Impossible is the only meat substitute I've had that I couldn't immediately tell the difference with, in either flavor or texture. If the price is ever on-par with hamburger (ideally cheaper), I will switch without hesitation. I will highly recommend it to anyone that's vegan (yes, yes, I know) or vegetarian.
I've also had some soy wings that are very, very good, better than real wings. Then again, I don't actually like real chicken wings that much.
Not as experienced as you, but I find ground meats can be substituted out no problem. I've got jackfruit, soy, and mushroom alternatives on the menu that all have specific niches, but can still work across the board.
My current testing is sausages. Breakfast ones in particular make a large part of my diet, so I'm hoping to find off the self instead of making them.
No idea where in the world you are but in the US there’s a chain Grocery Outlet that I often find both Beyond and Impossible for like half off and it’s great
Seems like an absolute process. I'm not a vegan but it's nice you guys have options when you're craving a burger. I can't wait until that lab grown meat hits the markets.
Honestly I think Beyond Meat/Impossible style burgers are aimed at meat eaters who want to reduce animal cruelty/their carbon footprint. It's actually kind of annoying they're so popular now, as restaurants that used to have creative vegan options now sell Beyond Meat as the only choice.
Vegans don't tend to care if a veggie burger is "realistic". Some find the idea of meat gross and don't want to roleplay eating it (my wife says they make her feel sick). Even if you don't mind, the longer you give up meat the less interesting it is as a flavor. I'd take one of those shitty frozen veggie burgers that are 90% potato over an Impossible burger.
If I ever go vegetarian I'd definitely just enjoy stuff like falafels, curries, halloumi and the million other options and not worry about reproducing meat.
I get impossible burgers often and can confirm. Not vegetarian, but I've massively reduced red meat consumption and impossible/beyond really hits the spot when I want a burger. It's an option at tons of restaurants now which is amazing. I also get 10 packs of impossible burgers at costco for like $10, honestly incredible deal.
Even if you don't mind, the longer you give up meat the less interesting it is as a flavor.
I think there's a curve to this.
When I first became vegetarian there were no fake meat options. If you got something that looked or tasted like meat it was because there was meat in it. Gross and nobody wanted that.
But after 20+ years being vegetarian, it's REALLY nice to have some other options. I still enjoy a garden burger or black bean burger if it's the only non-meat option but I can't remember the last time I bought it in the store. The rise in popularity of vegetarian foods and all the fad diets have made it so there's tons of options now.
My meat eating friends all love both Beyond and Impossible. A few actually prefer it to a standard burger.
Now if we can just teach restaurants how to cook them properly...
I'm curious, I've never cooked with Impossible meat before, is the "meat" just already salted/seasoned well? When I make a burger I definitely add quite a bit of salt while cooking, wondering if that sodium is just it being pre-seasoned or if that's before a (needed) good pinch of salt
Oh yes it does have enough salt to stand on its own. I never add salt to either Beyond or Impossible brands. I might add other seasoning if I'm trying to hit a flavor profile (liquid smoke, cajun spices, curry, etc).
You can just plop it out as-is and it'll cook up nicely. Just don't squish all the liquid out of it. I've had some nasty versions because people get away with poor cooking skills with reql meat and these don't tolerate the same abuses.
Man that's so cool. Have you tried cooking anything else with it (if you can't make patty)? Also is there any interesting reading material you could recommend me?
Methylcellulose is also used as an egg white substitute in vegan cocktails! It foams up in a very similar way to egg whites and has little.to no effect on the flavor. It's often prepared as a syrup to make portioning easier as you only need small amounts to achieve the foaming effect
How do you know someone is a vegetarian? Don't worry, they'll tell you.
Just kidding, most vegetarians I know are really cool and non-judgmental about others' eating habits. I've actually reduced my meat intake just by hanging out with a vegetarian friend that always went out of their way to make me something with meat when we ate together, and to return the favor I would always make vegetarian dishes when they ate at my place. And then I just sort of got into the challenge of making tasty veggie dishes! I would say I've halved my meat consumption over the last year because of it.
Absolutely, I am a complete idiot. I pointed out to you that a simple & obvious search results in multiple definitions & examples of how meat is processed. I thought that would result in you understanding that meat is, in fact, processed. In hindsight, that was extremely stupid of me and I feel very dumb.
If there’s one dish where I feel it’s a waste to eat animal meat, it’s hamburgers. Vegetarian alternatives have come a long way and in a burger they’re often the superior option.
There’s a small difference for sure, but the BM patties are far from inferior. And much of the difference is masked by condiments anyway.
The ones I’ve had are usually similar price to the other burgers or a very slight increase and the patty quality was definitely better. If the price difference was like between wagyu steak and normal, I’d never even consider it.
Still silly to pay more for it. If you're mincing meat you can just add whatever fat ratio you want to it without having to overpay about 10x for the privilege.
It's not just the fat content. Wagyu fat renders differently and has a different flavour.
You could keep trimmings from wagyu cuts to mix in with the minced meat, but yeah, it would be lost in a burger. Better off rendering the trimmings down to make tallow.
At Costco the ground wagyu is cheaper than the regular ground beef. I use it in cooking rice dishes and the fat does give it a nicer flavor. Also appreciate that wagyu is sold in 1lb packs vs. 1.33 lbs for the Kirkland brand.
I personally think like the complete opposite - if there's anything that's a waste, it's a beyond meat burger, because veggie burgers are like, really fucking good. Why on earth would you settle for an inferior pretend product when you can instead have a really good thing that's not pretending to be something else?
Miss me with that fake meat stuff and bring back actual veggie burgers! I got a real nice sweet potato and refried black bean one I've been working on for a while now
100% agree. The imitation methods used in all of the vegan "meat" products just are not near good enough. My ex made me try a bunch, they varied from a little off to just plain gross. Even though I approached each one with an open mind, not a single one was enjoyable. It was actually really hard to keep an open mind after a while, having been either disappointed or disgusted 100% of the time in the past.
However, chickpea patties? Delicious. Black bean burgers? They're usually pretty decent too. There was one veggie burger we tried that had portobello mushrooms as the main ingredient, and it was the most delicious veggie burger I've ever had, hands down. It was so savory and juicy, and the texture was excellent.
