Ranch is mayonnaise-based, but is savory, with seasonings and plenty of umami. There’s a lot of variation, and IMO the best version is Uncle Dan’s (Amazon).
It’s a cream dressing, so plenty heavy. Often used for dipping stuff. With Uncle Dan’s (which comes as a powder), you mix it with buttermilk and mayo for a dressing; or you mix it with Greek yoghurt (or sour cream) and mayo for a dip.
I disagree that’s it’s an “unfair comparison.” It’s certainly not a 1:1, but to help someone with absolutely no bearing on what ranch dressing is understand, I think it’s a decent shorthand.
It’s like if someone from Mexico asked what sriracha is and I replied, “it’s like the Thai version of Tapatío.” Is it perfect? No, there’s way more nuance, but it gets them most of the way toward understanding.
What is ranch? I’m English and I don’t have a valid frame of reference for the concept of ranch other than large cattle farm.
A milk/cream based dressing with onion, garlic and dill as the main seasonings, with 4-5 others sprinkled in.
It’s congealed leprechaun jizz.
It’s basically the American version of salad cream.
That’s an unfair comparison.
For grandparent:
Ranch is mayonnaise-based, but is savory, with seasonings and plenty of umami. There’s a lot of variation, and IMO the best version is Uncle Dan’s (Amazon).
It’s a cream dressing, so plenty heavy. Often used for dipping stuff. With Uncle Dan’s (which comes as a powder), you mix it with buttermilk and mayo for a dressing; or you mix it with Greek yoghurt (or sour cream) and mayo for a dip.
I disagree that’s it’s an “unfair comparison.” It’s certainly not a 1:1, but to help someone with absolutely no bearing on what ranch dressing is understand, I think it’s a decent shorthand.
It’s like if someone from Mexico asked what sriracha is and I replied, “it’s like the Thai version of Tapatío.” Is it perfect? No, there’s way more nuance, but it gets them most of the way toward understanding.