I like Dr. Praeger's patties. Very good, and doesn't pretend to be meat, and yet can eat it in a hamburger bun with ketchup, so it reminds me of childhood eating habits.
4 Ounce patties. ???
The pre-made patties around here are usually 6 oz.
8 is too big, 4 is too small.
Meat Idolatry.
Mainstream meat alternatives are essential to help wean the general public away from the environmentally damaging animal products.
I have tried beyond burger out of curiosity. It is ok but quite oily. I do appreciate that it is a non-gmo product.
I have been a vegetarian for over 50 years now. I don’t miss meat flavors but can understand how some could. It’s all a good trend and will get better as time goes on.
1
I stopped eating almost all beef, all veal and lamb a few decades ago, and finally made my way to permanently giving up the occasional pork ribs and kosher hot dog, as well as all poultry well over a decade ago. And truthfully, I have never really missed any of them - except may the occasional rib!
I've found a very satisfying substitute for hot dogs, one of the ultimate junk foods until I happened on the Worthington brand which are decent, the new lab-grown versions of brats, and Tofurkey sausages; cooked right and eaten with enough condiments and toppings they are quite enjoyable. When the new generation of fake meats came out I tried them but they offer so little nutritional value, especially with their ridiculous sodium content, I quickly decided I didn't need them in my diet.
I've never been a huge meat lover anyway. I'm quite content with my Morningstar Farm grillers regardless of how scorned they are by all the vegetarian food snobs out there who look down on them as low class substitutes for the "real thing". And you know what else is good - jackfruit. It will never replace a true smoked BBQ for sure but with its ability to take on the flavors of whatever it's cooked with, it makes pretty nice BBQ sandwich on its own.
1
It's about five in the morning and I'm starving. The picture of that impossible burger has inspired me to put down my homework for Baruch College and get something to eat. That burger looks delicious. It's becoming very obvious that we need to stop eating beef.
1
Impossible burger is meat adjacent in the same sense that motor oil is food adjacent. It left a taste and texture in my mouth that even the cheapest whiskey can’t remove. It is an experience that I am forever resentful of. My partner and I have traveled the world and this is hands down the most disgusting thing we have put in our mouths.
Not for me. I am diabetic. I have to eat the real delicious stuff.
I enjoyed the eating experience of the Impossible Burger. Taste, feel, chew. I was excited to add it to my vegan diet, which I am on because of a cancer diagnosis. But a few hours later, and for the next 16 hours or so, it turned me into a gas-making machine. Not the most desirable outcome.
Holy Cow! The amount of saturated fat in the Impossible Burger is an eye-popper.
1
Repulsive. The ingredients are so unhealthy.
2
For a family that has a high incidence of allergy to proteins - peanuts and tree nuts for one, mushrooms for all four of my siblings, legumes in another - meat just seems safer. I don't have to read the packaging to know who can eat it.
And the veggie burgers are very expensive.
I like the idea of cutting down on meat, increasing vegetables, which is harder than one thinks when cooking becomes a real time constrained chore after work. Solutions that make a better diet easier have appeal.
But I'll pass on the manufactureburger until price is lower, and look for faster ways to bump up real vegetables in each meal.
The CORTISOL levels in cows going and in process of slaughter is astronomical,
Secondary to astronomical levels of Fear.
This permeates the flesh and organs of
Animals.
That’s what one puts in their bodies,
When we eat meat.
These are the soft eyed ,warm bodied
Animals like ourselves.
1
I don’t understand why Gardein products are not evaluated in these articles. They are widely available in my community and are tasty and make excellent meal additions.
Also Morningstar Farms products, which are even more widely available here.
3
@Robert Holladay
I wish Morningstar Farms would bring back Chef Max's Favorite.
@Robert Holladay
I wish Boca would bring back Chef Max's Favorite.
I came back to this taste test after reading the recent article o cooking plant-based meats, which is why my comment comes so late.
I just want to note that the Impossible Burger is plant-based, not vegan. It doesn't include any animal ingredients, but in the development phase it was tested on animals. That doesn't meet the definition of "vegan".
For most people, that's not going to make a difference, but for ethical vegans, it's a relevant difference between the Impossible Burger and the Beyond Burger.
3
As a subscriber I often refer back to recipes, and almost never back to other articles. Love this taste test article and I hope you repeat it periodically as the competition escalates! BTW here is one of my recipes for a quick, minimal ingredient entre- http://www.recipebridge.com/recipe/201/10133546/prince-mardo-crustless-pizza
Arbitrarily speaking, Dram Shop in Park Slope has the best real burger. Sorry veggies. I am a fan of impossible and beyond but question just how healthy they are. How about us meat eaters just eat less of it?
3
The description of these burgers is nice but where is the nutritional information? There is no mention of the carb, sugar, fat, sodium or calorie count? I eat a low carb diet and these 'burgers' look like an amalgam of sugar in the form of refined carbohydrates: pea flour, potato flour(starch), etc. Is this really better for the planet?
4
With Type O blood, I'm a carnivore, as are my ferals, my dogs, and the neighborhood raccoon. I believe that saying something is gluten-free or organic is in most instances not germane and a moot point unless you're from Northern Europe and have celiac disease and further an excuse to make money. I've had plant based burgers and cardboard is more flavorful. 80% chuck, woistershire sauce, onions, mushrooms and greyere cheese.
1
Excellent choice of topic, keep it coming! I would love to see more hamburger-oriented content from NYT.
2
Some of the new plant-based burgers have already been certified as kosher --- meaning that the old-time rabbis in heaven who wrote the Old Testament are already celebrating the fact that millions of McDonald's and Burger King customers around the world are now taking their very first steps in becoming aware of rabbinical law.
4
It's stories like this that keep me an NYT subscriber.
I went to Red Robin to get an Impossible Burger - would not have known it was not a burger had I not been guaranteed by the waitress that it was. It was so good. Glad they are coming to a store near me...
3
remember folks, impossible burger is pro-animal testing. not a vegan company!
1
Being meatless for 45 years (because I didn't like the taste or texture of meat), I prefer patties that aren't trying to mimic the bloody, fleshy character of a dead animal. I'll stick with my Dr. Praegers, thank you. :-) That said, I'm glad these more meat-like options are available for people who like to eat meat. If it means one less factory farmed cow, then all the better!
4
I had my first plant based burger recently, after investing in BYND (Beyond Meat Stock) the day after they opened for public trading on the stock market purely out of interest. I am vegan, but don’t typically enjoy processed animal product alternatives. But, after buying a few shares of Beyond stock, I felt obligated to try their most popular product and was extremely… surprised. I had heard all the hype about how ‘real’ and ‘meaty’ it tasted, but dismissed it thinking, how close can you really get without eating an animal? I couldn’t have underestimated it more. The most accurate description of my first bite would be: creepy. It was truly a little scary biting into that burger and convincing myself that I wasn’t eating a cow.
I highly recommend trying a meat substitute burger whether you’re vegan/vegetarian or not. Its an interesting reflection of modern culinary technology and incredible scientists working to make a copy of something without actually using it. The more you think about the future of animal products, the more intriguing it becomes. Why use cows (and all the resources that go along with them) if you can make an almost exact copy? We can only wait and see how the battling industries end up.
6
i'm surprised dr. praegers burgers are not on this list. amazing texture in dozens of flavors. for me beyond and impossible are tied, dr. praegers a very close 2nd
2
I'm a fan of Dr. Praegers, too.
2
I don't quite understand why number 6, with no negatives at all, gets such a low rating. Is it because it is “the burger for people who love falafel,” and, hence, not a convincing burger?
It sounds like you are only stacking them up against real meat, which probably should have been stated from the get go, as the sole comparison. You do suggest that that is what you are stacking them up against, in the article's subtitle, but, you are pitting them against each other, as though all beef burgers are the same. I'm sure the gourmet staff wouldn't let that slide. With no negatives, it sounds like a worthy alternative, worth a higher ranking - as an alternative. That is what it is. Clearly all the references to the old veggie burger makes it clear that you are comparing apples with oranges.
2
@ Olrik Mortimer
You wrote, "Meat is a naturally processed food made up of plants".
A very logical argument against dyed-in-the-wool vegetarians and vegans. To add, that plants are made of inorganic chemical compounds and elements occuring in the air and waters.
Should they be called Engineered Burgers.
Remember when vaping was safe.
Meat is a naturally processed food made up of plants.
@Olrik sure, if the meat you're eating is straight off a farm of free grazing cows. More likely your meat comes from a factory farm where the animals are fed hormone, antibiotic-laced "feed" with throw away animal protein mixed in with GMO soy and corn. They endure miserable conditions, then they are slaughtered. Why not just eat the plants and help our sentient creatures in the process?
I’d been eager to try the Impossible Burger/Beyond Burger for a while and had not done so. Finally did today. I had the Beyond Burger. It’s nothing close to a beef burger. Big disappointment. I’ll try one in a couple of other spots as well as the Impossible Burger. If the results aren’t very different I’ll say they are a much-hyped failure.
2
I was disappointed that this taste test omitted nutrition information. According to an analysis by CNET (https://cnet.co/32R9nr1), a 4 oz Impossible Burger contains 8 oz of saturated fat, 370 mg of sodium, and 240 calories, vs the 5 oz, 70 mg, and 217 calories in a 3.5-oz beef burger. Even though the makers of the Impossible and Beyond burgers are not marketing their products as healthy alternatives to meat, I think that a well-rounded report on these products should have included this information.
As a "pescatarian" (no red meat or poultry) for 35 years, finding a plant-based burger that tastes as much like meat as possible is not a priority for me. It was also not lost on me that the burgers numbered 1 through 4 in the taste test might be "plant-based" but could scarcely be called "veggie burgers" as they contain no actual vegetables (vegetable and fruit extracts, isolates, powders, etc., yes, but no vegetables). So, although the 5th- and 6th-place finishers in your taste test may have flunked on tasting like meat, they're the ones I plan to look for on my next shopping trip, since both are apparently made primarily from actual vegetables rather than from plant oils, flavorings, powders, extracts, isolates, etc.
5
How are we to know what these tasters ate, when the writer doesn’t know? The corrections show that, with at least two manufacturers, Moskin wasn’t sure who made what.
If the Impossible Burger "became dried out before [you] finished eating", why did you give it a higher rating than the Beyond Burger, which I can attest does not? Beyond Burgers rock!
3
Made veg chilli using Beyond Beef. Very tasty and satisfying with red kidney beans, fresh tomatoes, garlic, onions, seasoning. No after taste or digestion issues. Comes in a 1 lb. brick to use in any way as ground beef. A good example cooking with it and adding any whole veggies of your liking for a balanced meal that has quality protein and plant benefits. Sorry to hear some digestive complaints. Perhaps it's from people who don't normally consume much of legumes and grains and their bodies need adjusting to new foods.
Some are compelled to back lash anything that's gaining traction and making an industry or 2 uneasy. Those who repeatedly ask why mimic beef or any meat, should have their answers by now. The conversation has been in the media for several years but more widely covered lately. New discussions are challenging for those who never thought much about the lives of animals and the accompanying deterioation of the environment. I'm thanking the media for doing a superb job of regularly covering this important issue. We're at a critical point of educating and alerting so many who'd prefer not to know the serious ramifications of meat production because they prefer to be shielded from the facts.
2
Making your own PB burgers is super simple. Step 1: Beans of your choice, black beans and chick peas are very popular. Step 2 add some nuts, walnuts go really well. Step 3: add some cooked vegetable matter like mushroom, peas and spinach. Step 4: dash of water and maybe some binder like psyllium husk. Step 5: Add the spices you like and salt to taste. Step 6: Cook in the oil of your choice in a skillet or grill to make it even more fun to eat.
It’s very little work, it’s all natural and the uncooked patties freeze really well.
All those industrial fake burgers have strange after tastes and do nasty things to many people’s stomachs after consuming.
When I want a real burger I eat real beef. When I want to eat plant based I make my own. By the way, the best plant based burger is a salad with all the above ingredients on a nice bed of greens!
5
Just tried the Beyond Burger. which is popular here in New England. I simply can not find the words to describe it. I can see where it would be a wanna be burger but I didn't taste it. However, it was great! A person gets tired of food, same old, same old, but this patty had a unique taste that was interesting. I will try again. Thanks for the article..
7
I've been veggie for a long-time.so meat flavor isn't a big deal for me but I like both Impossible and Beyond burgers and it's great to see them on bar and grill menus.My go to veggie burger is the Morningstar Farms Prime Griller,which tastes great to me.l microwave with some veggie cheese then onion and tomato on toasted sprouted grain bread with some veggie mayo.Delicious! It's important for our planet that we give up our addiction to beef and if meat flavoured veggie burgers help that's cool!
6
I am guessing the we will eventually learn that beef interests are underwriting the 'backlash' against these substitutes.
Also, I dearly hope to eventually turn the discussion to the humane and ecological issues - far fewer cows raised in squalor and cruelly dispatched, better soils and water management - ultimately an excellent deal for the planet and its inhabitants, including us.
9
The old NYC dairy restaurants made choppedvegetablr liver that was amazing.
I went to there to eat it and wasnt and am not a vegetarisn.
I dont get why people want veggie burgers, or soy anything instead if meat.
The best veggie burger is a big olive oil, griiled, well seasoned portobello mushroom, or eggplant slice with sauteed onions and peppers and if you are not vegan, some great cheese.
No fake soy and vegetable oil concoction can taste like prime beef any more than sorbitol tastes like sugar.
4
If it has to taste like meat, what's the point? Just eat meat. I question anyone's motives about eating vegetarian if it has to taste like meat. And processed food is still junk no matter how much veggies are in it.
3
Agree with you wholeheartedly on your last point. I like to experiment with fresh whole foods to concoct a good meatless burger. As to motive for not eating meat, it is because the amount of cut-down forest, fresh water and industrial-scale-produced grains needed to make a burger isn’t sustainable in a world with a population of 6 billion people and growing fast.
2
@Rich Sohanchyk: "the points" for me are the humane and ecological issues.
Your burger didn't grow in shrink-wrap, after all - and that pound of beef required 1800 gallons of water and acres of compacted soil to produce. Your call, obviously - but you might consider adding those into your decision model.
8
I suggest that all the tasters eat-to-completion -- don't take 1 bite or 2. Eat the entire burger. Replicate the consumer experience. You might come to a different conclusion. Many of these will stop you at the 3rd bite. The winner in the eat-to-completion in my small sample: the Beyond.
4
Beyond Burgers are packaged with more plastic than one would think for a product claiming to be “healthy” and/ or good for the planet. Tasted pretty good but I will not buy the product again until they figure out a more environmentally friendly package. I’ve written to the company about this concern.
4
The other night I had a burger with LTO, pickles, bacon, mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise on a grilled bun. The burger was made from 80/20 ground chuck, I think, from the Piggly Wiggly and grilled to about medium. The ensemble stood about four inches tall. I had to eat it with a fork and knife.
But, my youngest has never been much of a carnivore, so the article was helpful for future meals. Thanks NYT!
But where does the coconut oil come from? Big plantations in mainland and insular Southeast Asia? Chop down the forest, kill orangutans, displace indigenous folks, plant lots of mono-crop palm oil palms.
We still eat meat, but in greatly reduced amounts. Gone are the days of steak and potatoes.
Nancy L. Fagin
Chicago
3
Better still... have a proper burger.
PJ Clarke's on Third Ave will do nicely.
3
Some of us would rather a beautiful and sentient creature like a cow not have to suffer and die for our few moments of please as we consumer her flesh. If a product that gives very nearly the same taste experience can be had without the cruelty, it would seem to be an easy choice to go with the cruelty free option.
3
Will do
Some of us find that pea protein, soy protein and chick pea protein and fiber are not easily digested. I've been on the floor holding my stomach from hummus. And the ingredient list makes me think that the calorie count is high as well. Some people here love them it seems. I think they would be just as bad though if eaten every day as ground meat would be. I do appreciate things like quinoa or potato patties on meatless days.
1
Plant based? Please. Every bit of food on the planet is plant based, including my genuine 100% real beef burger. If you mean vegetarian or vegan, just say it.
4
If I want a veggie burger I make a burger with actual vegetables I can recognize. If I want a burger I use organic, pasture raised beef.
I compared the nutrition of the Impossible meat to the organic beef I purchase.
Impossible: $8.99 12 oz.
4 oz. 240 calories, 14 grams total fat, 8 grams saturated fat, 19 grams protein, 9 grams carbs, 370 mg sodium.
Organic 93/7 ground beef $5.99 lb. (family pack price)
4 oz. 170 calories, 8 grams total fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 24 grams protein, 0 grams carbs, 75 mg sodium.
I’m sticking with the real vegetables in my veggie burgers and real beef.
8
Impossible Burger ingredients:
Water, soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil, natural flavors, 2 percent or less of: potato protein, methylcellulose, yeast extract, cultured dextrose, food starch-modified, soy leghemoglobin, salt, soy protein isolate, mixed tocopherols (vitamin E), zinc gluconate, thiamine hydrochloride (vitamin B1), sodium ascorbate (vitamin C), niacin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B12.
Beef burger ingredients:
100% beef
'Nuff said.
3
@Mrsmarv You forgot all of the hormones, pesticides (from the grass) and the antibiotics!
4
Please, if you remember only one thing while trying one of these, it’s fake glop distilled is a biotech lab.
If you’re vegetarian or vegan, why remind yourself of meat? Make it look exactly like a beef burger..... what’s that about? The whole thing feels repulsive to me.
5
I'll stick with meat. Ingredients? Meat.
4
Yuck, more highly processed and some GMO food like products too...I am a lifelong vegetarian and I would not eat any of these high volume, highly processed, not fresh products...particularly anything from Nestle' who seeks to privatize all water sources. Fast food is not good food...learn to cook is the best advice.
5
When I was a tiny squirt my mother would catch me raiding her vegetable bin to eat the raw beans, peas,carrots, potatoes, etc. I absolutely refused fatty, greasy meats and organ meats but loved the occasional meatloaf loaded with celery and onions. I preferred course, dark breads and whole grain cereals. She said the first time an aunt gave me candy, I made a face and spit it out.
My pediatrician told her to go along with my preferences because it was the natural result of my body expressing its needs and it was working because she wished her other patients were all as healthy as me.
I've never changed much in my habits and remain improbably healthy late in my eighth decade.
My Dr., whom I trust implicitly for her technical expertise and wonderful sense of humor, agrees that I'm her weirdest patient. I don't claim credit for my obvious good fortune and don't push advice to others. I'm only smart enough to give credit and thanks to the Power that made me.
7
As a vegetarian for 52 out of my 68 years, I have tried every veggie burger out there. Beyond Burger is great and it has no offending ingredients. But you guys didn't include Trader Joe's veggie burgers ,where you can get great veggie burgers at very reasonable prices. No TJ's isn't everywhere and not online yet, as far as I know, but I'd rate all their burgers with 5 stars.
3
As someone who has cholesterol and heart problems, these non-meat options are no better than meat, as most of them use coconut oil, which is as bad as animal saturated fat.
The best options remains moose and deer wild game meat, with almost zero fat, low calories, high protein, and no pollution of any sort.
5
Last night I tried a Burger King Impossible Burger, here's my take on it: The bun was fresh, great side dressings of sweet onions , lots of lettuce and tomatoes that were actually red and the "patty". The patty was brown, dry and rubbery. It lacked the glisten seen in BK's ad pics. It had decent taste but looked like it was in my mouth, not a good burger patty. I'm neither vegan nor vegetarian but also not a big meat eater either but do appreciate good meat now and then. We go in fast food so little we must study the menu to see whats offered. I have always liked Whoppers over other fast food burgers and we were sort of stuck with a late fast food supper last night. There will never be a 2nd chance on this "thing" BK!
I'll never buy another nor
4
I’ve been vegetarian for 10 years and my husband for about 4. He is obsessed with the Impossible Burger and I gotta admit that when I tried it, my first reaction was “this is a plain old burger.” He thought that was what mattered. I thought it was bland and boring.
Missing from this list are Quorn products, which have been on the market for over a decade now and I think they are excellent. Their turk’y burger is really tasty!
4
How far are we from, "You can't tell the difference", to "They'll never know the difference."
4
I must comment that true plant based burgers are not supposed to taste like meat.
Impossible Burgers are genetically engineered poser veggie burgers and shouldn't be compared to a truly tasty, organic vegetarian burger with varied ingredients made to be exactly what it is. Two completely different "burgers".
10
Not only ranked lowest but owned by Nestle. Nestle ownership would prevent me from buying it. They are a truly evil corporation.
5
These were pan-fried. How do they do on a grill?
2
These all contain unhealthy oils, taste does not matter if what you are eating is unhealthy.
6
The Beyond Burger had a very heavy aftertaste that lingered for a long time...
2
And what about the calories? No mention of those!
2
Make your own veggie burger! Many yummy recipes, including on the NYTimes website, and you can avoid the processed alternatives that are ready-made!
2
The burgers are very high in saturated fats. Not for me. Grass fed beef. Once a month. Only
4
I don't care if it contains more salt than I need to consume or if it even has a high fat count (which can't be as bad as the fat from a hamburger). If I'm doing my part to help the environment by having at least one of these per week instead of real meat, I'm a happy camper.
10
@H Stern
It is nice that there is an alternative, and nobody needs to eat meat, but these burgers are not something you want to eat very often. They are
high in bad fats and lord knows what mad science using whatever chemicals to manufacture them.
3
@H. Stern
That's nice that you'll eat them to do your part for the environment. Unfortunately for me, I am not in a financial position to pay $12/lb for an unhealthy alternative just to be climate conscious. For me, the exorbitant cost, the bad ingredients and the overall unhealthiness of the product makes it a big no go.
6
Be sure to check the salt content before buying any plant-based burger. Some are over the top.
6
My parents and us kids lived in Nepal and India for a total of 10 years and my family eats vegetarian three of four times a week. Somehow over a billion vegetarians in this world manage to thrive without a 5-line list of ingredients, most of which chemical additives. We place so much emphasis on meat that we are nearing creating mutations. Well, lets give these Frankensteins a few years on the market to see if they are deleterious to our health. But vegetarians have shown the path that can greatly decrease our dependence on fish and meat.
11
I think it is so funny and ironic that we instinctually like the taste of meat so much that we are trying desperately to duplicate it with vegan ingredients when at the same time we are understanding that we should be eating raw unprocessed foods. A burger now and then seems OK, and even a good thing. Variety, freshness, raw, real and simple ingredients, that's the thing to aim for. The problem is that when you go to the supermarket there is very little of it available, and so few of us that know what to do with it.
5
Habituation and emotional attachment to past positive experiences drive much of our food preferences. Preference for meat is likely one of those things. Both of my children absolutely hated meat when we introduced it to them as babies (because at the time we still believed we had to eat meat to be healthy, which we now know isn’t true). Eventually both became habituated to the flavor. Now both are grown and I am sorry I ever introduced to flesh foods.
Let's be honest for 1 moment. The issue here is not a healthy, vegetarian alternative to meat. It's a climate change alternative. Climate activists believe we need to eliminate the beef industry to save the planet
That said, there are many other environmental options. The 1st begins with food waste, 1 of the largest unspoken factors affecting climate change. How to reduce massive food waste? Especially in cities, where food waste is highest, any new dwellings should be built w/o kitchens. All cooked, prepared food consumption in cities should eventually come from govt run public cafeterias. Restaurants would be incorporated into the cafeteria system. People could buy food plans, similar to college students. However many meals a week they want.
Cooking for people on such a large scale vs individualized cooking for 1 or 2 people would eliminate tremendous food waste and benefit the environment immensely. As an omnivore, I could get behind this initiative faster than I could get behind being told I cant eat meat.
It seems to me the urban left progressives are always at the front calling for change. They are also very good at telling us what "we" need to do, yet they are not so good at doing it themselves. This seems like a very viable, if longer term, strategy. I would expect to hear urban progressives calling for this type of plan. As soon as they endorse something that impacts them, I will be willing to listen. I dont expect it to happen. Cant give up that lifestyle.