I just wish these companies would just focus on plant based products with great taste as their main goal rather than trying to imitate meat, because they're just so astonishingly terrible at it.
I've just realised that most people kinda just add the beans in direct which isn't what I meant. Whoops - yeah nah I turn them into refried beans and add them in. Directly throwing in black beans never seems to work in my opinion. Also a big fan of just like, making a really big aloo Tika (an Indian potato cake) and using it as a burger. They're really good and the burger king where I live used to actually sell them as their main veggie option before BM muscled all the decent veggie options out. Falafel burgers are also really good, but alas they're kinda a lot of work because of all the soaking and deep frying.
My holy grail of veggie burgers is this one spinach burger I had all the time as a kid because they always had leftovers of them at school sausage sizzles and I'd get the extras for free. It was probably some deep freeze bulk thing but goddamnit one day I'll make a spinach burger that doesn't taste like some sort of goddawful diet thing.
Also honestly in general fake meat in general just does not do it for me. I'd rather eat a dish that's veggie and works with that to make something different and good instead of trying to make a subpar copy.
It's def subjective but I've never been a fan of the blackened bean burger as a hamburger replacement. I wasn't that impressed with the bm burgers but the impossible burgers are a fine replacement imho.
This isn't a hamburger replacement this is a homemade burger where the beans taste like beans and are mainly there because I like homemade refried beans and thought they'd be good as a burger
Also impossible burger beyond meat sale difference. It's all fake meat that could be better replaced with something that just isn't pretending to be anything
I tell meat eaters and vegetarians the same thing about this.
"Do not compare this to the best meat hamburger you ever had. Instead pretend its a completely new food that you've never tried."
Treat it like a protein option and stop trying to force it to be just like something else. It is very similar to meat in many ways, but it isn't meat. I don't consume much advertising so I don't know if the companies are selling it and saying that it's indistinguishable.
Meh, I don't like mushrooms and really don't like the black bean burgers and haven't liked any other veggie burger I've tried, but the Impossible ones I can hardly tell the difference from cow, so ... why wouldn't I choose the impossible when given the opportunity?
So, for me, I guess the answer is that if I want a burger, I want a burger, why would I go for something that doesn't taste anything like a burger?
Because there's like a difference between a beef burger and the platonic idea of a burger. Like if I say I want a burger, you're not going to fault me for buying a chicken burger are you? Even though it doesn't taste anything like a regular beef burger? Same deal with veggie burgers. Meanwhile if I order a burger that looks like beef with the expectation that it will taste like beef, I'm going to be upset when it doesn't taste like a nice beef burger but instead a rather shitty one
Also there's tons of veggie burgers out there, maybe you just gotta try some that aren't like, the weird "healthy" options that dominate the search results. Stuff like a big ol' falafel in a bun or deep fried aloo tika.
...also I don't actually like beef burgers that much
you're not going to fault me for buying a chicken burger are you?
There are TONS of people who will do that exact thing. what is or is not a sandwich or burger (is a burger a type of sandwich?) for some reason is a stupidly contentious topic that people feel passionate about.
People take labels and their individual expectations of that label pretty emotionally.
I'm genuinely baffled at the idea that beyond meat can be seen as remotely as good as a beef burger. It is VERY different. Albeit an okay replacement in a lot of senses, it just can never be as good as a traditional beef burger. Generally I wish I could be vegetarian but beef burgers would be by far the worst part for me if I had to give up meat...
IMO how things taste varies wildly from person to person. To me Beyond burger has a weird flavor that I dislike that never goes away.
Impossible burgers are a much better meat replacement to my taste buds. They're still not 100%, there's always a bite or two at the start were they taste off, but after that they taste pretty much like a cheap hamburger.
While I agree that beef burgers are great and that beyond meat just isn't the same, I think it's also important to remember that the second best thing to going vegetarian is eating less meat.
Yeah I agree. I do eat veggie burgers from time to time and enjoy them. I just take issue with the claim that these replacements are " just like meat". It's not, and that's ok
I was with you until you mentioned Beyond Meat. BM is just nasty, and bears no taste or texture resemblance to meat at all. That might be ideal for vegans, but it won’t win over any omni or carnivores.
Impossible is a different story. I can make smash burgers with that stuff that are utterly indistinguishable from a real burger. It won’t trick anyone in a meatloaf but for a burger, it’s pretty impressive.
When is the last time you had a Beyond Burger? For a while they were salty af and pretty gross. Just got more from Costco and I would say they are better than Impossible Burgers.
I mostly agree. The impossible burgers are great, much better than I expected! I wanted to try the Beyond Meat burgers to compare… yeah they aren’t as good. I wouldn’t cal them nasty, but for sure inferior to the Impossible burgers.
Impossible burgers taste better, look better, and could easily be mistaken for real meat. I also really like the at they are meant to be cooked from frozen. Just 4min per side in the skillet and it’s about perfect. I cook it with some Worcestershire sauce and that kicks it up a notch!
The BM burgers say they need to be defrosted before cooking. I’m not about to do that because it’s a lot of time and planning. I cook them from frozen and they kinda turn out a bit mushy.
Beyond is just a slightly better evolution of the old Boca burgers. Still meh and you know in one second it's not beef. If beef like was what you were going for, you're boned. If not meat and it doesn't matter, it's fine
My first impossible burger was in a real burger restaurant (that's all they cooked) and I had to verify that it wasn't a regular burger
Makes me wonder why they didn’t start with beyond meat sausage. The seasoning would cover any difference in flavor and the texture would be a lot easier to disguise
The difference is most certainly not small. It's very noticeable. I also love the veggie options, but your position is kind of like saying:
If there’s one dish where I feel it’s a waste to eat animal meatfusilli, it’s hamburgerspasta. Vegetarian alternativesSpaghetti has come a long way and in a burgerpasta dish, they’re often the superior option.
At least this is a minority opinion. I rely on the availability of meat products to eat. I cannot process carbs or sugars and they make me incredibly sick even legumes and tubers, whole grains etc. Fruit also. It triggers insane inflammation that I can only hold at bay with benadryl and that's not safe to use habitually.
It's meat, low lactose dairy, fish, eggs, greens for me and when I do break my diet to have a delicious slice of my boyfriend's pepperoni pizza I am disabled for a day or more. I need to be able to work otherwise I wouldn't care if I were bedridden from including carbs and sugars in my diet.
