“The Pioneer Woman” host Ree Drummond just unleashed her sauciest new venture to date.
The Oklahoma-born cook has always loved dipping — be it chips in salsa or garlic knots in red sauce — but now she’s diving into the condiment industry with a new line that includes pasta sauces, barbecue sauces and ranch dressing.
But the Food Network star hasn't always been a fan of store-bought versions of the classic creamy dip.
"I’ve never been a huge fan of bottled ranch dressing because I’ve always felt that it doesn’t quite taste as homemade as it should,” Drummond told TODAY Food.
The Food Network star worked with Kraft Heinz to develop her own unique take on the dressing, which is a slightly thinner dip, made with lemon, buttermilk and white vinegar. During the taste testing process Drummond said she “had ranch dressing for breakfast by the spoonful because [she] had to taste so many versions and iterations.” After mastering the traditional ranch blend, Drummond added a bit of chipotle puree to the dip and created her “Spicy Southwestern” version.
When asked if she ever dips her pizza in ranch, the celebrity chef admitted that that particular combo isn't really her thing, but her two teenage sons — Todd and Bryce — swear by it.
In addition to the ranch dressings, Drummond’s line includes four flavors of barbecue sauce (Apple Brown Sugar, Honey Habanero, Peach Whiskey and Frontier BBQ), while her pasta sauce flavors include Italian Sausage & Peppers, Rustic Bolognese, Marinara, Four Cheese and Garden Vegetable.
“They’re all based on recipes and dishes that I’ve made in my house through the years," Drummond told TODAY. “The Peach Whiskey is based on peach whiskey barbecue chicken which I’ve made for many, many years. It’s one of my favorite dishes of all time."
Drummond, who’s already written five best-selling cookbooks, developed a housewares line and launched a lifestyle magazine, sees this spicy new adventure as a tribute to home cooks everywhere.
“I’m a home cook and I’m so busy. I have teenage boys, I have girls who are in college, in and out, so we all have to find ways to give ourselves a break in the kitchen,” Drummond said.
Despite the fact that she cooks for a living, Drummond added that she "would rather spend the time making a delicious meatball and then use one of [her] prepared pasta sauces to simmer the meatballs and make meatball subs."
Making things from scratch is "amazing" added the cook, but it's always OK to have some flavorful helpers in the kitchen.
Even Ina Garten swears by a few store-bought ingredients, too! The Barefoot Contessa loves Rao's Homemade marinara sauce, which is available in grocery stores nationwide.
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None of Drummond's sauces use high fructose corn syrup, which is commonly found in many store-bought dressings and dips. The new condiment bottles will start hitting major grocery store shelves this week. The ranch costs $3.69 and the barbecue blends cost $2.99 per bottle. The pasta sauces — which run $3.99 — will join the saucy lineup on shelves in May.
