I almost always make my own, but I do have a bottle of Girard's Caesar and a shaker container of Hidden Valley Ranch that I made from the seasoning packet...love the stuff. It tastes much better than their bottled ranch IMO. I remember years ago when all Hidden Valley had were the seasoning packets. It's still my favorite ranch dressing.

Ranch. Made from the packet of powder. I made it Thursday to dunk the crust from my homemade pizza in.

I just cant get into prebottled ranch. It seems so SWEET. Ick.

Bernstein's Cheese Fantastico - my favorite Italian style dressing (prefer to any homemade vinaigrettes) and a local bottled 1000 Island (I use for various purposes, not just salads). Otherwise, I prefer to make my own Caesar dressing (bottled ones are neither garlicky enough nor have sufficient levels of anchovies for my taste :-)) And my local grocery makes their own blue cheese dressing, which I love and comes in small enough portions to be practical for a single person. Now and again I will make Green Goddess dressing. And I don't care for ranch dressing but do like ranch seasoning!

I purchased an artisan label avocado and lime dressing as the combo sounded wonderful but the dressing was just 'meh' and it got tossed :-)

"I made it Thursday to dunk the crust from my homemade pizza in."

Yes...and fries, too. :-)

And lots other,probably shameful things. :o) So.good.

Definitely, amylou!

Kraft Zesty Italian, Ranch with bacon, and Catalina. I use the Zesty Italian to dip crusty French bread in, and use Ranch in place of mayo for salads and wraps.

some caesar and dh's blue cheese. There are, however, many more bottles of vinegar, mustards, shallots, oils, etc for making vinaigrettes and other dressings. I have a handy kuhn-rikon shaker with the marks right on the bottle to get proportions right.

Just Olive Garden Italian. I only use a little at a time (I poke a small hole in the safety seal, so the dressing drips out, rather than pours). I give away the second of the Costco 2 pack, because I'd never get through that second bottle. Sometimes I use La Salsa Chilena on my salads, but I'm not sure that counts as a dressing.

Without checking I'll say maybe 2 or 3. 1/2 bottle of a balsamic vinaigrette and hubby's perennials: blue cheese and/or ranch.

I stopped using salad dressing quite some time ago, but still use it for cooking, or maybe pasta salad. Hubby won't eat any other dressing than the 2 I just listed.

I now prefer some balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper and either parmesan or swiss cheese to dress my salads.

So Martha - do tell us what you have, or don't have, please?

My family prefers a raw veggie platter to salads, and I make homemade dip from sour cream, mayo, blue cheese crumbles and then dill, parsley thyme garlic and onion powder, etc. I wing it, and they always like it.

I like salads for lunch, and I make dressing with whatever citrus I have on hand (orange, lemon or lime). I also like Trader Joe's balsamic vinegar. I make all my marinades from scratch, too.

I haven't bought bottled dressing or dips or marinades--or even seasoning packets--in years. I'm also very turned off by the gunk that inevitably gathers at the openings of condiment bottles. A quirk from a childhood spent with a large family who were messy pour-ers, I guess.

Oh please....tell me this is not going to deteriorate into a debate on what the 'best buy' (NOT 'expiration') date means or does not mean!!

I nearly always make my own dressing, but right now we have a bottle of Ken's Lite Honey Mustard for Elery's daily salads.

I do buy bottled dressings when Ashley wants chicken marinated in Wishbone Italian, and one of Elery's granddaughters loves that oyster cracker snack mix made with powdered Ranch dressing, but I buy especially for those recipes and don't keep them on hand.

I also make my own mayonnaise, but keep a jar of Miracle Whip for Mother and for my one single yearly tomato sandwich.

Annie

Gardengal, I'm about to grill salmon for dinner that has a sell-by date of Feb. 9 and has been sitting in my fridge all week. I'm also playing Russian roulette with a tub of past-due cottage cheese. Sell by/use by/expiration dates are just guides. My statements were in reference to the gunk that develops on the caps of bottled salad dressings, which has been a personal quirk of mine since childhood. The meme was just an attempt at an added laugh.

Fresh seafood, poultry or meat is an entirely different topic of discussion. Ditto with dairy products. Bottled or jarred products and canned goods or dry, boxed materials seldom go bad (if stored correctly) or are harmful if used well after their best by date. And there is a big difference between a 'best by', 'use by' or 'expiration' date.

My pantry is well stocked with various vinegars for making dressings/vinaigrettes. Over the years I've bought the "O" brand of vinegar whenever I see them at places like HomeGoods and TJ Maxx for half the price. Their champagne, cabernet, balsamic and sherry vinegars are all good. Not long ago I picked up a bottle of their pomegranate vinegar. Really nice with spinach salad or drizzled on roasted asparagus. https://www.ooliveoil.com/ 

Have not bought a bottle in 30+ years. Fresh is so much better. I make what we might like for what we are about to have and what I have fresh to make.

Thank you, Gardengal. I'm aware of the distinctions in those terms and how they are applied. A friend of mine works in public health and researches foodborne illnesses and other related issues as they align with current policy, as well (particularly by the FDA), and we have many spirited conversations.

