When it comes to things like chicken wings and pizza, who doesn't love a side of ranch?
When Reddit user u/CapableRunts asked, "Why is ranch in a bottle so different than ranch from a restaurant?" condiment connoisseurs chimed in with their thoughts.
So if you've always wondered what truly sets the two versions of ranch apart, here are the most memorable answers to the debate. Take a look:
1. "Ranch at every restaurant I've worked in is only mayo, buttermilk, and the ranch packet. Voila."
2. "Pro tip: Make your own salad dressing. Always more delicious."
3. "The ones in the refrigerated section are closer to restaurant style. The shelf-stable ones are terrible."
4. "Restaurants buy freshly-made dressing or make their own. It tastes different because it's fresh."
5. "Buttermilk, that's probably the difference."
6. "No preservatives. Make your own with Greek yogurt and mayo as the base. So bomb!"
7. "My whole life I've been trying to imitate the powder ranch from restaurants, and it never occurred to me to buy the powder."
8. "They might be using Ken's Steak House Buttermilk Ranch. Comes in gallon jugs."
9. "Worked in a restaurant and everyone loved our ranch. Powdered stuff mixed with buttermilk and a little sour cream. When I made others, [they] used mayo I believe. You can make it as flavorful and thick [or] thin as you like this way."
10. "Pro tip: Purchase ranch from a restaurant supply store."
11. "Pasteurization? Most shelf-stable items are pasteurized, and the flavor definitely changes."
12. "Have you tried the kind in the refrigerated section? My area has Bob's Big Boy Ranch in the fridge, and it's much closer to restaurant style than the stuff on the shelves."
13. "[Using] fresh cream not preserved bottled cream."
14. "Something made fresh in a restaurant with things like buttermilk, sour cream, and mayonnaise, and that has a finite life span under refrigeration is going to taste different than something manufactured to last months in a bottle at room temperature."
15. "Step 1: Buy Hidden Valley Ranch powder packet."
