Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/07/26/impossible-burger-totally-poss.html
…
8 Likes
Neat stuff. I’m also looking forward to vat cultured “meat” to hit the market. The idea of being able to enjoy meat without having to kill an animal appeals to me.
21 Likes
But the bacon…
4 Likes
I have never liked bacon on my burger. A fried egg…yes.
I do not get the fascination with bacon on everything.
4 Likes
I’ve eaten it twice. Very good flavor. Juicy, not very ‘plant-like’. Maybe a touch mealy.
Now this is anecdotal and it may be the beer, but I had some, ah, gas-tric difficulties after eating IB both times.
ymmv
would eat again and this time I shall resist the beer! I swear it! probably swear, ok maybe swear…
3 Likes
Not quite. They used a gene that’s expressed in the root of soybeans and stuck it in yeast. GMO for the win!
6 Likes
I’ve had impossible burger twice. The first time, I had it medium or medium-well so that I could try both the fully cooked gray outer layer and the less cooked pink middle, because I thought that being able to cook it partially or fully like beef was part of the idea behind the thing; it was mushy and unimpressive—I would rather have a veggie patty that doesn’t resemble meat at all. The second time, I had it well-done because I wasn’t asked how I wanted it and that’s just how they cooked it; that was good—the texture and flavor were both more burger-like, and more importantly I enjoyed it. I like it much better than many veggie burgers or a portobello mushroom sandwich.
I am a vegetarian and don’t really care whether or not my food imitates meat, although sometimes doing so gives a good texture and flavor (often the best pre-flavored tofu available is imitation meat). So I think the impossible burger is a great option, particularly for people who want something meat-like that isn’t actually meat.
5 Likes
It’s at White Castle now! Though only in three US states at the moment.
1 Like
Thanks for the pro-tip: maybe the thing just doesn’t firm up until it is well done (i.e. a bit of char on the outside).
I’m also fine w veg veggie ‘burgers’ or a nice marinated portobello cap grilled up perfectly mmmmmmmm.
Next time I will avoid the beer (mb) and try well done!
IMHO going to all this trouble to make a veggie burger “bleed” is kind of silly, but their product is quite tasty.
I’ve never seen the point in trying to emulate meat that much. Meat is ok, but it’s far from the end-all-be-all food tastewise. I much prefer vegetarian options that stop pretending and try to make something new and interesting instead. The big flaw in many is that they seem to believe that flavor is a mortal sin and work hard to make the blandest mushiest substence on Earth. I know your market is health food nuts, but come on, you can put a little salt in the recipe.
5 Likes
It may also depend on the cooking method used. I’ve been enjoying the Beyond Meat patties (I haven’t tried Impossible yet, very few locations around here have it currently, and it’s like $18-20 for a burger…) a lot. I’ve been cooking them in a small frying pan, 4 minutes each side as per the instructions. This induces a very nice char on the outside (if you like char on yer burgers), and the texture is indeed very ‘meaty’.
I’d rank it above your standard frozen real-beef patties or any fast food burgers, but below a professionally-made brewpub-style burger.
1 Like
The protein is commonly found in soy plants’ roots, but since we don’t typically eat that part of the plant,
I recall reading that the runner bean is wholly edible, - leaves, stalks, beans (of course), and roots. So it would not surprise me that a soy bean would have non-harmful roots. I grew soy beans last year, but just the beans - dried - made it to the store cupboard.
ETA @Dioptase1 - posted before I read your comment. Still …
CBC Radio currently has a featured story about cultured fish on their site that’s pretty interesting, and lab grown fish proteins seems like it could be a reasonable alternative to many of the fish farming processes currently in use.
When in LA few months back my daughter and her boyfriend, who are both vegetarians wanted to try this out. To see what all the fuss was about.
Turns out it is not vegetarian, and for the stupidest of reasons. They used a sauce that was not veggie, rendering the whole thing not veggie.
I don’t know if was just this one place, or that’s how they are made, anyhow the assumption that something advertise as meat free is veggie was incorrect !
I’m not veggie, tasted great tho !
The Impossible Burger people are not targeting vegetarians. Their mission is to grab the meat market. To do that, they need to emulate meat. They’ve been very blunt about it.
3 Likes
I wouldn’t mind trying one but given the choice between it and a more straightforward vegetarian black bean pattie or something similar that’s been freshly made, I’d prefer the latter. Good on them though! Especially for making use of a part of a plant that hasn’t been typically used for food
1 Like
its got an aoli on it, which is by most accounts considered vegetarian. It is not vegan, true…but I do not think anyone has ever described the Impossible burger as vegan.
Additionally, Impossible Burger is selling the burger patties…not how they are prepared and served. So even if you had a strict vegan diet the burger fits that bill; even if the preparation at said restaurant does not.
Impossible burgers are too close to meat for my wife, the bleed and the whole fattiness of it. If making it so close to meat was their plan, I guess they did what they wanted.
On another note, I’m still waiting for actual lab grown meat to get the ok from the FDA. As a vegetarian, I’d suspect I’d be willing to try, even adopt it into my diet. Is anyone hypothesizing where the soul goes when you lab grow meat yet? lab grown soul?
1 Like
"How Does the Impossible Burger Compare to Regular Burgers?
Nutritionally speaking, the Impossible Burger has been formulated to approximate the nutritional profile of 80% lean ground beef—for better or worse. It contains a similar amount of protein and calories. It’s a bit lower in total fat but actually significantly higher in saturated fat. That’s because unlike beef, which contains a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fats, coconut oil is virtually all saturated. So, if you avoid beef burgers in an effort to moderate your saturated fat intake, you might be better off with a turkey or bison burger."
Still want to try it. Went to the place down the block - to long a wait for a seat.
3 Likes
I’ve made this stuff, it is damn good. I look forward to someday making this & the impossible burger at home.
Of course, I still eat bacon & meat… but if the alternatives are good enough to stand on their own, why not?
3 Likes
