The Impossible Burger

[dilla]

About a month ago, I heard about Impossible foods and the burger they were trying out at local Burger Kings. Well, select BKs, only in the STL area.

I was late to the party because plenty of other restaurants had been serving Impossible's offerings for quite some time.

I'm not vegan but I do go vegetarian a day or two a week, which is really just me eating less food lol. But I wanted to try it because during these days that I go veg, I find that I could stay that way for a few days at a time by eating things that may have similar texture as meat. While it's certainly not a meat-substitute, I do find that Indian dishes where paneer is substituted for chicken or lamb, I can easily eat that dish because the curry is still the same as the non-veg variant of the dish. And that's where all the flavor is anyway, not necessarily the meat. My parents love Boca burgers and I'd occasionally eat one with them, still, not as a meat-substitute, but I liked the taste. Recently we switched brands to Dr Praeger's veggie burger and that is even better.


Anyway, BK started offering the Impossible Whopper, I thought it was available everywhere, but it wasn't. Being turned away from the local BK like I was a lunatic insisting on an "Impossible" Burger instead of the usual veggie burger they offered, I found the restaurants near me that did serve their products.

White Castle.

So I went about two weeks ago to the White Castle and got two of their Impossible Sliders. I love White Castler sliders, by the way. Sliders are mean to be tiny but I just love the texture of the meat and onions and all that shit. I used to eat ten of them when I was a fat ass. I'm still a fat ass, but I feel like shit after 5 of them. Progress.

I tried WC's Impossible slider and it was surprisingly good. Again, I prefer the beef patty over it, but Impossible Foods has done a great job in getting the texture to be edible and not taste synthetic. Not quite the texture of a beef patty, but still more than palatable and decently flavored.

Looks like BK is expanding the offering nationwide by the end of 2019: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...for-small-restaurants/?utm_term=.2ef7124c270b

The craze is picking up that there's even a shortage of it: https://www.eater.com/2019/4/29/185...impossible-foods-expansion-restaurants-demand

I don't know if I'll ever give up meat and I'd still prefer paneer or even tofu to the Impossible Burger, but they're getting there. It's not a bad burger and it doesn't taste fake and synthetic. I know, ground beef is not "natural" either but they do a good job of helping you get over that with all the preservatives and chemicals they treat it with. It doesn't seem this Impossible meat needs that treatment and I think it tastes just fine.

I'd recommend getting a taste of it if a restaurant near you serves it. I don't know if it's widely available overseas yet but I expect it will be. Dave and Busters, Red Robin, White Castle, and certain BK locations have the "meat" available. Some smaller restaurants that aren't chains near me also offer it; you can always just search the Impossible Foods website for locations serving it.

 

[Rukas]

I can’t wait until I can get a perfectly grown steak every single time mmmmm

 

[FroDawgg]

I'm a straight carnivore with absolutely no greens in my diet. However, I really need to start eating healthier, and being married to a vegetarian has also played with my moral compass regarding animal treatment (not to mention the environmental impact).

Last year, I jumped onboard the imitation-meat train (I had tried and enjoyed stuff like fake pepperoni, but could never do traditional veggie burgers) by trying the Beyond Burger. When I had it at a restaurant, it was decent, but at home, since you're not supposed to freeze it, the precooked smell ruined it for me. I still use its crumbles in chili and tacos, and I have a pack of the chicken strips in the freezer I have yet to touch.

Then I heard about the Impossible Burger. It's not at my local BKs and I don't know if we even have WCs near me, because I don't like onions so I don't eat their burgers. They do, however, serve it at Red Robin, and it was pretty good. Better than the Beyond, but I still need to give it a few spins before committing.

I'm not going in expecting an indistinguishable veggie burger--I know that's not realistic--but I'm hoping for a little more. I know both Beyond and Impossible are constantly toying with their formulas, so maybe one day...

