# Your Favorite Bottle Dressing



## letscook (Nov 16, 2010)

I love to make all my dressing homemade, but every once and while I have to buy a bottle of paul newman creamey caesar or the honeyFrench- which I can't remenber if that kraft or someone esle make that one, I don't have a bottle on hand to check. 

What is a bottle dressing of your choice.


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## Zhizara (Nov 16, 2010)

I keep a selection of all the basic flavors:  Ranch, Italian, French, Thousand Island.  I like to add bleu cheese to Ranch, because bottled bleu cheese dressing doesn't have enough of the cheese for me.


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## Selkie (Nov 16, 2010)

Zhizara said:


> I keep a selection of all the basic flavors:  Ranch, Italian, French, Thousand Island.  I like to add bleu cheese to Ranch, because bottled bleu cheese dressing doesn't have enough of the cheese for me.



Ditto!

Substitute Creamy Parmesan for the Italian, and we'd have the very same, including the Bleu Cheese/Ranch combo.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 16, 2010)

Annie's Naturals Asian Salad Dressing

I'm a sucker for any soy sauce, ginger, sesame combination.


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## buckytom (Nov 16, 2010)

it's a toss up between ken's reserve creamy balsamic, and marie's blue cheese yogurt dressing.


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## ChefJune (Nov 16, 2010)

> *Your Favorite Bottle Dressing*


 ????  
What's that? 

I haven't bought one in more than 35 years. Got started making my own back in the day when Good Seasons sold those glass cruets and the little packets of mix. (Who else remembers those?) Then "graduated" to an empty mustard jar that I start with when the mustard is all but gone. Add a finely chopped clove of garlic (or not), juice of a lemon, twice as much extra virgin olive oil and a pinch each of fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper. That's the daily vinaigrette. We make special ones for special salads or occasions.

I have a big feature in my book about making salad dressings. Once you've had fresh, it's hard to think about a bottled one.


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## snickerdoodle (Nov 16, 2010)

Hidden Valley makes a spicy ranch that I always use for taco salads.  IMHO, Hidden Valley makes the best ranch dressing on earth


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## 4meandthem (Nov 16, 2010)

I like mixing italian and blue dressing together but I much prefer anything homemade.


x2 on the Hidden Valley ranch being the best ranch next to homemade


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## GB (Nov 16, 2010)

There is an Italian restaurant called La Cantina near my parents house. They make their own dressing and have been known for it for years. There was a big lawsuit a number of years ago because only two people know the recipe. One of those people left the restaurant and opened a new one down the street and surprise surprise their dressing tasted just like La Cantinas. the original owner ended up winning the lawsuit and the other guy was forced to stop using that recipe.

They sell their dressing all over now. I know our local supermarkets carry it, but if yours do not then you can find it online. It goes by the name Fanny's.

On a side note, about Kens dressing. I was at a temp agency years ago and they sent me to a job at the Kens plant in my town. I was there for 10 minutes before I was so grossed out that I had to leave. I could not eat Kens dressing for many years after that experience. Kens was not doing anything wrong so don't get scared. it was just seeing such huge amounts of dressing all in one place and all the smells combining and the floor being covered with dressing and the noise and everything just really did a number on me.


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## buckytom (Nov 16, 2010)

lol, gb. i guess the idea of people in hair nets and lab coats stirring huge vats of stuff isn't what we like to think of when eating factory made foods.

that reminds me of a friend's story of when he worked in a pickle factory. 
on monday mornings, when a batch of pickles was removed from the vats, the bits that broke off were ground down to make relish. while the workers were bottling the good pickles, rats would get in to the vats to eat the leftover bits.
then, the workers would fire up the grinders to make the relish, he said you could hear a few squeals. 
i've never eaten store bought relish to this day.


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## GB (Nov 16, 2010)

buckytom said:


> i've never eaten store bought relish to this day.


And now neither will I


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## snickerdoodle (Nov 16, 2010)

buckytom said:


> lol, gb. i guess the idea of people in hair nets and lab coats stirring huge vats of stuff isn't what we like to think of when eating factory made foods.
> 
> that reminds me of a friend's story of when he worked in a pickle factory.
> on monday mornings, when a batch of pickles was removed from the vats, the bits that broke off were ground down to make relish. while the workers were bottling the good pickles, rats would get in to the vats to eat the leftover bits.
> ...


 
*gasp*


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## Andy M. (Nov 16, 2010)

This explains my deep dislike for relish.


My favorite bottled dressing is Ken's Italian Dressing.  It's a staple for me and has been for my adult life.


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## Zhizara (Nov 16, 2010)

"Got started making my own back in the day when Good Seasons sold those  glass cruets and the little packets of mix. (Who else remembers those?)" QUOTE from Chef June.

I used to make those way back when, but started using the packets for seasonings.  I bought some this last shopping trip.  I would have bought the one with the cruet, but it no longer has the pretty vines on it, just plain, so I skipped it and bought a 4 pack.  It makes a great seasoning for potato salad.