2
@bored critic Food waste is a problem. Much of it occurs in supermarkets, because product "sell-by" or "use-by" dates are impossibly and unncessarily short. Properly stored dry foods, e.g., pasta, will be wholesaome for many years. Canned fish also will keep for several years. Even cottage cheese - kept cold - will keep for a year.
As to "government-run cafeterias", that is so far beyond mad, even NASA has no number large enough to describe the distance.
What about those, who: (a) can't tolerate gluten; (b) are allergic to potatoes, shellfish, nuts, eggs, etc.; (c) keep kosher or hallal; etc.; need to eat at "unsocial" hours, etc., etc.
Your suggestion - if it is to be taken seriously - is a recipe for great nastiness. No thanks.
3
Since it has been reported that 90% of all wheat and soy grown in the U.S. contains the herbicide glyphosate (Roundup), the "health benefits" of eating these products is questionable. There are a lot of pieces to this puzzle.
4
Nearly all of the GMO, glyphosate dowsed soy is used for animal feed. Non-GMO soy can’t be sprayed with glyphosate and it is the soy used for direct human consumption, including the soy used in the Impossible Burger. So really if glyphosate exposure is a concern we should be worried more about second hand exposure from the meat of the animals feed all that glyphosate treated GMO soy.
1
After all the recent articles and podcasts on the topic, I just tried my first Impossible burger. Had it as NYAJ’s “knife and fork” (bunless) option over bib lettuce with avocado and sautéed spinach. As an unadorned “flat patty”, it could pass as a meat product. I got a distinct overtone of fried chicken-liver along with with its fried beef patty flavor. It’s certainly “beefier” than the roasted walnut-cauliflower “taco crumble” I’ve made. I don’t crave meat, so though I’m an omnivore, I don’t see myself going out of my way to get protein that pretends to be meat. Processed food is still processed food. But kudos for creativity and effort—and if it fills a niche for some folks and cuts down on factory farming of livestock, then it’s a win!
3
We stayed at a motel near a Burger King and did a taste test. The impossible burger was priced about $2 higher than the regular.
It was impossible to tell the difference in size, texture, color, etc., and taste. Just price and knowledge it wasn't beef.
I guess that's progress.
1
@Norm Ishimoto
Except that with the ingredients in the impossible burger, the meat burger is probably a healthier alternative.
4
Not! Explain how the fat content of an Impossible Burger is worse than a real burger. Or for that matter, how an Impossible Burger is more damaging to the environment than beef.
8
After reading the ingredients, why on earth would anyone consume these products. This is not food. The Sweet Earth is the only one that contains food. If you want to avoid meat, don't eat it. There are plenty of other options.
5
@Real Food
It's not about being a healthy alternative, it's about a better climate change alternative. No meat, less cows, less methane.
6
There is a Modern Love restaurant in Brooklyn too. I love Isa Chandra Moskowitz! She’s from NYC. For days when you want good vegan dishes made from scratch, her cookbooks are the best, and fun to read.
3
Eat real food, folks. This is just another money scheme which does nothing for either the planet or health.
We would all be much better off if we treated meat like an occasional luxury, rather than eating ersatz meat every day. This is going to prove as bad as margarine, but not before the food industry makes loads of money.
8
The environmental footprint of these veggie burgers is a tiny fraction of that of beef. This is unavoidable since 20 pounds of grain and other feed are required to yield one pound of edible meat. Further to satisfy the human craving for beef more of the worlds Forest are being burned to make way for pasture and soy fields and so reduce the ecosystems ability to absorb CO2.
So while perhaps the health impact of these burgers aren’t much different than beef, the environmental impacts most certainly are.
Actually, I still like Boca Burgers. I buy the "Grillers" and sprinkle them with Montreal spice. They are a lot cheaper and, with the right spices and toppings, taste close to the real thing. (However, they don't "bleed" like these newer versions. Ugh.) I don't care whether veggie burgers are healthier for me. I just can't bring myself to eat cows anymore.
11
Tried the impossible burger, was actually impressed initially. I’m surprised no one talks about the after affects. It was very upsetting to my digestive system and I will never try fake food again. Locally sourced whole food is the way to go.
4
What the American food industry is good at;
Taking a basically healthy food or liquid and making it unhealthy.
Take water; They bottle it in plastic, add flavors, colors, artificial sweeteners and voila, diabetes!
So it will be with veggie burgers.
My advice; Enjoy an occasional hamburger.
9
As a vegetarian, I wish there were more choices in non-soy based, high protein content veggie burgers that don't taste like meat.
It would be helpful to have included in this article the percentage of protein/unit weight as a way to compare all the non meat burgers.
5
I love the Beyond Burger on occasion. What has me baffled is how eating plant based food is better for the environment yet there is so much packaging! We all know that very little of what we put in recycle bins actually get recycled, especially dark colored plastics! Oh the dilemma !
9
@ELC
I'm reality, based on production,packaging, shipping...its not much better. And as a health alternative, it's worse than actual beef.
3
Okay - I know we are supposed to eat more plants and I strive to do that but the thing I find interesting about this study is why not add a beef burger into the mix as well and compare it to what they are supposed to duplicate? I'm good with people's choices and some people can't eat meat. What I don't like is stuff that pretends to be something else. I want my food honest and at least with beef I know what I am getting. A burger isn't on the menu every day but when you are craving one and can indulge, have the real thing!
4
My only question would be which one pairs well with cheese.
3
A vegetarian friend insisted I try a Beyond Burger. Taste was so-so, texture not bad (I am a meat eater). However, I couldn't figure out what the smell and the AFTER taste reminded me of. Finally I nailed it: Canned dog food.
Never again.
I think a burger from locally source happy cows is where I stand. And not one a week. Maybe one every two weeks.
When I finish writing this I'm going to check the ingredients on the last 2 frozen Beyond Burgers I have and then chuck them.
Sorry non-meat eaters. Not impressed.
6
I don't live in a big city and I don't have ready access to a lot of the brands mentioned. I have noticed, however, that in my 22 years here, the grocery stores have greatly expanded their selections insofar as meatless alternatives. I'm used to Boca burgers and Morningstar Farms makes a fairly decent alternative to ground beef in the form of "crumblies," which was okay for things like spaghetti, but tasted awful for things like tacos. Then I came across a brand called Gardein and its pretty tasty, which makes it much more versatile.
My husband and I do not consider ourselves vegan or vegetarian, but we are at an age where we have to keep an eye on our diet for health reasons.
4
For those who think that these faux burgers are being pushed because they are healthier than real beef products are mistaken. They are being pushed, not by vegetarians who prefer fresh, non processed foods. They are being pushed by climate change activists. For those activists, the path to reversing climate change is to reduce/eliminate the beef industry. Nothing to do with promoting healthy alternatives. Of course the faux meat industry is alluding to it being healthier because it's not meat, but that's just marketing to another segment. They are trying to get the climate people AND the health/vegan market.
But dont be fooled, this is all about climate change and not public health.
6
This article failed to address one item that is of great importance to me: Nutritional and calorie content of these burgers. I am a vegetarian and an environmentalist myself. I appreciate a good veggie burger and the opportunity to stop the dependancy on meat. However, some of these new burgers are loaded with calories, fat and sodium, in some cases, more than beef itself. There are many people who labor under the false assumption that because these burgers are meatless, they are a healthy choice. For those who are watching calories, cholesteral and sodium, they may not be.
11
@ Margo, plant fats, whether coconut oil, avocado, Olive and all the rest have no cholesterol. So you can relax about the new array of alternative burgers having cholesterol. Sodium and other ingredients are listed on labels. As with any other premade foods, either delis, grocery stores, restaurants, there will be seasonings and plenty of sodium. So it's no different in that regard. It's up to you to plan meals on any diet and decide whether if fits into your daily intake of sodium.
3
Though these burgers supposedly taste good, their ingredients remain a big question for me.
Impossible Buger's website proudly call attention to the fact that they "genetically engineer" a "magic" molecule (heme) that makes meat taste like meat and soy protein.
Ok, a "magic" molecule. What exactly does that mean? Personally, I'm not eating anything that is explained this way. Soy also has a shady history in the hormone department despite what some studies report. So there are definite concerns here.
I respect smart people producing smart products but what will this food do to humans long term?
There are evidently geniuses working at Impossible Foods. Why not make a plant based burger that tastes good without genetically engineered ingredients?
Now that would be an accomplishment.
6
A lot of commentators complain about the "artificial" ingredients found in some of these products. And they are right to think about that. But what they must understand is that producers of these products are quite rightly required to list ALL their ingredients. On the other hand, most factory farmed meat in this county contains large amounts of hormones and antibiotics, and versus other chemicals. And guess what...the meat lobby is very wealthy and has a lobbyist army. So they aren't required to label their products honestly!
So be careful. "Real" meat has a whole lot of stuff in it you don't know about. And meat producers spend a lot of money on making sure you never do!
256
@Will.
You provide a good reason to consume pastured raised meat from a farm you are familiar with. Do your research, they are out there, including local to me.
14
@Real Food
Small pasture farming is not going to meet the needs of 9 billion and counting humans. Not even close.
Meat substitutes are a necessary start.
17
@Will.
So maybe, just maybe the 9 billion people are the problem, eh?
But maybe we need to get to more small, localized food production. Or perhaps new homes/apartments in cities need to be built without kitchens and the govt needs to open public cafeterias. People can buy food plans similar to college students. That will eliminate tremendous food waste and tremendous environmental benefits.
However, in today's world, since it's my health and lifespan first, I'm eating the more healthy alternative. I dont think it's my responsibility to eat less healthy food and die before my time for the current crop of millenials and whatever their offspring is.
5
I've been veg since my long-ago teens. When I tried my first Impossible Burger, I wanted to cry. Beyond Burgers are wonderful too. (Personally, I prefer the Impossible Burger.) I realize they aren't great for me, so I'm not going to have them often, but sometimes you just want a burger -- not a falafel--on a bun with all the (veg) fixings without killing anybody.
186
I try to eat a balanced, sensible diet--small portions of lean meat, vegetables, fruit, whole-grains, low-fat dairy, etc. But when I occasionally want a cheeseburger, I just order a cheese burger and enjoy it.
217
Not everyone is an omnivore like you whether for environmental or ethical issues. So people who don’t eat beef can just go grab a burger too now. And I think that’s nice.
25
@Kristine
There have been vegetarian "burgers" for probably as long as there have been vegetarians. Look at the old Moosewood cookbook or others. Most of the old vegetarians that I know, or knew, wanted to not eat meat for the same reasons folks claim today, but they also did not want their food to taste like meat either.
Sort of quasi-hypocritical, really. And honestly, when you get down to the chemical level like some of these companies are doing, you might argue that "fake meat" is not from an animal, but guess what: it is effectively the very same thing.
And IMO, compounds like soy leghemoglobin does nothing more than solidify my position that I've argued for years: you kill something to survive, so whether it is plant or animal, it really is the same thing - and should be done respectfully, period (which is not to say that factory farming of both meat and plant is All Wrong and needs to be modified drastically, because it all does).
But the sanctimony begins to rub me, at least, quite raw. I've about had my fill of vegetarians (pun intended) who believe they are on a quest to save the world, when the rest of their life is just as consumptive, selfish, and destructive as ever.
9
@DKM
Thank you for so eloquently expressing what so many of us feel in the madness of this "woke" mentality. The loudest mouths seem to always be among the worst offenders. Yet they all know what "we" should be doing and love to tell us so.
3
I'm going to color outside the lines a bit and say Beyond has the best plant based bratwurst I have ever tasted
I'm a sausage lover and always have several packages in the freezer.
I like their burgers too.
However their crumbled meat for tacos and such is like eating chopped up rubber erasers.
How come no chicken yet?
29
@mj agreed re: the crumbled meat -- for tacos, I just break up the burger patties and doctor them with taco seasoning -- it works like a charm! (also: the beyond meat italian sausage is SO GOOD, but sadly for me, impossible to find in the big city except - inexplicably - at the Bareburger stand at Yankee Stadium)
9
@Kelly - it may be a bit of a trek, but I recall beyond sausages (italian included) were/are sold at the Schaller's Stube stands at a few locations in manhattan and brooklyn
1
@mj we had the same experience with the crumbled Beyond meat! Not so good; too chewy.
Beyond burgers and sausages are amazing though and I prefer them to Impossibles—they seem juicier and with a better texture.
2
I'm thinking those would be really good with a few slices of bacon on top.
7
Thank you for reaching out to, and including comments from, Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I lived in Brooklyn for almost 20 years and I used her cookbooks almost exclusively in my transition to becoming vegan - they are that good. Enthusiastic, funny, straightforward and encouraging, I think she is at the forefront of the relatively recent North American move towards popular vegan cooking and eating, and in my humble opinion, she is one of the best. So many of her recipes have become my "go-to" favorites.
Like her, I'd prefer a "homemade" vegan burger but these ones are good if you're in a hurry, want a treat or some convenience. Toronto's "Fresh" restaurants, sustained by Ruth Tal Brown and Jennifer Houston, also have a great burger recipe (among other delicious offerings - more great cookbooks worth a look).
3
I eat organic quinoa patties made with quinoa and kale and all organic ingredients.
They are frozen...distributed by Lucerne Foods, CA. I micro wave them and eat them with organic ketchup using Dave’s Killer white bread, organic, toasted, as the bun. I am fine with them. I grew up on cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes and onion rings....who knows.....I am now 75.
I still love cheese !!!!!
2
Can you say "Fad"?
1
Surprised you gave Impossible burger a higher rating than Beyond Burger...Impossible has GMO’s...ugh....I have been enjoying Beyond
burgers since they hit the shelves...and always have a handful in my freezer...I “plop” it on a salad or wrap in lettuce leaf and it never disappoints....hope you rethink your rating! Thank you
Yummy yummy coconut oil... Lemme know how that works out for your health over the long haul.
what means plant based exactly?
for sure it means, plant free!
Fake meat is loaded with salt, chemicals, GMO'd grains. Soy is estrogenic. Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt.
We evolved eating meat. We got our big brains by eating cooked meat, freeing the gut from it's work compared to other animals.
Pastured animals can thrive where you can't grow anything but grass unless irrigated. Which is an environmental disaster.
I've noticed that no one has ever attempted to make beef taste like tofu. I wonder why?
6
Interesting that people accept as a given the unsupported assumption that carbohydrate free meat is responsible for our big carbohydrate loving brains. Our brains, unlike nearly all our other tissues can not use fat for energy. Instead brain tissue can only use glucose for energy. The exception is during periods of starvation we go into a state called ketosis where our livers will produce ketone bodies like acetone (yes the stuff in nail polish remover) that our brains can use until we can find plant foods rich in carbohydrates, at which point our brain immediately goes back to using glucose.
Real carnivores and omnivores have huge livers that break the protein in the meat they eat in a process called gluconeogenesis to produce enough glucose to feed their brains. But this is a difficult process and so these animals can’t support really large brains.
I am suspicious and disappointed that this company was recently acquired by Nestle because history teaches that nothing good can come from corporate control.
7
Which one? Impossible burger or beyond meat? I absolutely do not want to support nestle.
1
“ Environmental and food scientists are insisting that we eat more plants and less processed food.”
Please, just read the ingredients list. The “plant based” moniker is a clever marketing tool to obscure the fact that these fake meat products are very highly processed foods similar to other highly processed foods that the food scientists are insisting we avoid. This is cognitive dissonance !
4
Sure wish the nutritional profile of each had been included...
4
I'd like to see more NYT Style and Food articles that don't involve companies with humongous PR operations. There was the TikTok article, and now this one, and a couple others in the previous month.
Can you try just a little harder, please, without any help or influence from flacks?
1
Pls ck the quality of American cheese. I've been told by the manager of "Pavilions," an upscale grocery store in southern CA., that the ingredients of American cheese are of the lowest
grades. Opt for cheddar or any other cheese than American. [Pavilions is owned by Safeway].
1
The beyond meat burger is my personal favorite. My local Costco had them on promotion. 3 Minutes a side in a skillet with olive oil on a toasted ciabatta roll with lettuce tomato and avocado is delicious. I try veggie burgers in every city we go too. One of the best ones was in a little dive in Miami, it was sweet potato based. I can also make my own at home and use a recipe called Grill-able Veggie Burger on the internet. Anyway, glad others are trying them and maybe less cattle will be raised for meat.
4
Thanks for putting the times restaurant critic and cooking expert in the panel; but I couldn't care less what an 11 year old feels about fake meat. (Perhaps those with small children who are spending 4x the cost of beef for these products might).
1
So, my takeaways: 1. If you are an omnivore, and want to reduce your consumption of beef for environmental reasons, these are good alternatives; 2. If you compare the exquisitely-detailed ingredient lists on these products to genuine beef and conclude, “REAL meat doesn’t have all this junk in it,” you are seriously deluding yourself about the incidental chemicals that lard a feedlot-raised steer; 3. Vegans think everything meat-like is being waved under their noses to tempt them back into the meat-eating fold so that they can self-righteously reject those temptations, but these products are not for most vegans.
3
Not arguing against anyone's personal preference but I found Beyond to be absolutely terrible. I couldn't picture putting anything except the Impossible in front of my meat eater relatives or friends and I'm originally from Texas.
1
I encourage readers to try Patty Up from Burris Country Kitchen. It is the best burger I have tried. Made from mushrooms and nuts only. Can be found online
1
$9.50/lb. for the worst options up to $12/lb for the best option, which isn't even non-GMO. Seriously??
Quite frankly, I cant afford to pay $10-$12/lb for "hamburger meat". For $12/lb I can get skirt steak. For $8/lb I can get NY strip, T-bone or Porterhouse. Yet you want me to buy fake, non‐GMO food for $12/lb because it's better for the environment? Someone is going to have to buy this for me or subsidize it enough that it is less than the price of real meat. Because until then, there is no shot that I'm buying this faux food.
Maybe all new apartments/homes in cities should be built without a kitchen. The govt can set up cafeterias to provide food for public consumption and people can buy food plans, just like college students. That would reduce a tremendous amount of food waste and be much better for the environment.
Or maybe we should just wait until all the nutrients we need on a daily basis can be put into a few pills that we take. That could almost entirely eliminate food production. Imagine the benefits that would provide to the environment!!
3
No one, particularly the manufacturers, seem to care or notice the amount of fat and oil in these burgers. As a "healthy" alternative, they are really bad, and the prices are ridiculous. Most vegetarians avoid processed food because of the ingredients that are really bad for your health --- now these are tempting everyone to really bad habits.
4
@Ellen Erzen
You are correct. Most vegetarians do avoid processed food, because it is less healthy. But a large proportion of the people promoting these burgers are not vegetarians, they are climate change activists. Their #1 priority is to reduce the amount of meat we eat, but they are not really interested in whether or not the alternative is healthier. If it's a substitute for meat, even if processed, that's all that counts.
The push for this faux food is not because it's a healthy alternative, it's all about climate change. And its tunnel vision.
2
As usual, the devil's in the details with these burgers. Highly processed (with a large carbon footprint), elevated fat, costly shipping and packaging add up to create a uniquely American illusion of a health benefit.
4
@Scott S
The push for these is not a "health" issue. It's a climate change issue. Anything that reduces meat production is better for the environment in their minds and so it has to be a better alternative, regardless of the health aspect.
1
Informative article, but after reading the ingredients which include many words most people have never heard of and could not pronounce, I choose to make my own black bean burgers, oat burgers, farro burgers, etc., etc. These companies are all trying to jump on the bandwagon to produce meatless products to make people feel they are eating healthier - no thanks, I prefer to make my own and know exactly what is going into them.
77
@Lisa Actually, the top rated ones (Impossible, namely) are not jumping on any health bandwagon. They are trying to reduce the size of the meat industry as an environmental justice project. If cows were a country, they would be the third largest greenhouse gas pollutant in the world, behind China and the US.
361
@Lisa , uh, have you read the ingredients list for the hamburger bun itself? I'm not sure why you would hold the burger itself to a higher standard.
16
@Nicolas That is a ridiculous assertion. The entire livestock sector in the US produces less than 4.5% of US greenhouse gas emissions according to the USDA. And if you must know, cattle are part of a closed loop system that has been on this planet for billions of years whereupon they eat grass, upcycle it to the highest quality protein (which humans cannot do) whilst burping methane gas which breaks down over 10-15 years into CO2 which is and is then reabsorbed into the grass which the cattle eat. The real producers of increased green house gasses are you and me and the rest of humankind...it ain't cows.
8
I have a doctor friend who mentioned that in addition to the ingredients, they ought to include the nutritional value. Sometimes, the saturated fat is as high or higher than a beef burger - and that can cause health complications itself if these are eaten in excess. Breaking the habit of eating meat and instead shifting towards a primarily plant diet is a good goal.
37
There are plenty of delicious veggie burgers that are not hyper-manufactured food-like products. Eat this crop of machine made flesh if you want, but I will stick with something that I can make from scratch using whole food ingredients. There are lots of recipes out there for bean based, lentil based, or potato based patties that are delicious and do not require a massive factory to create.
231
@Ben P
1000% in agreement.
I think Melissa Clark should create a few recipes and dedicate one of her stellar columns to the delectable veggie burger!!!
Nothing beats homemade!
41
@Ben P
Excellent point. FYI, I found and made a Thanksgiving Meatless Loaf found on Fat Free Vegan Kitchen and it's clean, pure and delicious. Try it, you'll like it!
8
@Ben P Very true, I make a mushroom burger that I crave in my sleep. There is no need of meat in this world, mushrooms take care of that desire for "beefy" taste.
18
Gave up red meat decades ago, in college. When I crave a burger - which isn't often - ground turkey, seasoned with a bit of chopped onion and some Worcestershire does it for me. Tried Beyond Burger from the grocery store with my meat-eating son and husband. Made patties, like I did with ground turkey. Gritty texture. Like ground beef mixed with gravel. Husband and son said it was good. Beef-like. Me? Not so much. The effect in my stomach was leaden. Like I'd eaten a small boulder. Actually took a couple of days to feel right again. I'm sticking with ground turkey.
12
3
@Nina Thank you for the link and raising awareness.
1
I've been vegetarian for over half my life and vegan for about 15 years, and I love the variety of vegan foods available to me now. I eat a lot of whole foods, beans and everything else; I make my own "veggie burgers," many different varieties. But occasionally I do love a good Beyond burger with all the toppings, fixed up at my local diner with some vegan french fries and a vegan shake. It's sure not health food, but it sure is delicious.
I knew before checking the comments that many would be from self-righteous vegetarians proclaiming how much healthier their own diets are, and how whole foods, plant-based eating is the answer to all the world's ills. The truth is, though, that the wider the variety of meat substitutes available, the less meat we will see consumed in this world.
689
@ES Absolutely! People complaining about the health implications of these burgers are missing the point. We (our global civilization) need a CRASH decarbonization in the next 15 years, just as huge swaths of humanity are entering the global middle-class and desiring ever-growing quantities of carbon-intensive meat.
Maybe these aren’t any healthier than a fast food burger, but if they can replace those burgers (and chicken tenders, bacon strips, etc.) at a fraction of the carbon footprint, then these products have fulfilled their purpose.
83
@Harrison read this please...https://lachefnet.wordpress.com/2019/05/20/the-ecocide-burger/ . I think your opinion of the environmental efficacy of the impossible and beyond burgers as propagated by their snake oil salesmen founders will be lowered significantly.
6
@ES I love real veggie burgers, particularly those made with black beans. I have been off of beef for so long, I can't imagine why I would want to taste something that reminds me of beef when the thought of it makes me ill. It has nothing to do with better diet or not, but rather taste. Are you sure you are a vegan?
8
The Impossible Burger and Beyond Beef products have been godsends to my husband, who needs to reduce his meat consumption and has trouble with some of the other vegetarian/vegan protein options. We're now able to go out again to our favorite burger joint--he gets an Impossible on a gluten-free bun, I get a chicken burger on a potato bun. The joy he feels when biting into a burger now is wonderful to see. For that, I am thankful.
219
If you want it to look and taste like a beef burger, it should be made of beef. You can create great vegan meals without having to imitate a meat staple. It doesn't make sense.
1
I will check the meat aisle for the best of these, but I am concerned about the degree to which they are processed. If they want to be a meat analog, then they should also contain iron, which they do not. In the end, I will probably stick to the tried and true frozen vegetable burgers I like, but it would be best to make one's own from less processed ingredients. Recipes are everywhere.
