The impossible burger (meatless meat). Now with Qdoba comparison

[Exterous]

Apparently its becoming fairly popular. Burger King announced they were going to make a Impossible Whopper. But, much to my surprise, there are already quite a few chains that offer it including at places by me. But how would it taste? Would it be better than real meat? So many questions so for this first critical taste test I needed a place that made high quality burgers to start with:

White Castle

The one near me just so happens to offer the Impossible Slider. How could I not go there and order some? Now if you are really lucky, not only will your local White Castle carry it but their employees won't know how to count. I ordered and was charged for 2 Impossible Sliders with cheese and 2 regular sliders with cheese. When I got home I found out I got 2 Impossible sliders with cheese, one without and 3 regular sliders with cheese. What a deal!!

Here you can see the Impossible Slider looks more appetizing than the regular 'meat' White Castle serves:
(sorry for the blurriness but regular slider is on the left)

Overall the two tasted notably different. But - White Castle sliders have a unique flavor as it is. The Impossible burger tasted much better than any of the terrible or even good veggie burgers I've had in the past. I would not have immediately pegged this as a non-animal meat product and my wife liked it better than their regular slider. Still I think it deserves some more testing and the Qdoba near me carries it too.

 

[Thebobo]

I had one last year at regular restaurant and although expensive at the time it was pretty damn good.

 

[nakedfrog]

So many questions so for this first critical taste test I needed a place that made high quality burgers to start with:

White Castle

what

 

[lxskllr]

Never been to White Castle. That thing on the left... Looks like something from a Chinese food cart... In China... In the bad part of town :^D

The Impossible burger looks good. I'll try one if I ever see it for sale. I'm generally skeptical of fake meat. I like veggie burgers, and vegetarian food in general, but I stick to stuff that isn't trying hard to be meat, but WTH, it's a more sustainable form of "meat", and probably better all around, aside from possibly flavor.

 

[zinfamous]

nearby grocery started selling beyond burgers and beyond sausages. I almost picked some up yesterday, but they were ~$12/lb, IIRC. ...ewww no.

 

[KMFJD]

I've had it at A&W and i liked it.

 

[zinfamous]

Now I'm wondering if Arby's has or will have it (goes against their current marketing campaign, though). I would probably try some Arby's fake meat.

 

[highland145]

Never been to White Castle. That thing on the left... Looks like something from a Chinese food cart... In China... In the bad part of town :^D

This

 

[Mayne]

ugh! how many chemicals are in this 'impossible burger'? reminds me of the gordon ramsay vid i saw yesterday where the restaurant was serving lamb shanks out of a vacuum sealed bag that didn't need refrigation for a year.

 

[whm1974]

Don't these have a lot of sodium? I was buying some "Fake meat" patties for awhile but quit eating them after my dad told there is a lot of that in these things. I read the back label, and by God he is right.

I'll stick with the real thing thank you very much.

 

[lxskllr]

ugh! how many chemicals are in this 'impossible burger'? reminds me of the gordon ramsay vid i saw yesterday where the restaurant was serving lamb shanks out of a vacuum sealed bag that didn't need refrigation for a year.

Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, 2% 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. Contains: Soy

https://faq.impossiblefoods.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018937494-What-are-the-ingredients-

I don't care about salt one way or the other. I think health concerns are overblown for otherwise healthy people.

edit:
Here's the nutritional content for a 3oz patty...

• 220 calories
• 13 g fat (10 g saturated)
• 430 mg sodium
• 20 g protein
• 5 g carbohydrates
• 0 g fiber
• Less than 1 g sugar

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/food/a21050196/the-impossible-burger/

 

[Mayne]

i like fresh

 

[nakedfrog]

Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, 2% 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. Contains: Soy

https://faq.impossiblefoods.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018937494-What-are-the-ingredients-

I don't care about salt one way or the other. I think health concerns are overblown for otherwise healthy people.

It's loaded with dihydrogen monoxide! Chemicals are bad, mm'kay?

/s

 

[Red Squirrel]

Hmm the ingredients don't seem all that bad actually. The Methylcellulose might be of concern though, it's derived from cellulose, which often has fire retardants. Though the derivation process may get rid of it.

I'd be willing to try it though, the "meat" that is typically sold in fast food places is not going to be any healthier anyway. You don't eat fast food to be healthy.

If a burger can taste good while not involving death, I see that as a good thing.

 

[whm1974]

Hmm the ingredients don't seem all that bad actually. The Methylcellulose might be of concern though, it's derived from cellulose, which often has fire retardants. Though the derivation process may get rid of it.

