Ranch dressing has been the nation's best-selling salad topper since 1992, when it overtook Italian. How did this simple mixture of mayonnaise, buttermilk, and herbs become America's favorite way to liven up lettuce?

[snip]

Once ranch was available in a bottle, Americans fell in love with its rich-yet-inoffensive taste. It is devoid of potentially objectionable ingredients, such as chili sauce (a key component in Thousand Island) or anchovies (found in Caesar and Green Goddess). And perhaps more important, ranch is fattier than humdrum Italian, which is basically a gussied-up vinaigrette. Ranch dressing, which arrived at a time when mayo had gained a reputation as a diet-buster, was essentially a socially acceptable form of the gloopy condiment. It quickly became the preferred way to infuse otherwise healthy dishes with a palatable amount of fat.

The article doesn't really mention the coastal divide on ranch. I grew up on the east coast, still live there. Ranch is not so huge. It's a known quantity, don't get me wrong, but I've never seen much commotion over it. However, going to school with some people from the west coast (including the reader I mentioned above) taught me about a new level of dedication to ranch. Those Californians are crazy for it, just crazy. They put it on everything: burgers, fries, pizza, even birthday cake. Anyway, that brings me back to a personal reflection on ranch dressing: my only true pre-college experience with it was on steamed greenbeans. And cauliflower. And broccoli. Yes, my mom loves dipping steamed vegetables(steamed to strip them of flavor, texture, and nutrients) into ranch dressing. In fact, that was a dinner a lot of nights. Not too exciting. Perhaps if I had grown up eating it on fries, for dinner, I would be part of the craze. And fat.

[update] Ranch Lover himself responds (in the comments):

Some of my favorite things to eat with Ranch:

French Fries, Pretzels, Club Sandwiches, Grilled Cheese, Garlic Bread

Although I havent tried it with Birthday Cake, it is an interesting concept.I would also like to mention that just as a wine connoisseur can distinguish between many different types of Cabs and Merlots, so too can the Ranch Addict with his dressing. I tend to prefer a creamier yet runny, fully herbed ranch but know others that like a thicker varietal for their dipping needs.I also stand by my Islands (A burger Shack on the West Coast) as having the best ranch dressing in the world. If anyone would like to suggest a Ranch Dressing that you feel may rival it, I would be more than happy to indulge.

¶ 9:33 AM