From the rise of quick-service restaurant chains and decadent desserts to an influx of canned foods and frozen dinners, the 1950s was a decade where convenience-based products thrived across Canada and the USA. Here we take a look at the greatest food inventions from the thrifty 1950s, as well as the chains that changed the fast food landscape forever. 

Landing on supermarket shelves in 1955, Special K was initially marketed towards men as a protein-packed breakfast option. Each box was filled with crispy rice, wheat, and barley flakes, and became the first cereal to contain seven vitamins and iron. As the years progressed, the brand went on to become more widely associated with dieting, with several advertising campaigns (like this one) targeting weight loss.

The 1950s was an era of tinned goods, and no foods were off limits – so it comes as no surprise that renowned canned brand Chef Boyardee launched a grated cheese can to level up mid-week meals. It was marketed to go alongside its equally popular Spaghetti Dinner offering, complete with noodles, sauce, and now grated cheese.

A pantry staple in the 1950s, Del Monte Fruit Cocktail consists of pineapple, cherries, peaches, pears, and grapes in a can. It was infinitely useful for whipping up quick desserts; the brand even offered recipe suggestions such as the 'Party Fruit Basket,' which featured an angel food cake hollowed out and filled with fruit cocktail encased gelatine, and garnished with whipped cream.

Wheat Chex cereal may have come along in the 1930s, but it took two decades for this mixed-up snack to follow. The company released ads with recipes for Party Mix (later switching the name to Chex Mix) throughout the 1950s, and it quickly became a popular after-school snack. Made from different Chex cereals, it's mixed with butter, salt, nuts, and Worcestershire sauce before being baked in the oven. 

One scoop of this and memories of your childhood ice cream parlor are guaranteed to come flooding back. A popular treat in Canada between the 1950s-70s, this unusual offering features orange-flavored ice cream with swirls of black licorice. If you’re lucky, you might be able to find an old-school parlor serving scoops of this in Ontario.

It may be an old recipe, but pineapple upside-down cake was a classic dessert made throughout the 1950s. Such was its popularity, American food brand Py-O-My launched a cake mix featuring a can of pineapple rings and rich red cherries. You'll still sometimes find this retro cake served in diners up and down the US. 

Following the success of Corn Flakes, Kellogg's went on to introduce its sugary sibling in 1952. Originally coined Sugar Frosted Flakes, the cereal is still marketed alongside its legendary mascot Tony the Tiger and his catchy phrase, "They're Gr-r-reat!". By the 1980s, the word 'sugar' was dropped from its name. 

While this delicious baked dessert has been enjoyed for centuries, the dish became synonymous with the Deep South in the 1950s. The homey dish, complete with baked fruit and topped with a golden biscuit dough, could be found in old-school diners and restaurants across the south, while adverts for tinned peaches were everywhere – in fact, Georgia Peach Council even announced April 13 as National Peach Cobbler Day.

Peanut M&M’s were introduced to a soon-adoring American public in 1954, 13 years after the tasty chocolate version. Initially, the treat only came in a tan-colored shell; it wasn't until the 1960s that the variety of colors we enjoy today were added. 

Invented at New Orleans restaurant Brennan’s in 1951, this indulgent dessert was named after the New Orleans Crime Commission chairman Richard Foster, for whom it was created. Bananas are added to a sauce of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, then doused with rum and flambéed tableside – and you can still order it from the restaurant (as well as plenty of other old-school joints) over seven decades later.

Did you ever try this cheesy spread smothered on a burger patty? The processed cheese brand was first introduced in 1952 and quickly became an easy topper of choice on everything from hot dogs and burgers to Philly cheesesteaks. Created by Kraft Foods, you can still find jars of this in supermarkets across the US and Canada.

Another creation that enabled home cooks to spend less time in the kitchen was ready-made cookie dough, with Slice 'N Bake first manufactured by Pillsbury in 1957. It came in a log shape, making it easy for consumers to slice off evenly sized rounds for instant baking.

Tuna noodle casserole is a resourceful, economical dish made from store cupboard staples; canned tuna, pasta noodles, peas, creamy sauce, and a cheesy topping are all combined to create this homey dish. It was a regular on the roster for home cooks needing to feed their families on tight budgets in the 1950s – and continues to be a nostalgic favorite today. 

Who can remember tucking into one of these trays as a kid? One of the first of its kind, Swanson frozen TV dinners went on sale in the early-1950s, offering everything from pot pies to fried chicken trays. Saving time on preparation and washing up, the convenience-led food was a hit and led to numerous ranges of ready-prepared meals to follow.

A Canadian staple, this candy bar came complete with malted milk nougat, caramel, and chocolate. First introduced in the 1940s by confectionery brand Neilson, the treat continued to be a popular choice throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Sadly, as delicious as it was, the bar was discontinued in the 1990s.

It's widely accepted that the owner of the Tayto company Joe 'Spud' Murphy developed the first flavored chips in the UK during the 1950s. While the original flavors across the Atlantic included cheese and onion, salt and vinegar, and smoky bacon, barbecue was the first flavor to make its way to the US. Potato chip brand Herr's in Pennsylvania was one of the first brands to introduce flavored chips to America, launching its now-legendary Barbecue style in 1958. 

