I’ve never seen the point of buying and consuming products dolled up to simulate meat. This includes Tofurky, source of our running joke during last year’s Hood River trip. Yet these products are still popular. (I thought you vegetarians and vegans didn’t want to be reminded of evil animal products.)
The latest entrants in the fake meat competition are legume-based burgers specifically designed to have the look, taste, and texture of real meat. The marketing is primarily toward omnivores who may want to reduce their meat consumption. Julian was intrigued after reading an article in Cooks Illustrated about these products. We sampled both of the highest rated burgers, Impossible and Beyond. He cooked both in a skillet to do an accurate comparison.
The Impossible Burger was first. The aroma while cooking gave no hint that this was food. The taste and texture were okay. About a week later we tried Beyond Burger. My virtual happy hour friends preferred this product. They were right. The cooking aroma was more food-like, and I thought that taste and texture was better than Impossible Burger.
A few caveats: Neither of these products is cheap. Unless you get them on sale, they cost more than a comparable pound of hamburger. The Impossible Burger contains modified starch, which often means from wheat; therefore, it may not be gluten-free. The soy hemoglobin in the Impossible Burger is actually made by genetically-modified yeast. If you’re averse to foods featuring genetically-modified organisms, you may want to opt for Beyond Burger.
Overall, if I want a burger I’ll eat one made of beef or lamb. However, if I’m at a vegetarian friend’s house, either of these would be okay.
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