I have been anticipating lab-grown meat (which was at one point referred to as shmeat) for a while; while ethics are greatly influencing my choices, it's only if something is actually killed, not grown or already dead (although you typically don't just eat animals that up and die). I read an article just the other day claiming that it will be widespread by 2040. That's a long time to wait.

All in all, I'll do what I need to for health and ethical reasons, but NOTHING beats the taste of a fresh, juicy cheeseburger.

 

[dilla]

I'm a straight carnivore with absolutely no greens in my diet. However, I really need to start eating healthier, and being married to a vegetarian has also played with my moral compass regarding animal treatment (not to mention the environmental impact).

Last year, I jumped onboard the imitation-meat train (I had tried and enjoyed stuff like fake pepperoni, but could never do traditional veggie burgers) by trying the Beyond Burger. When I had it at a restaurant, it was decent, but at home, since you're not supposed to freeze it, the precooked smell ruined it for me. I still use its crumbles in chili and tacos, and I have a pack of the chicken strips in the freezer I have yet to touch.

Then I heard about the Impossible Burger. It's not at my local BKs and I don't know if we even have WCs near me, because I don't like onions so I don't eat their burgers. They do, however, serve it at Red Robin, and it was pretty good. Better than the Beyond, but I still need to give it a few spins before committing.

I'm not going in expecting an indistinguishable veggie burger--I know that's not realistic--but I'm hoping for a little more. I know both Beyond and Impossible are constantly toying with their formulas, so maybe one day...

I have been anticipating lab-grown meat (which was at one point referred to as shmeat) for a while; while ethics are greatly influencing my choices, it's only if something is actually killed, not grown or already dead (although you typically don't just eat animals that up and die). I read an article just the other day claiming that it will be widespread by 2040. That's a long time to wait.

All in all, I'll do what I need to for health and ethical reasons, but NOTHING beats the taste of a fresh, juicy cheeseburger.

Yeah, I'd rather these companies give these new meat substitutes their own taste and not try to imitate actual meat taste. I think that's one area they're fucking up in. Texture? Sure, try going for that but most burgers typically get the taste from the seasonings and condiments/toppings. I don't think companies need to try and go so far as to replicate condiments, but certainly can work on the seasoning aspect more.

Otherwise, even the regular veggie burgers, which don't seem to try too hard to get the "feel" of meat and just focus on making something edible are still pretty good. As I mentioned originally, Dr Praeger's burgers are pretty legit and it doesn't remind me of meat too much. It's just flavored well.

I don't think I've tried a Beyond Meat product but I have heard a ton about it too since they compete with Impossible Foods.

 

[Preach]

Wait, this is something else than the burger that was made from artificially grown meat?

I'm ready for that. Cow meat that grows in a petri dish. Here's a crazy prediction for the future: at some point, that's gonna be the way we feed ourselves, and to spare the environment from having trucks and ships full of cow meat running around and spewing out pollution, people will buy tiny little cow meat petri dish babies to bring home and grow the meat themselves. It'll be like having an inanimate pet that you eventually just cook alive and eat. Sounds like a bad episode of Black Mirror.

Man, that's gonna be weird and cool!

 

[dilla]

My mom brought some of that Beyond Meat stuff from Whole Foods.

It's tasty and I wouldn't mind it as a meal here and there but marketing it towards meat eaters still doesn't feel like the right way to go. I think they'd have better luck telling people it still comes from an animal and isn't a plant-base protein burger. I think people would be more open to that.

I think trying to imitate taste and texture of meat is a losing battle and they should just make these things taste and feel (texture) good instead of trying to be an "alternative." Move away from the blandness but not necessarily towards "meat" flavor. Just "flavor."

Meat is pretty bland on its own, too. That's why we seasons it so much.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

The impossible burger is you not having a burger.

 

[dilla]

These things are much better on a grill. Made a few for the Fourth and they turned out very nice.

Same with the vegetables we grilled on skewers; for the first time, none fell off or look like the charcoal afterwards lol

 

[dilla]

Still no one has tried it? I think they're out at all Burger Kings now, at least in the US.