I personally don't believe there's anything wrong with eating meat as I was raised along side sheep eating lamb and baby birds. No question about it that any other predator on the planet wouldn't think twice about eating me ass first. I'm OK being part of the food chain.
Yeah this'd be like TastyFood in the old place. But I always thought FoodPorn was too unrealistic. Like, every bun had to have that glossy brown sheen or it was crap, etc.
I think that's more a reflection on amount of content producers than anything else.
I don't mean any disrespect to OP because that looks good and I can't cook for shit, but I agree with you that this isn't the sort of content I would expect.
I think your post was mostly well received. I wouldn't worry about it man. Hope you didn't take my comment the wrong way. I don't think lemmy should be/doesn't need to be a reddit clone. Communities will figure themselves out.
Well you said nothing gets that orange, so I pointed out something that does and I'm wondering if maybe that's it. Someone eating Beyond Meat might also eat vegan cheese right? The relevance seems pretty clear to me.
I really enjoy BM's burger personally. Taste is good but the real kicker is the texture and how it really has some body to it. What's the consensus on them?
Impossible burger is usually more salty than beef even before cooking. Not enough to be salty tasting, but if you're trying to eat a low sodium diet they have a fair bit more than real beef.
I've had them before. The flavor is a bit different and the texture is a little softer, but it's pretty close. All in all, they taste very good and they're filling like a normal burger; albeit a little expensive compared to meat.
I can't even tell which is which. Based on the beef patties I had last night, the right is the meat. But the left could be meat too - but cooked by a heathen on a very very low grill. But as you say, who cares if it tastes great? I don't even need Beyond meat to taste like meat if it tastes delicious.
Wow. Can we please be more sensitive about little people? They are a small group that is usually overlooked. And just so you know, "dwarf barf" as you call it, looks the same as anyone else's barf. Tastes the same too. A little sweeter, actually, because of all the little cookies they eat.
You had me in the first half, not gonna lie. It also made me notice that outside of rpg-based community what I said can be really out of place. Sorry about that :/
Had Beyond a few times, it's really impressive. I'm not a vegetarian (sorry) but rather a meat reducer. Keep making stuff like this available and I and many people like me will have no more excuses.
Fake chicken - almost indistinguishable in many cases
MOST fake beef (especially the likes of Quorn which I quite dislike) is nowhere near yet, I agree.
Beyond though? I'm really impressed, I can hardly tell.
Fake pork i.e. veggie sausages - long way to go. Oddly enough Richmond seem about the best. Most are way too dense and heavy for my liking.
Oh agreed, that's well ingrained in me and seems quite ingrained in British culture in general (I think it has wartime origins, but more because meat was expensive). I and everyone else I know, if we're out at a meal and getting full the first thing anyone does is start fishing around for the bits of meat to make sure they don't go to waste.
Years ago I spent a handful of months in Japan. It was wonderful, as always. But a couple months in I was really jonesing for some tasty Mexican food. I was told of a Mexican restaurant that was close enough. I went and ordered a chicken burrito and something else (I don't remember). It showed up and looked exactly what I would have gotten from one of the hundreds of Mexican restaurants around where I lived in SoCal. I took a bite and...not a single flavor was right. It looked wonderful, but tasted like a joke.
I agree looks can be deceiving. My go to example is a wedding cake that's 90% fondant, blech. I stand by my statement though, even if the meal was good, that photo of it is not.
Beyond burgers are okay or whatever but they are SO different and just do not taste as good as or that much like a beef burger. The number of people I have heard say they taste the same makes me think I'm a super taster or something.
I am a confirmed in genetically tested supertaster. It's pretty easy to get done so you don't have to wonder. One of the big identifiers is that usually beer, wine. Seltzer, sparkling water, and unsweetened tea is pretty bad to you along with dark chocolate and other bitter flavors.
Sorry, the app I’m using only lets me view the post with my eyes, I can’t actually taste it with my mouth, so unfortunately even if it’s delicious all I can judge it on is how it looks.
Hopefully this explains my comment in a way that is easier to understand. It could be my fault though, maybe the general agreement is that this community is for photos of things that taste good but look bad?
"Seriously off" is probably an exaggeration - I wouldn't be surprised if you could observe just as big or even larger differences in colour of the meat just by using different breeds of cattle.
Alright, my bad. Calling it "off" sounded like you thought one of them had gone bad or were implying that it had. Both are colors that meat naturally takes when cooking and I think it's normal for them to change colors at different rates
I understand, but my monkey brain tells me something is not right if meat is red or gray when I'm about to eat it. I guess my point is they're not even close to replacing real meat.
I'm not vegan, but I'll eat the hell out of a veggie burger if they finally nail it.
I'm an omnivore but I will smash a spicy bean burger in my face hole from time to time simply because they're tasty... I don't know if I like the idea of "meat replacement" - my brain just goes "why? I have meat... So I'll eat that, why replace it?" I think the only way I'd switch is if it was actually better than a normal burger and priced comparatively.
Water, pea protein*, expeller-pressed canola oil, refined coconut oil, rice protein, natural flavors, dried yeast, cocoa butter, methylcellulose, and less than 1% of potato starch, salt, potassium chloride, beet juice color, apple extract, pomegranate concentrate, sunflower lecithin, vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, vitamins and minerals (zinc sulfate, niacinamide [vitamin B3], pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], cyanocobalamin [vitamin B12], calcium pantothenate).
Really tame list of ingredients tbph. All the scary sounding ones are vitamins. Burgers on the other hand loaded with cholesterol and saturated fat, and might have all kinds of shit like antibiotics to boot. Just because "beef" is "one ingredient" doesn't mean it's not full of toxic chemicals.
Like I said, beyondmeat is one of the less bad options. But let's not kid ourselves that they're automatically more healthy. They fall squarely into the ultra processed "foods" category.
Looking at the ingredients of some no meat meatballs from a supermarket and the fourth biggest ingredient is palm oil. They also contain methyl cellulose and dextrose whatever the hell they are!
shit like antibiotics to boot.
This may be true in some parts of the world, but not all.