Although you can whip up your own in minutes, 1950s households favored frozen waffles to fresh ones. Leading the ready-made waffle trade, Eggo Waffles launched in 1953 and were produced in the thousands on a carousel-like machine, invented by Frank Dorsa, to keep up with demand. The speedy snack has since made a comeback thanks to Netflix's Stranger Things, and can be found in stores across the country. 

The height of sophistication in the 1950s, baked Alaska is a decadent dessert featuring a layer of cake, ice cream, and a crisp meringue shell. Although its history stretches back to 1867 (it was invented to mark the purchase of Alaska) the dish was one of the era's most impressive desserts, often served up at dinner parties to wow guests.

The 1950s saw a steep rise in Jell-O dishes in all shapes and flavors; while the wobbly food was previously a dinner party centerpiece, post-war it became a convenient way to serve canned foods. Jell-O 'salads' contained the likes of tinned veg, cheese, fish, and mayonnaise, while sweet versions included fruit cocktail, marshmallows, and cream. 

A soda fountain favorite in the 1950s, the classic recipe for a banana split consists of a banana cut lengthways, served with vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream, plus drizzles of pineapple, chocolate, and strawberry sauce. Served in a boat-shaped dish, it's finished with a generous squirt of whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and chopped nuts. It's still a diner delight served across the country today. 

Captivating the hearts of home cooks since 1921, Betty Crocker continues to be a household name over a century later. The brand really made a name for itself in the late 1940s thanks to the launch of its now-famous cake mixes, rolling out its Ginger Cake (now known as Gingerbread Cake) in 1947. Its popularity peaked in the 1950s and saw the arrival of flavors such as Devil’s Food Cake and Party Cake shortly after.

Spam proved vital in feeding military troops throughout the Second World War, and the tinned meat continued to be an American household staple into the 1950s, too. By 1959, it's said that one billion cans had been sold worldwide. While it has fallen out of fashion in most parts of the country, it continues to be popular in Hawaii, which has the highest per capita consumption in the US. 

Coffee and donut giant Dunkin’ Donuts was introduced to the world at the start of this decade. The brand began life in Quincy, Massachusetts with just one store; following huge success, Dunkin' Donut began franchising in 1955 and expanded its offering to over 52 flavors. Today, the world-renowned brand is still an essential pit stop for a caffeine and sugar pick-me-up, with locations in more than 45 countries. 

A fast food favorite, the iconic Whopper was launched in Burger King's first restaurant in Miami, Florida in 1957. This classic features a beef patty topped with tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, and white onion, all sandwiched in a sesame seed bun. When it first came out, it cost only 37c; adjusted for inflation, it works out to around $4 in today's money.

A no-brainer when you want a break from cooking but don’t want to splurge on takeout, frozen pizza is always a good idea – but it hasn’t always been as readily available as it is now. With the rise of home freezers, the now-frozen staple began appearing in stores in the early 1950s. Brands started appearing in stores in the early part of the decade – thought to be inspired by restaurants selling refrigerated and frozen versions of popular dishes – but Totino’s became the market leader when it launched in 1951. By the end of the decade, you could find frozen pizzas in every supermarket.

In the 1950s, Kraft Foods introduced Kraft Deluxe Process Slices, pre-sliced cheese squares for cheeseburgers and sandwiches. A forerunner to Kraft Singles, which came out the following decade, the convenience, shelf life and mild flavor of both cheeses has helped them to endure over the decades.

The original pizza chain, Pizza Hut was set up in 1958 by brothers Frank and Dan Carney with just a few hundred dollars they had borrowed from their mom. Within a year of launching their first restaurant, the pair began franchising. Famed for its deep pan pies and stuffed crusts, Pizza Hut is now a global success, with almost 20,000 restaurants across the world.

You can’t travel far in Canada without finding somewhere serving a plate of poutine, but it hasn’t always been the case. In fact, it was only in the 1950s that these cheese curd and gravy-loaded fries started popping up on bar menus across Quebec. These days, you’ll find hot, messy plates served all over the country and beyond.

Up until 1956, Colonel Sanders sold his Original Recipe Chicken (cooked in a pressure cooker and seasoned with its secret 11 herbs and spices mix) from his restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. However, when the highway road (which had been a main source of his customers) moved, he decided to branch into other markets and traveled the country setting up franchise agreements. The classic bucket, piled with Original Recipe Chicken, continues to be a favorite all these years later. 

This iconic salad dressing, made from buttermilk, herbs, spices, garlic, and onion, was invented by husband-and-wife-team Steve and Gayle Henson in the early 1950s, while they were working on ranches. The original style was a jarred dry mixture, to which consumers could add mayonnaise or buttermilk to create a creamy sauce. Now the most popular salad dressing in the US, it's spotted accompanying everything from pizza and fries to chicken wings.

The decade food became fast, McDonald's opened its first franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955. The menu was made up of just nine items, including its now-legendary skinny French fries. Replacing the brand's potato wedges in 1949, this crispy potato treat is now synonymous with the chain. Other menu items included a hamburger, cheeseburger, triple-thick shake, soda, root beer, coffee, orange juice, and milk, all of which could be served in record time.

Now discover the foods America loved in the 1970s