# US dopers: best salad dressings (by brand)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 31, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662 "2011-03-31T18:51:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![phantom\_lamb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@phantom\_lamb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phantom_lamb)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/1 "2011-03-31T18:51:40Z")
I’m going to have the opportunity to order some salad dressings from the US online (cause the ones over here suck). I need recommendations. I’ve tried only a handful of dressings while in the US so I’m not familiar with most brands. The _best_ one I’ve tasted while there was the one they give out at McDonald’s - Newman’s Own Creamy Caesar “restaurant version”. Can anyone give me some good brands for the following dressings (keep in mind I don’t like sweetness, I like tangy and fatty mostly): **Italian** (creamy italian and robust italian) **Raspberry vinaigrette** **Sun-dried tomato vinaigrette** **Ranch** **Caesar** **Blue Cheese** And tell me anything more you may want to share. I haven’t tried Ken’s Steak House dressings - are they good? What about Newman’s Own Parmesan & Roasted Garlic? That one sounds yummy. So many questions :o ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/2 "2011-03-31T18:56:04Z")
I like just about all of Newman’s. Marzetti’s is also good - their chunky bleu cheese is great. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/3 "2011-03-31T18:57:55Z")
I only like Italian and Ranch, and as far as they go Wishbone and HVR, respectively, are the only ones I buy. Other brands are _usually_ acceptable, but the Wishbone and HVR are the only ones that taste _right_ to me. Newman’s Own dressings tend to have an odd off-taste, but maybe that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/4 "2011-03-31T18:59:37Z")
You know it’s like no work at all to make your own dressing, and given that you’re ordering it to be sent overseas, probably tons cheaper? ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/5 "2011-03-31T19:02:42Z")
I’ve never found a bottled bleu cheese dressing that was any good. It’s true I haven’t looked that hard, either, but I’ve still never found one. And I’m a little leery of all the stuff they have to put in it to preserve it - I don’t use salad dressing that often, and if it goes bad before I used it again, it’s not worth the cost. Luckily, bleu cheese dressing is dead easy to make, and fantastic too. And you only make a couple of cups at a time, so it’s easy to use up. I generally use the Cooks Illustrated recipe, but there’s lots out there. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/6 "2011-03-31T19:05:27Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > I’ve never found a bottled bleu cheese dressing that was any good. It’s true I haven’t looked that hard, either, but I’ve still never found one. And I’m a little leery of all the stuff they have to put in it to preserve it - I don’t use salad dressing that often, and if it goes bad before I used it again, it’s not worth the cost. > > Luckily, bleu cheese dressing is dead easy to make, and fantastic too. And you only make a couple of cups at a time, so it’s easy to use up. I generally use the Cooks Illustrated recipe, but there’s lots out there. How do you make yours? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/7 "2011-03-31T19:08:24Z")
Man I just bought my first bottle of Wishbone Italian in a long time (I’m not much of a home salad eater) and that shit was SWEET. Not as in “awesome” but as in “full of sugar.” Not sure if my tastes have changed that much since I quite smoking or if they just started adding more sugar, but I couldn’t have more than one serving of it before giving up. I finally made myself some Good Seasons Italian and it’s…better. Still not exactly what I am looking for but not sweet. If I could buy myself a huge plastic jar of whatever the creamy Italian is at Pizza Hut, I think I would eat salad every day for the rest of my life. Oh, and Hidden Valley Ranch all the way. ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/8 "2011-03-31T19:08:44Z")
I’m partial to Bernstein’s Cheese and Garlic Italian. While I’m not fond of Caesar dressing, my wife swears by Girard’s. For a completely different spin, Trader Joe’s has a Cranberry Walnut Gorgonzola dressing (usually kept in their refrigerated produce section) that is awesome. My pregnant wife has banned it from our house because she can’t have soft/moldy cheeses while pregnant, and thus, I can’t have it either. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/9 "2011-03-31T19:09:37Z")
Hee. I just found the recipe - it’s from Cooks Illustrated, published May 1, 1999. I’ll paraphrase here. ~1/2 cup bleu cheese, crumbled 3 tablespoons buttermilk 3 tablespoons sour cream 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder Table salt and ground black pepper –Use a fork to combine and mash the bleu cheese and buttermilk. You’re looking for a consistency that resembles cottage cheese –Whisk the bleu cheese/buttermilk mixture with all remaining ingredients. The vinegar is essential - gives it a nice zing. –Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Makes about a cup. And it’s delicious. ---
