I don’t really like veggie burgers but I tried a Beyond Meat burger yesterday and I was really surprised at how good it was.
They are one of two companies that are using advanced chemistry to simulate some of the properties in meat, using plant ingredients. I tried the companies chicken strips before and while they were okay, the burger is really a big step forward.
What’s interesting to me is that uncooked, the patty has the texture of a meat patty. Once it’s cooked, the taste and texture of the patty are really close to meat. I had my patty over rice which let me taste the burger without all the regular burger toppings, and I still came away impressed.
I actually eat meat quite a bit, but it’s nice to not always eat and digest meat and I’d probably be just as happy or happier if this was the burger I was eating instead of a ground chuck burger.
There’s another company called Impossible Burger doing the same thing, but I think with different ingredients. I haven’t tried this one yet.
I’ve tried the Impossible Burger. It’s fine if you are looking for a veggie based burger to replicate meat. But, as a meat eater, I get veggie burgers because I don’t want to eat meat (taste, smell). If I wanted something that tastes and feels like meat, I’ll order a regular burger.
From what I understand most of the meat like veggie burgers have less fat and cholesterol, but more saturated fat and sodium (I think it was sodium). Depending on what you’re trying to cut back on nutritionally, they may or may not be a better choice.
My point of view is not comparing to actual meat because I’m vegetarian and it has been several decades since i had a beef burger.
The beyond meat burger really tasted like what i remember of an actual burger- and for me that is not a good thing!! It was actually some promotional tasting thing so it was free (i suspected i wouldnt like it) and i managed all of two bites.
But therefore omnis might really enjoy it like you did. As a side note i also think the beyond meat chickenless strips are crazy realistic- as does my picky omnivorous mom who now uses that for chicken salad after accidentally buying chicken salad made with it at whole foods.
The Beast burger by field roast is one you should try as well- it’s actually rather large and grills well.
For myself i want veggie burgers that are veggies/nuts/grains- my favorite is probably Sunshine burgers but i make my own mostly and then freeze a big batch.
I am a big advocate of the faux meat companies regardless of the fact i don’t buy much of it at all, it’s great to have more options for consumers. (Back when i became veg it was really just gardenburger for many years- i burned out on them soooo badly i just can’t eat them)
Yes, I think these are aimed at regular meat eaters. I don’t like burgers, ground beef, and most meat in general. So I definitely did not like these, at all. (I’ve tried both, and also couldn’t eat more than a bite or two.)
However… my son and his friends like them, so I consider them a good option, along with the vegan “chicken nuggets”, which they all grew up with, and actually prefer to real ones. Baby steps.
My omnivorous sister actually started buying faux chicken nuggets and tenders for my omni nephew a few years back- mostly because she isn’t ok with what is used in actual chicken nuggets and the price of organic/not factory farmed chicken nuggets/tenders is significantly more than the price for faux. I think she buys the trader joe’s ones (which are widely known to be Gardein relabeled for TJs)
I’ve had several Impossible Burgers now in the past couple of months. I’ve found that it varies depending on where you get the burger. I’ve had it at Jardinere, Vina Enoteca, and Umami burger and each joint has a different flare, so even if you’ve had one, it’s hard to compare because they all cook them differently. By far, Umami cooks it most rare, which I enjoyed the most.
I’ve been vegetarian since I was 5, so for me, I have no idea what a “real” cow burger tastes like. It’s been my life’s calling to experience the unobtainable taste of meat without the guilt I’d feel if I ate meat and I must say I’m quite satisfied with what technology has brought us.
Bto
I ordered a beef burger for lunch today and the place (Lucky’s in Hell’s Kitchen) had the option to add on a Beyond Burger patty, so I decided to give it a go. It’s not awful, and it is certainly more meat-like in texture than any veggie burger I have ever had, but it in no way tastes like meat. I’m eating it bunless and have had bites both with toppings and plain. Eaten with toppings (grilled onions, avocado, chipotle mayonnaise), you can still tell it’s not meat but it isn’t jarringly VEGGIE BURGER the way a black bean burger is. Eaten without toppings, it tastes very much NOT like meat - the flavor actually reminds me of the breading on these fish filets my mom used to give us when we were kids, which I always assumed was the flavor of potato starch. Potato starch is an ingredient in this so not surprising.
As a dedicated meat eater, I am not recoiling in horror from this but I would never choose it if beef were an option. I MIGHT choose it over a turkey burger, but that is not high praise given that I find ground turkey repulsive.
Some veggie based veg burgers are great plain/as is, but generally the faux meat style veg burgers need the toppings and distractions- kinda like how i imagine a plain turkey burger patty needs some TLC.
Recently, I bought a package of Beyond Meat burgers in the supermarket. Same texture as Impossible Meat, but not as much flavor. CAVEAT: I sauteed the BM patties in canola oil. Supposedly, Burger King grills IM patties on the same surface as their beef. It’s the only way I’ve tasted IM, and may have acquired extra flavor during BK’s grilling…
I’m an omnivore but I don’t need meat everyday. I love vegetables. I have a problem with fake food. And because of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer, I avoid soy products. Sooo - portobello mushrooms are very meaty as is eggplant. I love grilled vegetables in paninis and pastas - ratatouille, caponata, grains - there are many delicious ways to be satisfied. Cheeses, olives, marinated peppers, artichokes - bread, olive oil. Plant based meat is an oxymoron. Why go there???
Because some omnivores who aren’t soy-averse prefer the flavor and texture of meat that the new generation of faux flesh provides without the negative environmental and humane considerations of raising animals as food. Everyone has their own palatal preferences.
Your post expresses my feelings succinctly @retrospek - haven’t had an impossible burger, and won’t, but did try some fake ground meat on nachos that was so awful, I discreetly spat it out. That said, it’s good there are more choices for those wanting to avoid meat, but needing a convenient protein available. If they find it tasty, so much the better!
I’m sure I’ve posted this elsewhere but I can’t find it to link.
It’s worth noting that both Beyond and Impossible have corporate mission statements that address making products that are sustainable and good for the planet. They don’t address healthy for humans. If you read the ingredients and the nutrition panel they are not healthy and a burger based on a cow is arguably better for you.
You could make a case that feeding people in ways that reduces population IS good for the planet.
Jumbo shrimp is an oxymoron. Plant based meat is a marketing term. And I go there 'cause I want to. Howzabout we agree to let people decide what they put in their own mouths, 'k?
The whole industry is a fraud for profits. And like some said, maybe diabolical as well. They play to people’s emotions using lies. Oldest deception in the book.
Starting a video with Dr. Oz and Joe Rogan is like strolling through a feedlot before walking down the aisle to the altar. Relatively few people can afford, or like, grassfed beef. The bulk of American beef comes from feedlots where they are fed corn, something that they like but that causes problems in their digestive tracts. “Ooh…scary” ingredients, like vegetable oils, in plant-based meats are for the most part found in a vast array of supermarket foods. Let us know how Beyond Meat, Impossible Meat, Quorn, Gardein, Boca Burger, et al, respond to your letters informing them of their many trespasses and failures.
