When market has bottled dressings on sale, I'll stock up. Vinegar based dressings seem to last indefinitely on pantry shelf. Creamy ones (ranch, ceasar) go a little stale even when not opened.
Bought a few "new" Kraft varieties in small bottles... $1 aisle. REALLY liked this mango chipotle, but NEVER see it in LARGE bottles. Yesterday bought 4 small $1 bottles, cuz they were there.
I ALWAYS have a jar of "Marie's" Blue Cheese Dressing - regular or "extra" in the fridge; also enjoy Marie's Thousand Island, which is a "must have" for my post-St. Pat's Day Reuben sandwiches. Actually, I pretty much enjoy all of Marie's refrigerated dressings.
I rarely if ever buy the shelf bottled dressings, although some of "Ken's" dressings are quite good, & my husband is a whore for some of "Newman's Own" bottles.
You should try a Reuben with Blue cheese, you may never go back to Thousand Island. I don't usually buy bottled dressings, but I do like Marie's Creamy Italian Garlic and there is a Pacific Northwest company called Riverhouse that makes a Honey Dijon & a Greek Feta that I like.
I'd never noticed Ken's till two weeks ago when they were on sale and I needed dressing for a pasta salad. Used the Balsamic and Italian to marinade the vegetables in overnight (brunch pot luck, precut and precooked everything then tossed it all together just before leaving.) Turned out really well.
Ken's has been out go-to supermarket brand for a long time. We also have a soft spot for Kraft Roka Blue - not the best at all, but somehow perfect when we want that iceberg wedge!
We have bought and enjoyed a lot of Trader Joe's bottled ones, too; right now we have the Thai Peanut and the Champagne Pear Vinaigrette. Love the former, find the latter just too sweet, but Mrs. O likes it fine.
Hidden Valley Ranch
Newman's Own Italian
Annie's Naturals Shiitake and Sesame
I really like Bernstein's Cheese Fantastico. I always have it on hand..it is also good for adding a little zip to veggies beyond salads.
I usually make my own dressings at home, but my favourite bought flavour is Japanese roasted sesame dressing. It's good on both salads and cooked vegetables (like steamed green beans, for example).
My favorite salad dressing comes from Whole Foods-Tangerine Vinaigrette. I love it, its tangy and just a tiny bit sweet.
We always have bottles of Ken's Lite Northern Italian & Lite Sundried Tomato in the fridge; both double as a quick marinade.
totally agree with Puffin3 re: Heinz "salad cream" - i suppose they make it in North America - i grew up w/ the UK version - in fact, i was in a UK import shop the other day here in the Pac NW and they had a "lite" version of same - so i had to buy it! (have not tried it yet)
and then branching out a bit here - for mayo, i always buy Hellmans / Best Foods.
I love this photo with your Sage & others in the background!
Agree on the Sesame Ginger dressing (and I usually don't like bottled dressings). It works well, too, as a marinade for chicken.
Also liked the Bolthouse Chunky Blue Cheese with Yogurt dressing, with an extra handful of blue cheese for good measure.
Ken's Light Caesar is good poured over chicken pieces and baked.
Speaking of Sesame, we dig the SASS sesame garlic. It's in the refrigerated case, and not available in all states.
i see that i can get it in virginia at a fresh market not terribly far away. looking at the link, SASS seems to have very tempting combinations in their dressings.
i'm always a sucker for good sesame dressings! the trader joe's sesame ginger vinaigrette isn't bad. i've used it in stir fry and on noodles, as well as on salad.
Ken's Steak House Italian. Makes a great marinade for chicken too.
Ken's was the original manufacturer for Newman's Own.
Newman's is the only brand I pay retail for. After that, it is whoever has a 2 for 1 sale. No longer make my own due to convenience. Plus it is not easy consistently exceeding Newman's.
Leaf salad is 3 to 5 times a week for me.
I use Hidden Valley Ranch and, occasionally, Marzetti's slaw dressing. Lately, I've been making my own, including a Marzetti clone that works real good. Many times it's just ketchup, mayo, MW, a splash of Worcestershire and s&p.
Marzetti's and Bolthouse Farms
for me - Kens lite honey mustard
for DH - Newman's own lite baslamic vinegrette
Bob's Big Boy Blue cheese
refrigerated creamy poppy seed dressing (might be Marie's brand) for broccoli slaw dressing
Hidden Valley Ranch for black bean/corn salad
Bolthouse is an awesome yogurt dressing. Amazing taste and creaminess with a decent calorie count.