The reason I have reduced my consumption of beef is global warming. There is research and discussion on the best way to reduce the impact of beef on our planet without removing them entirely. In fact, there is an argument to be made that they can indeed be effective sources of fertilizer and land regeneration if we let them stay on the Range rather than in feedlot beef production. I am a fan of impossible burgers because it reduces beef consumption, but also because it is a low carbohydrate food source which is important on my diabetic diet. The following link is an interesting discussion from different sides of the argument.
https://skepticalscience.com/animal-agriculture-meat-global-warming.htm
I actually like the taste and find it less heavy than meat but can't get beyond ( sorry for the pun) the amount of added fat and the high calories.
4
i've never had one of these plant burgers, and i don't intend on buying any, especially now that i see the prices. ground beef is cheaper and tastier.
2
I don't understand.
Fake hamburger IS a HIGHLY processed food.
9
@Chris Not when compared to pretty much all of the microwave ready frozen meals, or such home made things as meatloaf, bread, cake and so on. The Beyond burger is quite similar to a ground beef patty, and has a very simple ingredient list: all plant based except for the potassium chloride, a common salt substitute used by people on low sodium diets.
Except for the one made in Toronto, all made in the Western Coast, thousands of miles away. Might be vegan but it is a lot of traveling to save the planet.
When in doubt, choose local food!
4
Although I am an enthusiastic advocate for people reducing their meat intake for more environmentally friendly vegetarian choices, on a health aspect these meat replacements are in no way, shape or form, healthful choices. In fact a few of them are highly processed to the point of being extremely unhealthful. 4 of the 6 burgers tested here have canola oil, a very sorry, cheap excuse for a cooking oil. Hoping we can shift the dialogue back towards eating whole, organic, unprocessed foods.
7
@BillyJoel but that's the thing, I'm not looking for organic non-GMO food. What I'm really excited about is lab grown meat, but until that's ready for the market, I'm happy to cut back on my meat consumption with decent facsimiles such as the ones listed in this article. Not everyone has the same goals for their diet.
2
@BillyJoel : Below is one link to an article debunking most of the supposed dangers of canola. As I had also heard it was bad, I did a little research. Of most interest to me was the fact that sites associated with research facilities or hospitals said Canola was neutral in terms of danger, especially organic Canola. OVERWHELMINGLY, those sites touting the dangers of Canola had shopping carts, which indicates a clear and obvious agenda.
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2015/04/13/ask-the-expert-concerns-about-canola-oil/
1
"Vital wheat gluten" is probably what makes gluten-sensitive people gluten-sensitive in commercial breads; most commercial bakers use it to speed up the fermentation (rising) process, cutting production time by about 3/4s. Unfortunately, it is extremely hard for many people to digest and may do damage to gut microbiome, contributing to immune system problems, and so on. So -- don't eat any faux-meat product that relies on this stuff. Overall, speaking I would wait a few years to see what long-term effects might come from eating these products, esp. the "Impossible Burger." Meantime, eat fewer real-meat burgers for the sake of the planet. Dang.
1
Nothing with a face was harmed in the production of these foods. That feels good, and right.
13
Tried the "Impossible Burger" at Burger King. Ugh! Didn't come close in taste, at least my taste. Single patty Whopper still works for me, especially with all that lettuce and tomato.
I try to not eat these things very often. It is funny to me that years ago vegans were mostly thin and now most vegans I meet are quite fat (including myself :) ) as back in the day you had no choice but to eat whole foods like legumes, vegetables, rice etc.
Now a days you can gorge yourself on burgers, pizza, cakes, cookies etc. I think this a change for the worse.
11
@Vincent
I started eating poultry, fish, and eggs daily and meat on occasion. It's so much easier to keep my weight down than when I keep a vegan or even vegetarian diet. I eat beans daily. My body gets fat when I eat more than two servings of grain-based foods/potatoes a day.
1
I lost 18 pounds when I switched from eating meat to a semi-vegetarian diet. With exercise, too.
3
@Vincent
It all depends on how often you eat these foods and what else you eat. I make pizza with fresh vegetables such as onions and mushrooms, only a little cheese and lots of herbs, no salt, but lots of pepper. Tasty and not high in fat or calories.
The fat content in most plant-based burgers is nearly the same, or more, as beef burgers. That's really bad news for the heart. If someone could make a mass-produced, tasty oil/fat-free vegan burger, I'd eat them weekly. As it is, my Dr. Esselstyn recipes will have to do.
7
If you choose these items for ethical purposes they can be a nice treat once in a while but no one should mistake these highly processed lab concoctions as a healthy alternative. No one should seek to include more artificial ingredients in their diet. The Impossible Burger has almost zero vegetable content.
9
Recently, two federal agencies decided that sustainability concerns didn’t have a place in the government’s determination of what makes a healthy diet, rejecting an advisory panel’s recommendation that the government consider the environmental cost of agriculture in nutrition programs and limit the consumption of meat.
But if environmentalists want to sell a plant-based diet to the masses, they may be better off talking about grocery bills instead of animal agriculture’s contribution to climate change: A new study published in the Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition found that eating a vegetarian diet is cheaper. Read more about it at: http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/10/12/vegetarian-diet-savings/
1
@E. Sol The sustainability of your plant based diet is zilch compared to grazed cattle. The latter can actually sequester carbon as has been demonstrated, not add to it. Net sequestration after taking into account the belches and all the energy used by the people in the whole process.
And what about all those plants being flown from South America or across America? Animals can be raised almost anywhere in America, any time of the year. No fossil fuel burned to move thousands of miles. In many places, could be your back yard. Chickens, rabbits, goats.
Now, THAT'S eating local.
Remember. Actual, meat is a BIG polluter of the planet. Climate damage, forests removed, excess water use, manure pollution of lands, viral and bacteria infections, all very bad. 25% of climate change due to meat producing animals.
These are reasons enough to avoid meat.
13
The Impossible and Beyond burgers are amazing! I love that at least one or the other are now available at many restaurants.
I would however give the Fieldburger a one-star rating. I tried cooking it at home and it was the most unimpressive, gross-textured veggie burger I've ever had.
3
Plant based or animal based: isn’t it time to GET RID of towering sandwiches and burgers that are impossible to bite into?!
7
At an average price of $12 a pound, I can't see many working class families making the switch. Most are not even able to buy meat at that price.
5
I had high hopes for an Impossible Whopper since I stopped eating hamburgers about 6 years ago; I tried one and it was delicious, but within 10 minutes I had stomach cramps and a racing heartbeat. I think I'll stop at one. I avoid most processed food anyway and can't imagine what I was thinking!
3
@Anne I had a similar experience, sadly. I consoled myself that my digestive tract reacts the same way to a whopper.
Maybe BK should offer an Impossible Junior? It could be the unhealthy volume to blame, or worsening the unwell feeling?
I'm not a vegetarian, but I read this to see if there were any I would serve to relatives who are. The reviews and comments leave me dubious.
I'd rather not eat meat and all the reviews I see for non-meat burgers compares them to beef. I'd personally be interested in a review or two that judged them on their own taste and nutritional content.
8
@LCV in VT I came here just to say the same thing.
When I was still living near Berkeley, Beyond Burger solicited folk to do some market tests and I dutifully went down to the Saturn Cafe to try one for free. I had to ask some standard questions to get my free burger, and one was to ask the server what made it special.
"The blood!" my waiter exclaimed. "Did you know they actually make synthetic hemoglobin - it's the secret to why these are so good!"
Am I the only one to find this gag-worthy and weird?
8
@Bohemian Sarah Yes!
1
@Bohemian Sarah
Sorry! Quick update - it was the Impossible one, not the Beyond. Leghemoglobin. Ack!
@Bohemian Sarah Um, the Beyond Burger doesn't bleed - that's the Impossible Burger, and it is awful and disgusting to look at.
Many of these companies are using canola oil and claiming to be non-GMO. Canola oil is at least 90% GMO in North America. We generally avoid everything that's made with canola oil.
4
Give me beef, lean and tasty and only ground for Steak Tartare.
Give up Hamburgers whatever they are made from. The unbelievable number of ingredients in Veggie Burgers guarantees that sometime in the not too distant future, when millions a day are being consumed, a new syndrome will emerge called VBD. Remember Humans are Carnivores. Maybe our DNA cries out for it. But, don't eat the fat.
2
Millions of people around the world live on plant-based diets. Also, your slab of animal flesh may seem like one pure food item but consider all that goes into its production—often, hormones and pesticides in the grain the animal is fed. There is no such thing as “clean meat.”
15
@Sally That is utterly untrue. Grass-fed, grass-finished beef has none of the additives you suggest. Nor do true free-range chickens. Furthermore, the evidence suggests that grass-fed beef has few, if any, of the deleterious health effects of factory food. To counter natural, whole foods with laboratory based concoctions seems bizarre; my expectation is that it will ultimately turn out to be much like the "margarine-butter" debates of the past and we will ultimately regret the impact to health (and maybe even the environment) from this latest wave.
6
@bahcom It is the fat that our hunter gatherer ancestors and still extant tribes value. They often left the lean meat for the dogs or to rot.
This phobia about fat is a zombie myth that won't die, like cholesterol is bad for you. All you have to do is look at the amazing health of people on (fatty meat!) carnivore and ketogenic diets.
Animal fats....the kind we evolved eating....are health foods.
Anything out of a packet is processed, when the food composition is altered.You want to eat meat, eat. You want to eat vegan food, eat. You want to eat vegetables, eat. But don't alter. this is nothing but processed food, waiting to initiate carcinogens as it is processed and altered.
8
@Radhika this is why I personally can't wait for lab grown meat to hit the market. None of the ethical quandaries, better for the environment, but still real meat
Isn't it more important to be asking why is this happening? Because I'm all for sustainability and eating more natural foods, but I don't think large corporations - read fast-food chains - could care less. They all of a sudden grew a conscience? I obviously know very little about this and don't want to start a conspiracy theory, but what's going on? Have researchers realized that climate change and other environmental hazards are going to start killing off livestock in the near future? Will the cost of meat skyrocket? Is it already and I just haven't noticed? Are plant-based burgers cheaper to produce? What would make companies like Burger King, Cheesecake Factory, and White Castle start pushing and advertising meatless burgers?... Asking for a friend.
9
@LT Simply put, they're looking for new ways to make money. They charge a lot more for pea burgers than beef burgers.
6
@LT It's simple supply and demand. Consumers are the ones growing consciences. At this point it's no secret that animal agriculture is highly unsustainable and negatively impacting our environment, so people are looking to consume less meat, but without giving up the flavor. In come the restaurants and companies to provide that for them.
5
@LT Climate science is saying that animal agriculture is a big part of the problem. These products are a solution to that which are more acceptable to people on a standard diet. 20 years out, either the science has changed (extremely unlikely), we have engineered our way out of the problem (pretty unlikely), we've largely abandoned animal agriculture (pretty unlikely), or we're in big trouble (very likely).
5
I am a Canadian older Girl. We have the best Alberta Beef. There could be people who eat a big one daily, but for the rest of us, It is a real treat once in a while. I buy my "chuck" 80% 20% from a butcher. The bun I prefer is made by Dempsters. I dress my burger with sauteed onion, tomato, lettuce, small amt of mayo, and enjoy. PS, I cook my burger in a cast iron pan.
9
@Connie Hayes - I am sorry that I live in the United States. If I lived near you, I might invite myself over for one of your delicious sounding burgers. Have a good day! By the way, I am not Charlie from Pennsylvania. I am Sandra, his companion.
I'd like to know what the environmental costs of fake meat compared to animal meat are. I believe that it takes a whole lot more water and fertilizers (irrespective of whether they are chemical or "natural") to grow the vegetable equivalent. The fake burgers are extremely expensive at $11.98 per pound, which to me, seems to mean the growing and processing is extremely expensive. Animal products cost a whole lot less to produce and, I suspect have a much lower environmental cost.
3
@Jeff Animal production looks like it costs less dollars because it is subsidized.
7
Jeff, here are some facts that may change what you believe -
Between irrigating the crops that farmed animals eat, providing billions of animals with drinking water each year, and washing away the filth in factory farms, transport trucks, and slaughterhouses, the farmed-animal industry places a tremendous strain on our water supply. Nearly half of all the water used in the United States goes toward raising animals for food.
Here’s proof that meat wastes water:
It takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce just 1 pound of meat.
Only 25 gallons of water are required to grow 1 pound of wheat.
You can save more water by not eating a pound of meat than you can by not showering for six months!
11
@Jeff the food industry is responsible fore 30-40% of all carbon pollution - if you look at pounds of CO2 per serving - beef is the worst thing you can consume from a environmental perspective. Your argument might work from a cost perspective but definitely not from an environmental. To produce one pound of meat in Cali it takes 500-1000 gallons of water - that's simply not sustainable in our state.
7
We have tried both the impossible and beyond burgers. My husband who has a taste for convenience foods loves them both. I think they are fine. I don’t love the after taste of the beyond burger, but the impossible burger doesn’t have that. I don’t see them as a healthier alternative but one that is better for the environment than mass factory farming. Homemade veggie burgers and the occasional humanely-raised beef burger will always be my favorite, but these are a nice occasional convenience on a busy night, as an alternative at a cookout, or when traveling where fast food is the only option (happened to me on a trip through Canada this summer — Tim Horton’s’ Beyond burgers to the rescue)..
3
I agree that the Impossible Burger is by FAR the best. However, I take issue with the idea that the Beyond Burger is right behind it at only a 1/2 star lower. I've had it several times and it doesn't come anywhere near the Impossible in my opinion. Tastes like a weak turkey burger.
1
Factory Food. The latest incarnation of mass produced faux meat burgers are just that.
To begin with, “plant based burgers” are not exactly veggie burgers although the writer uses the two terms interchangeably. Do a little research to find out what they are actually made of. It’s not exactly pretty, or necessarily that healthy.
I have tried these burgers. The 4 plus star rated impossible burger is impossible to choke down. It tastes not like a meat burger, not like a veggie burger. It was so distasteful I couldn’t eat a second bite. Real restaurants make their own veggie burgers and they are healthy, tasty and creative.
7
Yea don’t buy into the whole fake movement. Smacks of Trump.
1
I can’t believe that no one has mentioned Gardein Beefless Tips. They are Amay-zing! Actually better than any “real steak “ you will ever eat. Vegan and cruelty free.
6
We love the Gardein meatballs but haven’t tried the tips. At a recent dinner with “real” short ribs and Gardein meatballs in jerk sauce, the meatballs were the runaway favorite.
I can say, from having eaten Beyond Meat burgers on multiple occasions, that one's urine smells strongly like the burgers hours after eating. them. Also, the burgers tend to have an effect on ... ahem... one's prostate, for a middle aged man, an effect that seems to pass after a day or two. I feel awkward writing this, but I wonder if other men have had the same experience. I have not tried the Impossible burgers, so I don't know how they compare with the experience of BM.
1
@Stack Rat maybe see a doctor. I eat Beyond Meat all the time, and have never had any of those issues. I do eat a mostly plant-based diet already. If you are going from a standard diet to replacing animal-based meat with plant-based meats, you may be experiencing an increase in dietary fiber which can strengthen and regulate bowel movements. As always, the quality of health advice you get from a software developer is, well, to be ignored. Ask your doctor.
2
I am so over this 'Wokeness' I can't bear it anymore. If people want to eat these chemical burgers by all means proceed. As for me, give me a big, rare, charcoal grilled beef burger every time!!! I'm 73, have been eating them since I was a youth, have no blood pressure or other health problems. Spare me this movement please. This is absolutely nuts.
But thanks to the panel for their views. Pity they ever had to go through the process.
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@Nancy Eat what you like. Stop worrying about what others want to eat.
@Nancy It sounds like this article was not written for you. That is ok! You can totally go eat a real beef burger, no one is stopping you. These articles are not written to try to convince you to change your ways. They are written for people already interested in these products who want to learn more about them.
I'll take a superb falafel over this balogna nine times out of ten. It's 100% less expensive and as a bonus has no highly-processed junk in it.
16
@RDA ... You do know what "100% less expensive" means, right?
Sure but what about mouth feel?
Probably cause cancer.
2
Yuck! The list of ingredients is gross and in many of these GMO.
The price for this lab produced ultra processed food is ridiculous too. For all the effort and cost to make this fake meat look real, you'd be better off eating the real thing.
I will stick to my grass fed organic beef from a real cow, thank you!
6
The best veggie burger debate draws almost 900 comments. The James Baldwin/William F. Buckley debate on race in America draws 38.
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Was just thinking the same thing. But in a positive way. What you eat every day is a decision that transforms you in multiple ways: physically, mentally, ethically. It is literally
3
@Betsy the climate crisis is a bigger problem than race relations.
1
Just the idea of animal cells grown in Petri dishes, formed into cutlets and chops is so grisly and nauseating as to defy my imagination. I don’t know what such nasty Frankenfood should be called, but definitely not a name that might ever be confused with meat. If these mad scientists are so proud of their chemical slosh, surely they want a brave new distinguishing name - not to be confused with, for example, beef.
1
@hey nineteen None of these are lab-grown meat. They are all plants. The only thing anywhere near that is the Impossible Burger which has a modified soy plant. But it's still just a plant.
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@hey nineteen I'm fascinated by this response because it's so different from my own. I truly cannot wait until lab grown meat hits the market. I've dabbled in being an ethical vegetarian off and on my whole life, and the lab grown scenario takes care of most of my concerns.
@hey nineteen You missed the point entirely - there are no animal cells involved.
Can you buy impossible burgers to make at home? I’ve only found in restaurants in nyc.
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Yes. I am not in NYC, but I buy them locally and have heard they are available at Fairway.
2
@KG I've seen the stuff sold as a loose product to be formed by yourself or used whatever way you want. It was in a health food store that's gone into frozen meals (not their own) in a big way since I last went there. Even my small rural grocery has these, sometimes 'fresh', sometimes frozen.
First of all that double burger has to be gross cause the single burger is gross at that fat. Buy the kind they sell where you can make your own burger then make it thin like a fast food burger and pan fry it. Been a vegetarian for 50 yrs and really do not want my burgers to taste like meat, at all.
2
Just lost my appetite.
2
These products are a nightmare for diabetics. Modified starches and industrial seed oils are worse than sugar for maintaining blood glucose levels.
5
We tried the Beyond Meat burgers in our house, and they are outstanding. They should have been given 5 stars.
5
Not even one all-organic option?
3
Palm oil and coconut oil are not healthy, much less environmentally friendly alternatives. Also these products are not meant to convince vegans or vegetarians, but to get meat eaters over to more plant based foods.
I'm not sure how these products can be called other than processed foods. When you look at the calories? Not really different from meat based and some when used by the fast food outlets like burger king are actually higher than their beef counterparts.
5
My husband and i tried the Impossible burger last weekend. It was sold alongside the ground beef. We purchase very little meat, one serving size per person each week incorporated into plant based meals. Appearance: The package is sealed so it appears very bloody / juicy which I found beyond unappealing. But it was the prep that to be candid was, not to offend readers here, but it was revolting.
Normally when I'm preparing a ground meat I incorporate seasonings and some finely chopped veggies such as kale, chard, onion and/or grains both to boost nutrition and we find it more palatable.
In this case I was so nauseated by the texture, it has these hard bits ( faux fat ? ) mixed in with the lean, which has a 'sticky dough' texture. I quickly put onto the grill and hoped the nausea would pass!
The ' meat' did brown nicely, My husband said taste and texture was agreeable but dry .. I couldnt bring myself to even try it.
This household will stick with plants based meals. Can't get my head around spending so much time & effort to avoid eating naturally appealing healthy nutritious freshly prepared veggies grains nuts seeds fruits etc. .
10
Been vegetarian for 2 years / extremely little processed food for 10 years. Don’t really care about mimicking meat because I shockingly don’t crave or miss it (weird because I used to love BBQ and my steak med-rare). I eagerly tried a Beyond Burger at Tim Horton’s while traveling in Canada this summer. It definitely seemed like fast food and it didn’t fool me that it was meat, but it allowed me to indulge in fast food on the road. So convenient and I enjoyed the experience. My meat-eating 6yo son enjoyed it too! Btw, the Beyond Burger is the only burger Tim Horton’s now serves and they offer soups and donuts!!!!! Why can’t American fast food chains do this?
8
Thanks for this article NYT. We stopped eating meat and poultry years ago. Have enjoyed Beyond Meat for burgers, in sauces, chili, etc. BK's Impossible Whopper is pretty decent IMO and is good in a pinch. I wouldn't make a regular habit of eating any of these, but they get kudos for taste & texture. Haven't seen the other three brands yet, but will keep a look out.
2
It would be helpful to also list calories, calories from fat, sugar content, and sodium.
A beef burger is certainly not the healthiest of foods, but it would be useful to know if these are better or worse in nutritional terms.
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@ GeneB MetroWest MA
The International System of units uses joules, 1 cal = 4.18 J. And while we are at it, why not have a complete and detailed chemical analysis of the stuff? Perhaps it would psychologically improve the taste.
2
Listing the ingredients is great, but how about listing the nutritional information as well? People avoid meat for a variety of reasons and one of them is health. If these burgers, one of which contains coconut oil, are looking for a healthier burger, knowing the fat and calories would be key criteria in deciding which to try. I suspect the original beef burger might not be a less healthy choice given what I have read here.
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To improve the environment we need systemic global change. Individuals eschewing meat in favor of processed burgers created out of the current environmentally destructive food production industry isn’t going to achieve meaningful environmental change.
6
As a conservation biologist, my opinion is that, “it’s a start”. Moving people away from meat-heavy diets absolutely has an ecological impact, despite the harm of industrial farming.
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@Dan It's been a "start" for at least 48 years since Francis Moore Lappe published Diet for a Small Planet and since then industrial farming has become more environmentally destructive, not less. "It's a start" is a platitude to make individuals feel better about themselves. "It's a start" may be your opinion but the evidence shows it doesn't work. Not only does the American individualist approach to saving the environment not work, it's harmful. It fosters two differing ideas at once 1. that throwing our can in the recycling bin and having a veggie burger for lunch is going to fix things and 2. we know every well that it won't. So instead of approaching it from the global perspective that is necessary, we isolate ourselves and do nothing.
3
@Referencegirl - I think we agree on most of your points. However, in a world of compromise, we have to acknowledge the gray areas of reducing impacts in addition to the goals of eliminating impacts (it may be all we get). Also, I'd argue that your concerns have more to do with how we breed, than with how we eat (although how Americans eat is wasteful, resource-heavy, and ecologically upside-down). We live in political times where government regulated minimum living wage is an impossible political issue - the idea that we could control peoples' diet in the top-down way that I think you imply is, for the moment, a pipe-dream. Doesn't mean we can work towards sustainability by trying to change consumer behaviors.
I make veggie burgers at home in quantity so I can pull out of the freezer when needed. So far, out of many tried, Melissa Clark’s recipe is the favorite. Mushrooms give burgers a meaty taste and beets and red beans a nice color.
6
If you ever have the time and energy, try Kenji Lopez-Alt‘s vegan burger (found on the serious Eats website). It’s quite the project, and it doesn’t try to taste like meat, but it hits the „burger spot“ and it’s the best vegan burger I’ve eaten in my life.
1
Burger King, so far, is the only store (that I know of) selling the meatless burger here in Bowie, MD. I have not tried it yet and am not sure if I will.
A Five Brothers burger is really hard to beat so why change?
The Burger King version is not all that tasty. It's very thin just like their regular burger. We made two burgers out of a 12oz package purchased at Wegmans, and had a hard time finishing it, because their was no shrinkage. They are really good.
Because it’s bad for the environment and for animals. Next?
2
At this point, we must be concerned with more than taste. The palatability of some of these new burgers is remarkable, yes, and will sell them to a populous still entrenched in the consumption of meat, but we each need to consider the issues beyond our personal taste. Even if one is willing to ignore the serious issue of the cruelty and suffering caused by the meat industries, the raising of animals for meat production is a major factor in environmental destruction, and the production of vegetable proteins is not only less destructive, but more efficient by far. Moreover, meat consumption, even so-called "white meat," is unhealthy compared to a plant-based diet. Given the current dire state of the environment and of our health as a species, giving serious consideration to altering our diet is warranted.
