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{{short description|Style of salad dressing}}
{{Infobox prepared food
{{Infobox food
| name = Ranch dressing
| image = Ranch dressing.jpg
| image = Ranch dressing.jpg
| caption = Homemade ranch dressing
| caption = Homemade ranch dressing
| alternate_name =
| alternate_name =
| country = United States
| place_of_origin = [[Alaska, United States]]
| associated_cuisine = [[American cuisine]]
| region =
| national_cuisine =
| creator = Steve Henson
| creator = Steve Henson
| year = Early 1950s
| year = Early 1950s
| time1 =
| time2 =
| course =
| course =
| type = [[Salad]] dressing or [[dip (food)|dip]]
| type = [[Salad]] dressing or [[dip (food)|dip]]
Line 16: Line 13:
| main_ingredient = {{hlist | [[Mayonnaise]] | [[sour cream]] | [[buttermilk]] | [[salt]] | [[black pepper]] | [[garlic]] | [[onion]] | [[chives]] | [[parsley]] | [[dill]]}}
| main_ingredient = {{hlist | [[Mayonnaise]] | [[sour cream]] | [[buttermilk]] | [[salt]] | [[black pepper]] | [[garlic]] | [[onion]] | [[chives]] | [[parsley]] | [[dill]]}}
| variations =
| variations =
| serving_size =
| calories =
| protein =
| fat =
| carbohydrate =
| glycemic_index =
| similar_dish =
| similar_dish =
| other =
| other =
| complexity =
| cookbook = Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
}}
}}
⚫
'''Ranch dressing''' is a savory, creamy [[US cuisine|American]] [[salad dressing]] usually made from [[buttermilk]], [[salt]], [[garlic]], [[onion]], [[mustard (condiment)|mustard]], [[herbs]] (commonly [[chives]], [[parsley]] and [[dill]]), and spices (commonly [[black pepper|pepper]], [[paprika]], and ground [[mustard seed]]) mixed into a sauce based on [[mayonnaise]] or another oil [[emulsion]].<ref name="Hardy">{{Cite web |last=Hardy |first=James |date=2023-12-13 |title=Exploring Culinary History: Who Invented Ranch Dressing and When Was This Iconic Sauce Born? {{!}} History Cooperative |url=https://historycooperative.org/who-invented-ranch-dressing/ |access-date=2024-04-23 |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Sour cream]] and [[yogurt]] are sometimes used in addition to, or as a substitute for, buttermilk and mayonnaise.


⚫
Ranch has been the best-selling salad dressing in the United States since 1992, when it overtook [[Italian dressing]].<ref name="slate">{{Cite news |last=Koerner |first=Brendan |date=2005-08-05 |title=Ranch Dressing. Why do Americans love it so much? |language=en-US |work=[[Slate Magazine]] |url=https://slate.com/culture/2005/08/america-s-love-affair-with-ranch-dressing.html |access-date=2023-09-27 |issn=1091-2339}}</ref> It is also popular in the United States and [[Canada]] as a [[dip (food)|dip]], and as a flavoring for [[potato chip]]s and other foods. In 2017, 40% of Americans named ranch as their favorite dressing, according to a study by the Association for Dressings and Sauces.<ref name="moskin">{{cite news |last=Moskin |first=Julia |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/18/dining/ranch-dressing-history.html |title=Ranch Nation |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2018-09-18 |access-date=2018-09-24 }}</ref> Ranch dressing is most prominently used in the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] region.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Friedman |first=Stephanie |date=2022-10-24 |title=The US Region That Consumes More Ranch Dressing Than Any Other |url=https://www.tastingtable.com/1068981/the-us-region-that-consumes-more-ranch-dressing-than-any-other/ |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=Tasting Table |language=en-US}}</ref>
⚫
'''Ranch dressing''' is a type of salad dressing made of some combination of [[buttermilk]], [[salt]], [[garlic]], [[onion]], [[mustard (condiment)|mustard]], [[herbs]] (commonly [[chives]], [[parsley]], and [[dill]]), and spices (commonly [[black pepper]], [[paprika]], and ground [[mustard seed]]), mixed into a sauce based on [[mayonnaise]], or another oil emulsion. [[Sour cream]] and [[yogurt]] are sometimes used in addition to or as a substitute for buttermilk and mayonnaise. Ranch has never been one of the core buildings blocks for America. Being one of the last of a long list of American dressings, it has become the worst nations national sauces. Currently, it is second to BBQ sauce.

