How Thousand Island Dressing Became a Burger Chain Staple

 

It's widely known that the "secret sauce" on many fast food menus is essentially Thousand Island salad dressing. Initially, this might have seemed unusual, but it makes perfect sense given that the dressing's ingredients—mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and pickle relish—complement burgers well. Interestingly, if it weren't for the Reuben sandwich, Thousand Island dressing might never have found its way onto burgers.

There's ongoing debate about who invented the Reuben sandwich—some credit Arnold Reuben in New York City, while others point to Reuben Kulakofsky in Omaha, Nebraska. Regardless, the original Reuben included corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing on rye bread. The main difference between Russian and Thousand Island dressings is that the former contains horseradish for added spice. The tangy, creamy dressing was a hit on the Reuben, leading to its application on other meat-filled sandwiches, including burgers. Fast food chains quickly adopted the condiment, making it a staple.

When McDonald's launched its Big Mac in 1968, the "special sauce" it promoted was a clever marketing move that intrigued customers and boosted sales. It was later revealed that this special sauce was inspired by Thousand Island dressing, with some modifications. However, McDonald's wasn't the first to use a pink mystery sauce on burgers. In 1961, In-N-Out introduced an extra helping of Thousand Island-like dressing on its "animal style" burgers, enhancing a light spread already present on their regular burgers.

Other burger chains have similar sauces: California-based Big Boy has its "Big Boy" sauce, Shake Shack's Shack Sauce combines mayo, ketchup, dill pickles, mustard, and spices (essentially Thousand Island), and Raising Cane's has a Cane's sauce that many believe is a less sweet version of Thousand Island. Copycat recipes for Cane's sauce often include mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and spices.

Thousand Island dressing is beloved for its blend of flavors—rich mayo, sweet ketchup, tangy pickle relish, spicy mustard, and optional hot sauce for heat. Its versatility extends beyond Reubens and burgers. It's a great dip for french fries, onion rings, fried zucchini, and mushrooms, can replace remoulade on fried shrimp and catfish sandwiches or fried green tomatoes, and enhances any rich panini. It can substitute ranch or blue cheese dressing on wedge salads and makes a tasty dip for roasted Brussels sprouts and grilled asparagus.

When it comes to fast food, people often ask when McDonald's will bring back all-day breakfast, but not why they can't get a burger at 7 a.m. For those who crave a morning burger, there's good news: more places serve burgers early than you might think. While researching Sonic's new Big Dill Cheeseburger, I discovered that the Sonic near my office, which I pass around 9 a.m., opens at 6 a.m. and serves its full menu all day. So, yes, you can have pickle fries for breakfast!