I have a thing for Good Seasons packets too. I make it with far less oil, more water, feta and sun dried tomatoes.
Ken's is also a favorite-- the light varieties.
I'm glad to see other food lovers and cooks embracing the bottled dressing!
I'm a sucker for Ken's Creamy Balsamic, which recently changed its name to something else.
You hardly see the chain Mexican restaurant On the Border anymore, but I always wished they sold their smoked jalapeno vinaigrette dressing in bottles. That stuff was incredible, and I would have put it on ANYTHING.
On that note, Outback Steakhouse has the best honey mustard dressing I've ever had, and I've never found a bottled equivalent. Ken's is okay, but not nearly as good.
Voodoo Lou,
This is a super easy honey mustard you can make in no time, usually with ingredients on hand. Just make sure and let it sit in the refrigerator to let the ingredients meld. I think it's very much up there with Outback/Chili's honey mustard. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/honey-mu...
Newman's Own balsamic vinaigrette.
LaLa May 24, 2012 08:29 PM
Hedericksons is my fave. I prefer the Sweet Vinegar & Olive Oil Dressing
also
Red Bell Pepper and Tomato Dressing
Classic Italian Dressing
Vivienne's Romano Cheese Dressing (plus recipes)
Brianna's French Vinaigrette (from Texas, y'all!). Smooth and gently rich flavor lets your veggies shine. It's a great vinaigrette for greens, nice in cold veggie salads and cold veggie/pasta blends, marinade for roasted veggies and grilled chicken, and key to my black-eyed pea dip/Texas caviar.
Brianna's French vinaigrette is the only bottled dressing I always have... other wise it's home made. I also buy an incredibly good blue cheese dressing from the natural grocery, Something's Kitchen, I think, in a little glass old fashioned milk bottle. Beats Marie's and Marzetti's by a mile, and both brands are in glass, not plastic.
Olde Cape Cod Balsamic Vinaigrette (marinate mushrooms, zucchini - not necessarily together - in this, and grill)
Delmonico's Restaurant Balsamic Vinaigrette
(and yes, I do make my own vinaigrettes! These are just good.)
Brianna's Poppyseed (ingredient in my slaw dressing)
Catalina
Original Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch (although I make it from the powder packet now & will probably move toward an all-herbal, no preservative 'copycat' - I still like the bottled stuff)
Bolthouse Farms, especially the ranch, ceaser, and blue cheese...all are really creamy and fairly low cal and natural.
Brianna's, favorites are the Poppyseed and the Chipotle Cheddar
Makato Ginger Dressing, best for Asian flavor
Love Miso salad dressing but have yet to find one as good as was served in a Japnanese restaurant I used to live near.
Marie's Chipolti Ranch has been a favorite for a bit. But the make yourself Good Season's Italian has always been my go to.
I love the Newmans dressing Mcdonald's serves with their southwest salad, not available retail (yet) tho
98% of the time I make my own salad dressing, but I also keep bottles of these two on hand for time critical situations...
Brianna's Asiago Cheese Caesar
Marzetti's Bacon and Herb
I love the La Martinique Balsamic Vinaigrette.
Ken's Zesty Italian - my go to marinade as well.
I often find Ken's on-sale locally for $1 to $1.25 a 16oz bottle. Albertsons had Ken's salad dressings 4 for $5 last week...
Love when they go on sale like that for a buck and change..
I get all my coupons for Ken's out and spend about a $1 for 4 large Ken's Dressing..chunky blue, poppy seed, Greek, Italian.
She shoots, she scores!
just saw harris teeter is selling ken's buy two get three free. so, that i guess is around a buck a bottle, no? maybe even less.
My local supermarkets all carry house-labeled 16oz bottles of dressing that are often on sale at $1.50. The taste is the same, so they must all be made by the same place, just with different labels. I make some dressings but for Ranch, I get their generic Lite Ranch. I sometimes get the Lite Vidalia Onion too.
My current fav is Gazebo Room Lite Greek. I imagine it's
only available regionally - made in PA, I buy it in MD but
haven't seen it in NJ. It is low in calories and salt compared
to most natural brands, has no sugar and does not require
refrigeration. Fairly short ingredient list and the most
"chemical" is MSG. Also makes a great marinade, esp. for
lamb.
That's the only bottled dressing I buy, I think it's great. I did see it in LA once or twice, so they may have expanded their reach.
I'm very interested in this! I used to marinate chicken in Spiedie Sauce. I thought it was just the name of the sauce, but later realized that there is a food called a "spiedie".
I also love a good Greek salad, so this dressing sounds appealing.
