Episode notes
Ranch dressing began in the early 1950s when Steve Henson, a plumbing contractor near Anchorage, Alaska, cooked for his work crews and mixed buttermilk, mayonnaise, garlic, onion, and herbs into a dressing they loved. This episode follows his move to Santa Barbara County, the Hidden Valley Ranch guest ranch and steakhouse, and the guests who begged to take the dressing home.
We explain how selling a dry seasoning packet for 75 cents solved the problem of shipping dairy, why the family closed the guest ranch, and how Clorox bought the brand for $8 million in 1972. We also cover a Texas trademark fight over the word ranch, the shelf-stable bottled dressing, and ranch's spread to chips, pizza, and airports.
- The balance of fat, acid, umami, and herbs in Henson's original recipe
- How mail-order spice packets took over the Henson household
- How the Ranch Style Beans lawsuit forced a retired Henson to give a deposition
- How Clorox added buttermilk flavor to the mix and launched a bottled version in 1983
- How ranch passed Italian as America's top-selling dressing by 1992 and inspired Cool Ranch Doritos