I’ve never been a ketchup guy when it comes to dipping my fries. If I’m at McDonald’s or Wendy’s, those fries shouldn’t need the flavor boost that comes from coating them in the classic condiment. But if I’m at a restaurant or brewery that offers an elevated fry-dipping sauce, I’ll absolutely dunk french fry after french fry into whatever mayo-based sauce they’ve whipped up.
This is why the announcement of Heinz Mayonnaise-Style Dips absolutely caught my attention.
Available in Buttermilk Ranch, Lemon Pepper Parm and Steakhouse Garlic, the new dips were “inspired by the rising obsession with bold, creamy sauces and restaurant-style aiolis.” Like I said, every restaurant and brewery these days has its own take on this kind of dip. It’s no surprise that Heinz is jumping on this trend.
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The lineup of Heinz Mayonnaise-Style Dips: Lemon Pepper Parm, Buttermilk Ranch and Steakhouse Garlic flavors. / Snackology
My thoughts
While Heinz says that its dipping sauces are “designed to dip, spread, or drizzle atop favorite foods like chicken wings, pizza or french fries,” I unfortunately didn’t have any of those items hanging around our house. (I know, it’s a shocker that the guy who writes a newsletter about food doesn’t always have a pizza on hand.) So I turned to the giant bag of dinosaur nuggets that lives in our freezer. A handful of ambiguously shaped stegosaur and Tyrannosaurus rex chicken bites would be sacrificed for this taste test.
A dipping cup of Heinz Buttermilk Ranch Mayonnaise-Style Dip. / Snackology
I started with the Buttermilk Ranch flavor. This felt like the most classic option of the three flavors. As a Western New Yorker, I’ll always choose blue cheese over ranch when it comes to my buffalo wings, but I have no such standards for a dinosaur nugget.
There’s a soft spot in my heart for Buttermilk Ranch too. The most popular weekly menu item at St. John Fisher College, my alma mater, was the buttermilk ranch chicken sandwich. The dining hall would only serve it once a week, and no matter how much you tried to explain to them that you were going to immediately devour the sandwich and then get right back into line for another one, the staff refused to give you two at once.
A dino nugget dipped in Heinz Buttermilk Ranch Mayonnaise-Style Dip. / Snackology
The Buttermilk Ranch flavor of Heinz Mayonnaise-Style Dips is richer than what you’d get if you just squeezed ranch dressing out of a bottle. It’s creamy with just the right amount of tang thanks to the addition of buttermilk. Of the three flavors introduced this month, Buttermilk Ranch is easily the option that would work best across a multitude of snacking options.
A dipping cup of Heinz Lemon Pepper Parm Mayonnaise-Style Dip. / Snackology
The Lemon Pepper Parm flavor is brighter than the Buttermilk Ranch option. Heinz notes that this flavor has “a zip of citrus flavor, followed by a punch of cracked black pepper and grated parmesan cheese.”
A dino nugget dipped in Heinz Lemon Pepper Parm Mayonnaise-Style Dip. / Snackology
While I gotta admit that the Buttermilk Ranch dip would go well with a traditional buffalo wing (I know, I know ...), I would pick Lemon Pepper Parm to pair with an unsauced wing. It’s been a while since I made wings at home, but my go-to recipe of some humble seasoning would actually really, really let the lemon-y zing of this dipping sauce go to work.
A dipping cup of Heinz Steakhouse Garlic Mayonnaise-Style Dip. / Snackology
You’re probably gonna roll your eyes when I refer to any of these mayo-style dips as “elevated,” but Heinz was trying to do something different with its Steakhouse Garlic flavor. While Buttermilk Ranch and Lemon Pepper Parm both kind of exist in the same zone, Steakhouse Garlic is supposed to be a “twist on classic garlic aioli.”
A dino nugget dipped in Heinz Steakhouse Garlic Mayonnaise-Style Dip. / Snackology
This flavor would be an excellent option if you’re looking for a new fry-dipping sauce. The neutrality of a french fry would be the perfect vessel for the garlic-y goodness of the Steakhouse Garlic sauce. Heinz did a great job balancing this sauce. “Garlic” might be in the sauce’s name, but it’s never overpowering. (You won’t have to worry about being reminded that you ate a garlic sauce the rest of your day.)
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to fire up some more dino nuggets to keep eating these dips ...
The Omnicosm founder. Snackology, Popculturology and The Cold Open writer. A Rochester, N.Y., native now living in the Washington, D.C., area. Won’t pass up a Genny Cream Ale.
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