Fake It or Make It: French Onion Dip

Elizabeth Gunnison

In our column Fake It or Make It we test a homemade dish against its prepackaged counterpart to find out what's really worth cooking from scratch.

By Elizabeth Gunnison, Bon Appétit

I can't really explain why I eat the foods that I do while watching sports on TV. Normally I'm devoted to fresh ingredients--even organic ingreidnets--but some sort of voodoo takes hold when televised athletics enter the equation. Nachos? Bring it. Ruffles? Yes, please. And definitely, definitely pass the French onion dip.

I'm not repentant or anything. "Everything in moderation," as the old saying goes. And when it comes to this nation's iconic foods, French onion dip is right up there with the iceberg wedge salad and Klondike Bars. It's an American classic. I typically get my French onion fix from a jar, so I couldn't help but wonder: Is it worth going the extra mile to make it from scratch?

The Contenders

Alton Brown's Onion Dip vs. Lay's French Onion Dip

Ironically, French onion dip is about as American as apple pie. Also known as "California Dip," the sour cream and onion party snack is the brainchild of an anonymous west coaster who in 1954 mixed then-new Lipton's Onion Soup Mix with sour cream. The dip spread like wildfire. These days, it garnishes potato chips or crudites, and is mostly bought premade, manufactured by the likes of Lay's, Kraft, and Wise.

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Relative Costs
Almost identical. The Lay's version goes for $3.50 for 1.5 cups on peapod.com, which works out to about $2.30 per cup. I spent about $5.50 in on ingredients to make 2.5 cups of dip, or $2.20 per cup.

Relative Healthfulness
Homemade wins this one, hands down. Alton's recipe calls for just sour cream, onions, and mayonnaise with a few seasonings. Lay's French Onion Dip is filled with a laundry list of unpronounceable thickeners, preservatives, and other additives.

Time Commitment
Minimal. The dip took a total of 25 minutes to make, between chopping the onions, sauteing them, and mixing the ingredients into the final product.

Leftovers Potential
Frito-Lay says that once opened, its French Onion Dip is good in the fridge for 10-14 days. The homemade version can be refrigerated and used for 4-7 days.

What The Testers Said
First let me introduce our panel.

THE HEALTH NUT
A delicate eater, the health nut is calorie conscious but also likes to eat well

THE FOODIE
Calorie agnostic, our foodie judge has a sophisticated palate and a love of cooking

See Also: How to Build the Perfect BLT Sandwich

THE DUDE
Ambivalent toward food trends and health concerns, this guy just wants to be fed when he's hungry

THE KID
Between ages of 9 and 12 years old, not jaded, typically not into strong flavors

The testers sampled both dips blind, on their own and then with potato chips. Testers agreed that Dip A (which, unbeknownst to them, was Lay's) was cheesier compared to the tangier Dip B (homemade), but they were largely stumped by which was store bought.

The Health Nut: Homemade; "I could eat a lot more of this. It's more refreshing."
The Foodie: Store-bought; "This one is cheesier and fuller flavored, whereas the other one has more of a sweet, ranchy tang."
The Kid: Neutral. "They taste the same."
The Dude: Store-bought. "It tastes more gourmet, or complex. There's more going on."

The Verdict
Fake it. Okay, so homemade is the healthier option by a wide margin, but that artificial quality that characterizes the Lay's version is kind of a hallmark of French onion dip, and it's what most people love about the stuff. Pour it from the jar into a nice bowl, and people may not even realize that you bought it. And if they do, and they care, maybe they shouldn't be watching sports on TV.