8
What kind of vegetarian or vegan eats at Burger King? No one is saving the environment by eating fake meat served in a hurry.
4
@Preston As a non-meat eater, if I am travelling in an unfamiliar town and in need of a quick bite, if there's a BK, I know I can enjoy a decent lunch and move on....
8
Except that you can cook these at home. The products marketed as meat alternatives are generally meant to attract people who are not yet vegetarians.
4
@Preston Perhaps those who are travelling outside of a city with a meat eating spouse who is tired of the lack of suitable choices. True, the best option all around is to travel with your own food in a container.
Lab and chemically produced food is not real food. It is as processed as a box of Mac and cheese. No thanks. Real food is not chemically enhanced doesn’t matter if it’s plant or animal based. Any “burger” with such a long list of ingredients is suspect.
14
Strip the condiments and extras from any of these burgers including animal sourced beef and get a real taste of the product. Any good? So many recipes to choose from for easy to make veggie burgers that tasteful choices can be created right in the kitchen. No extra toppings needed.
3
Actually, yea. We use Beyond Beef as taco meat. It’s pretty good. I will admit it comes loaded with salt.
Just a word of caution. I've been vegan for 8+ years and love the Impossible Burger-> but it contains (as the article says) "Leghemoglobin" which is a plant heme - and very hard for some (many?) people to digest, as I discovered. I have a strong stomach and can digest most things, but about 1/2 of an Impossible Burger is all I can handle at a sitting.
3
@Rethinking, Ah! Maybe this was why the Beyond Burger seemed to sit like a stone in my stomach for several days. One normal-sized burger was way too much for me, as well.
@Marathonwoman PS: Impossible burger ingredients are inferior to ingredients in the Beyond Burger
It would be good to know calories and nutritional values especially compared to meat, not just prices.
10
I had one of those burgers at a restaurant in suburban Chicago last summer when I was visiting. I don't remember whether it was an Impossible Burger or Beyond Burger, but it was oh, so delicious. I would never in a million years have guessed that it was not ground beef. I live in Latvia, where I don't believe such things are sold, but now that I think about it, I will get in touch with one of our grocery stores and suggest that they get some. I would then advertise it on my television show in the hope that others enjoy it, as well. When I moved to Latvia in 1989, I wrote a series of columns for a local magazine about American foods that had appeared and what to do with them. Most particularly Philadelphia cream cheese, which appeared all of a sudden. I contacted the magazine and brought them chicken liver pate and a cheesecake, and the cream cheese never disappeared from stores again. In fact, it is known in Latvian as Filadelfijas siers (Philadelphia cheese). Good times all around!
5
@Karlis , one of the things I love most about travel is discovering new foods. It's so entertaining just to walk around a foreign grocery store (while, in the U.S., grocery shopping is one of my least favorite activities!) Two things that stood out for me: fruit is better - and smaller - in Europe. In the U.S. we seemed focused on producing giant apples/peaches/pears, which the European ones are smaller and tastier. And Europeans aren't into fat-free, sugar-free, flavor-free foods like here in the U.S.. Ugh.
6
@Marathonwoman , I'm in US too and so dismayed by the huge and often not so tasty apples. I too would welcome smaller sizes of all fruits, especially apples, peaches, nectarines, plums. Generally all I want is half an apple, etc. Nice point.
5
There's nothing environmentally wrong with beef raised on pasture.
2
@matt weems Yes but its not the cattle that are the main problem, its all the land that has to be devoted to monoculture farming to grow their FEED that is the issue, especially when so much of the newly acquired land in countries like Brazil was formerly rainforest. For more information on this, watch the documentary, The Game Changers, now on Netflix.
5
@Mark Crozier You missed matt's point, cattle raised on pasture are not fed grains that could feed people. Doing that is a problem, as you pointed out. People can't eat grass though.
Most cows are raised in factory farms, aka animal torture facilities (which are also terrible for the environment).
6
These burgers are no better for you then meat burgers, the argument that the are better for the environment is ludicrous. Also looking at the ingredients posted I would be scared to eat those manufactured burgers. JMHO!
4
@Ralph About which ingredients are you hesitant? The items that may look unfamiliar in Impossible are vitamins and minerals, and the leghemoglobin is a blood-like compound produced from yeast. This last, which is the hallmark of Impossible, has been FDA approved.
3
@Ralph I'm with you - I'll stick with the real thing.
Gross. The ingredients, simply gross.
Give me cows. Just cows. Sorry cows, you are nice animals, but you taste good.
8
“Just cows” are injected with antibiotics, hormones and fed GMO processed corn, soy, and junk. Wake up, meat is no longer “natural.” The antibiotic overuse alone has created a huge global health risk.
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@Pat It's not a right to eat animals - it's a privilege.
If you're going to participate in an industry which inflicts torture and terror on hundreds of millions of animals for your convenience then you shouldn't be flippant.
1
Where’s the Boca burger? Half the price and best flavor for my $$
3
@Beth
I LOVED the original vegan Boca burger for years till they changed the recipe and now I can't stand it. So disappointed.
2
Best Veggie Burger on earth! Astro Burger on Melrose in L.A.. Get the Greek.
1
I have some major trust issues here. Honestly.
6
Which ones, if any, are kosher? Hallel?
2
Is anyone talking about the glyphosate??? Or the horrendous processed nature of these Franken-burgers? For goodness sakes just eat real food people. #foodscam
8
So, I'm confused. How do these compare with a real hamburger?
2
@Jim Wallis This is an article about taste-testing plant-based burgers, not a comparison between meat and non-meat.
Unprocess your food.
Whether you're a vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, or a carnivore, It is important to get food technology out of our system .
5
Stop it, just stop it! Stop this endless capitalist nonsense of processed food! Millions of people are literally dying of nutritional starvation because of all the garbage produced by "food" companies, while millions of others are dying from literal starvation.
With the coming (it's only just started and it will last for thousands of years, folks) catastrophic climate changes the world's governments must come to grips with an equitable, healthy food supply.
"Meatless burgers" are an abomination.
6
@Jack Aldred Moon And all of the excess packaging that goes along with these foods...box and plastic wrap for a minimal amount of overpriced processed food!
1
@Jack Aldred Moon
Beef is not the answer.
“If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat. That's the single most important thing you could do. It's staggering when you think about it. Vegetarianism takes care of so many things in one shot: ecology, famine, cruelty.”
—Paul McCartney
1
Fairly useless article, absent nutrition data, particularly calories and saturated fat.
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@David Eike and cholesterol versus cattle beef
Stop with the canola oil.
6
you did not include nutrtional information. many are high in fat and calories
you left out impirtant information
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@Barbara I was hoping for that nutritional information because I would like to get the most that I can for my money. Buying low-cal foods is like throwing money away.
I have only tried Beyond Meat Burgers and the Impossible Burger
and thought the Impossible Burger taste better. I have not seen the Impossible Burger at the supermarket yet, but I have purchased Beyond Meat burger at the supermarket. They are a little pricey but for one in a split household, my wife does not eat meat, its a satisfying alternative.
2
I've been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 45 years. I remember when my husband and I first switched all we could think of were foods that would "replace meat". That soon subsided and we learned to embrace everything that didn't have flesh. The early "burgers" were pretty tasty, esp. Amy's brand. When the "impossible " burger came out, I tried it & gagged. To me it was too meatlike. I'm sure it will be a great help to many trying to switch to a meat-free diet but it's not for me.
4
This stuff is not food. It's food product.
14
Most are just chemicals
2
So many of these comments relate to health—and justifiably so give vegetarianism is so wrapped up in health. However, this article is in the Food section of the NYT, *not* the Health section. Also justifiably so.
10
Looking at the photo at the top of the article, I'm thinking I'd rather just put the tomato and red onion in a salad with some organic greens and bulk it up with chickpeas, black olives and feta cheese.
9
Well, about all,I have to say is that this article lays out the food chain!
1
Let me know when plant based “bacon” “burgers” are popular. They are impossible to find!!!!
Beyond Burger tastes like a real burger and their sausages are off the hook. Impossible burger has spices that don’t work for me at all.
1
Please include caloric, fat, sodium, sugar and other vital statistics in your taste testing.
These fake “meats” seem unappetizing no matter what. I’d prefer just a plain veggie patty that I can see with my own eyes and taste what’s in it. What’s the matter with just using unprocessed
foods? Does everything have to be processed to death to make it taste like something else?
5
Though there's probably nothing better than sinking your teeth into a grilled slab of slightly bloody ground animal flesh, oozing fat with melted cheese and fried onions, my carnivore friends thought Safeway's own organic version superior to the impossible and the beyond.
1
$12 a pound? No thanks.
4
Ok, the point here is to create/promote a meatless burger for the sake of the environment BUT these plant based burgers are nutritionally not something to consume everyday just like not consuming a real burger everyday. These guys are definitely not healthy food. For example, here’s what I found..... Impossible Burgers—packs 290 calories, 14g sat fat, 580mg sodium, and 27g protein. Check out that sodium for heaven’s sake! Give me a break. It’s like low fat foods reducing calories but loading sugar and/or salt. If these companies are going to create meat alternative burgers the least they could do is to make them half way healthy! These burgers are such a marketing gimmick! Only in America. Grrrr.
9
Many of these faux burgers according to the reviewers resemble meat in their flavor and texture. I have been a vegetarian for over 40 years - the last thing I want to eat is something that tastes like meat!! I'll stick with Amy's quinoa veggie burger - no meat taste. I have no interest in eating food that resembles dead animals. I did try the impossible burger once - horrible!!!!!!!
9
@Joy My thoughts exactly. I would gag on something too close to the taste and texture of real meat. On the other hand, it can function as a gateway to more plant-based eating. It’s working on some members in my family, anyway.
5
@Lindah Yes - I'm sure vegetarians are not their target audience but I notice that many restaurants are featuring these items as their alternative to meat. Which leaves less for people who are long time vegetarians to choose from....so I've got mixed feelings about these products.
1
It's not only how it tastes in the moment, it how it sits with you. Ground seared red meat has a deep aftertaste. It promotes a sense of animal well-being. While it provokes, if you have the temperament, dietary guilt, moral guilt, plus all the bad health effects.
The Impossible Burger etc. may well pass the taste test in the moment. But then it sits in your stomach as - what? A processed cardboardish, alien thing.
Me, I like the veggie burgers that are made of healthy stuff and don't pretend to bleed. Hugo's burgers here in my SoCal enclave. Also Hilary's frozen burgers. I can eat the latter a few times a week.
Actually our local burger cult, In-N-Out - of which I'm also immoderately fond - has shown us the way. The meat patty is scrawny - a playing card. A maguffin. It's all about the presentation - the crisp lettuce and tomato, the not-so-secret sauce.
The patty is no longer the "meat" of a burger. It is one of many layers.
Thank you for doing this!!!
3
South Park did this right last Wednesday with the Tegridy burger.
3
Replacing meat with super processed “plant based” uh, food or whatever it is, I think I’ve seen this before.
Meat vaping.
What’s wrong with beans?
9
Impossible burger isn’t vegan. They test on animals...
any non-pesticide ones?
I hate to break it to you animal kindness advocates, but cattle are bred for meat and given land to live on for their value in this regard. This animal will go extinct if it loses that value, or at least be reduced to a novelty on the fake farms of the very rich.
I completely agree that meat consumption desperately needs to be reduced for he environmental reasons but animal cruelty is not logically one of them.
Death is never kind, and most people will suffer a much more painful death than the one experienced by the animal that involuntarily gave its own to make that burger.
In this case, man giveth and man taketh away.
The laws of ethics and morality are not written on some stone floating in the cosmos- we invent them and every human must decide the specifics not imposed by the state.
6
@alan haigh I encourage you to do even just a tiny bit of research on animal cruelty in the meat production industry. I'm afraid that your images of happy animals, roaming in large farmyards for years before a quick and humane death are from fairy tales. Re: "extinction", livestock and poultry have been bred for generations to produce highly unnatural versions of these creatures so that they can produce as much profit as possible, e.g. enormous pigs that can barely move. If those breeds go extinct, I think that's okay. But I hope you're not saying that species will or should go extinct if they have no commercial value and are not of use to humans.
7
@Lynn, Wilderness is shrinking globally, so as long as the human population remains what it is our infliction of cruelty to wildlife will not be adequately abated by our diets.
Humane production methods are a separate issue from the morality of veganism. I believe that slaughter houses are more humane than they were years ago and advocate paying more for all meat products to assure even more humane treatment.
I am a farmer who kills nuisance animals to assure crops, and any farm land takes wilderness and homes from wildlife.
I think people who live in urban and suburban areas often don't have a very logical idea about the complexities of the issue.
If you really care about wild animals, focus on reducing the population of humans on this planet- meat eating and vegan humans alike. Although the big meat eaters do take a lot more space- that is farmland to produce their meat-based diet.
1
@alan haigh Thank you god for all the cholesterol
Coconut oil and high sodium content. Not necessarily a healthy alternative.
6
@Reggie coconut oil is good, canola oil is not so good. Its also very processed and in general less healthy than a grass fed animal.
But for those looking for meat alternatives as a way to become healthy and/or lose weight, coconut oil is still “evil.”
The Vegan diet is one of the, most urgent ways to save the planet, along with the reduction of fossil fuel and adopting rather than procreation of humans and pets....but humans and greedy and selfish so...
6
I had an Impossible Whopper.
Disappointment.
4
We can give up meat and countless other pleasures in life to help save our planet....or we could simply have fewer children and get the global population under control.
For me it is an absolute no brainer.
8
I'm with you. I've been saying the same for decades and have a bumper sticker "Thank you for not BREEDING".
Lest you critics need to get snarky, I'm childless by choice. I've made my contribution!
2
This is nonsensical. If you crave a hamburger, eat a grass raised farm friendly burger. Are there medical reasons you can't eat meat? Probably not. If you just LUUUV animals, then don't eat a hamburger. Don't eat an incredibly processed product that has heaven knows what ingredients. You want to eat plants, go to the grocery store, your garden or a farmers market and buy produce. Don't eat fake food. Not to mention, that bun you are eating even if it's gluten free is a huge glucose hit on your pancreas And you wonder why pancreatic cancer is through the roof.
4
Instead of imitating why not innovate. I love black bean burgers for what they are, not for what they are not. Same goes for ToFurky and Veat. Owing to an enzyme deficiency I cannot digest any animal flesh, but I love the above for their own selves.
" Tasters liked the familiar profile of what Melissa declared “the burger for people who love falafel,” made mostly from chickpeas and bulked out with mushrooms and gluten."
After reading the above, I decided that I would skip the
"Felalable -Burger", and have my felafel straight (with a side of Hummus ).
1
The point isn’t to be healthy. The point is for it not to be meat.
12
I was able to taste the Impossible Burger recently in Burger King (there it's known as the Impossible Whopper). As someone who still misses meat after 41 years, I was astounded by what I remember as a meat flavor--and think it's the best vegan/vegetarian burger I've ever had. But my understanding is that this plant burger is available ONLY in Burger King. Can Julia Moskin please report where and when she purchased the Impossible Burger?
3
@Janine The Impossible Burger is available at many restaurants and they are beginning to appear in grocery stores around LA. You can do a quick online search to find restaurants near you that offer it.
1
There are so many wonderful recipes for veggie burgers that don't have all those creepy ingredients in them. Even if you don't want to soak beans, you can surely open a can of them. And even if you don't want to wait for quinoa to cook, I think you can get the fast cooking kind .... Just saying.
7
You never have to ask someone if they are a vegetarian, they will tell you in two minutes. But seriously, this is a good step, number one cause of climate change is animal production for food.
3
@MDMA. Yes, and why is that? It's so obnoxious. I have a friend who must announce that to every wait-person the minute she sits down at a restaurant. Just pick something from the menu that you can eat! I'm a pescatarian but I don't feel the need to announce that to everyone in a restaurant or at a friend's dinner party. Eat what you can, for god's sake. It's really just too precious. You aren't all that special.
3
After watching two superb documentaries that advocate for a plant-based diet -- Forks Over Knives and Gamechangers -- we are doing our best to make the transition, both for health and environmental reasons. I say doing our best because we havent yet figured out how to do without cheese and eggs. Or burgers. Here in South Africa, the choices for meat-free burgers is very limited. This is still very much a country where meat is on pretty much every table, every night. That said, some of our leading retailers are offering more plant-based options so there is hope. Until then we will have to opt for the vegetarian burger option on the menu when we go out on the town.
4
Some Reasons to be a Vegetarian
Practical (More self interest)
1- Economics - Less expensive, more efficient to raise plant food on same acreage than animals
2- Health - Lower saturated fats (arterial disease), more fiber, no toxins in long colon (less colon cancer), don’t have carcinogens created by cooking/barbecuing.
3- Environment - Land more productive, eliminates middle animal, much of agriculture is used to fatten animals, manure, nitrogen runoff, cut forests, etc.
4- Nonviolence (Ahimsa) Not responsible for the death or suffering of animals (fellow sentient beings) Animals raised under bad conditions
5- Forbearance - Don’t exercise control over the animal kingdom. Don’t indulge senses and ego by eating highly concentrated food.
6- Unitative Perception - Sense of unity with/and concern for the world/universe, and something bigger than one’s self.
Spritual (Less self interest)
15
I have not eaten beef or pork for 45 years. I recently tried one of these things (not sure which one). I realized I have zero interest in eating something that tastes like meat. I understand the reasons people eat them but great things can be done with soy products and they don't taste like dead animals.
10
Nutritional information for each product alongside nutritional information in a real burger would have been helpful in this article.
11
My Wife is a Carnivor and I am a Vegetarian. We use the term "Meatoid" as a generic term. We also use "Carboid" and "Vegoid" in meal planning.
1
I don't see the point. A vegetarian is not going to eat meat, right? And I assume he would not look for the taste of meat. Otherwise, why be a vegetarian in the first place?
These burgers seem to exist for vegetarians who love meat. Isn't it a bit paradoxical?
Looks like a substitution for those addicted to meat. But keeping the taste of drug is not a very good way to rehab'. It reminds me of those sharks in Finding Nemo.
Eating less maet, I understand. It's better for the Earth, and it's better for us. Eating "happy meat" (ethically raised and killed), I understand, it's better for animals. But eating higly processed food that tastes like meat?
18
I don't eat meat because of ethical and health concerns. That does not mean I wish to limit the taste of my food.
6
A lot of people have been told to reduce their red meat consumption, so these are alternatives.
2
If a person's main objections to meat are 1. pain to sentient beings or 2. environmental angst, what does highly processed matter?
2
I understand why some vegetarians are skeptical, but for meat-eaters like me who are trying to eat less meat for the sake of our waistlines and the environment, it's really nice to have these as options.Our local bar served Impossible Burgers, now serves Beyond Burgers. They really hit the spot when you want a burger but don't want to feel so weighed-down. I don't dislike black bean burgers and other traditional substitutes, but they don't satisfy my craving for a hamburger. These get much closer.
Oh, and American cheese all the way. Nothing melts like it. It's just cheese with calcium citrate to facilitate melting. If you're grossed out by "processed cheese food," make sure you buy one that has enough cheese to be called cheese. No biggie.
9
American cheese isn't cheese. Pasteurised process cheese food. I will still eat a beef or buffalo burger.
7
Having been a baker for about 15 years, around the time that gluten-free and vegan baked products hit the market, I learned one very important lesson. Anything that's removed will need to be replaced with something else. While this maxim may not appear surprising--that "something", at least in baking, often meant sugar or fat.
I note that the third ingredient in every burger recipe given in this article is either a type of coconut oil or some other type of fat. What this says to me is that the missing ingredient meat and its attendant "umami" features is being substituted with ingredients that may be highly caloric and lead to as yet unidentified dietary problems.
20
@Yvonne Day Excellent points.
2
@Yvonne Day You did not read the Sweet Earth Veggie Burger ingredients. Fat is way down there and ingredients highly recognizable as whole foods.
2
Processed veggies are still processed food. I don't think that any one of these meat alternatives has hit the mark in terms of nutrition or taste in spite of the money being throw at them. Beyond Meat has the texture of pink slime (additive to hamburger)...it is so off putting that it's hard to believe it's not beef!
10
I have been a long time fan of Burger Kings veggie burger (now off the menu, not that it was well known). I bought it with the works and a fries and wolfed it down on occasion. Now it is replaced with the too-meat like Impossible burger. While I applaud the move to veggie based protein, I don’t want a hamburger taste. Bring back the BK Veggie Burger.
8
‘Replicating the “bloody” look of a rare burger.’
Blood and slaughter are kind of why I don’t eat meat to begin with. Not a selling point for me.
29
I’m with you. I’ll take my home made real-food black bean burger any day over fake meat. The concept of eating dead animals disgusts me which is one reason I’ve been a vegetarian for almost 50 years. It’s interesting and hopefully may reduce animal suffering and factory farming, so I think it’s a positive move.
8
@Ellen K I worked in the emergency department for 35 years...one day while looking down at an open wound on a leg and seeing the muscle, the blood, the "meat", I went home and threw out my meat and have never been able to eat meat since.
5
@itsmildeyes Good point, though these burgers are targeted mostly toward the meat-eater who wants to eat less meat, so the more high-fidelity the simulation, the better.
1
I'd comment but I have to get up early to go deer hunting. Tasty, and no carbon footprint....
10
From what I’ve read from countless experts, these all sound bad for the gut.
12
In what way? What experts?
1
Bake up a slab of tofu or tempeh. throw on some onion and a tomato and keep on truckin'
11
@Mel Hope Many people including me can't eat soy products. In large amounts it's not healthy for anyone.
1
"Why don't people eat fresh vegetables, pulses, legumes - rather than these awful, contrived 'foods'".
How many comments like this, here?
Because, the human race loves bad for you food. Fries - not boiled potatoes. Pizza, curry, dark chocolate, things with whipped cream... Preferably with a ton of salt on top.
Yes, 'people' could stop eating those, but they're not going to.
9
@nolongeradoc And yet medical evidence increasingly indicates that a vast number of illnesses are directly related to what we eat. So, quite a few 'people' are opting for prevention rather than a very expensive cure by choosing a healthier diet. Simply makes good sense.
1
@nolongeradoc I agree. Get the meat farmers to convert animal feed crops to human feed crops, and we'll be better off in many ways.
Wish you’d included the calories and fat content in each!!
6
@Hortencia and the sodium.
1
And I thought beef was expensive.
9
Many restaurants have an added charge to substitute the veggie patty.
Sorry, but the impossible burger contains too much glyphosate for me to eat it.
6
Plant-'meat', or beef -- any 'burger' such as the one shown is anything but healthy -- migod, it's large enough for an elephant!
5
When my German born mother made her potato pancakes and burned them by accident which we liked a lot, she did not know that she created the first faux burger back then in 1945.
14
Assuming we are talking about fast food/franchise style eateries and not a high end steak joint, if you strip the fake burger sandwich of everything, leaving only the patty and bun (bare naked plain!) and do likewise with a beef burger, also sans cheese, condiments, veggies, etc, you will notice the difference. The only reason the fake burgers are popular is they are perceived to be healthier (and they may be) and they are covered up with so much 'stuff' you cannot taste it. To be honest, the same holds true for a beef burger. Once it is loaded up with 'stuff', you cannot taste the beef.
3
It’s quite unclear who the audience is for both this article/findings and the greater-starred products themselves. Certainly not those with an objective sense of taste (ground up cow tastes good? Really?). And definitely not for those seeking guidance for what to choose as a healthy replacement (for body and planet) for their cherished hamburger. I’m guessing it’s to guide those who think “vegetarian” automatically equals “healthy” to the companies best able to trick lazy-brained consumers into a false sense of feel-good (e-cigarettes, anyone? How’d those work out?). As for me, hummus: 5-stars. Beef burger: -5.
4
It’s not supposed to be that different from a regular Whopper: that’s pretty much the point. I had a Beyond Burger Whopper yesterday and i was impressed. If you like Whoppers anyway, you’ll like this.