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## jennyema (Nov 16, 2010)

I always make my own at home.

But at work we use AUNT FANNY'S or HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH


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## Andy M. (Nov 16, 2010)

HV Ranch is another favorite.  Also use it in potato salad.


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## tinlizzie (Nov 16, 2010)

Newman's Own Oil & Vinegar is #1, HV Ranch with Bacon #2, and I use the Good Seasons Italian packet to sprinkle on chicken pieces to go in the oven.  Nowadays the price for a teeny little packet leads me to use it sparingly.  Newman's is hard to beat, even at the price.


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## LPBeier (Nov 16, 2010)

I'm like June.  I haven't used bottled dressing on my salads in years.  But once in awhile, I get this hankering for Hidden Valley Ranch bottled dressing.  

Oh no way do I ever put it on my salads.....but it is great with chicken wings and fries!


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## 4meandthem (Nov 16, 2010)

My wife likes Bernstein's dressings.She hates Kraft and Good Seasons Italian dressings.


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## taxlady (Nov 16, 2010)

ChefJune said:


> ????
> What's that?
> 
> I haven't bought one in more than 35 years. Got started making my own back in the day when Good Seasons sold those glass cruets and the little packets of mix. (Who else remembers those?) Then "graduated" to an empty mustard jar that I start with when the mustard is all but gone. Add a finely chopped clove of garlic (or not), juice of a lemon, twice as much extra virgin olive oil and a pinch each of fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper. That's the daily vinaigrette. We make special ones for special salads or occasions.
> ...



Good Seasons was the kind my mum made, or had me or my sister "make".

I have never bought a salad dressing. I don't eat MSG and when I started cooking, I never found a bottled dressing that didn't have it, so I just never got in the habit. I used to make mayo or mayo and yoghurt based dressings - extremely easy. Then I learned to make vinaigrette.

I tried looking for salad dressing at the health food store, but they all had sugar in the ingredient list. I'm not a big fan of sweet as part of my supper.


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## Clienta (Nov 16, 2010)

I make homemade dressing when I cater, for our restaurant menu & when I have guests over but when it's just me eating salads at home....I always have Marzetti's poppyseed & asiago parmesan on hand.  I also love a blush vinaigrette but I can't remember the brand.  When I was pregnant with my daughter I craved all prepared salad dressings....Thousand Island, Catalina, Honey Mustard, Ranch, Red Wine Vinegar & my staples above.  Our fridge was full of bottles!!


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## puptentacle (Nov 16, 2010)

"Feast From The East" Sesame Dressing. We get it from Costco here in California. It's supposed to be for Chinese Chicken Salad but I eat it on a simple mixed greens salad for many a lunch and it's fantastic. Also makes a mighty good chicken/pork marinade with a couple of additions.


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## letscook (Nov 17, 2010)

Oh I forgot about honey mustard, I love that in a chicken wrap.


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## freshlyfrugal (Nov 17, 2010)

Marie's Thousand Island Dressing.
Spouse likes Kraft Catalina.

For Pasta Salad, we like Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian.

Someone mentioned a Creamy Balsamic Drsng I'd like to try.


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## buckytom (Nov 18, 2010)

i mention kens reserve creamy balsamic. there's a regular "steakhouse" version, and the reserve. we prefer the latter.

apparently, lepers scrape it off the floor before bottling. i'm guessing that's the "reserve".


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## FrankZ (Nov 18, 2010)

Most bottled dressings are fine with me, though I do get a hankering for Kraft Catalina from time to time.

I don't mind a home made dressing either.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 18, 2010)

buckytom said:


> i mention kens reserve creamy balsamic. there's a regular "steakhouse" version, and the reserve. we prefer the latter.
> 
> apparently, lepers scrape it off the floor before bottling. i'm guessing that's the "reserve".


 
Oh, I thought it was zombies...


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## GB (Nov 18, 2010)

Well speaking as someone who has seen the floor Bucky is talking about, I can safely say you are both right.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 18, 2010)

GB said:


> Well speaking as someone who has seen the floor Bucky is talking about, I can safely say you are both right.


 
  I'm a firm believer in never going to the place where your food is made.  My Aunt worked in a pickle factory, she wouldn't touch them.


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## recipedirect (Nov 18, 2010)

I like Ranch Dressing but so many have MSG. I am now using. Bolthouse Farms Creamy Yogurt Dressing. I am mostly a "vinaigrette person" and make my own but like Ranch or now Creamy Yogurt to dip veggies in.


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## Kayelle (Nov 18, 2010)

My number one favorite is Hidden Valley Ranch, that you mix up yourself with buttermilk and Best Foods mayo.  Sometimes I add grated onion to it.
I guess you could call it "semi homemade".  As far a making scratch dressings, I'm not opposed to doing that, but the question is why when for me, this is perfection.


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