**Author:** ![phantom\_lamb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@phantom\_lamb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phantom_lamb)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/10 "2011-03-31T19:28:58Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > You know it’s like no work at all to make your own dressing, and given that you’re ordering it to be sent overseas, probably tons cheaper? I do occasionally make my own, but I have this “thing” where I tend to prefer store bought ones. I also like to get a taste of something new and then I can aspire to make it myself. 🆒 Anyway, thanks everyone for all the recommendations so far. The one thing I’m sure of is Hidden Valley Ranch seems like the popular favorite ranch dressing so I’ll stick with that. ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/11 "2011-03-31T19:39:12Z")
**Annie’s Natural Goddess Dressing** is a tahini-based dressing and positively addicting until you get tired of eating it for a month straight. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/12 "2011-03-31T19:48:06Z")
Another vote for Newman’s Own - I’ve tried at least a half-dozen of their dressings (and think they have all of the varieties mentioned in the OP), and really liked all of them. Plus the reduced-fat versions are actually tasty. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/13 "2011-03-31T19:56:48Z")
I’ve only heard good things about Newman’s dressings. The one or two I’ve tried were nice. We get Ken’s Steak House dressing fairly often in Ranch. For a prepared dressing, their Blue Cheese isn’t bad, IIRC. I think I’ve liked all the ones I’ve tried of Ken’s. If you find a Buttermilk Dressing, give that a try. It’s similar to ranch, but better. It was everywhere around here until Ranch came out and replaced it for some reason. (This was, I dunno, 20 years ago?) But my latest kick, in a reversion to childhood, is [Green Goddess](http://www.amazon.com/Kraft-Goddess-Dressing-16-Ounce-Plastic/dp/B000HDKWZ8). And until I just Googled for that, I didn’t realize that anyone besides Kraft made it commercially! The SO usually has [Ott’s original](https://www.ottfoods.com/ecommerce/store/comersus_dynamicIndex.asp), which is a French-type dressing. American-style French-type, that is, which is entirely different than anything called French that you’d get anywhere else, much less France. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/14 "2011-03-31T20:23:38Z")
> [@redtail23](#): > > I’ve only heard good things about Newman’s dressings. The one or two I’ve tried were nice. > > We get Ken’s Steak House dressing fairly often in Ranch. For a prepared dressing, their Blue Cheese isn’t bad, IIRC. I think I’ve liked all the ones I’ve tried of Ken’s. > > If you find a Buttermilk Dressing, give that a try. It’s similar to ranch, but better. It was everywhere around here until Ranch came out and replaced it for some reason. (This was, I dunno, 20 years ago?) > > But my latest kick, in a reversion to childhood, is [Green Goddess](http://www.amazon.com/Kraft-Goddess-Dressing-16-Ounce-Plastic/dp/B000HDKWZ8). And until I just Googled for that, I didn’t realize that anyone besides Kraft made it commercially! > > The SO usually has [Ott’s original](https://www.ottfoods.com/ecommerce/store/comersus_dynamicIndex.asp), which is a French-type dressing. American-style French-type, that is, which is entirely different than anything called French that you’d get anywhere else, much less France. 😛 I’ve only ever seen Green goddess or its equivalent in the Vermont Country Store catalog. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/15 "2011-03-31T20:24:43Z")
Newman’s Own Tuscan sumptin-or-the-other. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/16 "2011-03-31T20:32:16Z")
Newman’s Own, but making your own is better and cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Woodhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Miss\_Woodhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Woodhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/17 "2011-03-31T21:30:49Z")
Newman’s Own is my favorite salad dressing brand. I love their raspberry and walnut and creamy Caesar. I don’t like sweet dressings either and I find that NO usually aren’t sweet. Kraft dressings are completely inedible because of all the sugar they dump in them. Blech. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/18 "2011-03-31T21:54:12Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > You know it’s like no work at all to make your own dressing, and given that you’re ordering it to be sent overseas, probably tons cheaper? This. Even if you don’t want to go from absolute scratch, Good Seasons makes a really good Italian mix. You provide your own vinegar and oil, and put in a package of Good Seasons, mix, and it’s really good. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/19 "2011-03-31T22:09:32Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > Hee. I just found the recipe - it’s from Cooks Illustrated, published May 1, 1999. I’ll paraphrase here. > > … > > Makes about a cup. And it’s delicious. This is almost exactly how I make mine (it might be exact actually, maybe the place I got it also got it from CI) and it’s really good. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662/20 "2011-03-31T22:23:25Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > This. Even if you don’t want to go from absolute scratch, Good Seasons makes a really good Italian mix. You provide your own vinegar and oil, and put in a package of Good Seasons, mix, and it’s really good. Oh, yeah, Mr. Horseshoe loves that stuff - plus, I imagine shipping packets would be cheaper than bottles. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-best-salad-dressings-by-brand/576662.md?page=2)