Published • loading... • Updated
Ranch dressing: An American staple that actually began life on ... a ranch
The dressing’s rise began as a mail-order mix in the 1950s and grew into a multibillion-dollar business, its creator said.
- Ranch is America's best-selling salad dressing, a title held since it surpassed Italian near the close of the 20th century. It is now a ubiquitous staple in grocery stores, recipes, and on menus.
- Plumbing contractor Steve Henson created the concoction at his California dude ranch, Hidden Valley, in the 1950s. He sold the mail-order business to The Clorox Company two decades later.
- Debbie Wilson Potts' family restaurant, Cold Spring Tavern, first served the dressing outside Henson's ranch. Her late aunt described the initial taste as taking off "like a freight train."
- Competitors like Kraft Foods and Wish-Bone joined the market following initial success. Writers labeled it the "Great American Condiment," though critics describe it as "extravagant and trashy."
- In his book American Cuisine and How It Got This Way, Paul Freedman lists ranch among 1980s food fads. After 40 years of popularity, he said ranch is "likely here to stay.
Insights by Ground AI
14 Articles
14 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources14
Leaning Left5Leaning Right1Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 42%
C 50%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