⚫
Ranch dressing has been the best-selling [[salad#Dressings|salad dressing]] in the [[United States]] since 1992, when it overtook [[Italian dressing]].<ref name=slate>[[Slate (magazine)|Slate magazine]] [http://www.slate.com/id/2123991/ Ranch Dressing. Why do Americans love it so much?] - August 5, 2005</ref> It is also popular in the US as a [[dip (food)|dip]] and flavoring for chips and other foods. In 2017, forty percent of Americans named ranch as their favorite dressing.<ref> study by the Association for Dressings and Sauces mentioned in {{cite news |last=Moskin |first=Julia |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/18/dining/ranch-dressing-history.html |title=Ranch Nation |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2018-09-18 |accessdate=2018-09-24 }}</ref>


==History==
==History==
In the early 1950s, plumber Steve Henson developed<ref name="Santa Barbara Independent 2015">{{cite web | last=Redmon | first=Michael | title=Ranch Dressing Originated in Santa Barbara's Mountains | website=[[The Santa Barbara Independent]] | date=2015-11-20 | url=http://www.independent.com/news/2015/nov/25/ranch-dressing-originated-santa-barbaras-mountains/ | access-date=2017-07-31}}</ref> what is now known as ranch dressing while working as a contractor for three years in the remote [[The Bush (Alaska)|Alaskan bush]]. In 1954, he and his wife Gayle opened Hidden Valley Ranch, a [[dude ranch]] at the former Sweetwater Ranch on [[San Marcos Pass]] in [[Santa Barbara County, California]], where they served it to customers. It became popular, and they began selling it in packages for customers to take home, both as a finished product and as packets of seasoning to be mixed with mayonnaise and buttermilk. As demand grew, they incorporated Hidden Valley Ranch Food Products, Inc., and opened a factory to manufacture it in larger volumes, which they first distributed to supermarkets in the Southwest, and eventually, nationwide. In October 1972, the Hidden Valley Ranch brand was bought by [[Clorox]] for $8 million.<ref name=slate/>


=== Invention ===
[[Kraft Foods]] and [[General Foods]] responded with similar dry seasoning packets labeled as "ranch style". As a result, they were both sued for [[trademark infringement]] by the Waples-Platter Companies, the Texas-based manufacturer of Ranch Style Beans (now part of [[ConAgra Foods]]), even though Waples-Platter had declined to enter the salad dressing market itself over concerns that the tendency of such products to spoil rapidly would damage its brand. The case was tried before federal judge [[Eldon Brooks Mahon]] in [[Fort Worth, Texas]], in 1976. Judge Mahon ruled in favor of Waples-Platter in a lengthy opinion which described the various "ranch style" and "ranch" products then available, of which many had been created to compete against Hidden Valley Ranch.<ref>''[https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=8238139573674653933 Waples-Platter Companies v. Gen. Foods Corp.]'', 439 F.Supp. 551 (N.D. Tex. 1977).</ref> Judge Mahon specifically noted that Hidden Valley Ranch and Waples-Platter had no dispute with each other (though he also noted that Hidden Valley Ranch was simultaneously suing General Foods in a separate federal case in California). The only issue before the Texas federal district court was that Waples-Platter was disputing the right of other manufacturers to compete against Hidden Valley Ranch by using the label "ranch style".
Ranch dressing was invented in the early 1950s by Steven Henson (1918–2007), a [[Thayer, Nebraska]] native working as a [[Plumber|plumbing contractor]] in the [[Anchorage, Alaska]] area, while cooking to feed his work crews. Henson retired from plumbing at age 35 and moved with his wife to [[Santa Barbara County, California]], where in 1956 he purchased a [[guest ranch]] in [[San Marcos Pass]] and renamed it Hidden Valley Ranch.<ref name="andrews">{{cite news|title=Back at the Ranch: Saga of a Dressing Continues|last=Andrews|first=Colman|date=4 October 1987|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=23 April 2024|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-10-04-ca-32735-story.html}}</ref><ref name="ortiz">{{cite news|title=He Put the Ranch in Dressing|last=Ortiz|first=Sergio|work=Hartford Courant|date=27 January 1999|agency=Los Angeles Times Syndicate|page=G1}}</ref><ref name="StBarbaraIndy">{{cite web|last=Redmon|first=Michael|title=Ranch Dressing Originated in Santa Barbara's Mountains|website=[[The Santa Barbara Independent]]|date=November 20, 2015|url=http://www.independent.com/news/2015/nov/25/ranch-dressing-originated-santa-barbaras-mountains/|accessdate=March 18, 2021}}</ref>