Due to concerns about the potential risk to humans, the use of hormonal growth promoters for livestock is banned in the UK. Antibiotic growth-promoting feed additives have also been phased out - because of concerns about the potential spread of antibiotic resistance.
Saturated fats have a bad name, but the real issue is excess, a burger now and then is fine, is when you have it as a regular part of your diet rather than a treat that it becomes problematic.
Strikes me here that the word "processed" just gets bent to prove a point about these specific foods. The main issue with it is it's a pretty high-fat food. That's a given, since its whole purpose is to emulate a burger. Anyone who's eating any kind of "burger" that's not a full blown veggie burger on a regular basis should cut it out. As for burgers in general, you're probably marginally better off with pea/rice protein + canola/coconut oil than beef, though something like that doesn't have like a blinking green neon scientific proof behind it.
But much healthier for the cow, which I think is the reason a lot of folks are interested. Those eating plant-based for health alone are probably more likely to go for a lentil or black bean patty than Beyond/Impossible Meat.
Oreos and Doritos are also vegan, just because somethings vegan doesn’t mean it’s healthy, pretty sure most people with a little bit of sense understand this already
I do eat meat, quite frequently.
Impossible is the only meat substitute I've had that I couldn't immediately tell the difference with, in either flavor or texture. If the price is ever on-par with hamburger (ideally cheaper), I will switch without hesitation. I will highly recommend it to anyone that's vegan (yes, yes, I know) or vegetarian.
I've also had some soy wings that are very, very good, better than real wings. Then again, I don't actually like real chicken wings that much.
Not as experienced as you, but I find ground meats can be substituted out no problem. I've got jackfruit, soy, and mushroom alternatives on the menu that all have specific niches, but can still work across the board.
My current testing is sausages. Breakfast ones in particular make a large part of my diet, so I'm hoping to find off the self instead of making them.
Only thing stopping me from buying Impossible over beef is the cost. Soon as it's comparable in price I have no problem switching.
No idea where in the world you are but in the US there’s a chain Grocery Outlet that I often find both Beyond and Impossible for like half off and it’s great
If you've got a wholesale food store, check for them. I get 10 pack frozen impossible burgers for $10 at costco.
You can see the difference even visually. WTF are you talking about?
Since I don't usually eat steak tartare, the raw appearance isn't relevant to me. The cooked appearance is close enough to not be noted.
(I like tartare, but finding a butcher that is fully trustworthy is difficult where I live.)
The photo in the post shows a huge difference in appearance.
I upvoted your post 1/2 way through just for the sheer effort of information. (and did continue reading, I just have nothing of value to add)
Seems like an absolute process. I'm not a vegan but it's nice you guys have options when you're craving a burger. I can't wait until that lab grown meat hits the markets.
Honestly I think Beyond Meat/Impossible style burgers are aimed at meat eaters who want to reduce animal cruelty/their carbon footprint. It's actually kind of annoying they're so popular now, as restaurants that used to have creative vegan options now sell Beyond Meat as the only choice.
Vegans don't tend to care if a veggie burger is "realistic". Some find the idea of meat gross and don't want to roleplay eating it (my wife says they make her feel sick). Even if you don't mind, the longer you give up meat the less interesting it is as a flavor. I'd take one of those shitty frozen veggie burgers that are 90% potato over an Impossible burger.
If I ever go vegetarian I'd definitely just enjoy stuff like falafels, curries, halloumi and the million other options and not worry about reproducing meat.
I get impossible burgers often and can confirm. Not vegetarian, but I've massively reduced red meat consumption and impossible/beyond really hits the spot when I want a burger. It's an option at tons of restaurants now which is amazing. I also get 10 packs of impossible burgers at costco for like $10, honestly incredible deal.
These things have me the shits quicker than taco bell guacamole.
Even if you don't mind, the longer you give up meat the less interesting it is as a flavor.
I think there's a curve to this.
When I first became vegetarian there were no fake meat options. If you got something that looked or tasted like meat it was because there was meat in it. Gross and nobody wanted that.
But after 20+ years being vegetarian, it's REALLY nice to have some other options. I still enjoy a garden burger or black bean burger if it's the only non-meat option but I can't remember the last time I bought it in the store. The rise in popularity of vegetarian foods and all the fad diets have made it so there's tons of options now.
My meat eating friends all love both Beyond and Impossible. A few actually prefer it to a standard burger.
Now if we can just teach restaurants how to cook them properly...
Also between a industrial processed food and something like a falafel I would go for the second every time.
I mean a nice portobello grilled up is a great alternative without the hassle.
A grilled portabella is better than any veggie burger I've had, and better than most beef burgers too.
I'm curious, I've never cooked with Impossible meat before, is the "meat" just already salted/seasoned well? When I make a burger I definitely add quite a bit of salt while cooking, wondering if that sodium is just it being pre-seasoned or if that's before a (needed) good pinch of salt
Oh yes it does have enough salt to stand on its own. I never add salt to either Beyond or Impossible brands. I might add other seasoning if I'm trying to hit a flavor profile (liquid smoke, cajun spices, curry, etc).
You can just plop it out as-is and it'll cook up nicely. Just don't squish all the liquid out of it. I've had some nasty versions because people get away with poor cooking skills with reql meat and these don't tolerate the same abuses.
This was very fascinating. Do you work in the industry?
I hope to see more of your essay comments on food posts in the future. This is the kind of engagement I live for.
Man that's so cool. Have you tried cooking anything else with it (if you can't make patty)? Also is there any interesting reading material you could recommend me?
Oh, also one more question, is pea protein nutritionally equivalent to ground beef or would you start missing something if you treated it that way?
Methylcellulose is also used as an egg white substitute in vegan cocktails! It foams up in a very similar way to egg whites and has little.to no effect on the flavor. It's often prepared as a syrup to make portioning easier as you only need small amounts to achieve the foaming effect
Wonder if they can use it for firefighting foam instead of PFOAs.
Alternately, I wonder how good of a foam PFOAs will give my cocktail.
How do you know someone is a vegetarian? Don't worry, they'll tell you.
Just kidding, most vegetarians I know are really cool and non-judgmental about others' eating habits. I've actually reduced my meat intake just by hanging out with a vegetarian friend that always went out of their way to make me something with meat when we ate together, and to return the favor I would always make vegetarian dishes when they ate at my place. And then I just sort of got into the challenge of making tasty veggie dishes! I would say I've halved my meat consumption over the last year because of it.