I looked online and they sell it for about $4 a bottle, for six.
Ken's Thousand Island. Reminds me of the good stuff from my chldhood. Kind of wipes out memories of bell peppers....but that is another thread.
Bob's Big Boy 1000 Island and Ranch.
i don't use them for salads, but for dipping my tater tots. the 1000 Island is so thick and has a great flavor.
Another vote for Ken's light Caesar. I also like Newman's light red wine vinaigrette, and I used to like the light Italian but recently it has started solidifying in my fridge (olive oil doesn't do so well at 32-40F...).
i'm not usually a big fan of ken's, but i am really liking the ken's russian dressing! it was great great ona reuben and also to dress beans in a salad (green and wax beans that never made it to their destination of a three bean salad).
the new marzetti all naturals are pretty good. i like the marzetti slaw dressing for a rewally quick fix cole slaw (using the pres-shredded cabbage).
i like marie's buttermilk ranch and parmesan peppercorn (marie's or marzetti? i conflate the flavors).
i like the newman's own dressings…..but they discontinued my thousand island. i just picked up a couple of new to me flavors today -- balsamic three cheese (and another i cannot recall). the creamy caesar is a nice veggie dip.
just found a new dressing (to me) that i liked: trader joe's champagne vinaigrette.
Del Monaco's Balsamic vinegar is the best vinaigrette to me. Marzetti's Simply dressed line is really good. Marie's makes the best creamy Italian in the universe
I don't buy much salad dressing and try to make it at home which provides for more variety as I can make single serving batches, however I love love the Whole Foods garlicky tahini dressing which they use on Kale. For the past month or so, I've been making it at home based on online recipes, but just recently noticed that they sell it bottled in the produce section. It's delicious and is much easier pre-bottled then made at home, for me at least.
Farmer Boy's Greek dressing is great as a dressing and a marinade for grilled chicken. Not sure it's carried outside of Florida - link is below:
(don't think I mentioned this before)
One of my absolute favorites is not exactly from a bottle, but it's Good Season's mix. I make it in my Vitamix with far less oil, some water to get the consistency I want (emulsifies beautifully and stays together), feta and sun dried tomatoes.
It's so good! It clings to lettuce so I love it for wedge salads.
It's only available in Austin, Texas, but my all time favorite is Julia's Caesar Salad Dressing: No preservatives, no canola oil, 100% olive oil Doesn't have any gluten either, but that's not an issue for me. Has to be refrigerated in the store because it has no preservatives.
i am loving ken's russian dressing for making my reubens!
the safeway asian sesame -- how is ginger level?
Not bad. I definitely taste the toasted sesame more than ginger.
i've been looking for a good balanced dressing with those flavors (i love toasted sesame). (do NOT get the panera bottled dressing that is supposedly based on what they use on their great in-store thai salad. it has a horrid artificial flavor from what i am guessing is artificial sweetener. YUCK).
for a good recommendation: there is a pre-packaged "asian salad kit" with a delicious dressing (and, packaged individually therein, chow mein noodles and sliced almonds) for a cole slaw type of grated cabbage and carrots (and more). it is made by "eat smart" -- it is nice to take to keep in your office fridge for a great easy lunch salad. it is ostensibly for two or three, but i can chow the whole thing. ha! http://www.eat-smart.net/products/pro...
i love the crunch, but if it were warmed through it would be excellent with rice noodles.
I do an asian type of salad I love to make. I use cole slaw mix (red and green cabbage with carrots) - I use Fresh Express, cooked and rinsed cold spaghetti, green onions, julienned peppers (all colors), sliced water chestnuts, sliced chicken and top with the dressing and crispy chow mein noodles. It's a very refreshing salad. And it hangs out well in the fridge for several days for other meals.
that sounds very good. i love those kinds of salads. have you ever tried the perdue pre-roasted and sliced chicken breasts "shortcuts"? http://www.perdue.com/products/detail... on sale, i get the package for $3.50, and that is enough for three generous salads or sandwiches.
i know some people are loathe to use commercial brined pre-cooked chicken, but i find that sometimes the shortcuts fit the bill perfectly when i don't have time to cook (or don't feel like a big production of roasting a chicken then shredding it).
