goop to make it semi-palatable or to make it taste like the meals they are getting at home?

What is worse is that it is not just college kids. I'm 30 years old and know adults my age, one of whom is CFO of an $80 Million company, who can't eat french fries without, wait for it, ranch dressing. I often want to point out that it is in fact, ranch dressing, not ranch "sauce". It truly has become the new catsup.

Don't get me wrong; I occasionally enjoy a green salad with hard-boiled egg, cheddar cheese, croutons and onions with ranch dressing. But I know it is just that - salad dressing for a non-descript, chain restaurant salad. The only non-salad thing I can think of ranch dressing being good for is deep fried pickles.

What happened to taste buds? There's nothing inherently wrong with ranch dressing. But when it's the only flavor one enjoys there is a problem. When an entire generation douses every(savory)thing they eat with ranch dressing I think we need to ask ourselves "What the heck?" (I feel the same way about catsup. Fries, burgers, dogs only. Yes, I know the third could get me tarred and feathered some places. )

But, I do wish I knew why everyone under 40s taste buds seem to be lying at the bottom of an empty gallon of Ranch dressing! I don't keep Ranch in the house. Not because I despise it, I don't, but because I get a perverse joy out of telling people, "Nope, no ranch for your XYZ" when they're here." Then I think "Try the darn sauce we made for XYZ. It's way better than Ranch."

my wife puts the Freeeeeeeeeeeeken stuff on here pizza, I kid you not. In a pizza joint she'll order her pizza and a side cup of Ranch............. and I start to pretend I don't even know her.

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen


Sheesch, Cornfed... I was just starting to like you then you go and say you drink 'PBR'....Now, next to chopping up the meat in your BBQ, that's the closest to a character-slur you can do on this forum!!

Okay now it's personal it's one thing to call me a fake chef but to hate on my PBR is another LOL. After a hard days work there is nothing like poping off the lid of an ice cold PBR and eating a chopped BBQ Pork samich...errrr okay I tried to be clever with the "chopped" part....I'd rather have it pulled. Darn it now I want some BBQ on the eve of Turkey Day.

My 12 year old likes ranch with veggies and on salad. I prefer bleu cheese.

This thread is so funny.

Cornbread, next time you have a Ranch Food Drowner...remind them that all good ranch dressing is made from BUTTERMILK and 5-day old athletic supporters. Watch'em choose something else.

HB

I bought a bottle of something called Peppercorn Ranch yesterday just to taste it. It was pretty good. If I ever lose my mind and make a salad I'll try some on it. Who knows, it might kill the taste of salad things.

Dearfolk,
Okay, y'all have challenged me. Tonight when I leave out of here and go eat some fried dill pickles at The Blind Pig, I'll order them with something else instead of ranch dressing. From that point on, doing without ranch dressing for a week shouldn't be difficult. I'll post afterward if I show any obvious signs of the dreaded outcome... Ranch Withdrawal.
Slowly Galloping Off Into The Long-Departed Sunset, Ort. Carlton in Lovely Athens, Georgia.

Been awhile since I had ranch... But some deep fried mozz sticks and some PBR do sound good right about now! Heck, might even splurge and get some deep fried shrooms also... Too bad the Inn around the corner is closed on Sundays... And ya, will be dipping them in some Ranch!

quote:

Originally posted by Cornbread

Greetings from the Gulf Coast. Brand new here to the forum (and what an awesome one it is).

Anyway, I am an executive chef and work for one of the world's largest contract company and my new assignments is in campus dining and I am just blown away on how much Ranch Dressing we go through in one day and what these students are using it for. I've seen them put it on Steak, our wonderful blackend fish, vegetables and "sigh" in soup.

I've gotten to the point where I've thrown my hands in the air and just want to stop even seasoning anything as these "Ranch Hounds" (what my staff calls them)wouldn't know the difference anyway.

Or maybe I could rig up a 50 gallon drum with hoses coming out of it and just let them do ranch bongs or ranch stances.

The kicker is the other day a lady at the school told me she bought a beautiful piece of salmon and marinated in Ranch!!!!! arghhhhhh the humanity!!!!!!

Can someone please help me understand where everyone's taste buds went to and are they lying in the bottom of an empty gallon jug of Ranch Dressing?

I HATE RANCH DRESSING!

I think I am the only one in the world who refuses to eat it!
Tara

I like the better brands or "homemade" ranch on salad or to dip fried things in. My roommate ordered it as the dip choice for his breadsticks a while back and I was horrified, not that the canned nacho cheese or tomato sauce would've been much better.

quote:

Originally posted by -Tricky-
What is worse is that it is not just college kids. I'm 30 years old and know adults my age, one of whom is CFO of an $80 Million company, who can't eat french fries without, wait for it, ranch dressing. I often want to point out that it is in fact, ranch dressing, not ranch "sauce". It truly has become the new catsup.

Well, don't ever travel in Europe, then. The sight of people eating fries with mayo will make your head explode.

quote:

Originally posted by Lucky Bishop

Well, don't ever travel in Europe, then. The sight of people eating fries with mayo will make your head explode.

That's cultural. It's not as if they put mayo on everything; it's their fry topping. I've tried it here and think it's kind of, eh. Mustard? That's a good choice.

Mayo on pomme frittes? But of course you foolish American...Tis the best...

I too refuse to eat ranch. I had a job at a summer camp in the 80's and I had to make gallons every day. Plus, there was do spoon long enough to reach to the bottom, so I had to stick my whole forearm in the stuff. I SMELLED like ranch all summer. PUKE!

quote:

Originally posted by Lucky Bishop

quote:

Originally posted by -Tricky-
What is worse is that it is not just college kids. I'm 30 years old and know adults my age, one of whom is CFO of an $80 Million company, who can't eat french fries without, wait for it, ranch dressing. I often want to point out that it is in fact, ranch dressing, not ranch "sauce". It truly has become the new catsup.

