Avoid This Store-Bought Blue Cheese Dressing That Lacks Flavor

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When preparing a salad, the dressing should elevate and amplify your other ingredients through subtle flavor and added moisture. However, when Food Republic ranked several blue cheese dressings, we found one that not only didn't improve the dish, but actually ruined it with a foul finish: Stonewall Kitchen Blue Cheese Dressing.

Since blue cheese already has a complex profile, any dressing's remaining ingredients should be simple, creating a creamy texture and possibly adding a distinctive accent or two to give it a signature spin. Stonewall Kitchen's version, however, has over 40 ingredients, ranging from standard seasonings like mustard powder to non-vegetarian additions like anchovies. Even if the cheese in the dressing were high-quality, it would be exceedingly difficult to notice, given how powerful these ingredients are, even in small doses. Combined with its general lack of taste, you'd have to use so much of this condiment to dress your greens that you'd probably not even notice your other veggies and fruits.

Food Republic's top-ranked choice, Marzetti, has a grand total of only 15 ingredients, including those used specifically to make the blue cheese. Additionally, an 11-fluid-ounce bottle of Stonewall Kitchen costs $8.95 directly from the producer, while a 13-fluid-ounce bottle of Marzetti costs only $4.99 at Target (though pricing may vary depending on location). Factor in that Stonewall Kitchen's version also lacks significant chunks of cheese, and its price, size, flavor, and texture have no leg up on its competition.

If you've accidentally taken home a substandard blue cheese dressing, not all is lost. Elevating store-bought salad dressings can actually present you with an opportunity to experiment with new flavors, and since your purchase is already a downgrade, feel free to get a little wild and learn something new you may want to apply to a better brand in the future.

For blue cheese dressing, the best way to upgrade a bad product is to mix in more cheese. However, you don't have to limit yourself to the affordable crumbles in plastic tubs. Fourme d'Ambert is an excellent choice because it is surpassingly creamy and absolutely packed with delicious mold. Its texture also makes it exceedingly easy to mix into a preexisting sauce, whether you pulse it in a food processor, pound it with an easy-to-clean mortar and pestle, or just give it a quick mash with a bowl and fork.

Cheap salad dressings may lean on added sugars to cover up a lack of taste, but you might already have what you need to upgrade their tanginess. A dollop of sour cream, mayonnaise, or even a couple of spoonfuls of buttermilk goes a long way toward adding acidity while still keeping everything creamy. If, however, you added extra cheese, a splash of white vinegar or a squeeze of lemon helps loosen the dressing to a more pourable state while still creating plenty of brightness.