HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH STARTED IN 1954 That's when Steve Henson and his wife, Gayle, purchased 120 acres of sprawling land nestled in the mountains outside of Santa Barbara, California, and started a dude ranch.

In 1954 ranch dressing was invented at Hidden Valley Ranch, a dude ranch near Santa Barbara, California. Ranch dressing has been the best-selling salad dressing in the United States since 1992, overtaking Italian dressing. Since 1972 Hidden Valley Ranch has been owned by Clorox.

At a real ranch called hidden valley. It was actually created by a man named steve henson who bought a ranch down in the central coast of california in the area of santa barbara.

Although ranch was originally intended to be a dressing for green salads, it can also work well on pasta salad, potato salad, or chickpea salad.

Ranch was created by a plumber, Steve Henson and his wife, Gayle. In 1954, they purchased a ranch right above Santa Barbara, California and named it Hidden Valley Ranch. They opened a steakhouse there that became popular for its salad dressing.

What makes ranch ranch? It's a combination of creaminess (from buttermilk, sour cream, sometimes mayonnaise) and herbaceousness (often parsley, thyme, dill), plus a long pull of allium (onion and garlic) and a shot of black pepper.

1992 It wasn't until 1983 that people could buy a premixed bottle of ranch at the grocery store. In 1992, it became the most popular dressing in America.

United States Ranch dressing

Ranch has been the best-selling salad dressing in the United States since 1992, when it overtook Italian. It is also popular in the United States and Canada as a dip, and as a flavoring for potato chips and other foods.

Scratch ranch relies on fresh herbs and aromatics, which bring bite and those pops of grassy flavor that dried or powdered versions never can, so you get an eating experience that is elevated. Usually, ranch recipes will contain fresh buttermilk, and sometimes sour cream as well, for a tang that is really balanced.

The Ranch Dressing Facts The dressing became so popular that by the late 1950s, they began selling the dry ingredients in envelopes, so customers could make it at home. Boom! Ranch packets were born. By the 1970s, it spread to the Midwest but, it didn't go nationwide until Doritos introduced Cool Ranch Doritos in 1986.

In October 1972, the Hidden Valley Ranch brand was bought by Clorox for $8 million, and Henson retired. Kraft Foods and General Foods introduced similar dry seasoning packets labeled as "ranch style".