Henson served the salad dressing he had created at the ranch's steakhouse, which became popular, and guests bought jars to take home.<ref name="ortiz" /> The first commercial customer for ranch dressing was Henson's friend, Audrey Ovington, who was the owner of [[Cold Spring Tavern]].<ref name="StBarbaraIndy" /> By 1957, Henson began selling packages of dressing mix in stores.<ref name="StBarbaraIndy" />

Henson began selling the packages by mail for 75 cents a piece, and eventually devoted every room in his house to the operation.<ref name="StBarbaraIndy" /> By the mid-1960s, the guest ranch had closed, but Henson's "ranch dressing" mail-order business was thriving.<ref name="StBarbaraIndy" />

The Hensons incorporated Hidden Valley Ranch Food Products, Inc., and opened a factory to manufacture ranch dressing in larger volumes, which they first distributed to supermarkets in [[Southwestern United States|the Southwest]], and eventually nationwide.<ref name="InformsJournal">{{cite journal |last1=Brown |first1=Gerald L. |last2=Dell |first2=Robert F. |last3=Davis |first3=Ray L. |last4=Duff |first4=Richard H. |title=Optimizing Plant-Line Schedules and an Application at Hidden Valley Manufacturing Company |journal=[[INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics|Interfaces]] |date=May–June 2002 |volume=32 |issue=3 |pages=1–14 |url=https://archive.org/details/DTIC_ADA487893/mode/2up |access-date=14 March 2020 |publisher=The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences |location=Catonsville, MD |doi=10.1287/inte.32.3.1.44 |s2cid=15375294 |issn=0092-2102|hdl=10945/38098 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

=== Commercialization ===
Manufacturing of the mix was later moved to [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], then to [[Colorado]], and then to [[Sparks, Nevada]], in 1972.<ref name=StBarbaraIndy/><ref name=InformsJournal/>

In October 1972, the Hidden Valley Ranch brand was bought by [[Clorox]] for $8 million,<ref name=slate/><ref name=StBarbaraIndy/> and Henson retired.<ref name=StBarbaraIndy/>

[[Kraft Foods]] and [[General Foods]] introduced similar dry seasoning packets labeled as "ranch style". Clorox reformulated the Hidden Valley Ranch dressing several times to make it more convenient for consumers, including adding buttermilk flavoring to the seasoning, allowing the dressing to be made using much less expensive regular [[milk]].<ref name=slate/> In 1983, Clorox developed a [[shelf stable|non-refrigerated]] bottled formulation.

⚫
During the 1980s, ranch became a common snack food flavor, starting with [[Doritos#Flavors|Cool Ranch Doritos]] in 1987. [[Frito-Lay|Hidden Valley Ranch Wavy Lay's potato chips]] were introduced in 1994.<ref name=slate/>

In 1992, ranch surpassed Italian dressing to become the best-selling salad dressing in the United States.<ref name="slate" />

During the 1990s, Hidden Valley had three child-oriented variations of ranch dressing: pizza, nacho cheese, and taco flavors.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Taylor|first=Heather|date=January 31, 2017|title=A Look Back at Hidden Valley Ranch's 10 Biggest Milestones|work=Huffpost|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/a-look-back-at-hidden-val_b_14525264|access-date=February 15, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfrHc6B4Et4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/cfrHc6B4Et4| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=1993 TV Ad: Pizza, Taco & Nacho Cheese Flavored Ranch Dressing by Hidden Valley|date=1993|last=|first=|type=Television advertisement|language=}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 1994, [[Domino's|Domino’s]] first started offering ranch sauce as a condiment with its chicken wings and pizzas, a combination that quickly became popular with customers.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The History of Ranch Dressing started in 1949 from a hidden valley. |url=https://www.ranch4life.com/the-history |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=www.ranch4life.com |language=en}}</ref>

