Search For Copycat Recipes For Your Favorite Foods

I moved to the UK from NY over 12 years ago and even now there are certain products that I can't get here, although it has improved a lot since 1997, or I can get them but they are ridiculously expensive because they are imported. For example, Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing. Over there it costs about $2.59 for the 8oz bottle: over here it costs 6.95 pounds ($10.50)! And that's if you can find it!

I finally got fed up and thought to myself, I wonder if I could find the recipe to make it myself? So I looked on the internet and found a website called Recipezaar.com.

There are hundreds of "copycat" and "clone" recipes on Recipezaar - some for brand-name products some for restaurant recipes (including the likes of McDonalds and KFC) and some are healthier versions of the classics.

PS I would highly recommend the clone recipe for the Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix, it tastes exactly the way I remember the real one tasting and costs pennies per serving. By following the recipe, you will wind up with about 3 cups of the mix which you can then turn into quarts of the dressing just by adding mayo and buttermilk. Very Thrifty!

Source: http://www.recipezaar.com/Hidden-Valley-Ranch-Buttermilk-Dressing-Mix-74560

By ERIN VICKERS from Leicester, England

Editor's Note: We don't have a Hidden Valley Ranch copycat recipe on ThriftyFun, but we have lots of other copycats. Check them out here:

• http://www.thriftyfun.com/Recipes_Copycat_833_1183.html