What is Hidden Valley Ranch?
Hidden Valley Ranch is a popular brand best known for its salad dressings and seasoning mixes. It was created by a plumber named Steve Henson in the 1950s who concocted the original recipe while living on a ranch in Santa Barbara, California. The dressing quickly became a hit among friends and family, leading Henson to eventually bottle and sell it.
The name "Hidden Valley" originated from the ranch where Henson lived, which was located in a remote valley that was not easily accessible. As its popularity grew, Hidden Valley Ranch was eventually sold to Clorox for $8 million in 1972.
Today, Hidden Valley Ranch is sold in grocery stores worldwide, and the brand has expanded to offer a variety of flavors, including spicy, low-fat, and organic options. In addition to its original salad dressing, Hidden Valley Ranch now produces dip mixes, seasoning blends, and even its own ranch-flavored popcorn.
Hidden Valley Ranch has become a staple in many American households and is often used as a dipping sauce for everything from carrot sticks to chicken wings. Its tangy and creamy taste is beloved by many and continues to be a favorite among consumers.
Frequently Asked Questions about hidden valley ranch
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.
Hidden Valley is popular for filming movies and television shows due to its proximity to Los Angeles, such as:
- the home of President Charles Logan in the television series 24, seasons 5 and 6,
- much of the film Seabiscuit,
- the original site for Greg Sumner's ranch on Knots Landing,
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.
On October 30, 1972, The Clorox Company bought a small mail-order dressing business called Hidden Valley® Ranch.
Doritos made it famous. Stores first sold the dry mix until shelf-stable bottles of the creamy dressing were introduced in 1983. By the time Cool Ranch Doritos hit the grocery scene in 1986, the ranch phenomenon was officially here to stay.
The story goes that while working in Alaska, Steve Henson came up with the dressing. In 1954 he later relocated to California and bought the Hidden Valley Ranch, he started serving the dressing to the guests. They loved it so much that many asked to be able to bring the dressing home with them after leaving the ranch.
cattle station
In Australia and New Zealand, a cattle station is a large farm (station is equivalent to the American ranch), the main activity of which is the rearing of cattle. The owner of a cattle station is called a grazier.
/rɑntʃ/ A ranch is a large farm that raises animals, generally grazing animals like cows or sheep. If you dream of raising big, strange-looking birds, you could decide to have an emu or an ostrich ranch instead. Ranches raise animals for meat, and in the case of sheep or alpacas, for wool.
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.
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.
According to a new video from Great Big Story, Steve and Gale Henson bought a piece of land called Sweet Water Ranch in 1954. The couple loved the area, but hated the name, and decided to change it to something a bit more rugged, renaming it Hidden Valley.
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.
Steven Henson, the Nebraska native who created ranch dressing, invented the now-ubiquitous condiment after moving to Anchorage in 1949 and taking a job as a plumbing contractor in the Alaskan bush, according to a biography of Henson published in the Santa Barbara Independent.
No other country in the world can guarantee it on shelves (though it's somewhat popular in Germany) like we do in the states. More than being uniquely American, ranch dressing has become the iconic condiment of the Midwest.
Hidden Valley Hidden Valley Original Ranch Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix (16 oz.), 1 Count : Amazon.com.au: Pantry Food & Drinks.
Hi Tom Mounts Woolworths, one of the Major Australian Grocery chains sells Ranch Dressing- see below. However, just be aware it may not taste exactly like what you are use to or expect.