Alright, let’s talk about this Hidden Valley Ranch dressing stuff, you know, the kind in them little packets. I ain’t no fancy cook or nothin’, but I use this stuff all the time, so I kinda figured out what’s in it.
First off, they got this thing called maltodextrin. Sounds fancy, huh? I ain’t got a clue what it is, but it’s in there. Then there’s dry buttermilk. Now, that I know! It’s like the dried-up stuff from makin’ butter, makes sense it’s in a ranch dressing, right?
And salt! Lord knows, everything needs salt. They put a good bit of salt in this here mix. Then comes whey. Another one of them milk-sounding things. I guess that’s why it’s kinda creamy, even though it’s just powder.
- Now, this next one, I heard it ain’t so good for ya, but it sure makes things taste good. It’s called monosodium glutamate, or MSG for short. They say it gives it that extra kick, you know?
- Then there’s onion and garlic, but not the fresh kind, the dried-up kind. They grind it up real fine, so you don’t even see it, but you can sure taste it.
- Lactic acid, that’s another one. I think it makes it a little bit sour, like buttermilk does. And they got spices in there too. I ain’t sure what kind, they don’t tell ya everything, do they?
They also add some sugar, they call it dextrose. Just a little bit, I reckon, to balance things out. And more milk powder, the nonfat kind this time. Probably to make it thicker when you mix it up.
Then there’s somethin’ called natural butter flavor. Now, I ain’t sure if that’s real butter or not, but it makes it taste buttery, that’s for sure. And parsley, you know, that little green stuff. They dry it up and sprinkle it in.
To make it all stick together and not get all clumpy, they put in somethin’ called xanthan gum and guar gum. Sounds like somethin’ you’d find in a tire, not food, but I guess it works. They also got somethin’ called calcium lactate and citric acid in there too, just like that lactic acid, makes it kinda tangy I guess.
I heard some folks say this stuff ain’t natural, that it’s got them GMOs in it. I don’t know nothin’ about that. All I know is, it tastes good on my salad and my chicken and even my fries sometimes. Don’t judge me!
They say you can make your own ranch dressing mix, with stuff you already got in your kitchen. Onion powder, garlic powder, dill, parsley, salt, pepper, all that stuff. But honestly, who’s got time for that? This little packet is just so easy, you know? Just dump it in some milk and mayonnaise, and you’re good to go. I heard it’s not the same as the stuff they make in restaurants, cause that’s fresh and all. But this here packet stuff, well, it’s good enough for me.
They use a lot of this stuff in those little packets, about two tablespoons they say. And they put it in all kinds of other seasonings too, to make them taste good. I guess it is what it is. It tastes good, it’s easy, and that’s all that matters to me. If you want fancy, go to a fancy restaurant. If you want somethin’ quick and tasty, this here Hidden Valley Ranch is the way to go.
So, there you have it. That’s what I know about what’s in them Hidden Valley Ranch dressing packets. It ain’t rocket science, but it sure is tasty. And that’s all that counts in my book.
Tags: [Hidden Valley Ranch, Dressing Mix, Ingredients, Seasoning, Buttermilk, MSG, Spices, GMO, Easy Recipe, Flavor]
