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 grocery 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 it 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 targeting weight loss.

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

A forgotten favorite, Beau Monde seasoning was a popular product during the 1950s and 1960s. Trademarked by American food brand Spice Island Seasonings, this handy pantry staple was big in the South and featured a mix of celery seeds, salt, and onion powder plus some preservatives. With a jar of this on hand, you could add a flavor burst to any dish.

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.

Made from sweetened puffed wheat, a bowl of Sugar Smacks was a favorite snack for many growing up in the 1950s. The cereal, produced by Kellogg’s, came packaged inside a red box featuring Dig’em Frog, a friendly amphibian dressed in a green cardigan and yellow and red baseball cap. The product has changed its name multiple times over the years and now goes by the title Honey Smacks.

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 treat. The snack is made from different Chex cereals mixed with butter, salt, nuts, and Worcestershire sauce, then baked in the oven.

One taste of this and memories of childhood trips to the ice cream parlor are guaranteed to come flooding back. A popular treat in Canada between the 1950s-1970s, this unusual offering features orange-flavored ice cream with swirls of black licorice. If you’re lucky, you might still be able to find an old-school parlor serving scoops of tiger tail (named for its resemblance to orange and black tiger stripes) 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 classic diners.

Legendary American commercial baker Pepperidge Farm was already a renowned name by the time it launched its Distinctive line of European-style cookies in 1955. Inspired by a trip that founder Margaret Rudkin took to Belgium, the range featured some of its now iconic products, including Bordeaux, Geneva, and Brussels. Fans of Pepperidge Farm can still enjoy these treats today, as well as a slew of tasty limited-edition flavors.

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 comforting sweet, 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.

A cherished crunchy treat renowned for its bright yellow wrapper, Peanut M&M’s were introduced to a soon-adoring American public in 1954, 13 years after the tasty chocolate version. Initially, the sweet snack only came in a tan-colored shell; it wasn't until the 1960s that the variety of other colors we know and love 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 the topper of choice on everything from hot dogs and burgers to Philly cheesesteaks. Created by Kraft Foods, you can still find jars of Cheez Whiz in grocery stores 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. Served warm, these cookies were irresistibly delicious. 

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 comforting meal. 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. 

Produced by Los Angeles–based candy company Adams & Brooks during the 1950s, this gooey bar was irresistibly sweet. It featured layers of creamy chocolate, sticky caramel, chewy nougat, and crunchy peanuts. New parents would hand these out to friends and family to celebrate the birth of their child, and inside the wrapper would be a sticker printed with either ‘It’s a girl’ or ‘It’s a boy.’ The bar has since been discontinued, though you can occasionally find Good News in Hawaii.

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 food was a hit and led to numerous ranges of ready-prepared meals launching in the decades to come.

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 Ireland 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 original 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 over fresh ones. Leading the ready-made waffle trade, Eggo Waffles launched in 1953 and were produced in their thousands on a carousel-like machine, invented by Frank Dorsa, to keep up with demand. The speedy snack has since seen a resurgence in popularity thanks to Netflix's Stranger Things, and it 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.

A childhood favorite for over seven decades, Peeps first launched in 1953. The brand is famed for its brightly colored, squishy marshmallows that come in a range of animal shapes, from adorable bunnies to sweet birds. While nothing quite beats the classic marshmallow flavor, a host of exciting options are now available including Dr. Pepper, candy cotton, and party cake.

The 1950s saw a steep rise in Jell-O dishes of 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. Presented in a boat-shaped dish, it's finished with a generous squirt of whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and chopped nuts. This diner delight is still served across the country today. 

Captivating the hearts of home cooks since 1921, Betty Crocker continues to be a household favorite 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, with the arrival of flavors such as Devil’s Food Cake and Party Cake shortly after.

SPAM proved vital in feeding military troops throughout World War II, and the tinned meat continued to be an American household staple into the 1950s. 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’ (formerly 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' began franchising in 1955, expanded its offering to over 52 donut 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, this 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 a great hassle-free option – but it hasn’t always been as readily available as it is now. With the rise of home freezers, and thought to be inspired by restaurants selling refrigerated and frozen versions of popular dishes, supermarkets started stocking it in the early 1950s. By the end of the decade, you could find frozen pizzas in every supermarket, with Totino’s the clear market leader.

In the 1950s, Kraft Foods introduced pre-sliced cheese squares for cheeseburgers and sandwiches known as Kraft Deluxe Process Slices. A forerunner to Kraft Singles, which came out the following decade, the convenience, shelf life, and mild flavor of both cheeses have 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 this hasn’t always been the case. 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 accompanies 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, 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