I'd be willing to try it though, the "meat" that is typically sold in fast food places is not going to be any healthier anyway. You don't eat fast food to be healthy.

If a burger can taste good while not involving death, I see that as a good thing.

IT still involves death, the death of plants used in making them. Why not just eat real meat instead? Grass fed beef is available.

 

[nakedfrog]

Hmm the ingredients don't seem all that bad actually. The Methylcellulose might be of concern though, it's derived from cellulose, which often has fire retardants. Though the derivation process may get rid of it.

I'd be willing to try it though, the "meat" that is typically sold in fast food places is not going to be any healthier anyway. You don't eat fast food to be healthy.

If a burger can taste good while not involving death, I see that as a good thing.

What do you think cellulose is?

 

[Mayne]

wtf is wrong with real meat?

 

[lxskllr]

IT still involves death, the death of plants used in making them. Why not just eat real meat instead? Grass fed beef is available.

I'm unaware of plants having "feelings". If future research indicates they do have feelings, I'm betting they're primitive compared to animals. Animals OTOH, *do* have feelings, and they largely get treated like shit. Death is the best thing that'll ever happen to them, and it isn't proper to take credit for killing them when you were the cause of their misery in the first place. Raising animals is also resource intensive, and causes a lot of pollution. If everyone could afford America's meat diet, we'd drown in a sea of shit.

That said, I still eat meat. Less than the average American, but I eat it none the less. That makes me a hypocrite, and it's something I need to change. Another day...

 

[Mayne]

i think a life without meat or beer would make me suicidal.

 

[whm1974]

I'm unaware of plants having "feelings". If future research indicates they do have feelings, I'm betting they're primitive compared to animals. Animals OTOH, *do* have feelings, and they largely get treated like shit. Death is the best thing that'll ever happen to them, and it isn't proper to take credit for killing them when you were the cause of their misery in the first place. Raising animals is also resource intensive, and causes a lot of pollution. If everyone could afford America's meat diet, we'd drown in a sea of shit.

That said, I still eat meat. Less than the average American, but I eat it none the less. That makes me a hypocrite, and it's something I need to change. Another day...

If I had the money I would be willing to go out of my way to get meat from animals that were treated humanely during their lives.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I like my real meat, but, I have had some spicy black bean "burgers" a few times which taste damn good. They tasted more of Falafel than of Burger ....

 

[lxskllr]

If I had the money I would be willing to go out of my way to get meat from animals that were treated humanely during their lives.

Well, that gets into something else I have a problem with, which is violation of trust. I consider that one of the worst crimes, and is a reason I can't stand crooked cops. They're very lucky I'm not furor, cause they wouldn't be getting away with shit. They'd be publicly executed. You expect criminals to act like criminals. When you're put in a position of power and trust, it comes with responsibility.

Which brings me to animals... Assuming an idyllic quiet farm environment, I find it distasteful to slit the throat of an animal that's come to trust you for care. It's the ultimate con job. Hunting OTOH, I'm perfectly fine with. It's their job to be prey, and my job to be predator. I don't owe them anything, and never lead them to believe I'd do anything but kill them if given a chance.

I don't necessarily expect others to have my viewpoint, but that's where I stand.

 

[zinfamous]

Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, 2% 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. Contains: Soy

https://faq.impossiblefoods.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018937494-What-are-the-ingredients-

I don't care about salt one way or the other. I think health concerns are overblown for otherwise healthy people.

edit:
Here's the nutritional content for a 3oz patty...

• 220 calories
• 13 g fat (10 g saturated)
• 430 mg sodium
• 20 g protein
• 5 g carbohydrates
• 0 g fiber
• Less than 1 g sugar

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/food/a21050196/the-impossible-burger/

All the these vitamins are in their purified salt form! OMGERD! Isn't that the same as Hydrochloric acid!? OMGERD!

 

[Red Squirrel]

What do you think cellulose is?

Isin't it blown insulation? Which is mostly shredded newspaper I think, so not exactly toxic I guess, but probably not ideal to eat a lot of it.

 

[highland145]

I'm unaware of plants having "feelings".

They could be self described.

Which brings me to animals... Assuming an idyllic quiet farm environment, I find it distasteful to slit the throat of an animal that's come to trust you for care. It's the ultimate con job.

So bulk meat farming is better? I know you don't think so. Just messing with you. I do have ~40lbs of sausage and ground in my deep freezer that came from the in-laws farm. Birth to table, no extra hormones. I'll take that.