Thanks for the interesting write up.
Why are you required by law to say you don't eat meat?
I think it’s a joke based on the stereotype of vegans being very outspoken about it.
What kind of animal testing could they even do? Lol. Feed the burger to a dog?
That's pretty disgusting ultra processed shit.
Yeah, unlike the totally non-disgusting way meat is processed
It's not processed.
https://is.gd/bVN2Op
What? You dumb?
Absolutely, I am a complete idiot. I pointed out to you that a simple & obvious search results in multiple definitions & examples of how meat is processed. I thought that would result in you understanding that meat is, in fact, processed. In hindsight, that was extremely stupid of me and I feel very dumb.
Wut? Do you even read, bro?
unlike the not disgusting animal farming process: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23817808/pig-farm-investigation-feedback-immunity-feces-intestines
That's US. Everything is shit there.
If there’s one dish where I feel it’s a waste to eat animal meat, it’s hamburgers. Vegetarian alternatives have come a long way and in a burger they’re often the superior option.
There’s a small difference for sure, but the BM patties are far from inferior. And much of the difference is masked by condiments anyway.
Nothing pisses me off more than seeing "wagyu beef burger" on a menu. What's the fucking point if you're gonna grind it up and shape it into a patty
They still use the burger parts for burger. They’re not taking a ribeye and grinding it up and selling it at a loss.
Is it a dumb thing for dumb people? Maybe. You would think the extra fat would just cook off and it wouldn’t go very far vs uncooked weight.
I wouldn’t buy one but I wouldn’t want that meat to go to waste either.
The ones I’ve had are usually similar price to the other burgers or a very slight increase and the patty quality was definitely better. If the price difference was like between wagyu steak and normal, I’d never even consider it.
Because there's other cuts on the cow and it would be shameful for that to go to waste. They aren't using ribeye to male it.
Still silly to pay more for it. If you're mincing meat you can just add whatever fat ratio you want to it without having to overpay about 10x for the privilege.
It's not just the fat content. Wagyu fat renders differently and has a different flavour.
You could keep trimmings from wagyu cuts to mix in with the minced meat, but yeah, it would be lost in a burger. Better off rendering the trimmings down to make tallow.
At Costco the ground wagyu is cheaper than the regular ground beef. I use it in cooking rice dishes and the fat does give it a nicer flavor. Also appreciate that wagyu is sold in 1lb packs vs. 1.33 lbs for the Kirkland brand.
I personally think like the complete opposite - if there's anything that's a waste, it's a beyond meat burger, because veggie burgers are like, really fucking good. Why on earth would you settle for an inferior pretend product when you can instead have a really good thing that's not pretending to be something else?
Miss me with that fake meat stuff and bring back actual veggie burgers! I got a real nice sweet potato and refried black bean one I've been working on for a while now
100% agree. The imitation methods used in all of the vegan "meat" products just are not near good enough. My ex made me try a bunch, they varied from a little off to just plain gross. Even though I approached each one with an open mind, not a single one was enjoyable. It was actually really hard to keep an open mind after a while, having been either disappointed or disgusted 100% of the time in the past.
However, chickpea patties? Delicious. Black bean burgers? They're usually pretty decent too. There was one veggie burger we tried that had portobello mushrooms as the main ingredient, and it was the most delicious veggie burger I've ever had, hands down. It was so savory and juicy, and the texture was excellent.
I just wish these companies would just focus on plant based products with great taste as their main goal rather than trying to imitate meat, because they're just so astonishingly terrible at it.
I've just realised that most people kinda just add the beans in direct which isn't what I meant. Whoops - yeah nah I turn them into refried beans and add them in. Directly throwing in black beans never seems to work in my opinion. Also a big fan of just like, making a really big aloo Tika (an Indian potato cake) and using it as a burger. They're really good and the burger king where I live used to actually sell them as their main veggie option before BM muscled all the decent veggie options out. Falafel burgers are also really good, but alas they're kinda a lot of work because of all the soaking and deep frying.
My holy grail of veggie burgers is this one spinach burger I had all the time as a kid because they always had leftovers of them at school sausage sizzles and I'd get the extras for free. It was probably some deep freeze bulk thing but goddamnit one day I'll make a spinach burger that doesn't taste like some sort of goddawful diet thing.
Also honestly in general fake meat in general just does not do it for me. I'd rather eat a dish that's veggie and works with that to make something different and good instead of trying to make a subpar copy.
Just eat a falafel sandwich. Why do you need or want to call it a burger?
It's def subjective but I've never been a fan of the blackened bean burger as a hamburger replacement. I wasn't that impressed with the bm burgers but the impossible burgers are a fine replacement imho.
This isn't a hamburger replacement this is a homemade burger where the beans taste like beans and are mainly there because I like homemade refried beans and thought they'd be good as a burger
Also impossible burger beyond meat sale difference. It's all fake meat that could be better replaced with something that just isn't pretending to be anything
I tell meat eaters and vegetarians the same thing about this.
"Do not compare this to the best meat hamburger you ever had. Instead pretend its a completely new food that you've never tried."
Treat it like a protein option and stop trying to force it to be just like something else. It is very similar to meat in many ways, but it isn't meat. I don't consume much advertising so I don't know if the companies are selling it and saying that it's indistinguishable.
It's not "fake", it just isn't "meat".
@Squids
Meh, I don't like mushrooms and really don't like the black bean burgers and haven't liked any other veggie burger I've tried, but the Impossible ones I can hardly tell the difference from cow, so ... why wouldn't I choose the impossible when given the opportunity?
So, for me, I guess the answer is that if I want a burger, I want a burger, why would I go for something that doesn't taste anything like a burger?
Because there's like a difference between a beef burger and the platonic idea of a burger. Like if I say I want a burger, you're not going to fault me for buying a chicken burger are you? Even though it doesn't taste anything like a regular beef burger? Same deal with veggie burgers. Meanwhile if I order a burger that looks like beef with the expectation that it will taste like beef, I'm going to be upset when it doesn't taste like a nice beef burger but instead a rather shitty one
Also there's tons of veggie burgers out there, maybe you just gotta try some that aren't like, the weird "healthy" options that dominate the search results. Stuff like a big ol' falafel in a bun or deep fried aloo tika.