Well, don't ever travel in Europe, then. The sight of people eating fries with mayo will make your head explode.

European travel isn't necessary for this experience. As long as I have been going there, one of my favorite SF bistros, Absinthe, has served their frites with aoli which is pretty close--and I have been eating them and enjoying it.

By the way--I hope you all are satisfied. I made myself a big "dinner" salad the other evening and I was about to buy ranch dressing to put on it when my hand froze, I flashed to this thread, and grabbed some Caesar dressing instead.

Hey y'all from the frozen wastes of MI!

I like different salad dressings on all kinds of fried foods and bread products. Usually I just take the rest of my cup of "dressing on the side" from my salad and dip away. BUT I always taste stuff first! And dry pizza bones are improved by some kind of sauce after all the cheesy goodness has been consumed!

BTW, mayo sprinkled with a little black pepper is an EXCELLENT dip for fries. I've never been to Europe, but I've been eating fries w/mayo for a long time.

Drive safe out there!
Alice

quote:

Originally posted by pcdiva

Hey y'all from the frozen wastes of MI!

I like different salad dressings on all kinds of fried foods and bread products. Usually I just take the rest of my cup of "dressing on the side" from my salad and dip away. BUT I always taste stuff first! And dry pizza bones are improved by some kind of sauce after all the cheesy goodness has been consumed!

BTW, mayo sprinkled with a little black pepper is an EXCELLENT dip for fries. I've never been to Europe, but I've been eating fries w/mayo for a long time.

Drive safe out there!
Alice

I had a customer once ordered clarified butter that we used for steamed shrimp and clams, etc, dip her FF in... GAG.....
Seen the mayo thing alot....

Dearfolk,
I've taken no ranch dressing now in a week, and the world is still turning. Nor have I missed it particularly.
Next I try fried pickles with thousand island dressing. But not tonight.
Meanwhile, Not Back At The Ranch, Ort. Carlton in Hurried Athens, Georgia.

quote:

Originally posted by Ort. Carlton.

I've taken no ranch dressing now in a week, and the world is still turning. Nor have I missed it particularly.

Yay!

quote:

Originally posted by Ort. Carlton.

Next I try fried pickles with thousand island dressing. But not tonight.

Don't mess with perfection. Stick with ranch for fried pickles.

My kids put it on everthing...last night on a beautiful potato charlotte. At least they don't have black bracelets.

Dearfolk,
Sniff. I fell off the Ranch Wagon yesterday. It was either use homemade Ranch dressing or gloppy, gluey cheap bottled French dressing - the place was out of everything else.
Mine was a valiant try, ending my if-minor Ranch addiction, and it lasted almost two weeks. But what's a poor hungry guy like me to go in this all-too-Ranchified America?? Put mustard on a salad???
All Dressed Up And Somewhere To Go, Ort. Carlton in 30601-land.

There she is Miss America, scarfing down fries with ranch dressing after winning the crown!

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20060121-2116-missamerica.html

Look for ranch dressing to leap from fad status to full tilt craze after this!

I just in the last few moments , stumbled on this thread. Now , I'm having trouble seeing, because of tears of laughter. Dayumm.........I think we need to create a whole new website forum........"Have you been....RANCHIFIED!"


My take on Ranch.........hmmmmm....I don't eat it on salads, nor do I dip strawberries in it or slather it on a filet mignon. The prefab bottled varieties hold no interest for me at all, BUT..........I do like the home versions as well as the powdered mix from Hidden Valley(Kroger's makes a decent powdered also.) In my using the powdered it's to provide a bit of a kick to overly sweetened blue cheese dressings, or to use as an addendum to some preparations. Wing purists will beat their chests and pray for my eternally damned soul at my next statement: I use the powder in Hot wing sauce. My recipe for 6 lbs of the most awesome of chicken wings

6 lbs chicken wings, separated at joint(natch)
Peanut oil

Pour oil into frying edifice, heat until a chicken wing section tossed into it causes you to get third degree burns on your face , neck and upper chest from the spatters

Whilst those tidbits are bubbling away, mix up some sauce the Red way:

1 cup Frank's Louisiana Hot Sauce
1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 cup of either apple cider or red wine vinegar
2 TBLSP Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce(And I MEAN LEa and Perrins)


Put all the ingredients into a microwaveable bowl and microwave for about 4-5 minutes.

Remove from microwave and whisk into the mixture:
1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing


put aside.......but go ahead and stick your finger in and taste the goodness

Drink libation of choice

After the wings are fried to crisp and golden, remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Place wings in a BIG bowl and then pour the sauce over them. The beauty of this sauce is, that because of the powdered Ranch dressing, the sauce clings well to the chicken, negating the need to bake the sauce on, and getting the wings all mooshy again. I've had people ask for the sauce in addition on the side so they can drink the stuff! Even members of "RDIADS" (ranch dressing is a deadly sin love this preparation

quote:

Originally posted by redtressed

I just in the last few moments , stumbled on this thread.

You'll be sorry. It pops into my head every time I go to the supermarket, now.

And then there are those of us who simply, and merely, don't particularly like the stuff. I'm not emotional about it, I just like other dressings better. Where mayo on fries is concerned, I was eating fries that way in the late '50s at (the very first in the world) Lot-A-Burger in Albuquerque. In fact, I could come to the window (no eat-in then) and ask for "the usual" and get an It's-A-Burger with mayo and onions and an order of fries with mayo. I was in elementary or junior high--no older, but even then a critter of habit.

And Howdy, Red! I told Jan about your email and dang if she didn't decide she might come to O'boro after all. We'll have to reschedule our fambly reunion.