Ask a foreigner

[Teasel]

Love hearing about stuff people get a bit passionate about. Makes me want the stuff

 

[Teasel]

Anyway, had some of the M&S (a good quality british supermarket) ranch yesterday, some reviews for it that seem to be written by Americans do say it isn't right, is too thin and too vinegary but overall it gets a good score.

Had some on it's own, it tasted like the dip that comes with pizzas, which I love BTW, very moreish.

The M&S one is too thin and runny for putting on my sandwich. It was lovely on my salad later though.

 

[Friday]

ranch should NOT have vinegar anything.

Doesn’t mean it isn’t creamy/herbaceous/delicious.

Mayo. Cream. (Crème Fraische). Buttermilk. Cream cheese. Fines Herbs. Seasonings (salt & pepper, or extra).

It’s like the difference between tomato jam (delicious!) & ketchup/catsup (omfg).
Or HP brown sauce & good brown gravy.
Or Yorkshire puddings & scones.
Or pancakes & crepes.

It doesn’t mean that one -or- the other is not wonderful, just that they’re not the same as the other.

 

[Rose White]

@Friday tarragon is surprising to hear—that licorice flavor so strong

 

[Friday]

@Friday tarragon is surprising to hear—that licorice flavor so strong

<chuckling> Ranch can have almoooooost anything as its top/boldest notes, there’s even BBQ-Ranch, Parmesan Ranch (almost indistinguishable from Caesar, but still different, as it lacks the anchovy), Mustard Ranch, Bacon Ranch, Spicy Ranch, Garlic Ranch, etc.

I don’t, personally, get a liquorice vibe from tarragon …more honey/clover/oak/green/floral… but I HAVE seen anise-ranch, and that’s onIy a small step away from melting RedVines or BlackJellyBeans on top of your salad!

But??? Ranch is always low acid. Cool & creamy, at its core. Rather than bright & sparkling. (Or creamy/umami like Caesar). And that’s what vinegar does… oomphs up the bright & sparkle.

S’why adding pickles (pickled cucumbers, for non-USA folk, who pickle sooooo much more!), creates weird &/or artisan/herb-forward tartar-sauce. Dill is the most common tartar sauce herby thing, but I’ve come across a whole lotta wacky WTF tartar-sauces.

(Tartar-sauce, served with almost anything fish in the US, is most basically diced pickles + mayo. BUT??? Can be anything creamy, pickled cukes, + ABCXYZ. Herbs. Citrus. Onions/Shallots/Garlic. Cheese. Bacon. Etc.. It’s essentially ANY aioli WITH diced pickled cucumber).