The Whoppers are solid for those days of the week I go vegetarian.

 

[yak pac fatal]

Never had it. My homeboy actually had it a couple of days and didn't like it. I had a black bean burger last weekend for the first time. Tasted good.

 

[dilla]

Never had it. My homeboy actually had it a couple of days and didn't like it. I had a black bean burger last weekend for the first time. Tasted good.

lol those are different. Definitely try the Impossible Whopper from BK and tell them to put cheese on it. Just learned that telling the dude "everything on it" does not include a fucking slice of cheese.

You're out West though, right? I think Carl's Jr has those burgers, too. Red Robin and Dave and Busters too. I've only had the BK and White Castle ones and thought they were pretty good.

I think a lot of the flak the companies making these products are getting is for claiming it's "healthier" which I don't think the nutrition facts support. I just like it because it's different and tastes fine to me. I do have a weird palate where some things that taste "different" just make it good for me. Like Daiya cheese. After hearing Casey rave on about it probably ten years ago, I tried it and it tastes nothing like cheese. Nor does it really have the consistency of it. But it tastes fine but since it's different, I guess I like it lol.

I'm not vegan nor vegetarian but I have cut back on meat a little bit, at least once of twice a week. And so these products are close enough to "feeling" like the real thing, that I can still not have to consciously look for a vegetarian option on those days where I don't eat meat.

So it's definitely not to get healthier but just to go meatless for a day or two a week and not really miss meat.

 

[yak pac fatal]

lol those are different. Definitely try the Impossible Whopper from BK and tell them to put cheese on it. Just learned that telling the dude "everything on it" does not include a fucking slice of cheese.

You're out West though, right? I think Carl's Jr has those burgers, too. Red Robin and Dave and Busters too. I've only had the BK and White Castle ones and thought they were pretty good.

I think a lot of the flak the companies making these products are getting is for claiming it's "healthier" which I don't think the nutrition facts support. I just like it because it's different and tastes fine to me. I do have a weird palate where some things that taste "different" just make it good for me. Like Daiya cheese. After hearing Casey rave on about it probably ten years ago, I tried it and it tastes nothing like cheese. Nor does it really have the consistency of it. But it tastes fine but since it's different, I guess I like it lol.

I'm not vegan nor vegetarian but I have cut back on meat a little bit, at least once of twice a week. And so these products are close enough to "feeling" like the real thing, that I can still not have to consciously look for a vegetarian option on those days where I don't eat meat.

So it's definitely not to get healthier but just to go meatless for a day or two a week and not really miss meat.

Na, out East, NJ. Lol yo I've never had a burger from BK, McDonalds, Wendy's and a whole bunch of other places. I stick with chicken. I heard Carl's Jr is good but I think that's westcoast only. Went to Red Robin for the first time this year and had a bad experience with the service lol. I like the "hole in the wall" spots.

Same here. I have cut back on red meat. I miss steak though, burgers not so much. One day I'll def give it a try.

Off topic but have you ever had a bison burger?

 

[dilla]

That's crazy, man. Not even tried a beef burger from any of the fast food joints? They're not the greatest thing ever but you've never been in a spot for a quick bite and tried a damn cheeseburger from there?

Yeah, Carl's is West Coast, like Jack in the Box and In N Out, places I've never been to either despite being out West a few times.

I haven't been to Red Robin either, I just knew it was one of the places that had Impossible Meats. I think some other stores use the Amazing Foods variants too, it just depends who they choose to partner with.

I might have had a bison burger, but I can't remember, oddly enough. Definitely don't eat bison often. I do know I had a bison hot dog/sausage once at a friend's house but I also don't remember the taste. It's definitely more expensive than beef and I want to say the taste was similar? Different, but close. I don't really have any intention of trying it again unless it's on a menu with something that makes me want to try it again.