Nonetheless, I stand by my gunk test, regardless of the date stamped on the bottle. And I have removed the meme and associated text in my original message so they don't invite further unintended debate.

I make my own vinaigrette but rarely use it - not good for my GERD. There is a bottle of Brianna's creamy poppy seed dressing left from my Christmas salad of grapefruit and avocado. Love that stuff!

NOT a fan of Ranch dressings! Grew up eating Catalina French dressing - my father loved it with some blue cheese on top. If I want a blue cheese dressing, I prefer a vinaigrette with blue cheese put on top - lots and lots of blue cheese on top.

My all-time favorite salad dressing is the one that the old long-gone Mayfair Hotel in St Louis used on a salad that was more or less a Caesar salad. Everyone loved that dressing, and the chef was generous to share it with the old St Louis Globe Democrat newspaper, also long-gone.

Here it is for those who would like to try it. Yes, it included raw egg for those averse to such.

The only bottled dressing I have is Japanese Sesame-ginger-miso. I make all of the others myself (and I could make the Japanese as well but haven't). I use all fresh ingredients to make Ranch, including garlic, chives, lemon juice, parsley, black pepper, etc. I sometimes make extra Roquefort or herb vinaigrette that will stay in the fridge, but I do not buy them in bottles.

Feather11, I thought the meme was funny and somewhat true. Martha, I had to look to see what salad dressings I had as I mostly make fresh vinaigrettes. I have a bottle of Thousand Island and a bottle of TJ's Sweet & Spicy Mango, both unopened and expired. The only open bottle is Marston's San Pasqual. I tasted it last year and became addicted to it, so I keep a bottle on hand.

Not a one.......

I make salad dressings. I dislike to hate most bottled dressing. The big exception is Trader Joe's Champagne Pear vinaigrette, if I don't have to eat it all the time. It's good to have for when "salad" is a big handful of greens on the go. The other exception is Marie's poppy seed dressing which I can throw on a bag of broccoli slaw for a quicky non-homemade salad. It's more mayonnaisey and sweeter than regular cole slaw dressing and works better with the broccoli stems. So I looked. There's also the dregs of a bottle of Tessmae's Avocado Ranch, which was for cooking one of the roadshow dinners (not on salad) and some Feast From the East Sesame dressing which my folks like. It tastes good, but kind of Chinese food headachy like it has too much MSG or something. I should ditch it.

I have a couple right now, I do tend to make my own dressings, or just use EVOO with vinegar or lemon juice. Or a drizzle of sesame oil, if the emphasis is east Asian.

But right now: Annie's Balsamic Vinaigrette, Annie's Shiitake Sesame.

Oh, there's also half a bottle of Briannas Home Style Blush Wine Vinaigrette, which I bought for a dinner party so that people could have choices for their salad dressings in addition to a couple I home made. This one is way too sweet... just now looking at the ingredients, first on the list is Sugar. Tossing it.

Least favorite dressings: Ranch, or anything too sweet.

I hope to give my hand towards attempting to make Hollandaise dressing later today. Never tried it, but my ambition is, if I get that right, making a vegetarian eggs Benedict later in the week (for my blog. Well, also for me...).

Mom and I used to love the old Catalina dressing. We'd especially use it for artichoke dips and for over avocado/grapefruit salads. Then somewhere in the 80s they changed the recipe, and we stopped using it. Too sweet, too HFCS-y. Not the same fascinating tartness I remembered.

Forgot to add that I prefer making my own dressings too. Bottled dressings never taste very good or fresh to me.

DH likes Thousand Island so we have that in the fridge. I like Salata - a flavoured vinegar. Occasionally, I will make a vinegrette of various flavours - tarragon etc.

I also buy balsamic vinegar from Venturi Schulz vineyard in British Columbia. It is the best - I could drink it out of the bottle. Google will take you to their website and they will ship.

Wow provogal, I looked up the link to the vineyard you referred to. That is awesome! However, I just can’t justify the price tag for vinegar. But I am pretty cheap when it comes to consumables.

Well, I do have others and save the Venturi Schulze for special drizzles. I also got the decorated bottles for myself and my daughter on Christmas. It truly is an awesome product.

My grandsons love Ranch and T. Island so there's always that. Husband eats T. Island and French. I have been enjoying Olive Gardens house Italian. I also have red wine vinaigrette which I like lightly drizzled on fresh garden tomatoes.

I typically make my own, but have a couple bottles for the times I don't feel like it. Dh likes JUST Sweet Mustard and my choice is Oka's Miso dressing. Also like Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette.

3 but they are all home made....bottled salad dressings are a waste of money.

None. What I've got in the fridge are the ingredients for making the dressings myself. Love vinaigrette.

Gardengal, I can't speak for her, but in this case I think Linda was literally talking about the price of salad dressing. I could make a couple dozen bottles of salad dressing for the price of one bottle of prepared. For me, it's worth the price for the convenience to have the two I keep around, but I do like my homemade better. If someone else likes bottled better, who am I to object? I'm not very price sensitive about food. Others are very happy to eliminate "waste" from the food budgets for what a little organization and labor can well provide.