Wow, I've never seen those before. I'll have to look next time I'm at the market. It would be a great shortcut. Thanks for the tip. Are they just refrigerated or are they in the frozen foods section?
fridge case, usually near bbq in the pkgs (lloyd's, etc.) and the ready-to-warm potato dishes. often right near the fresh chicken, maybe in next case over.
i like the grilled and southwestern varieties, especially. they all have been moist, tender and have good chicken flavor. the s.w. version makes a quick soft taco-- or with cannellini, cumin and bell pepper melange, a quick white chicken chili.
i have been known to dump a package of the grilled version into a skillet with sharwood's korma sauce! don't knock it, folks; that sharwood's rocks! http://www.sharwoods.com/indian/recip...
also delicious: their thai green and red curry sauces. top quality! http://www.sharwoods.com/thai/product...
fridge case, usually near bbq in the pkgs (lloyd's, etc.) and the ready-to-warm potato dishes. often right near the fresh chicken, like in next case over.
i like the grilled and southwestern varieties.
i have been known to dump a package of the grilled version into a skillet with sharwood's korma sauce! don't knock it, folks; that sharwood's rocks! http://www.sharwoods.com/indian/recip...
aloso delicious: their thai green and red curry sauces. top quality! http://www.sharwoods.com/thai/product...
I've had a bottle of Wishbone Italian in my or my parents' fridge for over 50 years - ok, not the same bottle, haha. more recently discovered Ken's Honey Balsamic, and since then have been too lazy to make my own. usually also a jar of Ranch from the refrigerated section. otherwise I make my own, but reality often steps in & I'm just too lazy and reach for the bottles.
There's a tomato / Vidalia onion dressing available at a local farm market. Actually, it's available in lots of them, across our travels -- here in Ohio, Kentucky, NC..... I like it a lot.
Outside of EVOO and vinegar, Japanese roasted sesame, ginger and red shiso are my three favorites. I've definitely seen the first two in bottles, both in Japan and in other countries (Kewpie definitely produces a sesame version), but red shiso is less common.
Jonathan
http://buildingmybento.com
http://collaterallettuce.com
Trader joe's Goddess dressing. Really nice with artichokes and with avocadoes.
Marie's Bleu Cheese. Hands down.
Hunt
Wishbone Creamy French but not Kraft Creamy French--probably my favorite would be Bob's Roquefort in the refrigerator case if I could afford it! :)
Has anyone brought up the Opa brand yet?
I've just tried them and I really like the creamy Caesar. I believe it's by the same people as LightHouse brand.
I make my own- i eat a LOT of salad, but i can't make a version of Brianna's poppyseed, and in the summer i'll buy marie's refridgerated coleslaw. Sometimes annie's green goddess, but i'll only buy it on sale
Kraft Zesty is a staple pantry item for me, but I don't think I have used on a green salad since early '80s. I do however toss my hot potatoes for potato salad in it. Keeps them nice and white while they cool and adds some seasoning. I can leave the potatoes overnight in fridge and finish the salad next day even.
There is a Japanese salad dressing brand called Pietro, and their shoyu (soy sauce) based dressing is my absolutely favorite salad dressing, ever. It's a vinaigrette, but wonderfully salty, tangy, sweet, and sour. I don't even know how to describe it.
http://www.amazon.com/Angelo-Pietro-S...
I'm all out of it now, so I can't say what's in it exactly. I think there are a few ingredients that I don't love having in my packaged food (soybean oil?), but they're not the worst ever, and I don't even know how I would be able to recreate the sauce so I just ignore it.
I grew up eating it in Japan, and I've only ever seen it sold in Japanese markets in the States. The bottles have become incredibly expensive the past few years, though, like $7 or $8 for a small bottle.
Now when I go visit family in Japan, we go to Costco and get their gigantic bottles of the dressing. I bring back four or five and it lasts me for a while.
I can't help it - grew up with Wishbone Italian, and to this day it is the only one I really like. If having guests, will always make my own - but just for me, hand over that bottle. I do pour the oil off the top to create my own diet dressing without that gross diet dressing taste.
I recently discovered mango chipolte too! I saw the big bottles before I knew I loved it. Now can't find them!
Kraft Ranch dressing. Because I can make a cheap and trashy dip out of it and it makes pizza crusts so yummy!
My favorite is Ott's Famous, but there's so much HFCS in it that I tend not to get it :(
Trader Joe's Red Wine Vinaigrette is my favorite.
Not bottled but I also like the Hidden Valley Ranch and vinegarettes that you can mix yourself.
Every once in awhile I get a craving for Catalina/French dressing over cottage cheese.
We've recently discovered Bolthouse Farms bottled dressings in the refrigerated produce case at our market. We've tried several, and they're all quite good. The Chunky Blue Cheese and Cilantro Avocado Yogurt dressings are particularly nice.