2
@AnnaS If you bought it at Burger King, it was an Impossible Burger Whopper, not a Beyond Burger Whopper.
I have had two of the Impossible Whoppers and I agree that they taste like a regular Whopper.
3
I like my black bean burgers - which are packed with portobello mushrooms. They are nutritious, tasty, and I actually better than beef or turkey burgers. No need for a fake “meat” to make me happy :)
11
@nytimes. Thank you for putting a spotlight on plant based foods! Sure, some aren’t “healthy” but they are sure a lot better for the planet, and animals. Let’s keep the momentum going. Oh- my favorite is the impossible burger- it tastes just like meat!
5
Soy and pea protein....
NO THANKS.
4
The assumption that these veggie burgers are healthier for you than a beef burger has not been proven. I would not eat these fake meat burgers no more than I would vape. Wait for the science to catch up with the product.
9
Interesting foundational comment "it’s better for people and for the planet to eat one of those burgers instead of meat every day, if that’s what they are going to do anyway." WHO says it is 'better'. Did anyone assess the amount of energy going in to preparing these fake-meat product? My conjecture is that when you factor in that [energy used] in to the equation these 'meats' will be no better environmentally than 'true' meats. It MAY meet the 'vegan' objective, but I doubt it meets the 'environmental' one.
5
Isn’t water more of the issue than energy? Also methane from factory farming?
1
We are merely on the frontier of the meatless meat horizon. As a wannabe vegetarian, I have tried some store bought substitutes, and recall when McDonald's was test marketing a veggie burger, some twenty years ago. It was not bad, but disappeared, I suspect due to poor public acceptance. I don't even know if it was available across the country. The store bought one's I tried were like smashed beans in a bun. So for now I will go with the Nothing Burger, no ingredients, no side effects, leaves enough room for fries and your favorite beverage. Science will eventually catch up, I am still waiting.
1
Both Beyond Meat items and the Impossible Foods burger are popular in our home, But Gardien faux chicken items are our weekly go to choices.
Being foodies we became plant based for a variety of reasons and have been blown away at how our food repertoire has grown. And we have never eaten so well and for less too!
4
Just what the world needs is more Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids and Soy and synthetic additives. I have the top two and had the same reaction I have to all chemical laden processed foods- indigestion. Hard pass.
8
These are really not marketed primarily for vegans and most restaurants (ie. Burger King's Impossible Whopper) cook them on the same grill and right next to meat--something most vegans would not eat. I have never eaten an impossible burger and have no interest. I have eaten the Beyond Burger in my house a few times and found it okay, but nothing I am interested in eating very often. I like veggie burgers made from vegetables (ie. Dr. Prager's). Still, these delight me as it means that more meat eaters are eating more veggie burgers and fewer cows are being slaughtered...more space devoted to vegan products in supermarkets is great and something I could never have imagined over 30 years ago when I became a vegan.
8
@Hexagon
Spot on.
We eat meat. Changing habits is hard so we are easing into it by training ourselves to appreciate other proteins. We want to eat less meat, for the planet first then for ourselves.
I was a vegetarian for a long time and developed anemia. Who knows why? Probably because I was too lazy to cook beans. But to this day I associate the previous diet with anemia and fatigue. I'm hoping these products will help me get back into a vegetarian groove making better choices for the planet.
I know I should be soaking beans and marinating tofu but frankly... Some nights you just want to come home and grill some kebabs. This could get us over that hump.
4
Taste and texture are only two ways to evaluate a food product. Nutrients matter too. As a longtime vegan I am delighted that these products are coming onto the market, but several I haven't tried because they are absolutely packed with fat, and I don't want to be obese.
4
Fat content in a food does not cause obesity in humans.
1
As a vegetarian for the last 10 years I was curious about these new products. It took exactly two bites of the Impossible Burger for me to realize that it did taste like the beef I abandoned for ethical reasons. As I contemplated that fact I was suddenly so nauseous I had to leave the table and spit it out. Never again. I was stunned by my body's reaction, which lasted for the rest of the day. I will stick with my Dr. Praeger's and Morning Star farms veggie burgers.
10
No one has ever tried to make meat taste like a vegetable.
For good reason.
10
If people didn't want their meat to taste like vegetables, then they would sprinkle plain ground meat on their penne, instead of first cooking the meat with garlic, onions, mushrooms, peppers and San Marzano tomatoes.
8
With all the “fake meat” out there I see the point of these developments as simple as this- we need a more sustainable and ethical society and more and more people are becoming aware of the cruelties and abuses of animal exploitation to produce the meat and leather we think we can’t live without. Further, the meat and dairy, and fishing, industries are awful for the environment. So even as a vegan for more than 26 years now who really isn’t needing to eat a “meaty vege burger”, I support these companies trying to create something that will, eventually, all be “5 stars” and appeal to more and more meat eaters, and to me that will lead to a compassionate world for all beings. This should answer the question, “If you want meat why not just eat meat?”
6
Trader Joes has incredible true veggie burgers: Masala burger Quinoa Burger and Dr Praeger's Veggie Burger.
These taste so much better than any "real hamburger" or "fake hamburger."
As Thomas Jefferson said 250 years ago, meat is to be used as a flavoring. A hamburger is just a very weird thing to eat.
8
@Brother Shuyun
Not much of a red meat eater, but every few months I will crave a good beef burger, and I indulge the craving, and don't think it's a weird thing to eat.
:)
1
Those of you who are switching to these for health reasons, check the nutrition label. Impossible, for example, is a little higher in fat and a lot lower in protein than lean beef. The killer is salt, which at 700mg/8 oz is almost a third of the recommended daily allowance.
9
@Henry Lieberman
With canola oil being the third ingredient in two of these, one may as well drink a few glugs of it from the bottle and save the trouble of "cooking" the patty,
2
I used and enjoyed "Make a Better Burger" before it went off the market years ago. It essentially was a soybean additive that the consumer mixed with real hamburger to make mixed patties.
To me they tasted great and had half the fat of a 100% hamburger hamburger. I wish someone would bring them back.
1
I've tasted Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat and disliked both of them.
Look, if it looks like beef and tastes like beef, I'd rather eat real meat. I much prefer Masla Burger and Dr. Prager veggie patties, both sold in Trader Joe's. They are awesome.
6
More processed food for Americans. I love real veggie "burgers;" the ones that don't pretend to be meat. All the meat like plant based burgers taste like synthetic smoke, not beef.
4
If you want to eat plants, eat plants. If you want to eat meat, eat meat. I just don’t get people wanting to eat something that pretends to be something it isn’t.
27
@Alister Grigg
Why?
What's wrong with wanting to eat a burger that tastes like the meat burgers you like but does not have all the nutritional dangers?
3
try visiting a factory farm and then an abbattoir, you might start to understand why people choose plant based meat alternatives.
4
I'm sorry but I don't get it. if you don't want to eat meat, why would you want to eat something that toally replicates it? if you want blood, eat the real thing.
If you want to be vegetarian, eat beans and veggies. Does it have to be more complicated?
And remember ... some people are vegetarians precisely because they can't bear the texture and/or taste of meat.
14
There are also people like me that gave up meat because of animal cruelty and really miss it from time to time. Sure, I love traditional vegetation cooking with beans and whole vegetables but I'm also thrilled that I can now bite into a burger without hurting a cow.
4
@siobhan
Why?
What's wrong with wanting to eat a burger that tastes like the meat burgers you like but does not have all the nutritional dangers?
Methyl cellulose. How does this chemical compound, derived from cellulose, i.e. trees, find its way so inconspicuously into our food and the best-rated veg burgers? It screams highly processed all over. Why should we trust this not to have any unknown detrimental effects on our bodies? It is well established that the human body is not adapted to digesting trees.
12
Of course the GMO-laden, gluten-filled, soy burger gets the number one pick. But remember, there are a lot of ingredients that may not be good for, and certainly not good for the planet.
11
With all do respect, I wish vegans and vegetarians would refrain from criticizing those of us who eat plant-based "meat." I am a Texas girl who loved red meat, especially thick, juicy rare steaks.
I went veg - transitioning from vegetarian to mostly vegan - because I love animals more and didn't want to contribute to their suffering and death. Products such as the Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger made the change much easier. I also serve them to my carnivore guests, most of whom would not have otherwise tried these products. Some actually prefer these and other faux meats I've introduced them to and have started buying them instead of the meat that comes from animals.
34
@Remiliscent
And that is the whole point, Remiliscent! Bravo.
2
The cost of these is insane. More than half come in at $12.00 / lb
Call me crazy, but really. All the plant based goo plus fillers, and they're more expensive than beef.
9
@ellen veggie burgers wouldn't be more expensive than a fast food meat burger, except that the US government subsidizes big ag, which essentially means we taxpayers are forced to subsidize meat and dairy, even though it's a leading contributor to heart disease, cancer, obesity and climate change! If not for those taxpayer subsidies the average fast food burger would cost a lot more, some estimates say 12 to 25 dollars.
17
@Jane Velez-Mitchell than why is the locally sourced free range farm burger still less than the veggie burger?
1
It was in Boise ID, at a Burger King, an Impossible Burger and a beautiful cow in the parking lot with big brown eyes that pushed me over the edge. 2 months and counting, vegetarian, haven't missed it all. Thank-you Pat and the Wizards at Impossible Foods!
26
It's too bad they didn't include the burgers from the commercial restaurants in the comparison.
2
Impossible Burger is made of GMO soy and NO ONE knows what its combination of chemicals will do to your body. Just look at what high fructose corn syrup and Aspartame did to a generation. Beyond Burger is the solid choice, and it's not a Frankenfood.
6
@Jonahh we DO know that processed meat, ie. hot dogs, deli slices and bacon, is officially cancer causing, according to the World Health Organization. It's amazing that people, including TV commentators, who never raise the health issues posed by meat and dairy, are now suddenly so concerned about veggie burgers, which have zero cholesterol! Cholesterol is what creates plaque which is a leading contributor to heart disease, which kills approximately 1 out of every 4 Americans.
5
@Jane Velez-Mitchell it's not cholesterol from your diet that causes these plaques. It's the cholesterol that your body synthesizes.
How did the field burger get a low-ish rating? I had one at a bbq a couple weeks ago and it was delicious. I then bought some to make at home and it was delicious again!
2
It seems like a lot of the more critical comments are trying to conduct in-depth analyses of the biochemical properties and nutritional values of these products. It seems to me that if they took the same amount of time to conduct in-depth analysis of the products that they’re comparing these products to, they’d realize that this is a step in the right direction...
9
@Sara Not with the Impossible Burger, which is a Frankenfood with an unproven track record of its effect on the human body.
4
@Jonahh The soy protein concentrate in an Impossible Burger does have a track record as an allergen. Soy protein has to be mentioned in the little allergy warning box.
@Jonahh I’d love to know what studies you’re basing your comment on
1
I find it amazing that the veggie burgers that were rated the best contained ingredients that I would never eat, while the burgers with known ingredients were poorly rated. What does that say about our food culture?
8
@Tilly's Mom do the known ingredients include hormones and antibiotics?
1
Antibiotics and hormones are not administered to plants.
However, pesticides are.
2
After all the recent publicity about the Impossible Burger, I tried one. It struck me as something a person who doesn't eat meat might like. Didn't taste like a very good burger to me.
3
My wife, who is not a big meat fan, had the same reaction.
After all the recent publicity about the Impossible Burger, I tried one. It struck me as something a person who doesn't eat meat might like. Didn't taste like a very good burger to me.
3
The best was in Boston from 21st Century Foods they made an amazing veggie burger available in stores. Only the Cambridge Harvest Co-op carried it. Haven't seen it in about 10 years. The best, unmatched.
Healthy eating? Reading this article I have no idea how much carb, protein, fat in these veggie patties. Frankly, coconut oil, palm kernel oil have loads of saturated fat-- more than butter, high carbs should not be consumed by those with Diabetes 2. My adivice is forget the burger entirely -- and just go with the extras. The burgerless burger. BTW why is so impossible to find bison -- ground buffalo in this very sophisticated (not) city? Ditto -- the awful peaches and tomatoes. (Whole Foods may have had ground bison once. It's much healthier than beef. low fat.)
6
Thanks for this. Because of a health condition of my wife’s, we try to avoid soy-based foods, so it’s good to know there is an authentic-tasting option that is soy-free.
4
What about the breakdown of fats/sugars/carbs/fiber/sodium? The first time I ate an IB my first though was, “Yikes! This tastes really salty”. My guess is that you consume 2 times the daily recommended dose of sodium when eating one of these. The reduction in the amount of salt used in prepared foods still needs to be addressed.
Better yet, make prepared foods healthier over all, without phony ingredients.
12
Generally speaking, processed food is simply not as healthy as foods you prepare yourself - whether it's vegan or not. Folks that wish to eat well should prepare their plant based food from scratch.
There are several very good home made plant based burger recipes. Some are quick to make (20 minutes). Others take longer (75 minutes). Either way, they are much cheaper and much healthier than processed versions. Naturally, like any valued thing in life, it takes a bit of time, practice and some tinkering to make it to your taste. But it's worth it.
For those that simply refuse to prepare their own food, I suppose that these plant based burgers are better than nothing. And at the very least, they are cruelty-free and much better for the environment.
12
Thanks for being so judgemental.
@Steve Cohen
Truly?
If I say that snow is cold and white - would I be judgemental?
Was it the cruelty-free term that I used, perhaps?
Or that eating plant-based is best for the environment? Both of those statements are empty of judgement and happen to be true.
Had I said, "people that eat animals are cruel" - that would have been judgemental. Saying that plant-based burgers are cruelty-free - that's just a statement of fact.
Steve - in my opinion, when somebody reacts the way you have...it might suggest a certain defensiveness. I don't know you. I have no clue whether you have anything to be defensive about. I'll leave that to you to figure out.
Pax.
The thing here is that a burger is essentially a patty with LOADS of sauces and condiments. Short of eating a burger in some Texas steakhouse, they all pretty much taste like cardboard. I've tried the Beyond and Impossible and the latter is way too salty. In any case, the list of ingredients alone is a turn-off.
7
@Chris You describe the California version of a burger, not the 1/2" thick, juicy beef patty that can be found in hundreds of NYC restaurants -- not even close to cardboard. I wonder how the ratings of the plant/chemical based "burgers" described in the article would have come out if there was a real beef burger in the mix.
I’ve tasted these as samples in grocery stores & events. They leave a weird after taste, unlike the real thing. One definitely needs all the condiments & bun to mask the taste.
8
Who cares what they taste like when they're made in a lab and full of GMOs. GMOs may be "safe" for humans, but they are not safe for your microbiome, which your health depends on.
11
Agree, but Beyond Burger is not a GMO! Impossible Burger is.
And me thinks they got it wrong, beyond burger taste a lot better than impossible burger, eating the impossible burger makes me feel like I’ve eaten fast food. Beyond a Burger is gourmet! Processed foods that are bad for you, will not rot, beyond burger won’t last a week in refrigerator, you have to freeze them if you want to keep them longer than that.
4
@SL Honestly, you have no idea whether GMOs are "safe for your microbiome," so please don't pretend you do.
1
I opened this article really hoping to learn something, review style, about which burger choice might best for my preferences. Instead, I read some interesting comments, but no applies to apples comparison. Would this not have been more useful if the photos showed the same view of each burger? Or if the description has also been standardized? Why texture described in one write up but not the other! Our color? And so on. Part of me wants to appreciate the playfulness, part of me wants to scream at the decline of standards and useful disclose. And here of where you post a shrug emoji. Sigh
16
Funny thing about "veggie burgers" served in some restaurants. The reason they taste so much like real hamburgers is that they get cooked on the same grill, side by side with the meat and get to marinate in the juices from the meat. Best to ask in a restaurant. You may be shocked.
8
This apparently isn't easy to do. I've had Beyond Beef ( the same as Beyond Burger?) in the US and was surprised at how beef like it was. I'm working in Australia and Hungry Jacks (the Australian version of Burger King, they couldn't use the name here) just introduced their own version made in a plant setup here by the Australian franchisee. I tried one and it was pretty bad. The texture was 'OK' but it had no beefy flavor at all, just a strong taste of what I presume was artificial smoke.
2
I tasted several of these burgers and I thought they were disgusting. I even returned one brand to Whole Foods and told them it tasted and smelled like cat food.
I have been eating clean meat for decades. I drink plant milk and many plant-based food, but I have not found a plant burger I can tolerate.
I'll stick to my current plan of eating clean red meat once a week, two veggie meals a day, and one clean animal protein a day (eggs, turkey, chicken fish, etc.)
Instead of 3 animal protein meals a day. I eat one.
That's the best I can do for the planet, at this point.
16
@Gus
Sounds like a great meal plan.
@Gus, try adding Brewer’s Yeast as a supplement and you won’t miss meat, it fills in the amino acid void.
But colon cancer is linked to meat, heart disease and stroke too, not just the planet, morales: try google images, type in “animal slaughterhouse,” and after 5 min of that, and you still want to eat meat, go for it.
If that’s too much to ask, go to youtube, type in “pigs playing video games,” then like the tin man, find a heart!
2
High-priced and not one of them is made with organic ingredients. At least the non-GMO designation is available where applicable. I will try several of these after being conditioned to accept some of the frozen mush burgers that have been on the market for years. Thank you NYT for the taste tests.
1
For burger lovers who are thinking of becoming or who’ve recently become vegetarians, these options are a gift. But a whole-food, plant-based diet remains the best diet for humans and for the environment.
12
All of these products promote themselves better for the planet. But when we bought some, they came vacuum sealed in non-recyclable one-time use plastic. And lots of it.
Ughh.
What is wrong with a cardboard box?
48
@Buttons Cornell
Abso gluten lightly!
1
A local burger joint had the Impossible Burger. I almost walked out at the price $18! Since I was so curious I tried it. Its a very good attempt and so are the Beyond Burger and Fieldburgers. The first two are pricey and the Impossible is not yet available in grocery stores In Norcal. I might stock them if the pricing is more approachable or it will be only a once in a while meal choice.
I am not an avid beef burger fan and in my test the Impossible and Beyond met the taste test, the Field Burger is a not so close third. The Field Roast folk also have a few Sausage choices that I eat regularly.
3
I like a really good veggie burger in its own right, without worrying too much about whether it passed as beef. I've tried Beyond burger and didn't care for the taste, but bought an Impossible Wopper this evening and was thrilled by how much I preferred its taste to an actual beef burger, even approaching those from my own grill. Of course I added my own condiments, but I'll be back on occasion when the desire hits me. I know they aren't the most healthy things, but we'd already reduced our consumption of beef anyway out of concern for the planet.
11
The Impossible Burger is higher in saturated fat and sodium than regular hamburger. I used to have the perception that it was healthier. It’s not.
24
Thank you for posting the ingredients in these products. They make me want to run to my nearest local farm for a pure cut of real meat raised by an independent farmer not tied to any corporation who did not use industrial chemicals, monocropped soy, or a worldwide supply chain powered by jet fuel to produce the food she raises.
36
@Carrie. You and who else? A "nearest local farm" have no way of sustaining anything but a few people. There is no room on the planet to feed everyone with grass-fed beef, even on a more efficient industrial scale. And how much are you going to pay for that "pure cut of real meat"? Unaffordable for most others.
8
@Carrie, you should be made to watch them be killed, then see how fast you run toward meat.
Google; animal slaughter house
Brewers Yeast - take that daily and you won’t miss meat.
1
I must be very shallow about this topic, but they all looked good to me. I would eschew the ones which you need a chemistry course to understand, but four of them don't have too many weird ingredients. There is tons of Indian food that has no meat and it is just great stuff and the Chinese have been making vegetarian duck, chicken, beef and other meats for centuries. I'll make due thanks a lot, with or without meat.
8
@Joel Friedlander
Exactly, there is lots of good food with no meat that's delicious. We're lucky we can squabble, about what tastes good, whether it's like "meat" or not.
Best of all, enjoy preparing, and enjoy eating.
5
As a vegetarian (10+ years) I certainly applaud efforts to reduce the raising of cattle and other animals for the sole purpose of subsequent consumption by the meat-loving public. During a recent visit to Burger King I was surprised to find that their „veggie burger“ had been replaced by the „Impossible Burger“. Its texture and taste were so close to meat that I was seriously repulsed and disgusted by it! Burger King and McDonalds- bring back the veggie burgers for those of us who don’t want the taste of meat!
16
The old BK veggie burger wasn’t vegan. It makes sense to appeal to as wide an audience as possible which is why most veg brands like Quorn and Morningstar are going vegan.
In an effort to break my ice cream addiction, a few years ago I ate soy frozen desserts often. After a couple years of my soy deserts, feeling really fatigued my doctor found a tumor on my parathyroid. Soy isn’t an option if you have any thyroid issues.
From NIH https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/16571087/
The moral; maybe substituting anything for a food that isn’t healthy to begin with isn’t such a great idea. Eat some fruit.
11
@denise There is no evidence of a connection between soy consumption and parathyroid disease. The article you linked to is about thyroid disorders - it's a completely different organ!
2
@denise, please don’t confuse a coincidence with quackery. Soy doesn’t cause cancer, they should be telling you not to take soy supplements if you have a cancer that’s induced by estrogen, but repeat; soy doesn’t cause cancer! Try telling what you said to the Japanese! They actually have the lowest rates of breast and prostate cancer because of all the soy they eat, and to be clear, that’s not my opinion, that’s from Dr. Daphne Miller, a professor of nutrition at UCSF, she’s done the epidemiology work and teaches other doctors about nutrition.
2
I will continue to eat hamburg made from free range Scottish Highland cattle. It tastes great, it is cheaper than the fake-meat burgers, and it is natural and minimally processed. If I choose to top it with cheese, then I will use real cheese instead or processed American cheese.
13
@Bruce Likewise, I will continue to eat burgers made of local panda and bald eagle.
Beans are cheap. Grain is cheap. Veggies are cheap. Why are these plant based products more expensive than meat?
35
@David Stoeckl
You are paying for:
1) The development of a product that has to taste like something it is not
2) Testing
3) Marketing
4) Selling and transportation costs
Pricing is driven by costs, and on estimate of what the demand will be. If people don't eat the product, it will be discontinued. Companies discontinue consumer products all the time.
No one is forcing anyone else to eat these products. Whether or not I ever consume them (never have tried them), I support their development in order to help reduce our dependence on animals as food.
Full disclosure: I'm an omnivore, I like to make my own burgers (meat or veggie), and don't go to fast food places, so I am not their targeted customer. I may never eat one of these. Further, if given a choice between straight vegetables, a meat burger, an Impossible burger, or a lab-grown burger, I'd likely go for the vegetables (or the meat burger very occasionally).
This is win for someone trying to avoid cholesterol. Try making Italian meatballs from the beyond burger meat. under some good marinara you definitely can't tell the difference.
4
Isn't processed food wonderful?
Next, can transform ground beef to look and taste like vegetables?
8
@Jeff Harris I was thinking the same thing!
I don't like the taste of meat and have never missed or wanted to have a burger since I stopped eating them in 1979. Veggie burgers that taste like their ingredients and stand up to their buns instead of mushing into them, is what I look for. I suggest SuperDuper's amazing organic veggie burger, made with rice, oats, peppers, spices and soy, served fully-loaded (hummus, avocado), and for those who indulge in dairy -- a slice of organic cheese on top.
5
Canola oil is unstable under heat, and has numerous unhealthy effects. Why would anyone fry a burger with it?
8
The price of these burgers range from $9.50/lb. for the lowest rated ones to $12/lb. for the 2 highest rated.
Save the planet and the environment and all that, yeah great. But quite honestly, I cannot afford to pay $12/lb for burgers. I can get skirt steak for $12/lb. AND the #1 choice isn't even non- GMO. Seriously??
So unless you plan on buying or subsidizing these for me to make them less than what I pay for comparable cuts of real meat dont even bother talking to me about this.
9
These faux burgers are to the food industry what natural gas is to the energy industry. A nice intermediate step to ween us the worse alternatives, but flawed long-term solutions.
8
I don't get it. Who are these products designed for (and they are "products", and they are very much designed)? Are they to convince meat eaters to not eat meat?