As of 2002, Clorox [[subsidiary]] Hidden Valley Manufacturing Company was producing ranch packets and bottled dressings at two large factories, in [[Reno, Nevada]], and [[Wheeling, Illinois]].<ref name=InformsJournal/>

In 2017, Hidden Valley Ranch Products turned over $450 million.<ref name="moskin" />

==Production==
⚫
Ranch dressing is produced by many manufacturers, including Hidden Valley, [[Ken's Foods|Ken's]], [[Kraft Foods|Kraft]], Litehouse, Marie's, [[Newman's Own]], and [[Wish-Bone]], as well as [[Heinz]] in the [[Middle East]].

== Variations ==
In the [[Southwestern United States]], there is a variant from [[New Mexican cuisine]] called "green chile ranch" which adds green [[New Mexico chile]] pepper as an ingredient.<ref name="Scinto 2022">{{cite web | last=Scinto | first=Maria | title=These Are America's Best Restaurants For Celebrating Thanksgiving | website=Tasting Table | date=November 13, 2022 | url=https://www.tastingtable.com/1099790/these-are-americas-best-restaurants-for-celebrating-thanksgiving/ | access-date=March 4, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Ragland 2022">{{cite web | last=Ragland | first=Gigi | title=At This Albuquerque Restaurant, the Flavors of New Mexico's 19 Pueblos Come Together | website=Condé Nast Traveler | date=June 1, 2022 | url=https://www.cntraveler.com/story/at-this-albuquerque-restaurant-the-flavors-of-new-mexicos-19-pueblos-come-together | access-date=March 4, 2023}}</ref> Regional restaurant chains like [[Dion's]] produce and sell green chile ranch, as do others.<ref name="KRQE 2017">{{cite web | title=People rushing Dion's for new green chile ranch | website=KRQE NEWS 13 | date=August 29, 2017 | url=https://www.krqe.com/news/people-rushing-dions-for-new-green-chile-ranch/ | access-date=March 4, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Landes 2022">{{cite web | last=Landes | first=Craig | title=Recipe For Success | website=American City Business Journals | date=June 9, 2022 | url=https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/news/2022/06/09/dions-keys-longevity-restaurant-business.html | access-date=March 4, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Let Thy Food 2017">{{cite web | title=Green Chile Ranch Superfood Dressing • Dip | website=Let Thy Food | date=March 15, 2017 | url=https://letthyfood.com/green-chile-ranch-superfood-dressing-dip/ | access-date=March 4, 2023}}</ref>


Other variations include [[avocado]], [[bell pepper|roasted red pepper]], and [[truffle]].<ref name="Hardy" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Stevens |first1=Ashlie D. |title=The story of ranch, the "Cool American" condiment that has divided a nation (and taken over Etsy) |url=https://www.salon.com/2021/01/31/the-story-of-ranch-the-cool-american-condiment-that-has-divided-a-nation-and-taken-over-etsy/ |website=Salon |access-date=23 April 2024 |language=en |date=31 January 2021}}</ref>
Meanwhile, Clorox reformulated the Hidden Valley Ranch dressing several times to make it more convenient for consumers. The first change was to include [[buttermilk]] flavoring in the seasoning, meaning much less expensive regular [[milk]] could be used to mix the dressing instead.<ref name=slate/> In 1983, Clorox developed a more popular [[shelf stable|non-refrigerated]] bottled formulation. As of 2002, Clorox [[subsidiary]] Hidden Valley Ranch Manufacturing LLC produces ranch packets and bottled dressings at two large factories, in [[Reno, Nevada]], and [[Wheeling, Illinois]].<ref>Brown, Gerald, et al. "Optimizing Plant-Line Schedules and an Application at Hidden Valley Manufacturing Company," ''Interfaces'' 32, no. 3 (May–June 2002), 1-14.</ref>


==Trademark lawsuit==
⚫
During the 1980s, ranch became a common snack food flavor, starting with [[Doritos|Cool Ranch Doritos]] in 1987, and [[Frito-Lay|Hidden Valley Ranch Wavy Lay's]] in 1994.<ref name=slate/>