As to the general tenor, I do think there's a bias towards making it yourself because this is a cooking group, rather than merely an eating group. And if most people make most of their own food, then they get to prefer the flavors and all of their homemade food. Annie talks about how her grandchildren prefer the flavor of boxed cake mix and frosting (I think that was it) to homemade, though if looking can tell you anything, I think Annie's cakes look bingeworthy.

While I make most things from scratch, I have to say that some of the foods that get the biggest raves involve packets, like the Jewish American Brisket, made with soup mix, chili sauce and coke, or my guacamole which has powdered garlic and onion and jarred salsa picante. OTOH, I've been known to make my own cheese and sausage for lasagna (and sauce and pasta of course)....that's good too. :)

I agree that bottled dressing are a waste of money, if that is your main concern. If time is your main concern, then bottled dressings may serve you well enough, but for me, it takes very little time to make a salad dressing. My brother probably cannot tell much difference between a bottled dressing and one that I make, but I notice a drastic difference. People have different priorities, and I respect that.

Frankly, I'd also feel I'm wasting money if I bought dressings, because they're so easy and quick to make. On the other hand, I do buy mayonnaise though making it is just as easy and quick. I don't know what Hellmann puts in its mayo, but I far prefer the flavour of Hellmann's to mine. So some people might argue I'm wasting money, and I'd agree with them. I AM wasting money, but for me it's worth it. I don't think any harm was meant by Linda's comment.

I make my own. I love this Greek dressing and it's the one I have in my fridge. I can make this salad dressing in my sleep.

I currently have ranch, Ken's Vidalia onion, and Ken's caesar dressing in the frige and Ken's lite Italian and another bottle of ranch in the pantry. I rarely use Ranch on salads myself but I like it for dipping veggies and my son's girlfriend puts ranch on quite a lot of things.

I make some dressings on occasion in the spring and fall when lettuce is in season. I've got a real good recipe for Caesar somewhere but haven't made it since our hens quit layiung and I could use fresh eggs.

My basic vinaigrette is vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, Dijon and olive oil. From there it gets tweaked depending on the salad and meal. I always let the salt dissolve in the vinegar before adding oil.

With a family who each prefers a different type of dressing, making my own does save money because I'd have to buy 5 or 6 different types of dressing. It's time-consuming, though, so you have to factor that in. And yes, Wintercat, there's something about Hellman's that I cannot replicate.

I confess.........I told a lie upthread. I do have a bottle of Kraft Raspberry vinaigrette in the fridge. My DH loves a salad dressing I make using olive oil, red wine vinegar , balsamic , Dijon mustard and 1/4 cup of Kraft Raspberry vinaigrette.

It's a recipe I got from my daughter who works for Heinz/Kraft and gets tons of their stuff for free......so at least I didn't pay for it. : )

Trader Joe's Greek Style Feta dressing......very rich flavored, I use 1 Tbs of it to 1 Tbs olive oil drizzled on my salad. Just started going to a new Trader Joe's in our area, and it's fun to try new products.

Chase, I got this recipe from someone here. I think his name was Bob.

Ella’s Raspberry Vinaigrette

1/2 cup mild oil, such as canola or vegetable oil
2 TB honey
1 scant TB Dijon mustard
3 TB red wine vinegar (white balsamic works well too)
1 tsp fresh lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
half of 1/2 pint fresh raspberries, about 1/2 cup*

*Frozen berries, thawed, can also be used.

Combine all ingredients except berries in a mini-chop, processor or blender and process briefly to emulsify. Add berries and process until liquid. Check seasoning by dipping a piece of the greens into the dressing to get a true assessment. (Strain to remove seeds)

Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Store in fridge and shake or whisk well before using again.

I dress my baby greens and then add roasted pecans.

Btw, check your messages.

ETA: It was Bob.

raspberry-vinaigrette

Chase, could you ask your daughter if Kraft still makes the Roka Blue and creamy garlic. I cannot find them in stores. Thanks!

We prefer the bottled of any kind. I buy the smallest offered and a lot of different types. Bottled means one less step at supper or appetizers, and my husband can recognize what he likes. We have about 15 or so favorites that we cycle through.

ETA: I have never been one to make-or-cook-everything-from-scratch or it is not good. There are some excellent bottled dressings available.

Not a one. I don't care much for salads, so when I do make one I make the dressing. I only make enough for the salad that I'm making.

Jerzeegirl, I make a similar one to your Greek and another one subbing dried basil for when the salad has lots of tomatoes.

Provogal, I drive by Venturi Schulze just about everyday.

Hi Pk, I asked her and she says she doesn't see them on her product lists although there is a Blue Cheese...but not Roka Blue Cheese.

Used to buy Kuehne Yoghurt & Dill salad dressing. Sharon CB used it a lot on her salads. Fresh Market carried it for a couple years then stopped.

https://www.kuehne-international.com/dressing/yoghurt-dill-dressing

I've never liked anything on my salads, and I rarely eat them, as lettuce doesn't agree with me, but I make DH a salad every day for his lunch. Very seldom do I buy dressing. I make a honey mustard and add a heaping tsp of fresh horseradish.