It's supposed to be leaner, if I'm not mistaken. We don't cook beef too often at home since it's not big in Indian cooking. I also don't like the way I make homemade chicken lol. It never tastes like a restaurant's chicken, be it Indian, BBQ, etc. The only meat I can work with from scratch is lamb and I make a mean lamb curry in a slow cooker lol. But lamb is kinda foreign to most white folks in the US. I only see it at high end restaurants and then at Mediterranean restaurants as shawarma.

 

[yak pac fatal]

That's crazy, man. Not even tried a beef burger from any of the fast food joints? They're not the greatest thing ever but you've never been in a spot for a quick bite and tried a damn cheeseburger from there?

Yeah, Carl's is West Coast, like Jack in the Box and In N Out, places I've never been to either despite being out West a few times.

I haven't been to Red Robin either, I just knew it was one of the places that had Impossible Meats. I think some other stores use the Amazing Foods variants too, it just depends who they choose to partner with.

I might have had a bison burger, but I can't remember, oddly enough. Definitely don't eat bison often. I do know I had a bison hot dog/sausage once at a friend's house but I also don't remember the taste. It's definitely more expensive than beef and I want to say the taste was similar? Different, but close. I don't really have any intention of trying it again unless it's on a menu with something that makes me want to try it again.

It's supposed to be leaner, if I'm not mistaken. We don't cook beef too often at home since it's not big in Indian cooking. I also don't like the way I make homemade chicken lol. It never tastes like a restaurant's chicken, be it Indian, BBQ, etc. The only meat I can work with from scratch is lamb and I make a mean lamb curry in a slow cooker lol. But lamb is kinda foreign to most white folks in the US. I only see it at high end restaurants and then at Mediterranean restaurants as shawarma.

LOL I've had burgers from 5 guys (heard they fell off), grand lux and white manna(only in NJ). Yes, they say bison burger is leaner. To me it taste better than beef.

Yea, chicken takes some time to master. Do you marinate it? Back in the day when my mom switched from grounded beef to grounded chicken, it was bye bye beef. I've never cooked lamb. My mom used to, like once a year during the holidays. If I recall correctly it's def one of the softest meats out there right?

 

[dilla]

LOL I've had burgers from 5 guys (heard they fell off), grand lux and white manna(only in NJ). Yes, they say bison burger is leaner. To me it taste better than beef.

Yea, chicken takes some time to master. Do you marinate it? Back in the day when my mom switched from grounded beef to grounded chicken, it was bye bye beef. I've never cooked lamb. My mom used to, like once a year during the holidays. If I recall correctly it's def one of the softest meats out there right?

I've had 5 Guys maybe a handful of times. I don't think I've had it in the last ten years despite there being like 3 or 4 within a 30 mile radius of my house and work. Funny enough, I was at one about two weeks ago in my sister's college town when I moved her in. She was hungry and wanted 5 Guys so I took her there but just didn't feel like eating anything, so she just ate. She loves their fries and burgers and she goes to our local locations once in a while. But I can't tell you anything about how good or bad they are because I haven't eaten there in so long.

For chicken, I used to grill it outside last time I tried it. It was actually pretty good but still too much work to make sure the heat was just right and the time on the grates was enough and not too much. I think they were bone-in thighs that we seasoned with Monterrey Chicken seasoning from the grocery store. It was good but there were countless other times where we made curries with chicken and it flopped because the chicken had extra shit on it that we didn't take the time to remove. Like we clean it and trim as much fat as we can, but some odd fat streaks would be there that would turn to shit after being cooked. Or that stray tendon still in the meat lol.

Lamb can be tender. About as much as beef can be, depending on how you cook it. When I make it in a slow cooker, it's basically like butter the way it splits, so I've been big on slow cooking meat. I actually did make chicken in it too and it turned out amazing, but it was boneless so not the same as cooking out on a grill. But that chicken was a success too.

