Chef-Approved Additions For Restaurant-Quality Ranch Dressing

Transforming store-bought ranch dressing into a restaurant-quality dip might sound ambitious, but with a few strategic tweaks, it's entirely within reach. Michael Vignola, the corporate executive chef of Catch Hospitality Group in New York City, shared a game-changing tip with Mashed to upgrade your go-to bottle of ranch from run-of-the-mill to cream-of-the-crop. Vignola explained that you only need two ingredients: "crushed Szechuan peppercorns and a splash of fish sauce." This duo turns the dressing into a piquant powerhouse.

Szechuan peppercorns, a staple of Chinese cuisine (and a crucial element of five spice powder), tend to cause a person's mouth to experience numbness and tingling. Unlike black or white peppercorns or traditional chili peppers, these tiny but mighty red-hued berries from prickly ash trees are known for their slightly citrusy character, which beautifully complements ranch dressing's creamy herbaceousness. When you mix this spice into your dressing, you're infusing a bright, aromatic quality, whether you're getting down with pizza, veggie sticks, chicken wings, or fries. To get the most out of Szechuan peppercorns, remove and discard the black seeds, toast the husks lightly in a dry pan, and pulverize them with a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.

Fish sauce has been prized in Southeast Asian cooking for millennia — mainly due to its ability to instantly enhance the flavor of virtually anything it touches, from desserts to chicken noodle soup. While the fermented condiment might seem like an unusual match for ranch, it can play a key role in deepening its relatively mild profile. Before you pour, it's important to note that a little bit of fish sauce goes a long way. Just a few drops of the briny, umami-rich ingredient can add a punchy edge without making the dressing taste "fishy." Rather, fish sauce provides a savory backbone that merely amplifies ranch's buttermilk tang. The goal is to subtly boost your ranch's zip without overwhelming its flavor.

Once the fish sauce and ground Szechuan peppercorns have fully melded into the ranch dressing, feel free to dig into crispy vegetables, drizzle it over salads, or douse your tenders and wings in it. While you're at it, envision you're dining out, even if you're enjoying a meal or snack at home. By the way, if you're looking for the best store-bought ranch, the victor in a Mashed taste test was Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch.