Best Italian salad dressing? We rank the house brands

A little more than a month ago, Store Brand Scorecard suggested to Money College readers the best garlic and cheese croutons for your money to go on your salad. (The victor was the Jewel brand, sold at Jewel-Osco, and which you're likely to find under a different name at Albertsons, Shop 'n Save and other stores owned and operated by Fortune 500 company Supervalu.)

But even with Jewel croutons and some nice greens, you've got to dress things up with a nice dressing. With summer (thankfully) still in session and salad season at its prime, Store Brand Scorecard wanted to see if Jewel would also provide the best value and taste when it comes to Italian salad dressing. Its challengers include a national brand and two other store brands from a big box and mini market. All products were sampled straight up on a spoon and on a piece of bread.

Products were purchased Aug. 15 in the Chicago area. Prices are subject to change depending on date and area of purchase.