One odd way to cook meat that I've heard of is with hot dogs. Pressure cooking them. I never knew people did that but when I was in Georgia, my buddy took me to a joint that pressure cooked hot dogs and they were pretty damn good. I know we pressure cooked our curries and other stuff but hot dogs? Sounds strange but it worked for that joint. Never tried it myself, though. About the craziest thing I've done with hot dogs is stick uncooked spaghetti in raw hot dogs and then boiled them and added pasta sauce. So you have bits of hot dog with pasta coming out of it and in some sauce. I know parents make it for their toddler kids but I think it's pretty cool too lol

 

[Rukas]

Ive been hearing a lot of talk about these being suuuuppper unhealthy.

 

[yak pac fatal]

Ive been hearing a lot of talk about these being suuuuppper unhealthy.

Yea, same. I think it's the oils they use.

 

[Rukas]

Yea, same. I think it's the oils they use.

Yeah it’s basically reduced and processed vegetable oils. Yuck.

 

[Preach]

To my Norwegian eyes, the responses in this thread seem to suggest this is trending right now? There's an episode on the new South Park about "incredible meat". I don't hear too much about it over here. Last I remember was Casey talking about Daiya cheese. Maybe six to ten years ago that could be? I remember he tried to make pizza with it. That word stuck with me because it's aesthetically round and delicious, which is ironic. There definitely aren't dedicated non-meat resturants. Or maybe you could count them on one hand for the whole country, or maybe two hands, but shit goes for the same. The fad hasn't reached us yet. Which is interesting because our region spewed out Greta Thunberg and support for her is huge over here too. I'm sure it's a matter of time.

I know it makes me sound childish but I'm gonna kick and scream all the way. For several reasons, most of which are selfish. Fuck the world.

 

[dilla]

To my Norwegian eyes, the responses in this thread seem to suggest this is trending right now? There's an episode on the new South Park about "incredible meat". I don't hear too much about it over here. Last I remember was Casey talking about Daiya cheese. Maybe six to ten years ago that could be? I remember he tried to make pizza with it. That word stuck with me because it's aesthetically round and delicious, which is ironic. There definitely aren't dedicated non-meat resturants. Or maybe you could count them on one hand for the whole country, or maybe two hands, but shit goes for the same. The fad hasn't reached us yet. Which is interesting because our region spewed out Greta Thunberg and support for her is huge over here too. I'm sure it's a matter of time.

I know it makes me sound childish but I'm gonna kick and scream all the way. For several reasons, most of which are selfish. Fuck the world.

I just got interested in it for two reasons. The more long-term one that goes furthest back for me is simply my dad is vegetarian, not vegan, and my mom is mostly vegetarian but once in a while eats chicken or fish if we go out to eat. So dating back to the mid-90s, my parents were always getting these odd veggie burgers from different places. Even to this day, our freezer always has a few Boca or Dr Praeger burgers in it and they'll make one in the over to eat with something else. So I'll occasionally have one too because while it certainly doesn't taste like beef or something, it still has an interesting texture that reminds me of meat sometimes.

The second thing is these claims that people can't taste the difference because the texture is so much actual meat. For the Impossible meat stuff, it gets pretty damn close to it but the other stuff? Not so much. But since I still enjoy trying them out and end up finding a few good brands and flavors from time to time, I still give products like these a try.

I definitely don't do it to be healthier. I cut back on meat a few times a week for health but the actual, fake meat is not healthy at all due to it all still being processed plants.

The Greta circus is finally over. I never understood the show she put on sailing around and yelling at people and being called brave and the face of the future. But I also didn't understand the hate she got, mostly from right-wing fuck-knuckles in the US that looked to tear her down for anything from her appearance to her or her parents' motivations behind parading her around like that.

Also, South Park is shit but is a Centrist's wet dream. Point out the problem but suggest we all do nothing about it because it's not all that bad. In the US, the right wing nut jobs take away the wrong message from most episodes and think it's all shitting on the liberals.

I think they just recently had the episode where they admitted they were wrong and mislead viewers about Al Gore and global warming with the use of Manbearpig? I guess that's nice, right?