As a vegetarian I have no interest in these products. I can't get past the chemical ingredients. Since the very smell of meat repulses me I'm not interested in something that tastes like meat. And the idea of eating something that is dripping fake blood? Yuck.
I'd rather eat a real food.
10
All of them are disgusting. A vegetarians for almost 50 years and none of these products are good for you. And a couple that I bought were slimy before they ever got to the grill.
I want a veggie burger that is not manufactured in a lab, but rather blended items I already eat, like beans and rice and beets.
10
What’s missing here is the digestability of these burgers. I call it the Impassable Burger because of its effect on my system. At least one friend found the same issue.
Beyond Burger doesn’t have that effect.
6
Hahaha! The Unpassable burger is now glued to my memory and I since I am sure I would make the mistake of asking for it at the store, I am going to stick with "a hamburger, please."
Something amusing to me, at least, about the New York Times taste-testing and ranking the veggie burgers. 3 of the 6 top contenders are made in la la land ( oops I mean California). . . That being said . . I had a bite of my son's Impossible Burger while visiting him in Hong Kong recently and it was delicious. He's vegan and it made me happy to see him enjoy his burger. I am not in California visiting my other son and my first stop when I arrived in San Jose. . .IN and Out. . now that's a burger.
4
So you think you're saving the planet by driving an electric car and eating veggie burgers? We've already found out that electric cars are worse for the environment that gasoline cars. I'm sure we'll soon hear that veggie burgers are worse for the planet than beef burgers.
3
@Dr. Reality
"I'm sure we'll soon hear that veggie burgers are worse for the planet than beef burgers."
Veggie burgers can't be worse for the animals that would BECOME that beef burgers that beef burgers are.
Not at all likely.
short business analysis.
meat lovers won't but them cause they're.... not meat (why bother?)
health concious consumers won't buy them once they realize how heavily processed and unnatural they are.
so who's left?
this is a short.
3
@peter So is that why the Impossible Burger is the #1 new food product? Here in Chicago the markets and restaurants can’t even keep it in stock as demand has so outstripped the supply. My advice to you is, don’t try to invest in the stock market. Your predictive skills leave something to be desired.
Regular Hamburger:
Ingredients: Ground Beef, salt, pepper.
Until we make it that simple the rest sound like Frankenstein Burgers ?
11
@Pundit
You forgot the growth hormones and antibiotics!
That's right. Meat producers don't label their true ingredients. They have lobbyist.
1
I'm a vegan, previously a vegetarian. What I have never understood is why those of us who don't eat meat - for a variety of reasons - are served hamburgers (or hot dogs, turkey, meat balls, etc) that are made to look like meat. If I wanted meat, I'd ask for meat. If I eat a vegan burger, I'd like to see some beans and vegetables, not ingredients that imitate the look and texture of meat (especially the bloody part - yuck!)
The plant-based trend will continue, but will any manufacturer realize that vegans perhaps don't need to be "fooled" by a meat substitute? That's for experimenters, not practitioners.
Somebody please give vegans patties that do not look like something we would never eat in a million years.
11
@kim murray
There are vegan burgers on the market that contain beans, and vegetables, including hunks of vegetables and green beans.
The manufacturers are not trying to "fool" vegans. The target audience is meat eaters.
3
I had to stop eating steak and even chicken because my hormones apparently changed and the taste makes me gag; maybe it's the antiobiotics. I can enjoy a highly seasoned burger or fried chicken but when I cook them at home, I have to throw it out. So mimicking beef would make me gag. BTW: Lightlife Meatless Chorizo sausages are tasty.
I had the Impossible burger at Burger King. It was good. I wouldn't eat it everyday but once in a while it will be my choice over eating slaughtered, dead animals.
5
Great....range of ingredients suggests you would be better served to have each analyzed for toxins and carcinogens.
5
Processed food is generally not good for you.
I’m thinking the manufactured “meat” soon be proven to land in the same category as other processed food.
#meatvaping
4
I've read the Washington Post taste test and the (very good) New Yorker article https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/09/30/can-a-burger-help-solve-climate-change
I eat meat, usually ground turkey at home, or steak 3-4 times a year. It's just what I like to eat; I'm not proselytizing. I love eggs, always have. I even like some veggie burgers, they make a good sandwich.
Seems the top 2 ratings are a given, and will stay that way.
The only way this test is anything but very inexpensive clickbait is if an actual beef burger was paired there too.
1
All these new products are great to get meat eater to eat less meat. If you are a vegetarian or vegan there is really very little reason to eat a patty that resembles meat. That is just gross. Beet juice to look like blood?
I do appreciate the effort to get people to eat less meet, but it will not be for their health but better for the environment and definitely less animals will be raised and killed. So in the end it is a good thing. Enjoy your meet-less burger if that is what you crave!- But it will not convince me to eat it
2
I cooked with Beyond Burger at home and the smell is absolutely rude. The taste was fine but the smell of the raw material makes it impossible to make at home.
4
@S T That's my experience too. The burgers are tasty but we have to open the windows in addition to turning the fan on high to deal with the odors. Odd how it puts off such a foul chemical odor when the food doesn't taste like that at all. I hope the company can work on that issue.
Two points:
1) You never comment on whether these things are even healthy to eat or not. Nothing about total calories, fat content, nutritional value, salt content, etc. Only taste. Seems rather superficial. These things could be ecologically disastrous and/or nutritionally horrendous, but we will never know because you haven't bothered to look into it.
2) You rate the highest ranking "burger" at 4 1/2 stars. Compared to what? Real high quality hamburger meat? Average hamburger meat? Dog food? Having tasted the Impossible Burger at Burger King my impression was.....meh.
If you like hamburger meat, there is NOTHING that can compete with a hamburger composed of a ground mixture of flavorful cuts of beef and beef fat cooked to perfection. It is a fool's errand. If you are trying to replicate the appearance and flavor of a fast food restaurant hamburger patty, I can only wonder, "What's the point?"
If you want to avoid eating meat, embrace the alternatives. Eat healthy. And stop chasing after chimeras.
12
These burgers are fine occasionally or when you’re on the road but if you want something for regular consumption, look beyond burgers. Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines have a lot of vegetarian dishes made from natural ingredients. A lot of Italian recipes have vegetarian versions too. In Indian cuisine, South Indian cuisine tends to have no/less dairy. If it’s too spicy, you can always tone down the hot spices in those recipes.
3
I have to say I was most struck by the long list of highly processed ingredients referred to in the article as “the formula,” which perhaps not inaccurately made these burgers sound more like chemistry projects than food.
I’ve found a good recipe for homemade black bean/veggie burgers, which don’t try to mimic the taste of beef but are yummy and healthy, made from real food. Sometimes I make these, sometimes turkey burgers, and occasionally when I want that real burger taste I buy ground beef.
I don’t see any reason to eat an expensive fake burger made out of artificial ingredients.
6
As a vegan about 99% of the time, the choices highlighted here are absolutely incredible! What was once a sort of run-of-the-mill flavor has evolved into great-tasting burgers. As an added bonus, the planet suffers a whole lot less with a vegan diet.
6
OK, cows make a lot of Co2. That's a given. So the argument is that these veggie burgers are 'healthier' for the planet. But are they really? I don't see numbers on how much carbon is released synthesizing the chemicals that go into making these burgers--or the methyl cellulose--and the list of ingredients are all highly processed. So let's see the carbon footprint for these burgers.
2
@Muddlerminnow
Cows make methane. A lot of methane. Methane is orders of magnitude more destructive than CO2.
1
@Muddlerminnow This information has been studied and is easily found online.
Impossible burgers have a carbon footprint 89% smaller than traditional burgers, use 87% less water, and 96% less land.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90322572/heres-how-the-footprint-of-the-plant-based-impossible-burger-compares-to-beef
1
@Muddlerminnow
Cruelty is also a critical factor to consider -fellow beings are not being subjected to a life of torture and the horrors of the slaughterhouse. I doubt that the carbon footprint of vegan burgers is larger than a meat burger but you can be happy in thinking that your meal did not cause an animal a lifetime of suffering and a terrifying painful death. Unless that doesn't bother you of course.
2
I get it about some not wanting to eat meat, but are these veggie burgers healthier for you? I see no mention of calories or any health benefits over a real beef burger only a taste comparison. I believe because it's not meat that it's being assumed that it's healthy. I have been eating pasta made from beans to minimize my carbohydrate intake, but If these alternative burgers are not lower in calories or healthier than a beef burger I see no reason to eat them.
9
@VMG
As long as they are not more unhealthy, then we are good. Meat is unhealthy for the entire planet.
1
I drive infrequently, keep my thermostat low, and eat locally produced meat, and probably not 1/week at that.
Doing something is an answer (there is no *the* answer).
8
Reading the ingredients is amusing. No real "food" in the most flavorful burgers. Those in last place at lease have some recognizable foods (beans and vegetables). I keep making my own. It isn't that hard.
8
Good Evening: $12 per pound?! Seriously? How on earth can these products possibly appeal to low income households?
10
@VSB
As production expands, prices will fall.
All will be well :)
1
@VSB Have you looked at the prices of actual meat lately?
Any of these products do much better off a grill than pan frying. My wife and I have enjoyed Beyond burgers grilled, but they’re a little less impressive out of a pan.
2
A Five Guys burger has 50 mg of sodium and the bun adds 330 mg of sodium. The Impossible Burger at Burger King has 1240 mg of sodium(more than half of the daily recommendation). There is no free lunch. Foods are loaded with sodium or potassium to make them taste better. Sodium will kill you just as quickly as fat. Pick your poison. I'd rather die from something that tastes good so I'm staying with real beef. Nutrition matters.
15
@dudley thompson
The general appeal of vegan or vegetarian burgers is about climate change and animal welfare.
In other words, it isn't about you, but about us.
6
Morningstar Farms' Original Grillers (frozen patties) have a nice flavor. Beyond Burger is pretty good. Haven't tried the Impossible Burger yet.
This article doesn't really seem to get going before it ends.
4
Absolutely agree. Morningstar Farms Original Grillers are still a favorite in this vegetarian household. We’ve tried both the Impossible and Beyond Beef and found both to have an unpleasant aftertaste.
I tried the Beyond Burger recently and was impressed with the taste. It has a nice char-grilled flavor that surprised me. It doesn't look that appetizing in its uncooked form, but takes on the appearance of a burger once you sear it. It's not something I would eat every day, but it's fine once in a while if you want a burger but want to avoid meat.
4
This rating needs to be completed with a chart comparing the nutrition of each of these options. I've found that the veggie-based "meat" products all contain 4-5 more sodium than a same-sized patty of ground beef. This is a serious consideration and turns me off of eating them at all.
12
So, in addition to being tasty, which one is the least processed?
I can go meatless to save the planet but I would also want to save my own body from a bunch of chemicals.
21
@MMiller Only the last, least burger-like two, alas. Anything with a "protein isolate" or "protein concentrate" is to be avoided in my opinion. You don't know what solvent was used for the extraction, for starters. Even the most processed should be healthier than a typical real burger, though.
2
@MMiller Oh, my bad. Lightlife burger also looks alright.
As someone concerned about carbon emissions, love the beyond burger. Great stuff!
5
Everyone should try Rosetta's burgers from Asheville, NC. The best!
2
I find I like the two lowest rated ones the most. As a Vegan for 25 years now who was never a big burger consumer before that, I am not looking for a beef burger replacement - I am looking for a substrate around which a sandwich or a meal can be built. The fresh grain and vegetable tastes that are much more apparent in almost all of field roast products and much of Sweet Earth Foods products I have tried. I think a more correct description of this article should reflect that these rankings are mostly based on those of meat eaters comparing the flavor to burgers. I believe that if you provided this same survey to Vegans and vegetarians you would have a very different ranking. Not saying the two different scales don't equally have merit, just indicate own what ballpark you are truly playing.
32
@Eytan Bernet I totally agree -- I find these faux-meat patties absurd -- give me a veggie burger that tastes like veggies.
1
At $8.99 for 12oz, I'd have to really want to eat a plant-based burger instead of a beef burger. While I don't eat much red meat anyway, I tried the 'Impossible Whopper', which is I think based on the Impossible patty. It was thinner than your pictures, and I didn't find it very much different than the regular 'Whopper'. Neither was what I would call a compelling burger experience. When I do eat a fast-food burger, lately it is a Habit burger, although I'm more on chicken sandwiches recently. For $12 a pound, plant-based burgers are going to stay a very small part of my diet.
8
The prices are almost all the same. Looks like more than a coincidence. How about nutritional summary, esp Calorie and sodium?
11
@peter Agree, and would also be interested in saturated fat content. . .
1
So if you want to be a vegetarian, why do you want to consume processed plants and chemicals that imitate meat?
I am a carnivore, but I don't want my lettuce leaves to be made out of processed meat. Go figure...
29
@Beyond Repair
Thank you! This something I've never really understood about fake meat. If you choose to be vegetarian, just own it.
14
@Beyond Repair i have been vegetarian and vegan for nearly 40 years and i cant answer that question, i kind of want to give one of these a go, but then again i dont, i wont eat chicken or beef flavored chips/crisps for this reason, but man i am curious. I do think that if anything can get people to eat less meat its probably a good though.
6
Simply put, the Impossible Whopper will convert a lot more carnies to vegetarianism than all the cucumber salads in the world.
24
It always surprises me how worked up people, especially meat eaters, get when discussing vegetarian and vegan diets.
No, these plant based burgers are not health food. And neither are meat burgers.
No, no one should eat these plant based burgers on a regular basis. Nor should anyone eat meat burgers (or meat period) on a regular basis.
Yes, these plant based burgers ARE rather expensive. And so are quality, hormone-free meat burgers.
Everyone- just do the best you can to eat a healthy diet that works best for you and this planet, and please, stop being so judgmental about what that healthy diet looks like for other people.
92
I believe the IMPOSSIBLE BURGER is NOT gluten free unless they have changed their recipe since the summer (I wrote them bc I eat WFPB diet and the burger has a lot of oil and the product that causes the "bloody" appearance is made out of a wheat product" If this has changed I'd like to know...although I avoid oil and have celiac so wheat is a no go. My daughter loves this burger, bc she's ok with oil and wheat.
1
Not to be a downer, but if the goal is to avoid processed food, these patties might be the most processed food on the planet.
29
@Jon
There is no single goal, John. We getter better and do better in steps. This is a step in the right direction away from meat production.
3
I’ll take processed veggies over processed sugars...
1
The goal isn't to eat less-processed foods, it's to stop eating so many animals.
1
I tried the impossible burger at a Burger King and liked it. I wouldn't have been able to tell that it wasn't meat if I didn't know beforehand. I did notice it got dry quicker than the meat burger I bought at the same time. I wouldn't buy the impossible burger if I had other options but also wouldn't be upset if it was the only option.
4
I became a vegetarian in 1990, when the options were slim. I can't stand the vegetable-and-grain variety of patty and despise slimy slabs of mushroom (portobello). Grillers were my companion back then, and I love that we have so many more choices today. Just because I'm a vegetarian doesn't mean I always want rabbit food. Bring on the faux! Mmmm-mm!!
11
I like the Field Burger and in DC it can be hard to find. I prefer the umami taste and the fact that it can be pan-fried up to a crispy texture. In any case, there isn't any heart-stopping coconut oil or other stuff in it. It's good stuff -- but if you want a fake beef burger, this isn't it.
1
We tasted one of these brands and it seemed too good to be true, it was quite similar to ground beef but all veggies.
With high cholesterol, saturated fat is the nemesis and ground beef is a no go food!
I looked on the back at it contains 8gram of SATURATED FAT PER SERVING/
Ground sirloin only contains 4-5grams per serving!
If you’re a vegan, AND you still crave hamburgers, this may be a solution. Otherwise this doesn’t do much apart from impress food engineering.
$6bn valuation for Beyond Meat seems like a lot for a company trying to keep meat craving vegan’s happy (and those trying to get rid of all the cows on the planet).
What am I missing?
2
As a recent convert to an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet, I have to say that I actually prefer the "wan veggie patties" to the way the "Impossible Burger" attempts to duplicate the taste and mouth-feel of actual beef. On the occasions I have tried them, "Impossible Burgers" tasted fine as long as they were really hot. But I didn't try to eat them really fast and as they cooled, the oils started to take over the flavor in an unpleasant way. I understand that some people will really want the closest simulation of beef that can be produced. I just hope the old-style veggie patties don't get replaced completely.
3
I'm all for reducing meat consumption and helping the planet and being a good steward for the environment. That said, why not support local farmers who sell grass fed beef. It costs a lot more, but that will mean that we'll eat less of it which is the goal. Compare the nutritional value of a ground beef burger with the impossible burger and you'll see that the latter has 1/3 less protein and 1/3 more carbs. Plus it's highly processed. No thanks. I'll stick to locally sourced beef when I choose to eat it.
13
@Grace New York City
"It costs a lot more, that will mean that we'll eat less of it" -- I doubt that your statement about the inverse relationship between the price of food and quantity of its consumption holds in general. It is similar to drug or alcohol addiction: people will spend the last dollar in their pocket on food their crave.
1
@Tuvw Xyz You may be right for those who can afford it, but for those who must buy their meat at Costco and Walmart, where a rib eye steak costs 6.99/lb versus over $20 at the farm, I think the price and quantity equation will hold.
5
Actually these meatless burgers cost more than pastured, grass fed beef...
$12/lb?
Locally farmed, organic, pastured, rotationally grazed Grass fed ground beef is 9.99/lb at my local hipster butcher in brooklyn...
I tried the impossible burger and found it had a weird aftertaste.
1
Tried an Impossible Burger last week and loved it. It tasted just like a Whopper with all the toppings on it. Don’t consider it ‘health food’ though - 680 calories and 34 grams of fat.
I will go there for lunch a couple times a month when I’m craving a burger and enjoy it and also satisfy my conscience.
8
@Elizabeth
It's meant to be a burger alternative. Not a salad.
LOL
@Elizabeth
680 calories ?! I'd rather eat ice cream !
I’ve been loving the Beyond Meat Italian sausages. Remarkably similar and not made of soy, which is pretty unhealthy for a lot of people.
And a hard pass on factory farming companies getting in on this action. I encourage everyone to boycott the environmentally and humanely irresponsible companies. They should stay in their unhealthy lanes before they ruin this entire category
6
What is the nutritional content of these burgers? Is this just tasty fake food? At least, real hamburgers have protein and, if you choose vegetarian, real vegetables have vitamins and minerals.
6
@Joan White Real meat has proteins and B vitamins necessary to human health. Cobble together any vegetarian diet you want, you'll have to do some work to make up for those losses.
1
The nutritional content and comparisons are all over the web. Top line is that this isn’t health food but a suitable replacement for meat if that is your objective.
Interesting, but what about lab-grown beef? Maybe not ready for prime (haha) time, but that's where I'd put my money.
My Auntie, who ran a health-food store and diner in DC in the 50's, sold a lot of soya-burgers. I recall that they were really, really, terrible. Maybe that memory is why I'm not rushing out to try some Impossible Burgers.
1
Those Impossible Burgers have in them methylcellulose?
I looked it up: "Methylcellulose is a bulk-forming laxative that increases the amount of water in your stools to help make them softer and easier to pass." And also: "Methyl cellulose is a chemical compound derived from cellulose. It is sold under a variety of trade names and is used as a thickener and emulsifier in various food and cosmetic products, and also as a bulk-forming laxative. Like cellulose, it is not digestible."
This is "healthy"?
No, thank you.
15
BigFood has been making Americans fat and unhealthy for generations. Now it's trying to co-op the whole food plant based resistance with artery clogging coconut oils and chemically altered ingredients hoping to sell these "burgers" as healthy. Not. I see Nestle' has purchased the one burger made with olive oil. Let's see how long it takes before they substitute it with the cheap oils and add chemical flavor enhancers. It's better to just walk away from all processed foods as a lifestyle choice. Have an apple.
13
I cannot go near soy protein concentrate. Soy is a natural allergen. It doesn't give me anaphylactic shock, but it triggers a strong autoimmune response. It took my doctor a while to figure out. I hope this new soyburger on the market doesn't cause other people to have to go through that diagnostic maze like I did.
7
12 Ounces is a Beer Bottle. I buy my hamburger by the pound.
Impossible Burger is $12. per pound.
2 four ounce patties is 1/2 pound.
Beyond Burger is $12. per pound, same with Lightlife Burger.
Uncut Burger is $11. per pound.
$29.54 per pound for Field Roast.
$8.50 per pound for Sweet Earth.
Hope no one mistakes this as being cheaper than it really is.
Would it have been so hard to use some comparative pricing?
11
I’m a vegetarian and I enjoy an occasional Impossible Burger at Burger King. It’s convenient when on the road, tasty, and a cow didn’t have to die for my lunch. I don’t kid myself that it’s health food.
22
I’m like you. The occasional impossible burger that I eat is a gluttonous treat; not a healthy alternative.
1
a nutritionist said to me recently, only eat something if you can buy all the ingredients in the grocery store
No more plant and chemical based meats for me
8
@Paul
Okay....
In what grocery isle are all the hormones and antibiotics pumped into cattle and other factory farmed animals?
2
The closer these burgers were too meat, the more processed they were. Maybe pea isolates and cellulose can be made into a reasonable approximation of a burger, when loaded down with enough cheese, mustard and ketchup, but is cellulose healthier than beef?
7
Yes. Cellulose is a valuable source of insoluble fiber, which aids digestion and acts as a prebiotic to help maintain a healthy gut microbiome. It’s also capable of binding lipids and cholesterols, which can reduce blood cholesterol levels and prevent weight gain. So, I love the taste of beef, but I believe cellulose has significantly greater health benefits than beef.
5
@Sara Thank you for giving some nutritional facts!
These are the IBM desktops with 40 meg hard drives, 1200 baud modems, and monochrome monitors of plant-based meat substitutes. Hang around for 15 or 20 years and see what goodness awaits. Prediction: the only people eating real meat, chicken, and fish will be ostracized, because the plant versions will be better-tasting, and cheaper.
12
Would have been good to include the actual burger (grass fed) in the blind test, at least for the meat eaters, to see where it would place. There's also the potential for testing error if these alt meats require a different cooking technique.
7
The lists of ingredients were hard-to-get-past turn-offs. The key is not to stop eating beef, but perhaps not to eat it every day. Easier to do and better than eating something cooked up in a chemistry lab.
12
@Larry
Turned off by the ingredients? Wait to you hear what cows are made of!
I agree it's good to eat less beef. I reckon Impossible Burgers are a pretty tasty addition to the supper rotation.
6
Impossible burger:
The only one of the six contenders that includes genetically modified ingredients, the Impossible Burger contains a compound (soy leghemoglobin) created and manufactured by the company from plant hemoglobins; it quite successfully replicates the “bloody” look and taste of a rare burger. Melissa deemed it “charred in a good way,” but, like most plant-based burgers, it became rather dried out before we finished eating.
Ingredients Water, soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil, natural flavors, 2 percent or less of: potato protein, methylcellulose, yeast extract, cultured dextrose, food starch-modified, soy leghemoglobin, salt, soy protein isolate, mixed tocopherols (vitamin E), zinc gluconate, thiamine hydrochloride (vitamin B1), sodium ascorbate (vitamin C), niacin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B12.
Thanks, but no thanks.
I'll take a well seasoned portobello mushroom, thank you. I am concerned about food products that haven't been around for five hundred years or more.
21
@Joe Barnett
Agreed. Portobello mushrooms make excellent burgers.
3
The plant based "meat" products are more expensive than real meat. Much like Tesla, these so-called environmentally friendly products are designed for upper middle class consumers who pretend protect the environment using their wallets.
12
@Nick R From a recent LCA report: The report found the Impossible Burger reduces environmental impacts in every category studied, resulting in use of 87% less water, 96% less land, 89% fewer greenhouse gas emissions and 92% fewer aquatic pollutants.
29
@Shawn Even if this technocratic analysis is correct, the parent poster’s point stands. These plant burgers are $12/lb more expensive than real beef.
I’d much rather the economic elite eat ground beef and donate that $12 difference to a local food shelf than congratulate themselves on their environmental awareness. We’re getting to the point where luxury spending on virtue signaling environmentally technology is trumping actual human charity.
