A Sustainable Burger At Last, Impossible Burger Review
The problem: Cows suck. More precisely, raising/feeding cows for food sucks. Instead of re-hashing the information, here is a quote from Impossible Foods.
We’ve been eating meat since we lived in caves. And today, some of our most magical moments together happen around meat: Weekend barbecues. Midnight fast-food runs. Taco Tuesdays. Hot dogs at the ballpark. Those moments are special, and we never want them to end. But using animals to make meat is a prehistoric and destructive technology. Animal agriculture occupies almost half the land on earth, consumes a quarter of our freshwater and destroys our ecosystems. So we’re doing something about it: we’re making meat using plants, so that we never have to use animals again. That way, we can eat all the meat we want, for as long as we want. And save the best planet in the known universe.
Impossible Foods Mission
The Answer: Impossible Burger. We got our hands on some (finally!), and tested out the cooking and eating of the not-a-burger. And hey! We took pictures!
The Raw Patty
First impression: This stuff smells like cat food. I’m not sure what the overlap of cat food ingredients to Impossible Burger patty, but it must be something that brings it to mind. To keep your mind at ease, the taste and smell did not carry over to the final product.
Well formed patties right out of the packaging, ready to grill. Heat your skillet and plop them in, we used a little salt and pepper with a bit of butter and oil. Nothing too fancy. Really wanted the burger to speak for itself. And yes, the burger has sizzle!
And as you can see, the burgers do indeed get a nice sear on them.
Note: the reddish tinge never goes away. We tried over-cooking the “meat” and microwaving it. One of our tasters had a hangup over the medium-rare look the burger seemed to have. Even after knowing there was no actual meat in the burger, her mind would not relent. So if you prefer a medium burger, you may have some slight discomfort.
Gotta butter toast the buns!
Isn’t She Lovely
The finished burger! I kept the toppings light. A slice of American cheese with some mustard and lettuce. Cross section in poor lighting!
A little better shot of the cross section. It definitely looks like real meat!
Drum Roll Please…
And the taste test! It taste like beef. I know, shocking. The main claim to fame for the Impossible Burger turns out to be true. The texture, the taste, everything.
Now, make no mistake. This is not the best burger I’ve ever eaten. I don’t think this would compare to a gourmet burger. In fact, it probably ranks around the level of Burger King/McDonalds/Wendy’s.
But it was good! It scratches that itch for meat. Satisfies the rumblies. And I’m sure that if I really went with the works. Some sliced tomatoes, pickles, lettuce, onion, mushrooms, or bacon maybe, and you would never be able to tell the difference between the Impossible Burger and a really lean patty.
Impossible Burger Review
This imitation burger has not made me swear off regular beef. But it has opened my eyes to the possibility. That I could completely see myself replacing the occasional burger with this substitute. I am happy the Burger King and Carls Jr. and White Castle are offering this in select stores, because it’s a natural fit for them. And if a fraction of burgers get replaced, and Impossible Foods takes a bite out of the natural thing, that’s a great sign for the planet!
At just under $6 bucks for two burgers, the price is certainly higher than the cheap stuff. And I would agree that you could make a better tasting burger for less, undoubtedly. The good news is, you don’t have the ghost of a cow hanging over your shoulder. This is a guilt free option that would please most of the audiences out there.
The taste test did not pass our pickiest eater (The infamous Craig Crossman, former host of the program!), who gave it a thumbs down. But he does that to most of my cooking. Point is, come at this “meat” with an open mind, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.