One side effect of the adoption of the name "ranch" for Henson's new salad dressing was that it resulted in a federal lawsuit over whether the phrase "ranch style" could be used to describe competing salad dressing products. Since the early 1930s, there had also been an existing product called “Ranch Style Beans”, which is still sold by [[Conagra Brands]] today.
During the 1990s, Hidden Valley had three kid-oriented variations of ranch dressing: pizza, nacho cheese, and taco flavors.{{cn|date=May 2018}}


In 1975, Waples-Platter, the Texas-based manufacturer of Ranch Style Beans, sued Kraft Foods and General Foods for [[trademark infringement]] for their "ranch style" products, even though Waples-Platter had declined to enter the salad dressing market itself over concerns about rapid spoilage.
==Popularity==
[[File:German Ranch Dressing.jpg|thumb|A mixed salad with German "Würziges Ranch-Dressing"]]
Ranch dressing is common in the United States as a [[Dip (food)|dipping sauce]] for [[broccoli]], [[carrot]]s and [[celery]] as well as a dip for [[Potato chip|chips]] and "bar foods" such as [[french fries]] and [[Buffalo wing|chicken wings]]. It is also a common dipping sauce for [[Deep frying|fried foods]] such as fried [[Edible mushroom|mushrooms]], fried [[zucchini]], fried [[pickled cucumber|pickles]], [[jalapeno popper]]s, [[onion ring]]s, [[chicken finger]]s, and [[hushpuppy|hushpuppies]]. In addition, ranch dressing is used on [[pizza]], [[Pickled cucumber|pickles]], [[baked potato]]es, [[Wrap (food)|wraps]], [[taco]]s, [[pretzel]]s, and [[hamburger]]s.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}


The case was tried in 1976 before federal judge [[Eldon Brooks Mahon]] in [[Fort Worth, Texas]]. Mahon ruled in favor of Waples-Platter in a lengthy opinion, which described the various "ranch style" and "ranch" products then available in the 1970s in the United States, of which many had been created to compete against Hidden Valley Ranch. Mahon's opinion cites evidence indicating lawyers had compelled Henson himself to sit for a [[Deposition (law)|deposition]] during the [[Discovery (law)|discovery]] process to testify about the history of Hidden Valley Ranch.<ref name="Waples-Platter">''[https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=8238139573674653933 Waples-Platter Companies v. Gen. Foods Corp.]'', 439 [[Federal Supplement|F.Supp.]] 551 (N.D. Tex. 1977).</ref>
In Germany, Kühne produces a product labeled as Würziges Ranch-Dressing (literally "spicy ranch dressing"). It is based on the common recipe but contains additional tomatoes, red bell peppers, and red pepper. Its color is not white but looks like cocktail sauce.


Mahon specifically noted that Hidden Valley Ranch and Waples-Platter had no dispute with each other, though he also said Hidden Valley Ranch was simultaneously suing General Foods in a separate federal case in California. The only issue before the Texas federal district court was that Waples-Platter was disputing the right of other American food manufacturers to compete against Hidden Valley Ranch by using the label "ranch style".<ref name="Waples-Platter" />
⚫
Ranch dressing is produced by many manufacturers, including Hidden Valley, [[Ken's Foods|Ken's]], [[Kraft Foods|Kraft]], Litehouse, Marie's, [[Newman's Own]], and [[Wish-Bone]].<ref>[http://caloriecount.about.com/tag/food/ranchdressing Calorie counter - ranch dressing]</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
{{portal|Salad dressing|Food}}
{{Portal|Food}}
* [[Dip (food)#List of common dips|List of dips]]
* [[Dip (food)#List of common dips|List of dips]]


Line 58: Line 77:


==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Wiktionary}}
*[http://www.hiddenvalley.com/about-us/our-story/ Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing history]
*[https://www.hiddenvalley.com/about-us/ Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing history]


{{Salad dressings}}
{{Salad dressings}}
{{Herbs & spices}}
{{Herbs & spices}}
{{Condiments}}


[[Category:American cuisine]]
[[Category:American inventions]]
⚫
[[category:American inventions]]
[[Category:Dips (food)]]
[[Category:Dips (food)]]
[[Category:Salad dressings]]
[[Category:Salad dressings]]
[[Category:Food and drink introduced in the 1950s]]
[[Category:Food and drink introduced in the 1950s]]
[[Category:Sauces of the mayonnaise family]]
[[Category:Mayonnaise]]
[[Category:Californian cuisine]]
⚫
[[Category:American condiments]]

