From the humblest greasy spoon to the most refined cloth-napkin eatery, the two most ubiquitous salad dressing flavors around are Italian -- covering a wide range of vinegar-and-oil concoctions -- and ranch, which does not contain any leather dust, cow droppings or trail dirt.

That got us wondering which is the best.

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Head to your local grocery store and you'll find various permutations of the ranch theme dominating the shelves. Hidden Valley has seven or eight flavor variations, not counting "light" varieties. For the purposes of this comparison, however, we will be testing only the standard recipes sold by each brand.

With Italian, it's a bit harder to pin down a standard recipe, but we did the best we could to test equivalent flavors.

Without further ado, and without the usual preaching about salad dressings being a source of hidden fat and calorie, let's get into the ratings.

Each dressing was rated on a 1 to 10 scale for overall flavor by a panel of five testers, giving a possible perfect score of 50.

Ranch

Ranch dressing actually does have its genesis on a real ranch, according to lore -- and the Hidden Valley Web site. Steve and Gayle Henson, on their dude ranch, served a buttermilk-based dressing with a dry mix of herbs and spices on dinner salads. Soon, the flavor became popular, and the rest is history.

Today's ranch dressings run the gamut from herb-neutral mixes that rely on the buttermilk to carry the flavor to herb-heavy blends that have almost as much greenery in them as the salads on which they're used.

Hidden Valley Ranch: 14 grams fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 260 mg sodium, 2 grams carbs.

We had to start with the original, didn't we? This is the flavor that started it all, and it stands up remarkably well to the test of time. The buttermilk tang was well modulated, and the herb notes were good. Therein lay the only real problem, though. It was just a bit too average, as if every flavor was aimed at the middle ground of the palate. It still finished with a respectable score of 42, though.

Ken's Steak House Ranch: 15 grams fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 310 mg sodium, 2 grams carbs.

This one had a great buttermilk tang, but not much in the way of an herb component. The creaminess was excellent, perfectly balanced and pleasing to the tongue. The overall score came in at 36.

South Beach Diet Ranch: 7 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 300 mg sodium, 2 grams carbs.

I'm not sure what the South Beach folks use that allows them to formulate this dressing with no cholesterol and less fat, but none of the testers thought it tasted particularly good. There was an aftertaste defined as "metallic" and "chemical-like," and the initial flavor was not very impressive, either. A good consistency saved it from the teens, but it still rated a pack-trailing 23.

Full Circle Organic Ranch: 13 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 250 mg sodium, 1 gram carbs.

This dressing has a really good flavor, but that flavor isn't ranch. In that most broadly defined of flavors, Full Circle somehow manages to go beyond the outer limits. It was tasty, with an herb component far more reminiscent of Italian dressing than what the label promises. After some confusion, the testers deducted a few points for an "Iron Chef"-type "failure to use the theme ingredient" penalty and awarded a score of 31.

Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Light: 5 grams fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 310 mg sodium, 3 grams carbs.

The buttermilk mentioned in the name is definitely here. In fact, it's really hard to tell this is a low-fat dressing. What's odd is that the herb flavor, which you'd think would be stronger to cover for less fat, is actually weaker here than in the full-fat version of the dressing. The final score here was a 28.

Kraft Ranch: 11 grams fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 310 mg sodium, 2 grams carbs.

This was pretty much the flavor you'd expect from one of the biggest food conglomerates in the known universe. It was carefully formulated, very creamy and ultimately about as inspired as a mayonnaise sandwich on white bread. Final score: 29.

Marzetti's Ranch: 17 grams fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 200 mg sodium, 1 gram carbs.

The first of the two "super-premium" refrigerated dressings sold in the produce section didn't disappoint. The high fat content was put to good use, generating a truly velvety texture that made me want to dive into the jar with a spoon. The flavor was overall very pleasing, netting a final score of 41.

Marie's Ranch: 19 grams fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 150 mg sodium, 1 gram carbs.

This dressing had both the highest fat and the lowest sodium in the test, and that was reflected in the score. The mouth feel was actually a bit greasy, and the other flavors were very muted and hard to discern. The final score was a disappointing 27.

Annie's Naturals Cowgirl Ranch: 11 grams fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 260 mg sodium, 3 grams carbs.

Annie's Green Goddess dressing is a personal favorite, so it was pleasing to see that the company's love for what I call "faithful reinvention" carries through to this most-identifiable of flavors. There is no doubt you're eating a ranch dressing, but the herbal party that starts from your first bite will drive from memory all the bland, overly creamy salad bar ranches you've ever tried. This one, with an overall score of 47, won the category handily.

Annie's is one of the more expensive dressings on the market, and may not be in every single grocery store -- try the health food section -- but it's well worth the hunt!

Italian

Italian dressing is very, very hard to define. At its base, it is a vinaigrette with basil, oregano or other herbs mixed in. Cheeses such as romano, parmigiano reggiano or others can also end up in the mix. We tried to hew as close as possible to the traditional recipe for the test so as to not allow any brand's particular flair for the exotic to net it extra points.

Good Seasons Italian Vinaigrette with Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 4.5 grams fat, 0 grams cholesterol, 300 mg sodium, 3 grams carbs.

I'm showing my age here, but I remember when just about everyone's mom had one of those Good Seasons cruets and several envelopes of the dressing mix in the pantry. In ready-to-serve form it's good stuff, too, notching a respectable 37 out of 50 to start the test.

Kraft Zesty Italian: 6 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 300 mg sodium, 3 grams carbs.

Just as with the Kraft Ranch, all the basic requirements for the dressing described on the label are here, but careful formulation and meticulous testing has deprived it of anything approaching inspiration, much less any zesty character. It does a workmanlike job of flavoring a salad and scored a 31.

Full Circle Organic Tuscan Italian: 14 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 230 mg sodium, 1 gram carbs.

You'd expect an organic dressing to have great herbs, and that's certainly the case here from an aroma standpoint. This one had the best nose of any tested, but the finish on the tongue was inexplicably weak. Final score: 36.

Wishbone Italian: 8 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 490 mg sodium, 3 grams carbs.

The sodium here is by far the highest, and it's reflected in the taste of the dressing. It was too salty for the majority of the testers, although the herb notes were excellent. With less salt, it would have been the clear winner, but scored a 39.

Newman's Own Family Recipe: 13 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium, 1 gram carbs.

This one adds some good cheese to the mix, and old Paul's gift for seasonings shows to good effect here. It could have used a bit stronger herb "hit," but still notched a 42 with the testers.

Ken's Steak House Lite Northern Italian: 5 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 330 mg sodium, 1 gram carbs.

Who would have expected the "light" entry in the test to win? This dressing had it all, with a satisfying balance of the oil and vinegar, great herbal flavor and just the right saltiness. It was the category winner by a good margin, with a near-perfect 48. Food Comparisons:

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