And I’d wager that the de minimus environmental good done by the people who can afford $16/lb hamburger is more than offset by their other luxury food consumption, whether it’s upscale restaurant food or imported gourmet ingredients.
8
@Mobocracy I have to be honest, I don't care about the price. I care about eating food that's easier on the environment and doesn't require an animal to die in a factory farm for me to eat.
The hand wringing over "luxury spending" and "virtue signaling" means nothing to me. I was a poor kid from the Midwest who worked in slaughterhouses and decided no more. That was over 20 years ago.
Also, I'd be happy to compare environmental footprints.
7
It is good to see the progress. However, I would ask folks to give a thought to the small local farmer who is raising animal based protein sustainably, feeding them properly and harvesting as gently and considerately as possible.
These small farmers folks are making a difference. Their products are not shipped cross continent. Nor are they lab grown. Plus these folks have an incredible commitment to local, sustainable economies, especially in rural areas, where local economies are in need of sustenance and support.
At the end of the day, these meatless burger substitutes are essentially "corporate" burgers. If you are not vegetarian, why not research locally raised meats, then support your local small farms and farmers - but only those who are growing, caring for and harvesting their animals in a sustainable way.
23
@elise Locally raised or not, beef still has a massive environmental footprint.
9
@elise
"harvest" when referring to animals is actually murder.
These romantic local farmers could “gently” raise vegetables, fruits and grains that would feed more people, be more sustainable and cause zero suffering and deaths.
2
If the fundamental goal of eating is nutrition, why is similarity to a ground up cow a criterion for how good these products are?
Granted, flavor, mouth feel, and all that other stuff is important as a general concept, but I don't understand why it also needs to be as close as possible to dead animal.
5
I tried the Impossible Whopper several weeks ago and it tasted great. I wasn't sure if that was because of the whopper fixings or the burger. So, today I asked for an impossible burger, plain on a bun. No fixings.
Truthfully, it was dry but it did taste pretty good. I think it really needs something beside the burger.
3
@mimishore
Maybe it is cooked on the same grill as the meat?
1
From reading the comments, I have to wonder, did these companies make their products for vegetarians who are singularly focused on whole, organic foods? Probably not.
I like meat, but I also like animals. Now, companies have products that allow me to eat a burger without hurting other animals. What’s to criticize about that?
56
@John
YES! If I'm being 100% honest it's always been about the animals. To an extent, I don't really care if the burger is "processed". And there is a whole spectrum of processing, let's not forget that.
1
The Impossible and Beyond Burgers are close enough in taste and texture to please a beef lover. The Impossible Burger has more saturated fat, sodium and protein than the Beyond Burger, which has more total fat, so the Beyond Burger is probably a little bit healthier. The main advantage is that neither burger contains any cholesterol. These burgers are a good way to contain your cholesterol consumption without giving up any quality, satisfaction or enjoyment.
7
@James F. Clarity IV
If you are fighting Cholesterol, you need to look at saturated fat. These things has 2x the saturated fat. They are massively more unhealthy than ground meat.
Not killing animals +
Avoiding heart attack -
My carnivorous son and vegetarian daughter both love Beyond Burger...and it contains no soy or modified whatnots.
My son will even eat these of his own volition, not just if served for dinner. I buy extras just in case he gets the munchies and they disappear.
They're not too expensive to put in the weekly meal rotation. If I were trying to buy "humanely raised" meat I'd be paying about the same cost.
They both also like "No Evil" brand fake pulled pork--though the vegetarian likes that more than the meat eater.
3
I'm very surprised that the Gardein products are always overlooked in these reviews. Their ultimate beefless burgers are at least among the top three for me. They are also a bit cheaper than the two main competitors.
And their beefless ground and "meatballs" are very good too.
I made a chili once using their beef crumbles for a large non vegetarian crowd at a superball party and had people tell me it's the best chili they ever had.
A lot less fat and more fiber too than the competition.
Only cons I see: only available frozen, contains soy (I personally don't mind), not available as a "shape it yourself" version.
5
Field Burger that I had was over-garliced, like they didn’t know how to season it. Not my taste.
2
It's easy to create your own burgers at home with a little ingenuity and much fresher and better tasting for half the cost.
6
a good homemade veggie burger -that holds together etc. - is tricky. care to thumbnail your recipe?
@Jacquie Explain how!
I am glad to see more attempts to move away from meat; but it doesn't take much research to see these are Roundup burgers. Just take a look at the source of their soy ingredients. How about sourcing organic ingredients? I'd be a customer then.
12
Oh yes, and I forgot to mention that Qdoba now has an Impossible Basket that you can customize in a million ways and IT IS DELICIOUS!
2
Thanks! Greaty article and I really like your methodology. I've been a big fan of the Impossible Burger (at least as prepared by a decent chef, not White Castle) since its inception. Their texture exceeds that of the Beyond Burger and would be GREAt for grilling IF they would only sell it in stores around here; Beyond is everywhere and has, obviously, better marketing and is now public.
Although these are "preferential"and subjective, and are not necessarily healthier than good beef, they have environmental advantages, They also don't come from animals that can have names and faces, for those averse to the food chain.
The NYT does this so well; please keep it up, and thanks again.
6
I'd rather make my lentil Indian food dishes, or use chickpeas to make a fantastic meatless meal than eat these fake meat products. At least I know what is really in my food. You can make really good turkey meatballs, with egg, ricotta cheese, garlic, onion, Worcestershire sauce and Italian bread crumbs. We eat more vegetables than meat but that's because we like Indian food. Very rarely eat beef, and now I use ground turkey as a substitute for hamburger. Ground turkey works well in baked pasta dishes.
Fish is healthy too. Many ways to eat less red meat, more vegetables and so much better for health, and good for the planet too.
12
This was a really helpful article, thank you! I haven't tried any of these replacement burgers yet, but I think I'll get one tonight; I know a place that sells them nearby. I've been trying to cut beef and lamb mostly out of my diet so this will definitely help.
I did try an Impossible Sausage breakfast sandwich at Clover Food Lab in Cambridge MA last year and that was actually quite delicious! Not exactly vegan (there's still a big ol' egg on it), but still, definitely satisfied my breakfast sandwich craving at the time.
7
It is great that there is a market for these imitation but lower impact "meats." The problem is that many vegetarians (including myself) can't stand them because they remind us of meat and they are displacing other vegetarian options on menus. Restaurants should definitely serve them but if you need to drop a dish from your menu then drop a meat dish and keep your bean burger or mushroom sandwich.
14
@AJM I’ve been a vegetarian for 30 years, and the Impossible Burger is to me the best thing since sliced bread. I stopped eating meat for ethical reasons and I guess I never stopped liking how hamburgers taste <>.
7
I have not eaten red meat for 25 years. What I love about vegetarian burgers, is that they are plant based, full of nutrients. If you are not vegan, you can add organic cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and onions, with some mustard or sauce. The Impossible Burger is now all the rage. I don't want the taste of meat. It makes me ill. For those who want to eat less meat, this is a great alternative. But there are also those, who truly do not want the taste of meat, and want the benefit of vegetable burgers, that are healthy, and do not contribute to global warming, climate change, increased methane gasses, and the destruction of the Amazon to make way for factory farms of cattle to produce beef, among other areas around the world. Grass fed beef is not sustainable. And the Impossible Burger is just the beef industry's paradoxical manipulation of the food world. Like cigarettes and JUUL, the beef producers just get on board, and here we are, a burger that tastes like meat, but isn't.
5
@Mockingjay Vegetable burgers contribute to global warming, and the destruction of the Amazon.
There's still gasoline burned to run the tractors, transport the crops, etc. They slash and burn rainforest to grow the oil-producing plants that are needed for the saturated fats.
Grass fed beef IS sustainable, but not the scale needed to feed the world at it's current rate of consumption (the problem is not that cows aren't replaceable, it's that there isn't enough grass in the world, and there's not enough room in the world for all the waste products from raising that many large animals).
Comparing veggie burgers to cigarettes is going too far.
The point is to reduce the amount of crops needed to produce meat, and therefore reduce fertilizer and pesticide run-offs, and reduce water usage to protect aquifers, estuaries, coastlines, and corals.
And switching from meat burgers to veggie burgers certainly WILL help combat that problem...as long as crops grown ARE reduced and not stored, burned, or used in some other way. To actually help the world this has to directly result in fewer crops grown and consumed.
3
Where did so many commentators get the idea that this was the first food made for mankind that targeted all consumers?
It's one of countless choices, people. Eat it or not. Don't preach.
26
@Jane NYC- I’m with you, eat healthily and have a real burger now and again BUT the point here is to massively reduce meat consumption for the sake of the environment. Far too many people don’t limit their meat consumption to just occasionally like you and I do. If only.
5
I've tried them.
#1 - Impossible burger - the best so far - it's got the grilled taste, it feels "real" inside the mouth, it looks "done" inside and 90 % of it tastes like a real burger.
#2 - Beyond burger- better but still not the best
#3 - Next Level - good - inside is red because of the beets used as part of the ingredients, the bun used depends on where you have it - a fancy LA hotel used a really soft bun and I told them the burger was good but they needed a bun with some real game like a ciabatta bun.
#4 - the kind you buy in the frozen food section of the store - don't do it - none of these taste real and bad for the heartburn.
#5 - Field - no no no - same for their hot dogs
1
I haven't eat meat in nearly fifty years.
" Diet For A Small Planet " changed my mind.
8
I've enjoyed the Impossible Burger and, to my surprise, Burger King prepares them in a way that even my skeptical husband found nearly indistinguishable from the regular beef burger. Since he craves a BK burger every other month or so, I can now happily join him.
But has anyone tested the No Evil plant-based products (manufactured right here in NC)? Those are of particularly high quality too, in my book.
1
A different point of view: my daughter who suffered from horrible endometriosis, which make the taste and smell of beef a morning sickness nightmare regardless of the time of day has tried the Impossible and Beyond Beef "burgers" with happy results. She can now get a burger out or at home and is once again enjoying the experience. For those respondents who object to the simulation that these products provide, I ask, were you eating tofukeys years ago when Thanksgiving rolled around? The experience of eating with family gatherings due to these products availability outweighs that superior "ick factor" that you write about. My family endeavors to reduce our carbon footprint and eat in a humane and healthier lifestyle. We all have to start somewhere.
7
I tried an Impossible Burger at a typical mid-priced restaurant that offers a full menu of half-pound real burgers. It was good, and I probably wouldn't have known it wasn't meat had it not been listed as an Impossible Burger. BUT, I'd have never confused it with one the restaurant's regular burgers.
So essentially, I'd buy one at a fast-food place like Burger King, but I'd never again buy one at the same price as a regular burger at a restaurant that offers great real (meat) burgers.
3
As a vegetarian for nearly 30 years, I can't eat these. They look too much like the real thing. But I am thrilled that the rest of my family LOVES the Impossible burger, and they are cutting a lot of meat (and carbon footprint) out of their diets because of the new alternatives.
12
I grilled the Beyond Beef patties a few times this summer. I thought they were fine, if a bit expensive. I also had the TGIF and Burger King patties, again they were fine. But they were all (including the home-grilled ones) slathered in condiments.
On the other hand, I tried to make chili with the Beyond Beef crumbled (or ground) product and found the texture to be chewy, to the point of being rubbery.
Most of your photos seem to indicate you served these things with white bread and tomato-colored sugar paste (i.e. ketchup), so what were you really tasting?
The Fieldburger is excellent just thrown onto a pile of streamed vegetables. I hope you haven't discouraged my local grocers from continuing to offer it.
6
@Green Tea "Each burger was seared with a teaspoon of canola oil in a hot skillet, and served in a potato bun. We first tasted them plain, then loaded with our favorites among the classic toppings: ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, pickles and American cheese. Here are the results, on a rating scale of one to five stars."
Direct quote from the article
9
@Green Tea It's also good in a skillet with onions, garlic, and dried tomatoes, then sprinkled on a cheese pizza.
4
Thanks, but no thanks. I'll continue to have an occasional burger made from grass-fed beef with no antibiotics.
14
@Mark McIntyre We got a millionaire!
@Mark McIntyre
good for you. any meat reduction is good for your health and the planet
I like regular ole veggie burgers! I tried the impossible burger and I didn't especially like it. I'll stick to beans.
17
I think the concept of fake meat is going to drive me to perfect three unbeatable sauces and learn to love soy products.
3
If they're trying to approximate what is served for meat at fast food joints ,from the comments it may be the solution.It wasn't meat in the first place ,when you go back to "pink slime "mixed with flour and other grains the burger was inedible to begin with . Part of fast food burgers may be beef ,but it is the low ,low quality grind mixed with probably reused mash from grain factories. I'll go with either grass few beef at home or 90% lean or plain good veggie bean burgers.
2
@Alan Einstoss Nobody said it's to replicate fast food, just hamburgers. Pink slime, as you say, is meat and not other products.
Yes, people should eat much less meat. But why replace meat with these oil, chemical, and "processed protein" foods (I used the word "food" ironically)? Why not eat vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, and so on.
I think you do a disservice to people who truly want to eat healthily every time you do an article like this without explicitly explaining how unhealthy these burgers can be. They are not healthier than meat. In some cases they are less healthy.
Just because huge corporations plan to making billions selling these products under the Orwellian name "plant-based" (where are the healthy plants in these - coconut oil? soy protein concentrate?) doesn't mean the Times should play along.
23
@Mark Why, you ask? Because a lot of people like me, who eat a healthy Mediterranean diet, occasionally want a good old fashioned fast-food / diner type hamburger.
No one is going to force you to eat these products, and it's not your place to scold others about their dietary choices, particularly when those choices don't contribute to animal suffering.
20
@Mark Some people eat meat. Some eat veggies. Some eat both. There's room for all foods as long as there's a market for it.
6
@Randy .excuse me? Doesn't contribute to animal suffering? The impossible burger is made from soy. Growing soy involves the killing of billions of sentient creatures every year, and destroys topsoil and depletes water supplies, and people are getting sick from eating it, but the company is downplaying this.
4
The Impossible Whopper does indeed behave like the beef version. Burger King might want to have more confidence in it and resist flopping on all the typical salt and fatty sauces and toppings though. And yeah, the dried out part was my experience too.
2
The Impossible Burger does look good, but surely the size of the burger, and American (and Australian) waistlines are interrelated?
I tried the Impossible Whopper from BK and loved it. With all the toppings and everything you could've told me it was a normal Whopper and I probably wouldn't have had a second thought about it. I had the Beyond Burger at a TGI Friday's and was not a fan, though I think it was overcooked.
I'm not a vegetarian or vegan but I do like to find protein alternatives so I don't have to eat meat every day, specifically red meat. Next time I go to BK, I'm ordering another Impossible Whopper. I hope they keep them long-term.
10
A local vegan restaurant makes an awesome Impossible Burger. I keep introducing friends & family to it, and all so far all have been delightfully surprised. I will only be happier with the product when it comes down a little in price.
7
@MD
What we have done is NOT tell anyone they were eating Impossible Burgers till afterwards.
I used to do the same thing with turkey meatballs. Same process only substituting turkey burgers for meatballs.
If I said OH these are turkey meatballs, the teens would shreik and refuse to eat them. But if we kept quiet they'd smack their lips and eat extra helpings.
I confess, the idea wasn't original. My brother-in-law did it to me when I was 16 and refusedbto eat seafood. He brought me what he claimed was chicken. I loved it. It was lobster.
Hey, it works!
Chemical-Burger? Pass.
18
@Bubba
Meat filled with hormones, antibiotics and goodness knows what else? Pass.
Can someone really get a hideously tall burger like the one in the photograph in their mouth? Why not just give them two burgers and help make eating civil again. American manners are bad enough already.
15
Mmm yummy! Methylcellulose- a "bulk-forming laxative" with side-effects including abdominal pain, cramps, gas, severe diarrhea, vomiting, and chest pain. Just what I really want in a delicious burger!! Why can't Americans simply eat LESS beef, say, once every week or two? They'd be healthy, as would the environment. Well, no, they want their Free-dumb.
10
@Mr. News Speaking as someone from a land locked beef state who is trying to eat less red meat for both health and planetary reasons but is simultaneously moderating carb intake- its really really really hard. I've actually looked into some of these alternatives as a transitional technology but was turned off by the fact that they bleed and are loaded down with coconut oil. Hamburgers shouldn't bleed.
1
Prediction , later they will proven to be more unhealthy then regular ground beef. Most likely highly cancerous.
10
@Ralph Petrillo it's already been proven.
@Ralph Petrillo
Eating a dead animal is certainly more satisfying even if it is less unhealthy.
Commence the orthorexia parade. Clean? Really? These aren't necessarily marketed to devoted vegans anyway - they are a gateway for people who can't shake the meat habit.
They have also shown their math when it comes to how much less resources they take to produce than beef, whether or not you freak out over OMG PROCESSING.
8
As a 40 year non-red meat eater, I can attest that both The Impossible and Beyond Burgers are disgustingly like red meat. So meat eaters-enjoy!
13
@Linda von Geldern I have 4 family members/ friends, either vegan or vegetarian, and none of them could eat it. It looked and "bled" too much like beef. Total turnoff.
7
@Linda von Geldern 20 year vegetarian here and a friend served me an Impossible Burger last month. I could barely choke it down, tasted like a chewy blob of fat and metallic chemicals. Methinks vegetarians are not the target customer.
4
@Linda von Geldern
Exactly. I don't need my veggie burger to bleed, thank you!
The implication of this analysis is that these "plant-based" products are good for you. In fact, almost all are loaded with coconut oil or palm oil, both of which are highly saturated and unhealthy for you. The NYTimes left that out. They are almost certainly as unhealthy as the meat burgers they pretend to replace. These oils predispose to higher LDL levels and higher rates of heart disease.
Representatives of the tropical oils association are licking their chops on the potential profits of these unhealthy oils.
True veggie burgers that utilize canola oil or olive oil are much healthier and taste fine with no pretensions to taste like meat.
Philip Ades MD
Preventive Cardiologist
U Vermont
10
@ Philip Ades Tropical oils are good for you. Coconut and palm all are beneficial to the body. Ask people on keto diet.
I add coconut oil to my coffee and freely indulge in multiple cups a day. My HDL the good stuff is 126, my LDL is 100 - Had a fluffy LDL test and no indication my consumption of tropical oils coconut specifically is going to kill me. Let me further add I eat lots of red meat on keto balanced with whole veggies!
The bad oils which truly are bad are canola, sunflower!
7
From a Harvard.edu article on coconut oil:
"But what's interesting about coconut oil is that it also gives "good" HDL cholesterol a boost. Fat in the diet, whether it's saturated or unsaturated, tends to nudge HDL levels up, but coconut oil seems to be especially potent at doing so."
So it seems even a "cardiologist" can easily create fakenews by leaving out an important part of the truth. Thanks for playing, "cardiologist"
3
@Philip Ades I suggest you read Dr. Cate's "Deep Nutrition" before recommending canola oil and advising against coconut oil. But I agree with your overall point that these engineered foods should be approached with caution.
2
They invalidated the test by using American "cheeze."
2
@Jack
American cheese is arguably less processed than these burgers.
1
I tried the beyond burger. After two bites, that burger went in the trash. The after-taste is super nasty.
3
@Jeff That's weird as the ones I've had at Veggie Grill all tasted good.
Just curious: why does including a vegetarian as one of the judges of a faux-meat make any more sense than recruiting a blind person to judge a photography exhibit or a hearing impaired judge for a music festival?
7
@Ockham9 Poor analogy as these are suitable for vegetarians/vegans to eat.
Agree! These are NOT for vegetarians! These are for people who. are about the planet. That’s it.....
@David. What I intended by the analogy was how does a vegetarian (or vegan) know whether the faux burger tastes like meat?
Beyond Meat's burger is an oil bomb. Why must they put so much oil in it? Not recommended. It also does not taste like meat. Last, the price per pound is ridiculous. I can buy the finest ground beef for far less money.
4
"Eat food, not too much, mostly plants". Spoiler, these burgers are not food.
8
Why imitation meat when there are delicious veggie patties that don't "bleed" or have to be created in labs?
10
@Petaltown Why veggie patties when there are delicious meats to eat? Maybe others like it without regard to your tastes?
2
Hey dummies! THAT’S NOT FOOD!
How about eating just the plants themselves instead of processing them through factory animal flesh farming or some lab?
Geez, wake up people- first we fall for eating animals that are essentially processed plants (I.e. converting plants - nutritional carbohydrates fats and proteins, into factory farmed animal flesh laden with compromised fats & proteins for profit).
And now, we process parts of plants engineered to taste like the dead animals which are essentially compromised processed plants?
The world’s gone crazy. No wonder everybody is on some sort of medication.
8
Beyond Burger tastes like dog food smells. Pass... I'd rather reduce my meat consumption in other ways and do.
It’s just another processed garbage food that people believe is a healthy option. It is not.
6
@Nycgal
They are not designed or meant to be a "healthy" option. They are meant to replace hamburgers. That is the whole point. They aren't taking the place of your garden salad. They are taking the place of Whopper!!!!
Couple of problems: what happens to those of us who prefer our burgers well done -- I don't want to see blood! Also - to what extent does the coconut oil used to make pretend fat globules tast/smell of coconut? I'm always sensitive to its existence & strongly dislike the flavor so how does it come out here, can it be tasted/smelled?
1
The coconut is not noticeable to me. As far as making these well done, I have had one that was over cooked, and it did not appear bloody anymore. It was also straight up terrible. I am not fond of well done burgers either, but that would be preferable, taste wise.
I don't like bloody burgers, meat or plant. If Impossible gets rid of the blood, then it won't have any GMO product in it either, right?
1
I worry about the branding for Uncut Burger if they expand to other products, namely sausage.
11
If I'm understanding your ratings, you are going by taste alone and nothing but taste. Because from what I can gather, your most highly rated Impossible Burger is nearly as unhealthy as the real meat deal - maybe even more so, since it is larded with so much sodium you're arteries are gonna get clobbered.
3
@Christopher Lard is animal (pig) fat. "Larded with sodium" has no common meaning other than you show your bias, thinking that both fat and salt are bad for you when lacking both would mean your quick demise.
How about doing some math (so we don't) and tell us the 'per oz. price'. Would that be so hard?
I did it but I'm not paid as you folks are, so....
2
“Made From Plants For People Who Love Meat”
Made for people who like chemicals seems more like it.
2
ICK!!! read the ingredients. I will stick with the good old "meat" burger.
2
@Helen
Unfortunately, Helen, the meat producers don't have to label their products with all the dangerous hormones and antibiotics they pump into their meat. Their lobbyist make sure of that!
2
@Helen
“If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat. That's the single most important thing you could do. It's staggering when you think about it. Vegetarianism takes care of so many things in one shot: ecology, famine, cruelty.”
—Paul McCartney
Yuck. Yuck. Yuck.
Throw some sliced veggies on a grill or char them in a pan. Add a bit of balsamic vinegar, put on a nice whole wheat bun, add spicy mayo and voila - a healthy, non-chemical-induced “burger.”
That’s what people want - a burger style food they can eat with their hands. It doesn’t have to be those chemical compounds as described here.
I mean - yuck!
3
@Susan Baughman You lost me at balsamic vinegar and mayo both of which are disgusting. The reason I am sharing this is because what you seem to be missing, what a lot of people seem to be missing, is that these burgers aren't for people who are really into veggies and would be down with what you are suggesting. They are for people who are really into meat and recognize that is bad for both them and the planet and are looking for alternatives. Castigating people for trying to do better while failing to follow your personal tastes makes as much sense as me telling you that you are a bad person for liking an emulsified egg and water concoction on your sad bun salad.
Is it just me or do these “burgers” sound like they are highly processed food?
2
Could you do a version of this with regular hamburgers, but instead of ranking them on flavor and mouth feel, give them a rating based on the level of unnecessary misery and pain they cause to sentient beings and how many acres of rainforest have to be burned in order to create feed and pasture land for them?
6
Meatless is the first step. Now try to eat less food -- there is no need to stuff yourself with something so gargantuan as that burger in the photo.
4
Huh, show me the trail of money. NYT have been giving a lot of space to Trump and Hillary for some time. Are they now into fake meet business? How about we eat plants the way we've been doing for thousands of years and skip processed food altogether?