...also I don't actually like beef burgers that much
There are TONS of people who will do that exact thing. what is or is not a sandwich or burger (is a burger a type of sandwich?) for some reason is a stupidly contentious topic that people feel passionate about.
People take labels and their individual expectations of that label pretty emotionally.
I fucking hate those slabs of vegetables and shit. They're disgusting. I'll eat regular burgers but I like these ones a lot too
But mishmashes of veggies on a bun? No
Real veggie burgers never left. Quinoa burgers are amazing. Still love Beyond Burgers but veggie burgers do add a nice variety.
Why not both? :D Cause sometimes I feel like eating this and sometimes I feel like eating that
Garden burgers are the worst. Portabella is good. Even boca burgers are okay. Impossible is far better than Boca though.
In what world are veggie burgers good? I don't want quinoa in my fucking burger.
1000 to 1 you just haven't had a good one.
What do you consider a good one? Bean patties aren't burgers.
Not a brand but restaurants or homemade. Lot of different ways to do it but that's like a master cooking class in itself.
...I don't think I've ever seen a quinoa burger that's like making a burger out of rice or couscous.
Also man, there's tons of good veggie burgers.
It just has quinoa in it. There are lots of other ingredients as well.
I would bet money that most people who hate the idea of a "quinoa" patty don't eat quinoa and likely don't even know how to pronounce it.
I'm genuinely baffled at the idea that beyond meat can be seen as remotely as good as a beef burger. It is VERY different. Albeit an okay replacement in a lot of senses, it just can never be as good as a traditional beef burger. Generally I wish I could be vegetarian but beef burgers would be by far the worst part for me if I had to give up meat...
Beyond burgers suck. Have you tried an impossible burger? Those are pretty fucking close
Yeah I have but it's been years. I think I'm with you that I prefer impossible over beyond burgers
IMO how things taste varies wildly from person to person. To me Beyond burger has a weird flavor that I dislike that never goes away.
Impossible burgers are a much better meat replacement to my taste buds. They're still not 100%, there's always a bite or two at the start were they taste off, but after that they taste pretty much like a cheap hamburger.
I eat meatless burgers at least once a week and I agree that beyond burgers have a lingering taste of cat food. Impossible burgers are far superior.
While I agree that beef burgers are great and that beyond meat just isn't the same, I think it's also important to remember that the second best thing to going vegetarian is eating less meat.
Yeah I agree. I do eat veggie burgers from time to time and enjoy them. I just take issue with the claim that these replacements are " just like meat". It's not, and that's ok
Yes, that's because it's not an Impossible burger. Now that one... comes really close.
I was with you until you mentioned Beyond Meat. BM is just nasty, and bears no taste or texture resemblance to meat at all. That might be ideal for vegans, but it won’t win over any omni or carnivores.
Impossible is a different story. I can make smash burgers with that stuff that are utterly indistinguishable from a real burger. It won’t trick anyone in a meatloaf but for a burger, it’s pretty impressive.
When is the last time you had a Beyond Burger? For a while they were salty af and pretty gross. Just got more from Costco and I would say they are better than Impossible Burgers.
I mostly agree. The impossible burgers are great, much better than I expected! I wanted to try the Beyond Meat burgers to compare… yeah they aren’t as good. I wouldn’t cal them nasty, but for sure inferior to the Impossible burgers.
Impossible burgers taste better, look better, and could easily be mistaken for real meat. I also really like the at they are meant to be cooked from frozen. Just 4min per side in the skillet and it’s about perfect. I cook it with some Worcestershire sauce and that kicks it up a notch!
The BM burgers say they need to be defrosted before cooking. I’m not about to do that because it’s a lot of time and planning. I cook them from frozen and they kinda turn out a bit mushy.
Exactly.
Beyond is just a slightly better evolution of the old Boca burgers. Still meh and you know in one second it's not beef. If beef like was what you were going for, you're boned. If not meat and it doesn't matter, it's fine
My first impossible burger was in a real burger restaurant (that's all they cooked) and I had to verify that it wasn't a regular burger
Makes me wonder why they didn’t start with beyond meat sausage. The seasoning would cover any difference in flavor and the texture would be a lot easier to disguise
Portobello ftw !
The difference is most certainly not small. It's very noticeable. I also love the veggie options, but your position is kind of like saying:
If there’s one dish where I feel it’s a waste to eat
animal meatfusilli, it’shamburgerspasta.Vegetarian alternativesSpaghetti has come a long way and in aburgerpasta dish, they’re often the superior option.At least this is a minority opinion. I rely on the availability of meat products to eat. I cannot process carbs or sugars and they make me incredibly sick even legumes and tubers, whole grains etc. Fruit also. It triggers insane inflammation that I can only hold at bay with benadryl and that's not safe to use habitually.
It's meat, low lactose dairy, fish, eggs, greens for me and when I do break my diet to have a delicious slice of my boyfriend's pepperoni pizza I am disabled for a day or more. I need to be able to work otherwise I wouldn't care if I were bedridden from including carbs and sugars in my diet. I personally don't believe there's anything wrong with eating meat as I was raised along side sheep eating lamb and baby birds. No question about it that any other predator on the planet wouldn't think twice about eating me ass first. I'm OK being part of the food chain.
Lemmy has a different ides of what counts as food porn.
Yeah this'd be like TastyFood in the old place. But I always thought FoodPorn was too unrealistic. Like, every bun had to have that glossy brown sheen or it was crap, etc.
I mean people want to see extraordinary food, where else to go? I guess we don't have any chefs on lemmy.
I think that's more a reflection on amount of content producers than anything else.
I don't mean any disrespect to OP because that looks good and I can't cook for shit, but I agree with you that this isn't the sort of content I would expect.
I think your post was mostly well received. I wouldn't worry about it man. Hope you didn't take my comment the wrong way. I don't think lemmy should be/doesn't need to be a reddit clone. Communities will figure themselves out.
This is like real porn vs. AI porn.
No, OP still made those burgers fuck after the pic
I feel like a lot of you never had a good hamburger in your life
The best hamburger I've ever had didn't look like it would be.