The favorites in our house are:
Newman's Own light balsamic, light caesar, and light raspberry walnut
Trader Joe's Goddess, refrigerated creamy cilantro and refrigerated raspberry (?) gorgonzola (we call it "the purple stuff" and I can't recall what the fruit is)
Marie's blue cheese
Marzetti Simply Dressed Caesar & Balsamic! Nothing "extra" in it, no preservatives, corn syrup, MSG or artificial flavors. The closest to my own I've found!
Unfortunately it's really, REALLY hard to find. When I do I buy several bottles at a time.
Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk that I make from the packet.
Lighthouse Original Blue Cheese
Lighthouse Caesar
Another vote for Trader Joe's Goddess Dressing. As a matter of fact, I have to pick up another bottle.
While I am not a fan of bottled Ranch dressings - since most of them are loaded with MSG, I do love Kraft Cucumber Ranch dressing.
I also like the Marzetti's House Italian Dressing (not to be confused with their regular Italian dressing). It's got a nice balance of flavors and isn't too sweet, or artificial tasting. The only thing I dislike about it is that it uses stuff like lethicin as a thickener and to help reduce separation. I hate the viscosity that gives to dressings - it makes them strangely slimy, and not at all like an actual emulsified dressing made from scratch,
Personally, if I have trouble pronouncing some of the words in the ingredients, I don't put it in my mouth.
I shy away from all packaged processed foods as much as possible.
I make my own dressings. It just takes a minute or two and I know what's in them.
Rick
I like the Caesar Cardini brand Caesar's dressing. It is much more flavorful than most bottled caesar dressings.
Those of you who mentioned Bolthouse dressings, do you prefer the Cilantro Avocado nor Mango Chipotle? Trying to decide which to try first. Thanks for your comments!
I prefer the Cilantro / Avocado, but only because I think it's a tad more versatile; I've used it as a condiment for quesadillas or grilled fish, for example.
I loved the cilantro one- but i love all things cilantro....
Tried the mango chipotle version too (for a while they were 2/$5 sale) and i thought it was a little too sweet and lacked a good chipotle kick.
Have repurchased the cilantro one since.
Growing up, there was only one kind of salad dressing in our house: Wish Bone Italian dressing.
I kknow how to make a vinaigrette now but I keep a bottle of Wish Bone around, for when i want to feel like a kid again.
haven't had it lately (so easy to make my own), but the original newman's own olive oil and vinegar was (and i hope still is) the best. i used to spread it on split pita bread and bake until crisp.
I wish Panera would bottle the herb dressing they use on their cobb salad. it's delicious!
I found a clone recipe, but i don't eat enough salad to make dressing i have to eat within 3 days.
I've never eaten at panera but a number of stores sell their dressings now including target...
http://m.target.com/c/salad-dressings...
Or just make a half batch of the recipe you like
I was at a friend's house for dinner and was served this really good pasta salad, which she told me was the Hidden Valley Southwest Ranch boxed pasta salad doctored up with roasted corn, olives, black beans, and cherry tomatoes. I bought the box, and though it was pretty plain without the add-ins, I still found the dressing to be delicious. I noticed that Hidden Valley has a bottled Southwest Ranch, and I don't know if they are the same, but I can imagine it would be quite good as a dipping sauce for chicken or vegetables or on a sandwich
My B/F and adult son love Catalina...so *old school*.I like Newman's Own Italian.I love Marie's Bleu Cheese vinaigrette on a mixed salad with fruit and nuts.
I have always been impressed by Annie's line of salad dressings, esp her Goddess, which is like a sesame tahini dressing. I have become a raving "no sugar in savories" advocate in the last decade and it sickens me to see that American manufacturers put sugar in Salad dressings.
Marzetti ranch. Cooked section not the fake stuff in the dressing Isle. All natural refrigerated
Great Value Sweet & Tangy French.
Vinaigrette -- La Martinique, but only if I can't make my own
Ranch -- Ken's Jalapeño ranch, but looking for a zippier one
Blue cheese -- La Martinique
Creamy blue -- Marzettis
Caesar -- Cardini's, but add lemon and Parm
In Canada, I like Renée's refrigerated Greek and Blue Cheese dressings. They're pretty similar to Marie's.
I like Wafu Japanese dressing.
Briannas Dressings have been pretty good.
I bring Annie's Goddess back from the States.
Stonewall Kitchen Greek Dressing is pretty good.
I've been liking Farm Boy's house label lemon garlic dressing, and the refrigerated German Caesar dressing sold at Farm Boy. I add a little lemon juice to the German Caesar dressing when I add it to the salad.
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