Latest revision as of 13:58, 19 November 2024

Ranch dressing
Homemade ranch dressing
TypeSalad dressing or dip
Place of originAlaska, United States
Associated cuisineAmerican cuisine
Created bySteve Henson
InventedEarly 1950s
Main ingredients

Ranch dressing is a savory, creamy American salad dressing usually made from buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, mustard, herbs (commonly chives, parsley and dill), and spices (commonly pepper, paprika, and ground mustard seed) mixed into a sauce based on mayonnaise or another oil emulsion.[1] Sour cream and yogurt are sometimes used in addition to, or as a substitute for, buttermilk and mayonnaise.

Ranch has been the best-selling salad dressing in the United States since 1992, when it overtook Italian dressing.[2] It is also popular in the United States and Canada as a dip, and as a flavoring for potato chips and other foods. In 2017, 40% of Americans named ranch as their favorite dressing, according to a study by the Association for Dressings and Sauces.[3] Ranch dressing is most prominently used in the Midwest region.[4]

History

[edit]

Invention

[edit]

Ranch dressing was invented in the early 1950s by Steven Henson (1918–2007), a Thayer, Nebraska native working as a plumbing contractor in the Anchorage, Alaska area, while cooking to feed his work crews. Henson retired from plumbing at age 35 and moved with his wife to Santa Barbara County, California, where in 1956 he purchased a guest ranch in San Marcos Pass and renamed it Hidden Valley Ranch.[5][6][7]

Henson served the salad dressing he had created at the ranch's steakhouse, which became popular, and guests bought jars to take home.[6] The first commercial customer for ranch dressing was Henson's friend, Audrey Ovington, who was the owner of Cold Spring Tavern.[7] By 1957, Henson began selling packages of dressing mix in stores.[7]

Henson began selling the packages by mail for 75 cents a piece, and eventually devoted every room in his house to the operation.[7] By the mid-1960s, the guest ranch had closed, but Henson's "ranch dressing" mail-order business was thriving.[7]

The Hensons incorporated Hidden Valley Ranch Food Products, Inc., and opened a factory to manufacture ranch dressing in larger volumes, which they first distributed to supermarkets in the Southwest, and eventually nationwide.[8]

Commercialization

[edit]

Manufacturing of the mix was later moved to San Jose, then to Colorado, and then to Sparks, Nevada, in 1972.[7][8]

In October 1972, the Hidden Valley Ranch brand was bought by Clorox for $8 million,[2][7] and Henson retired.[7]

Kraft Foods and General Foods introduced similar dry seasoning packets labeled as "ranch style". Clorox reformulated the Hidden Valley Ranch dressing several times to make it more convenient for consumers, including adding buttermilk flavoring to the seasoning, allowing the dressing to be made using much less expensive regular milk.[2] In 1983, Clorox developed a non-refrigerated bottled formulation.

During the 1980s, ranch became a common snack food flavor, starting with Cool Ranch Doritos in 1987. Hidden Valley Ranch Wavy Lay's potato chips were introduced in 1994.[2]

In 1992, ranch surpassed Italian dressing to become the best-selling salad dressing in the United States.[2]

During the 1990s, Hidden Valley had three child-oriented variations of ranch dressing: pizza, nacho cheese, and taco flavors.[9][10]

In 1994, Domino’s first started offering ranch sauce as a condiment with its chicken wings and pizzas, a combination that quickly became popular with customers.[11]

As of 2002, Clorox subsidiary Hidden Valley Manufacturing Company was producing ranch packets and bottled dressings at two large factories, in Reno, Nevada, and Wheeling, Illinois.[8]

In 2017, Hidden Valley Ranch Products turned over $450 million.[3]

Production

[edit]

Ranch dressing is produced by many manufacturers, including Hidden Valley, Ken's, Kraft, Litehouse, Marie's, Newman's Own, and Wish-Bone, as well as Heinz in the Middle East.