Just as a note, my stepfather had the best burger of his life right before his first case of food poisoning.
I'm gonna need an explanation of your bun situation. From here that looks like you're using extra wide english muffins or something.
Are we just glossing over the colour and plasticity of the cheese too?
Nothing is that orange and shiny
It looks like Kerrygold pre sliced cheddar or the like. Usually it gets a bit sweaty as it melts.
Pre-cut Cheddar definitely is
Found the euro
That looks like cheddar cheese.
No, that's cheddar. American cheese is way lighter in color.
Melted cheese is, throwing cheese on the patty for the last part of cooking is what I do.
I eat a vegan "cheese" that gets funky vibrant colored when heated.
Well you said nothing gets that orange, so I pointed out something that does and I'm wondering if maybe that's it. Someone eating Beyond Meat might also eat vegan cheese right? The relevance seems pretty clear to me.
Unlike most hamburger buns, that looks like bread.
It looks like pita bread
They forgot to cook the chips too.
I hate to just shit on things but overall this is a pretty sad looking pile of food IMO.
It could be home-baked buns, they are incredibly delicious.
It could be, or it could be hard tack. We need answers!
I really enjoy BM's burger personally. Taste is good but the real kicker is the texture and how it really has some body to it. What's the consensus on them?
I personally think the flavour is off but the texture is good, I personally prefer impossible burger
Impossible taste is nearly a replica of beef. And when you surround it in burger toppings, it could trick me
It's not a replica. Have you people ever tried proper burgers at all?
I've only had the Impossible Whopper, but I thought it was way too salty. Is it like that when you buy it in the store too?
No they add extra salt to the whopper I too did not really enjoy the whopper
Good to know. Thanks.
Impossible burger is usually more salty than beef even before cooking. Not enough to be salty tasting, but if you're trying to eat a low sodium diet they have a fair bit more than real beef.
The impossible whoppers are too thin and dry. Store ones are more like a normal 1/4 patty
I always put only pepper on my burgers so I didn't notice
I make all my meatloafs out of Beyond meat and it's absolutely delicious for that.
I’m interested in this. Is there a recipe you use?
I don't think I've seen them around yet in my country, I'll have a look around to see if I can get them to try
I've had them before. The flavor is a bit different and the texture is a little softer, but it's pretty close. All in all, they taste very good and they're filling like a normal burger; albeit a little expensive compared to meat.
There was a period in 2020 and into 2021 beyond meat was cheaper than ground beef.
I am a vegetarian and do my best to avoid meat replacements, but I do miss meat balls and meatloaf. Beyond meat works well for both of those.
They are better now that they are not salty. For like a year they loaded them with a ton of salt.
Better than most fake burger patties but still a big ways back from Impossible
More preservatives than a McDonald's Happy Meal. No thanks.
I can't wait for lab-grown meat.
"From lab to slab!"
...without a stab!
But it tastes bad
Reminds me of Better off Ted
Both of these look pretty mediocre. wtf are you doing with the cheese? lmao
Melting it with the heat between thier thighs.
But who puts the cheese under the pattie?
Sociopaths, that's who.
Who spells patty like that?
I blame the wine for my singular/plural confusion.
They both look terrible tbh
I'm not sure how I am supposed to judge food based on pictures. It could look like dwarf barf, if it tastes and feel good it's ok.
I can't even tell which is which. Based on the beef patties I had last night, the right is the meat. But the left could be meat too - but cooked by a heathen on a very very low grill. But as you say, who cares if it tastes great? I don't even need Beyond meat to taste like meat if it tastes delicious.
Wow. Can we please be more sensitive about little people? They are a small group that is usually overlooked. And just so you know, "dwarf barf" as you call it, looks the same as anyone else's barf. Tastes the same too. A little sweeter, actually, because of all the little cookies they eat.
You had me in the first half, not gonna lie. It also made me notice that outside of rpg-based community what I said can be really out of place. Sorry about that :/
"I think they mean like, fantasy dwarves" -is what I was typing when I read the last sentence of your comment
Why are you on this community
To see nice pic of food. And you?
Had Beyond a few times, it's really impressive. I'm not a vegetarian (sorry) but rather a meat reducer. Keep making stuff like this available and I and many people like me will have no more excuses.
I really like fake chicken, but fake beef just isn't there for me yet.
IMO:
Fake chicken - almost indistinguishable in many cases
MOST fake beef (especially the likes of Quorn which I quite dislike) is nowhere near yet, I agree. Beyond though? I'm really impressed, I can hardly tell.
Fake pork i.e. veggie sausages - long way to go. Oddly enough Richmond seem about the best. Most are way too dense and heavy for my liking.
Every day is progress though
No prob. Veggie here, we're all just glad people are open to trying.
If there's one hard rule I and others believe in, don't waste your food, especially the meat.
Oh agreed, that's well ingrained in me and seems quite ingrained in British culture in general (I think it has wartime origins, but more because meat was expensive). I and everyone else I know, if we're out at a meal and getting full the first thing anyone does is start fishing around for the bits of meat to make sure they don't go to waste.
The way this is phrased
Jesus christ Lemmy
Wait... What???
What a rollercoaster
Sooo.. rape then murder or the other way around?
A cow has to "artificial impregnated" every year so they lactate for
their babysomeones cornflakes and obviously to have a baby for the next burger.We should make a “just alright food” community
Could be a sister community of https://dimlylitmealsforone.tumblr.com/
I'm a fan of Beyond meat but this doesn't qualify as food porn. They look ok I guess but definitely not porn level.
Years ago I spent a handful of months in Japan. It was wonderful, as always. But a couple months in I was really jonesing for some tasty Mexican food. I was told of a Mexican restaurant that was close enough. I went and ordered a chicken burrito and something else (I don't remember). It showed up and looked exactly what I would have gotten from one of the hundreds of Mexican restaurants around where I lived in SoCal. I took a bite and...not a single flavor was right. It looked wonderful, but tasted like a joke.
I agree looks can be deceiving. My go to example is a wedding cake that's 90% fondant, blech. I stand by my statement though, even if the meal was good, that photo of it is not.
You seem to have accidently put the cheese on the bottom.
Agreed. I bought Beyond Meat patties at Costco because mine was out of Impossible and I was sorely disappointed. Impossible or bust!
