I am a big fan of ranch dip, it's my top condiment of choice, although it's difficult to find a quality option that doesn't unnecessarily contain high-fructose corn syrup and soybean oil.

The Condiment Wars

Over the years, I have been happy to contribute to the growing success of this condiment, which has now recently surpassed ketchup as becoming the most popular condiment choice on the market today.

According to the manufacturer of Hidden Valley Ranch, a popular ranch option on the market, demand for ranch is booming.

Ranch is for more than just salads, as it's suggested that more than 70 percent of ranch usage is taking place outside the salad bowl.

The market research company IRI still won't technically label ranch as a condiment though, for now it's still got salad dressing status only.

Ranch demand has allegedly blasted past ketchup, with sales reaching $1 billion or more, with ketchup not too far behind for now, at a $800 million+ market.

How much longer must we be forced to wait until ranch achieves its well deserved condiment status?

Today, you can find ranch in more than 75 percent of homes in the United States.

And if you're going out to eat, you can find more than half of all restaurants serving this option.

Ranch dip as we know it today had reportedly been invented back in the 1950s, but has quickly become the most popular salad dressing.

Because it's more than just a salad dressing.

The next nearest competitor to ranch for salad dressing is said to be Italian dressing, which doesn't come close to providing the versatility that ranch offers as a condiment.

Is it a salad dressing or is it a condiment?

For years, ranch has slowly but steadily been making its rise.

In St. Louis you can find a restaurant called the Twisted Ranch that's regarded as an all ranch restaurant serving a variety of ranch dishes. They have been so busy that they have had lines last for hours. They've come up with 30 proprietary ranch flavors that they use to try and douse everything in ranch.

Like the hand-cut ranch seasoned fries pictured above, that get served with 13 different ranch dips. You'll find menu options with ranch seasoned panko bread crumbs, loaded ranch fries, and a myriad of other interesting combos.

Some people love ranch so much that Hidden Valley has even come up with a gift shop, offering t-shirts, backpacks, and all other things ranch related. For some, they might even find they need a keg of ranch. Because, why not? You can even find ranch-specific cookbooks and every year on March 10th it's National Ranch Dressing Day.

There are various competitors in this space but Hidden Valley still reigns supreme.

And Hidden Valley says that ranch has surpassed ketchup and taken the top spot as a favorite condiment.

The New Ketchup

Adios mayo, so long ketchup. Who needs ya when you've got ranch.

Will the new Heinz 'Kranch sauce' be able to help ketchup to stay relevant, by combining the two together?

If Kranch sauce is to be considered a condiment, then let's extend the classification to ranch too just the same. Let's not fool ourselves any longer over what ranch has become.

Ranch has effectively become the condiment king and it's time that the IRI concede on this point.

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