2
@Mr. N: We've been eating meat for thousands of years too.
If a product has more than 3 unpronounceable ingredients you should probably pass.
4
The comment about people not wanting “lab-grown” is overflowing with irony. First, to be in a lab is part of every food product life cycle. So what people are really saying is they don’t want something “new”. That’s a reasonable refrain but the implication is about it being some science project, which it’s not. Secondly if anyone knew what went on at a factory farm and how inhumane the raising of and killing cows is, not to mention how unhealthy and full of drugs they are, you probably would never eat a beef burger again.
12
@Dan I for one look forward to the day when I can purchase all lab grown animal protein.
1
For those of us who would consider these to avoid eating animals and contributing to climate disasters, three things made me cringe: oozing "blood," palm oil, Nestle.
Verdict: Nope. But I might try the fake chicken if it doesn't have the same objectionable characteristics.
1
@Judith Have you tried Quorn? It's mushroom/fungi-based, been around a long time and nobody knows it's not chicken unless I tell them.
@Judith
I highly recommend fishless sticks.
All the brands are selling at 12$/pound. I can buy organic grass fed ground beef for 7$/pound from my local supermarket. Costco sells choice grade ribeye for 10$/pound. Economically it just doesn't really seem to be adding up, at least for the average consumer.
Also on an unrelated note, I would prefer a good black bean based burger (crushed black beans with cream cheese as a binder, add spices like adobo sauce, chili powder, cumin) over a veggie burger trying to taste like meat. What's wrong with just teaching people how to make good vegetarian food? Most americans probably know how to barbecue (or have someone in the family who knows), how many know how to make delicious vegetarian food?
3
I don’t eat meat, and haven’t since the mid-1980s. Why in heaven’s name would I eat some non-meat glop manufactured to look and drip and ooze just like beef? Ugh!
4
Poultry integrators, like Tyson and Perdue, exhibit gross hypocrisy in opposing calling these burgers meat. A few decades ago they labeled processed poultry products as ham and bacon even though those products clearly traditionally come from another animal, the pig. Unfortunately the courts sided for the false ham producers and will probably do the same for the burger makers. Tyson and Perdue have only themselves to blame.
2
I make my own beef less burgers, using Mark Bittman’s recipes. It doesn’t take that long and they are real good.
6
The ingredients alone are horrifying. Much of it does not sound very healthy, especially all the oils. I also do not like "impostor" food.
3
Thanks, did not know Impossible Burger was GMO-going Beyond Burger and the rest now.
Please do one of these panels on veggie bacon. Thanks!
3
All so processed. Eat meat or eat a veggie burger made from beans and other simple ingredients.
4
What industry doesn’t get about many if not most non-meat eaters is that we don’t even *want* our food to look like meat, let alone taste like it. If we wanted to eat meat, we would. Stop trying to make low-grade filler look like hamburger patties, wieners and pepperoni. It isn’t the least bit tempting.
1
Timely article, well done. But why was nutritional info left out? I'm not the only one who reads those labels, am I?
6
These meatless burgers are garbage, packed with artificial colors (carmel color, "natural red color", etc), canola oil, highly processed starches (maltodextrin, cornstarch, etc), unidentified "natural" flavors, various forms of cellulose (which is fibrous plant filler, by the way), yeast extract (MSG), potato and pea proteins (cuz they are cheap), and soy protein isolate, which is one of the worst sources of soy protein because of the process of extraction. (Organic whole soy or fermented soy is not bad for you, Asians have been eating those for thousands of years!) Don't even get me started on the "heme", and those added synthetic vitamins.
These burgers are not food, and they are not good nor better for the planet. Consider how all of the ingredients including the veg components are grown and processed, mostly GMOs laden with glyphosate and pesticides leaching into our soil, waterways and air. Monocrops of soy, corn, etc. If you are going to go vegetarian or vegan, do your due diligence and consider the source and processing, otherwise you are continuing to contribute to the problem.
Signed,
A fellow Vegan
7
This is why I never dine with vegans.
@Are you kidding?
"These burgers are not food, and they are not good nor better for the planet."
They are better for the animals who aren't slaughtered.
Except for the last one, which is basically a felafel, the ingredients in these mock meats are not appealing at all. I think they sound disgusting. And the price can be shocking. Nine dollars for 12 ounces of fake meat? The first ingredient of which is water?
I like my Dr. Praeger’s veggie burgers. I buy them at Trader Joe’s, at a reasonable price. They are made of real food:
Ingredients. Carrots, Onions, Sting Beans, Oat Bran, Zucchini, Peas, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Spinach, Roasted Corn, Broccoli, Red Peppers, Arrowroot, Corn Starch, Corn Meal, Roasted Garlic, Salt, Parsley, Black Pepper.
3
The Uncut Burger really should have focus-group-tested their product name.
6
It is all hype so the food chains can increase sales, be it a burger or a veggie burger. I broke down, went to BurgerKing as I am an avid fan of the Whopper. So I did their Impossible Whopper. On a scale of 1-10 compared to a Whopper, I would rate it a 2. No taste, dry, pitiful, won't bug it again. So thin if you changed its color it could be a slice of ham. Big disappointment. And if BK doesn't improve on its customer service, the it doesn't matter what they sell..............I won't be there.
1
Why anyone would fight the cause of saving animals from abuse, the planet from destruction, and your own health from improving is a mystery to me. The taste of an impossible burger is nearly indistinguishable from a beef burger. If that’s not enough then you’re simply just reacting emotionally to change.
8
Happy to hear that they taste great but what about their effect on cardiovascular health? Are these burgers any better or worse for a body than beef burgers? From the list of ingredients these burgers sound like they will make me less healthy but will save some cattle. Is that a good trade-off?
3
If you can’t pronounce the ingredients you shouldn’t eat it. What’s frightening is one of the ingredients is potassium nitrate, aka salt Peter, one of the main ingredients in old fashioned gun powder.
2
@Michael J Strangely, I have no problem pronouncing the ingredients.
We discerning eaters need more info about fat, saturated fat, sodium, sugar, calories, etc. Also Gardein makes an interesting burger you might want to consider in the next go round.
3
I believe what people need to understand is that burgers engineered to taste like meat, such as the Impossible Burger, are not meant to be a healthy alternative. They are meant to cut down on the staggering environmental impact of raising beef by creating a meat substitute that appeals to meat eaters. I doubt anyone ordering an Impossible Whopper at Burger King is under the impression that it is not a highly processed food.
17
Highly processed, made of ingredients most people wouldn't recognize, excessive packaging, and expensive. No thanks, I'll leave this "plant-based" stuff for the Tesla drivers.
5
Looking at the ingredients of these patties, I would stick with a grilled portobello or a bean patty. What happened to the idea of eating "whole foods"? There are sustainable ways to raise and breed cows, which are not damaging to the planet. Maybe consuming less of a quality product is the way to go instead of lab-based meat, which has questionable benefits to the body. Looking at the ingredients of these patties, I would stick with a grilled portobello or a bean patty. What happened to the idea of eating "whole foods"? There are sustainable ways to raise and breed cows, which are not damaging to the planet. Maybe consuming less of a quality product is the way to go instead of lab-based meat, which has questionable benefits to the body.
7
I often ate Grillers (a Morningstar Sausage product) but my husband didn't consider them an appealing dinner option. He LIKES Beyond Burgers. (We haven't tried the others on your list.)
A few observations: we keep kosher, and these are vegetarian, so a good certified option for us.
I am an environmentalist who stopped eating red meat due to its large eco-footprint over a decade ago. Hence I am not comparing this burger to beef, but rather to other vegetarian options. It's easy and flexible and a great answer to "What's for dinner?"
THat said, I find its packaging appaling. Excessive (to make it look like it contains more product that it actually does?) and plastic that isn't commonly recycled. Very off-synch with their eco-friendly branding, don't you think?
12
@Betsy Teutsch I agree! I just bought some and couldn't believe they went with the packaging they did. It seems kind of counter to the point of reducing my footprint. I'd like to see them use different packaging and come in 4 patty options for families.
1
I gave up on beef a few years ago. I had moved from beef to bean-based patties. Imagine my shock when I first tasted a Beyond Burger and thought that I had been tricked into eating a beef burger. Then a couple of months later I tried and Impossible Burger and found it was equally beef-like.
I am not a vegetarian but I have cut back significantly on the amount of meat I eat. These two plant based burgers are a welcome addition of beef-taste, in my limited meat diet.
12
For those who have one half hour to spare, a batch of veggie burgers can be made using whatever ingredients you choose, including leftovers. (If the mixture is too soft, I add ground flax seeds or oat bran or hemp seeds as a filler.)The internet has veggie burger recipes galore, but the fun is making your own concoction, which in my case changes every time I make them, according to what's available. They freeze well.
3
Great option, but not feasible when you’re on the go. I gave up fast food years ago (vegetarian, and generally trying to remain healthy and disease free), but it’s refreshing to have the option to hit a drive through and get a burger with friends and family once in a while. I wouldn’t eat a beef burger every week when I ate meet, and I wouldn’t eat a veggie burger every week now. But I really like having the option!
I love these burgers,
But they need to come in MUCH LESS packaging!
46
I wouldn't be surprised if down the road we find out that eating high amounts of pea protein isolate or soy protein isolate causes heart issues. In dogs, it causes cardiomyopathy when dogs consume high amounts in grain-free dry food.
A general rule of thumb is that if it is synthetic it is not as safe as the naturally occurring version. Give me moderate amounts of meat or even no meat, over these concoctions.
5
Instead of simply changing our food habits and preferences towards more a more natural, wholesome, eco-friendlier diet, we seem to be attempting to change the food itself to match our old, 20th century tastes.
7
I love my veggies. But i wouldn't eat that warlocks brew of ingredients if you paid me, for the same reason I don't eat any hyper-processed foods - and especially those with a laundry basket of chemicals and cheap fillers: they're *bad*for you.
I don't eat burgers often, but when I do it's chuck brisket all the way. With a side dish or two of veggies.
7
I would have appreciated it if you included how much fat (saturated and not) and protein in each burger. They are important facts for people looking to change their diet for health reasons.
7
Nope! Impossible Burger didn't do it taste-, texture- or especially price-wise for me. FAR too expensive!!
3
They need cut the price. Impossible burger is double the local price of ground beef. Cut the price and we got a deal.
2
@vbering
Meat producers externalize their costs to the rest of us; think public land grazing, excess water usage, animal torture.
We could go on.
1
@Will.
Indeed they do. Hence this entire discussion.
1
I did try the Impossible Whopper, and it does a pretty good approximation of beef. That being said, all the BK burgers are overdone, which really hit the Impossible version hard. Maybe if it was cooked as intended, it would have been much better. As to those who would say we can't call them burgers, oh, grow up.
5
@Flyover Philosopher The Impossible burgers I've had at regular restaurants were far better than the one I had at BK. The BK one was overcooked and had a strong bean flavor (probably because of the overcooking) that the other restaurant versions didn't have.
5
In a rice cooker add one part quinoa, one part polenta, four parts water, season to taste (very important). After cooked, add as much parmesan cheese as needed to bind, form patties. Serve or grill until grill marks form. You can substitute other grains for quinoa and polenta.
6
I struggled to reduce cholesterol with diet and excercise. My problem with these products are with the huge amount of saturated fats.
They are much higher than in a beef burger. I was sad to find those statistics. It would be helpful if the next article covered this topic for those of us steering clear of saturated fats and drugs to reduce choleterol.
This is great for our teen children who opt for more veggies. Thanks
7
@ JR, there is absolutely No Cholesterol in plant based burgers, no matter the brand. The saturated fat is vegetable fat. Has no cholesterol. That's part of the beauty of these alternative meat products. All this information is available at a moment's notice online. Coconut oil actually has heart healthy benefits. Most of the posters complaining have not bothered to get the facts. Nutritional breakdown can be found on the web. Hope that helps.
@JR Why would you want to lower your cholesterol? Cholesterol is crucial for brain and hormone health and it has nothing to do with increasing heart disease. You've been lied to.
I read some of the comments, but no one mentioned the cost of these meatless burgers. No meat eater is going to pay almost twice as much for something that only resembles the real thing.
Vegetarians are going to eschew them because they don't want anything that tastes like meat. And again, a good "burger" can be made from legumes for pennies.
5
@Julie People are making themselves afford plant-based meat substitutes. At a high-end small supermarket I go to I've noticed many, and I mean many, hefty men in their late thirties through to somewhere in the fifties, buying stacks of packs of ersatz meat. When I asked one of them why he liked it so much he showed me the sausages and pseudo burgers he was buying and said he was just glad to find a substitute for meat. He said he didn't care that it was more expensive than burgers and that he used lots of condiments and veggies to add flavour. What struck me was the gusto this guy brought to his buying of ersatz meat. (I don't eat beef so my interest is impartial.)
1
The Impossible was designed for Burger King, and tastes as one would expect: a cheap, tough, burned ground chuck. Alternatively, their sausages are excellent!
@lf Actually.... one of the first places one could order Impossible meats in my city was a five star restaurant called Jardiniere.
1
@ if, BK's Impossible is a thinner version of the quality restaurant and grocery offers. Then, it's not properly prepared in a fast food joint. The buns are too massive and bready. Best to keep this in mind.
Impossible & Beyond are examples of processed food which we try to avoid in all other products. Just because it's not meat, doesn't mean it's healthier. And who knows what soy leghemoglobin will do to us!
16
@ Michael, their website takes you through the process. We need to get our facts straight. Pays to take the time to read and get familiar with the process and ingredients before getting all worked up.
I was a severe beef eater for more than 30 years. Then quit completely for over 30 years as of now. I switched to a very low fat, high carb diet (essentially the Pritikin diet).
Looking at the ingredients of these imitation meat products, I was struck at the substantial content of oils, including very bad oils (coconut oil in #1- #5 and palm oil in #6). I wouldn't eat any of these products....If I was willing to eat such fatty food, I would eat real beef before these imitation products. I suspect real lean beef is less unhealthy than any of them.
26
@Errol You're right about the ridiculous inclusion of excessive amounts of unhealthy (and environmentally unfriendly) saturated fats. These burgers are definitely not heart healthy.
1
First off, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying meat. Second off, veggie burgers can be enjoyable if you’re in the mood for one. Third off, veggie burgers are NOT beef burgers and they never will be. They don’t need to be marketed as such either. Each can coexist in their separate realms. A veggie patty does not a beef paddy make though. Sorry.
8
First off, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying veggie burgers. Second off, beef burgers can be enjoyable if you’re in the mood for one. Third off, beef burgers are NOT veggie burgers and they never will be. They don’t need to be marketed as such either. Each can coexist in their separate realms. Etc.
2
@Biz Griz
"A veggie patty does not a beef paddy make though"
and thank god for that. Yeah there IS a problem with eating meat. Watch "What the Health" and "Forks Over Knives". Have you not been paying attention to the
detrimental impact of the factory farming on :
the planet, your health (diabetes and heart disease risks), and the treatment of innocent farm animals?!
4
@Left Coast .. there is definitely something wrong with factory farming, but I wasn't talking about about factory farming. I was talking about meat. Not all meat is factory farmed. And eating meat in moderation is absolutely, completely, and totally fine for your health.
Just wait for the lab-made fish filets :)
3
I don’t eat much meat but do enjoy the occasional burger. When I do I eat local-raised, grass-fed, grass-finished beef from a nearby farm. They use sustainable practices. They have restored the creeks that cross their land. They do everything they can to reduce carbon footprint in their farm practices.
I don’t eat fast-food ever.
8
I became a vegetarian in the mid 90s, without the luxury of these super veggie burgers. Personally I prefer the unique home-made or restaurant-made versions, like black bean or even just a grilled portobello mushroom. (I do actually like the Santa Fe Sweet Earth Burger, which is the least processed of the bunch.)
That said, I think these burgers have their place. I'm now able to eat at breweries and and other casual restaurants that never had vegetarian options, but now offer Impossible and Beyond Burgers. I also see the importance of encouraging meat-eaters to eat less meat. Neither one of my parents should eat red meat and do regularly, but recently they started purchasing Beyond Burgers, which is a relief.
10
A really great from-scratch veggie burger is delicious! A friend dragged me to Houston's about a decade ago in NYC. Seemed crazy to go to a chain when so many other options were available, but she raved about the veggie burgers and was entirely correct. I guess I don't see the point of these faux-meat products. As the comments here demonstrate, those of us who don't eat meat have no problem finding or making yummy alternatives (including in "burger" form). If you have a decent pantry, making veggie burgers with lentils or black beans, for example, is cheaper than using ground beef. And the folks who love their burgers? They're going to keep eating them.
7
@Heather I *love* Houston's veggie burgers. They made all the difference as I moved away from beef. I'd get them w/o the bun but with huge leaf lettuce and pickles, and that satisfied my craving for beef burgers. I'll always be grateful to Houston's for them.
2
Well, sure, so this is how they stack up against each other. But aren't you missing the most important metric: How do they stack up against the real deal?
Last year, my wife and I ordered two burgers at a local high-end bistro; one was made from prime beef, the other was an Impossible Burger. After being served, we cut both burgers in half, and began to eat.
A few minutes later, as we pushed back from the table and called for the check, both of the beef halves were gone, while 50% or so of each Impossible Burger half remained uneaten.
I'd be interested to see if the Times testers had a similar experience.
3
Two things:
1. Beyond Burgers are packaged in SO MUCH plastic that whatever the planet gains by them being plant-based, it loses double in environmental damage from first creation then afterlife of excessive Beyond Burger packaging.
2. Burgers should've been given extra stars if they have ingredients that can be bought in a supermarket produce isle. Food made in a laboratory is still lab food, whether made from meat of other.
Also, I like the FieldBurger because it's not soy based and has lots of protein - even if it tastes more like thanksgiving stuffing than a cow meat burger.
3
Palm fruit oil, potato starch, dextrose, methylcellulose, corn starch, food starch (modified), sweeteners, etc. ...
Where is the nutrition in these highly processed counterfeits?
We have to get to the lowest scorer to find garbanzo beans and bulgur wheat.
10
@JR Yes, but what about the stuff that real meat has as ingredients? Worse by far. But alas, your taste must be more important than anything else including your health.
2
@JR and the FieldRoast burger...
@john michel
Real meat ingredients are animal protein and fat, and of course water. Same as your muscles. That is why animal protein is of highest quality for nutrition of people, it contains enough of essential amino acids that we cannot synthesize.
Thank you for writing this article. What a great example of US innovation to address what has become a serious environmental issue. I love the Impossible Burger and Beyond Beef burgers. Here in Seattle, they're showing up everywhere at fast food restaurants and bars. They taste great and it feels good to consume something that has far less of a negative impact on the environment. Personally, I just feel better physically than I did when I ate burgers made out of animals...even though I'm still eating a pile of accompanying french fries too.
6
@Craig Davison - lol, where do you live? I just checked the menu at the two largest burger joints in town and neither offers an Impossible Burger.
What is the motto of our most iconic drive-thru and posted on every window? NO SUBSTITUTIONS!
And none of my takeout restaurants offers anything close. The Curry Chicken and the Beef Teriyaki still use the real deal.
And as for the gay bar I hangout in? Nothing but grass-smoking beef.
I'm guessing you live in Fremont near the statue of Lenin:)))
1
I'm curious whether coconut oil is truly unhealthy as many posters claim. Unlike all animal fats, it has no cholesterol, a gigantic plus right there. Looking online it's considered a healthy saturated vegetable fat that raises good HDL cholesterol. The fatty acids have several benefits as well.
A vegetarian of many decades, beef burgers are a very distant memory. I have tried the Beyond and the Impossible. My 1st impression is how much they resemble the real thing I had long ago. I was shocked to learn I retained memory of their taste and texture from my childhood. More so, I actually felt relaxed for the 1st time, knowing it wasn't derived from the animals I love. Burgers were invented as a convenient, comfort food for the American mass market. And so, here we are, whereupon as a whole, we can make choices about what is pretty good for us to eat and extremely good for the billions of sentient animals suffering around the world. And, the planet, of course! Sure, we can quibble ad nauseum about every minute ingredient, but that's futile considering the fate of our planet's well being and our own.
2
The most artificial burger got the highest stars and the most natural burger (with ingredients we can pronounce) got the lowest. Clearly the criterion used for ratings wasn’t well rounded.
6
@Dj The criteria was TASTE and "mouthfeel"....
@Dj
Yeah, because it was a taste test.
I am once again flabbergasted that the Times can publish an article about various veggie burgers without telling us anything about the nutritional content of the various burgers. And of course, this is only a highly selective sampling of the many varieties on the market.
For my money, one of the best choices for veggie burger is Dr. Praeger's, available in various styles including California, Tex-Mex, Korean, Kale and more. Most of these are not much like real beef burgers, but I'm guessing they rank very high for their nutrition. You can see the vegetables in most of these burgers, sometimes including things like whole peas and slices of carrots. They also tend to be much lower in fat and salt than most of the competition.
11
I love Beyond Burger and Lightlife Burgers way better than Impossible Burgers. I dont know what it is, but it has a starting taste and an ending taste that it peculiar. If it's loaded with a ton of ingredients, it's easy to get past, however, and i miss Burger King whoppers ever so--so i'll take it if i have to! Good to know it's the only one with synthetic ingredients...glad i prefer the taste of the other two anyway.
Haven't seen Sweet Earth or Field, but will try for a more classic "veggie burger" taste...which i never used to enjoy. Thanks!
1
@rebekah calano Doesn't all the plastic the Beyond Burger is packaged in bother you? I can't eat one without thinking of the island of plastic floating around the oceans. Love the way they taste, but can not in good conscience buy a product package with such excess.
7
@DairyFreeIsMe If you are concerned about plastic floating in the ocean, I hope you will consider the environmental impact of eating fish. The majority of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is plastic fishing nets from commercial fishing operations.
1
The original Morningstar Griller, unfortunately no longer made due to the sale of the business by Kellog, was the best vegeburger I ever tasted. However, it was not vegan.
2
@ David Hearon, I recently purchased a package and keep it well stocked at home. Does contain egg whites. Perhaps your grocer is not ordering it? It has been a mainstay for years. Check with the company and with your grocer. Sometimes, you get lucky and they try to accommodate. Who knows, maybe they're changing the ingredients to make it vegan? That would be helpful to many.
@David Hearon
I can still find the Prime Grillers at Kroger stores. Or try the MSF Spicy Black Bean Burger
To everyone objecting to these fake meat patties, you have to understand, you aren't the audience. The Impossible Whopper debuted in Kansas City, Missouri. This is a meat substitute that is designed to look and taste just like beef but with a smaller environmental impact. It's designed for Midwestern meat eaters, not lifelong avowed vegans and vegetarians. It does not pretend to be a health food. And it certainly does a good job at mimicking the taste and texture of beef.
I do agree that the Impossible is the best, with Beyond coming a close second. However my experience is that Beyond sometimes leaves a dried pea aftertaste if you're prone to heartburn.
11
@Dottie I understand that I am not the audience, especially when it comes to quality of ingredients. However if people are looking to reduce environmental impact by making better food choices, these fake burgers are NOT responsible choices. First, the soy in most of these is GMO'd, meaning that the crops are heavily dosed with glyphosate and pesticides that pollute the groundwater, soil and air. Polluted soil cannot absorb CO2 in meaningful, significant quantities hence contributes to our current climate crisis. Second, all of the processed ingredients in these "burgers" use an awful lot of carbon based energy to produce, and soy protein isolate employs a petro-chemical to separate the soy protein. And I could go on...
These types of products/companies are in it for the $$$. Don't be fooled. If a company wanted to make an honest impact, their marketing would be different. And so would their ingredients and sourcing.
3
My diet is over 80% vegetables but these burgers contain ingredients that would be toxic for me. For starters, MSG/yeast extract... just why?
10
MSG is not and has never been harmful to anybody (it was an unsubstantiated claim that's been disproven many times) and yeast extract is just part of yeast? if you eat any form of yeast, you're eating yeast extract )
2
These products make me think of my mother’s 1960s processed food from a lab cooking. I’d rather eat the real thing but only as a very occasional treat.
4