And it's too bad...
People definitely buy up the impossible and ignore the beyond. They had the 10 pack on sale for $10 because it wasn't moving. Wish I liked them more
Pretty bad picture if you want to compare the protein of the hamburgers. For the next round don't put a bunch of things over the protein.
Is it cake??
If the way food LOOKS is the main metric you use to judge it, then I feel bad for your taste buds.
Beyond burgers are okay or whatever but they are SO different and just do not taste as good as or that much like a beef burger. The number of people I have heard say they taste the same makes me think I'm a super taster or something.
That's because beyond is disgusting. Impossible is very close
I am a confirmed in genetically tested supertaster. It's pretty easy to get done so you don't have to wonder. One of the big identifiers is that usually beer, wine. Seltzer, sparkling water, and unsweetened tea is pretty bad to you along with dark chocolate and other bitter flavors.
Well I might not be a super taster. You just named some of my favorite things in the world lol. I love bitter flavors.
Haha sounds like not then, I do have a higher spice tolerance than anyone I've met though.
Beyond, hands down. I got a distaste for real beef burger patties since I had my first vegan burger.
For me Impossible tastes better than beyond. I'm happy to eat either over beef even though I think beef has the potential to be the tastiest.
I'm a carnivore, and I do like both impossible and beyond better than beef burgers. The mouth feels and flavor are both better than beef burgers.
I'd take both. Looks good to me
The one on the left looks like it's been flame grilled, and the one on the right looks like it's been baked in foil.
Which one is which?
Gosh I love burgers. Meat, veggie, salmon...mmm
What the!
What kind of Real Meat (TM) is that?
The one on the right does look more appealing though...
The patty on the left looks like it was prepared by a vegan.
I'm moderately sure the Beyond patty is the one on the right.
As someone who eats them, I'm 100% sure it's the one on the right.
I'm pretty sure they meant that the beef one was prepared by someone unfamiliar with cooking beef hamburgers on account of its poor execution. A quip.
That's the vegan one. Thanks!
Good job making them both look equally unappealing
Mouth must be broken bro
Sorry, the app I’m using only lets me view the post with my eyes, I can’t actually taste it with my mouth, so unfortunately even if it’s delicious all I can judge it on is how it looks.
A good photo of a burger: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Classic-Juicy-Hamburger-Recipe-Square.jpg
A bad photo of a burger: https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/0a/20/a7/39/gross-burgers.jpg
Hopefully this explains my comment in a way that is easier to understand. It could be my fault though, maybe the general agreement is that this community is for photos of things that taste good but look bad?
👍
I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted, it’s not an attractive picture at all. That said, I though both of your photos looked delicious.
Where's the beef? I see vegetables.
One looks grey, the other red.
If they were cooked for the same amount of time, one of these is seriously "off".
"Seriously off" is probably an exaggeration - I wouldn't be surprised if you could observe just as big or even larger differences in colour of the meat just by using different breeds of cattle.
Also: one shrank when cooked, one didn't 😬
...assuming they started out in the exact same size?
I mean, how else would you compare them unless they were the same size?
Did you not read the title or is this an attempt at vegan food bad?
I read the title. It said "vs", so I logically thought it was a comparison? 😅
Alright, my bad. Calling it "off" sounded like you thought one of them had gone bad or were implying that it had. Both are colors that meat naturally takes when cooking and I think it's normal for them to change colors at different rates
I understand, but my monkey brain tells me something is not right if meat is red or gray when I'm about to eat it. I guess my point is they're not even close to replacing real meat.
I'm not vegan, but I'll eat the hell out of a veggie burger if they finally nail it.
I'm an omnivore but I will smash a spicy bean burger in my face hole from time to time simply because they're tasty... I don't know if I like the idea of "meat replacement" - my brain just goes "why? I have meat... So I'll eat that, why replace it?" I think the only way I'd switch is if it was actually better than a normal burger and priced comparatively.
One of these two costs about 150% more than the other and it's not the hamburger.
One of those is heavily subsidized by your taxes, the other is less so. Steak would be $35/lb without subsidies.
One of these probably contains about 3 ingredients, the other, has 20 (and beyondmeat is one of the less bad meat alternatives with regards to this).
Really tame list of ingredients tbph. All the scary sounding ones are vitamins. Burgers on the other hand loaded with cholesterol and saturated fat, and might have all kinds of shit like antibiotics to boot. Just because "beef" is "one ingredient" doesn't mean it's not full of toxic chemicals.
Like I said, beyondmeat is one of the less bad options. But let's not kid ourselves that they're automatically more healthy. They fall squarely into the ultra processed "foods" category.
Looking at the ingredients of some no meat meatballs from a supermarket and the fourth biggest ingredient is palm oil. They also contain methyl cellulose and dextrose whatever the hell they are!
This may be true in some parts of the world, but not all.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cattle-health#hormonal-treatments-and-antibiotics-for-cattle
Saturated fats have a bad name, but the real issue is excess, a burger now and then is fine, is when you have it as a regular part of your diet rather than a treat that it becomes problematic.
Strikes me here that the word "processed" just gets bent to prove a point about these specific foods. The main issue with it is it's a pretty high-fat food. That's a given, since its whole purpose is to emulate a burger. Anyone who's eating any kind of "burger" that's not a full blown veggie burger on a regular basis should cut it out. As for burgers in general, you're probably marginally better off with pea/rice protein + canola/coconut oil than beef, though something like that doesn't have like a blinking green neon scientific proof behind it.
That's ultra processed shit. You shouldn't eat that.
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23817808/pig-farm-investigation-feedback-immunity-feces-intestines
All food in the US is shit.
Except the vegan option is equally or more unhealthy depending on what kind of ground beef you choose.
But much healthier for the cow, which I think is the reason a lot of folks are interested. Those eating plant-based for health alone are probably more likely to go for a lentil or black bean patty than Beyond/Impossible Meat.
Oreos and Doritos are also vegan, just because somethings vegan doesn’t mean it’s healthy, pretty sure most people with a little bit of sense understand this already
They are not marketed as a healthy alternative. They are significantly better for the environment.
They're not.
Significantly lower carbon emissions and significantly lower water usage. Where are you getting that they are not better for the environment?