Variations

[edit]

In the Southwestern United States, there is a variant from New Mexican cuisine called "green chile ranch" which adds green New Mexico chile pepper as an ingredient.[12][13] Regional restaurant chains like Dion's produce and sell green chile ranch, as do others.[14][15][16]

Other variations include avocado, roasted red pepper, and truffle.[1][17]

Trademark lawsuit

[edit]

One side effect of the adoption of the name "ranch" for Henson's new salad dressing was that it resulted in a federal lawsuit over whether the phrase "ranch style" could be used to describe competing salad dressing products. Since the early 1930s, there had also been an existing product called “Ranch Style Beans”, which is still sold by Conagra Brands today.

In 1975, Waples-Platter, the Texas-based manufacturer of Ranch Style Beans, sued Kraft Foods and General Foods for trademark infringement for their "ranch style" products, even though Waples-Platter had declined to enter the salad dressing market itself over concerns about rapid spoilage.

The case was tried in 1976 before federal judge Eldon Brooks Mahon in Fort Worth, Texas. Mahon ruled in favor of Waples-Platter in a lengthy opinion, which described the various "ranch style" and "ranch" products then available in the 1970s in the United States, of which many had been created to compete against Hidden Valley Ranch. Mahon's opinion cites evidence indicating lawyers had compelled Henson himself to sit for a deposition during the discovery process to testify about the history of Hidden Valley Ranch.[18]

Mahon specifically noted that Hidden Valley Ranch and Waples-Platter had no dispute with each other, though he also said Hidden Valley Ranch was simultaneously suing General Foods in a separate federal case in California. The only issue before the Texas federal district court was that Waples-Platter was disputing the right of other American food manufacturers to compete against Hidden Valley Ranch by using the label "ranch style".[18]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Hardy, James (2023-12-13). "Exploring Culinary History: Who Invented Ranch Dressing and When Was This Iconic Sauce Born? | History Cooperative". Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  2. ^ a b c d e Koerner, Brendan (2005-08-05). "Ranch Dressing. Why do Americans love it so much?". Slate Magazine. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  3. ^ a b Moskin, Julia (2018-09-18). "Ranch Nation". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
  4. ^ Friedman, Stephanie (2022-10-24). "The US Region That Consumes More Ranch Dressing Than Any Other". Tasting Table. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  5. ^ Andrews, Colman (4 October 1987). "Back at the Ranch: Saga of a Dressing Continues". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  6. ^ a b Ortiz, Sergio (27 January 1999). "He Put the Ranch in Dressing". Hartford Courant. Los Angeles Times Syndicate. p. G1.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Redmon, Michael (November 20, 2015). "Ranch Dressing Originated in Santa Barbara's Mountains". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Brown, Gerald L.; Dell, Robert F.; Davis, Ray L.; Duff, Richard H. (May–June 2002). "Optimizing Plant-Line Schedules and an Application at Hidden Valley Manufacturing Company". Interfaces. 32 (3). Catonsville, MD: The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences: 1–14. doi:10.1287/inte.32.3.1.44. hdl:10945/38098. ISSN 0092-2102. S2CID 15375294. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  9. ^ Taylor, Heather (January 31, 2017). "A Look Back at Hidden Valley Ranch's 10 Biggest Milestones". Huffpost. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  10. ^ 1993 TV Ad: Pizza, Taco & Nacho Cheese Flavored Ranch Dressing by Hidden Valley (Television advertisement). 1993. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12.
  11. ^ "The History of Ranch Dressing started in 1949 from a hidden valley". www.ranch4life.com. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  12. ^ Scinto, Maria (November 13, 2022). "These Are America's Best Restaurants For Celebrating Thanksgiving". Tasting Table. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  13. ^ Ragland, Gigi (June 1, 2022). "At This Albuquerque Restaurant, the Flavors of New Mexico's 19 Pueblos Come Together". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  14. ^ "People rushing Dion's for new green chile ranch". KRQE NEWS 13. August 29, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  15. ^ Landes, Craig (June 9, 2022). "Recipe For Success". American City Business Journals. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  16. ^ "Green Chile Ranch Superfood Dressing • Dip". Let Thy Food. March 15, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  17. ^ Stevens, Ashlie D. (31 January 2021). "The story of ranch, the "Cool American" condiment that has divided a nation (and taken over Etsy)". Salon. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  18. ^ a b Waples-Platter Companies v. Gen. Foods Corp., 439 F.Supp. 551 (N.D. Tex. 1977).
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