Thesalad dressingaisle at the grocery store can feel practically endless.
From brands to flavors, there are often dozens, if not hundreds, of bottles to choose fromreally!
Take blue cheese dressing, for instance.
Photos: The brands. Design: Eat This, Not That!
More versatile versions work well in both cases.
Depending on your objective, I can help you narrow your options quickly.
I recently tried 11 different blue cheese dressings from grocery store shelves, so you don’t have to.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
While many aren’t too bad, some are better than others.
It comes in a glass bottle with a pretty small opening.
Alas, it didn’t get much better from there.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
The look:There are an abundance of chunks in this dressing and dip.
There are almost more chunks than dressing between the chunks, and the color is a bit off-white.
The taste:Despite all the chunks, this is really lacking in blue cheese flavor.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
The look:I kept searching for the chunks in this blue cheese dressing and struggled to find them.
The ones that were present were quite small, and the overall consistency was very thin.
The taste:I expect blue cheese dressings to have bold flavor, and this did not.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
The flavor was actually really mild and lacked any of that zing you expect from such a strong cheese.
Even with the small pieces of blue cheese, the flavor was so bland.
I picked up this jar for $3.98 at Walmart.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
The look:Dense.
It has the consistency of mayonnaise with plenty of cheesy chunks in it.
The taste:Potent.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
The look:Not encouraging.
It hardly looks like blue cheese dressing at all.
There are very few visible chunks, and those that are there are tiny.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
There are also no visible seasonings, and the consistency is pretty thin.
The taste:Perplexing.
I’m not convinced this isn’t ranch dressing in the wrong bottle.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
The miniscule chunks of cheese are the only indication otherwise.
All that’s to say it’s not a convincing blue cheese.
The look:Another smooth and cream dressing that seems thin and lacking in hearty chunks.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
The look:Not nearly as “chunky” as its name suggests.
There are some very (and I meanvery) small flecks of blue cheese, but that’s all.
The taste:Like ranch dressing with blue cheese pieces in it.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
Kraft Chunky Blue Cheese
The folks at Kraft Foods are pros at a lot of things.
The brand’s got mac and cheese down to a science.
Kraft Singles are a sandwich delight.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
And Kraft salad dressings are always done right.
Thisblue cheese, which cost me $2.89 at Walmart, is just fine.
It’s done well, it’s priced right, and gets the job done.
The taste:Here’s when you know it’s not ranch, though.
I both dipped my carrots in this and poured it on a salad, and both methods worked great.
It’s also bright white and poured out of the bottle easily.
The taste:The tang of this dressing is perfect.
I’m happy to report that Ken’s never misses, and the blue cheese is no exception.
This one cost $2.94 at my local Walmart.
The term “chunky” is generous here, as the chunks are very, very small.
The dressing is very creamy, though, and on the thick side for a dressing.
The taste:Despite lacking the chunks, this dressing packs a potent blue cheese punch.
There’s so much flavor streaming throughout the dressing and in the little pockets of cheesy bits.
This blue cheese dressing is a delight.
I bought this bottle for the bargain price of $2.38 at Walmart.
The look:This dressing is perfectly smooth and creamy with only a few small pieces of blue cheese.
It’s light on visible seasonings, but that didn’t seem to affect the taste.
