Plant based fake meats

[easysurfer]

I have friends that call turkey bacon fake meat .

I would try plant based fake meat as long as it's been blessed safe just to see how good of a job is done at faking the meats.

I have some relatives that are vegan. One had a celebration where I think all the dishes were made from vegetable or artificial meats. The food I thought was actually pretty good. I'd still prefer to get a juicy steak or burger. But that fake chicken meat tasted like chicken .

I do confess that I'm sad McDonald's didn't keep that McLean Deluxe "burger." I thought that was delicious.

 

[disneysteve]

Aside from potential health benefits, some people struggle with animal cruelty and/or environmental issues related to livestock raised for human consumption. We all have our own valid reasons. If you don't, we won't question your choice.

There are also religious reasons why people avoid at least certain animal products.

 

[tmm99]

People eat plant-based burgers or foods for different reasons. Some vegans are vegans because of ethical/environmental reasons and not health reasons, so I can see Beyond/Impossible Burgers appeal to them. Some vegans are vegans for health reasons, so they would most likely try to avoid plant-based burgers that have non-whole-food ingredients like protein isolate, or a lot of saturated fats like coconut oil that those two plant-based burgers.

From what I read, we're going to have problems with many people eating a lot of meat in the future due to a lack of land mass and methane gas produced by cattle, etc. I don't know if that's true or not, but if it is, having plant-based alternatives would be a good idea.

On a different note, meat-eaters eat a lot of processed foods too with tons of ingredients, so I don't think Beyond/Impossible Burgers are trying to create something wholesome. They are just trying to create a similar taste as meat-based burgers maybe to cater to the environment-based vegan population or meat-eaters who may be more environment-conscious. If they want to sell it to other groups of people, I think they would have to come up with a different burger with different ingredients.

 

[Dash man]

With my beans and peas allergies, I have to avoid these. Even foods with added pea protein break me out in hives and makes my throat itch and swell.

I have an intolerance to fructose, so there aren’t many veggies I can eat. No beans at all. I’ll stick with meat.

 

[old medic]

That's all great - unless you are a vegetarian

So the obvious question, in my mind anyway, is why do they make them look and taste like meat?

We eat nothing but Plant Based Meats... The PBMs that come from plant eating animals. Also Have some Omnivores (Chicken/Bear) and Carnivores (Fish) on the menu. We try to avoid as much processed food as we can.
Our other Plant Based Foods come from plants, and are called vegetables.

 

[athena53]

I'm mostly vegetarian for health and environmental reasons. I also avoid highly processed foods. Beyond Meat and its ilk fall into that category.

I'm in the same camp as the chef Braumeister described: give me plant-based foods that take advantage of the taste and textures of those ingredients- don't try and warp them into "tofurkey".

 

[Kork13]

My wife has an allergy to beef (incredibly tragic, believe me), which she only discovered a few years ago... But eliminating it (along with a few other surprise food allergies) has helped to relieve some GI issues she's dealt with for years. So we've mostly replaced beef in our diet for other options, but when we do hamburgers (unless it's my curried chicken burgers), DKs & I use beef while DW uses a Beyond Meat burger. I've always found it unappealingly oily & not a great texture, the couple times I've tried it. But she appreciates having something that at least approximates a normal hamburger. We normally replace ground beef with ground turkey or pork in most of our cooking, but for burgers ... neither really works well.

 

[folivier]

Just an FYI for those of us who enjoy beef. Trying not to be political but no other way to say this. There is a push here out west to re-designate more public land that will eliminate or reduce the amount of land leased to ranchers for grazing. This will only cause beef production to be reduced and beef to cost more.
I have no problem with those who choose to not eat beef or other meats but when our gov't. does things like this to push an agenda then it is wrong.

 

[bloom2708]

Just an FYI for those of us who enjoy beef. Trying not to be political but no other way to say this. There is a push here out west to re-designate more public land that will eliminate or reduce the amount of land leased to ranchers for grazing. This will only cause beef production to be reduced and beef to cost more.
I have no problem with those who choose to not eat beef or other meats but when our gov't. does things like this to push an agenda then it is wrong.

It will maybe balance out the 100 or so years of government subsidies on meat and dairy.

I read a 12 oz steak would be $95 if subsidies didn't keep the price down.

I guess that applies to many things.

If, someday, they can make a cheap/fast/healthy meat replacement I think that is a good option. Many will never try it, but that is fine.

The current problem with Impossible and Beyond is they are only marginally more healthy. They are more expensive where I shop. So, failing for 2 key elements.

 

[Rianne]

I don't understand why consumers think meat is not processed, especially deli meats and sausage, fish, and poultry. Here's a list of what goes into meat. Does not mention the antibiotics the animals are fed to prevent disease. Part of the reason why antibiotics are not as effective in humans is when dangerous infections ensue. This is where the term superbugs in hospitals comes from.

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safe...food-safety-basics/additives-meat-and-poultry

Glossary of Commonly Used Meat and Poultry Additives and Terms
ANTIOXIDANT - substances added to foods to prevent the oxygen present in the air from causing undesirable changes in flavor or color. BHA, BHT, and tocopherols are examples of antioxidants.

BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), TOCOPHEROLS (VITAMIN E) - antioxidants that help maintain the appeal and wholesome qualities of food by retarding rancidity in fats, sausages, and dried meats, as well as helping to protect some of the natural nutrients in foods, such as vitamin A.

BINDER - a substance that may be added to foods to thicken or improve texture. Some examples of binders in meat and poultry products are carrageenan, whey protein concentrate, food starch, and cellulose.

BROMELIN - an enzyme that can dissolve or degrade the proteins collagen and elastin to soften meat and poultry tissue. It is derived from pineapple fruit and leaves and is used as a meat tenderizer.

CARRAGEENAN - seaweed is the source of this additive. It may be used in products as binder.

CITRIC ACID - widely distributed in nature in both plants and animals. It can be used as an additive to protect the fresh color of meat cuts during storage. Citric acid also helps protect flavor and increases the effectiveness of antioxidants.

CORN SYRUP - sugar that is derived from the hydrolysis of corn starch. Uses include flavoring agent and sweetener in meat and poultry products.

EMULSIFIER - substance added to products, such as meat spreads, to prevent separation of product components to ensure consistency. Examples of these types of additives include lecithin, and mono- and di-glycerides.

FICIN - enzyme derived from fig trees that is used as a meat tenderizer.

GELATIN - thickener from collagen which is derived from the skin, tendons, ligaments, or bones of livestock. Gelatin is a binder/extender and is only permitted in a few meat and poultry products. For example, it may be used in canned hams or jellied meat products.

HUMECTANT - substance added to foods to help retain moisture and soft texture. An example is glycerine, which may be used in dried meat snacks.

HYDROLYZED (SOURCE) PROTEIN - flavor enhancers that can be used in meat and poultry products. They are made from protein obtained from a plant source such as soy or wheat, or from an animal source, such as milk. The source used must be identified on the label.

MODIFIED FOOD STARCH - starch that has been chemically altered to improve its thickening properties. Before the starch is modified, it is separated from the protein through isolation techniques; therefore, the source of the starch used is not required on the label.

MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE (MSG) - MSG is a flavor enhancer. It comes from a common amino acid, glutamic acid, and must be declared as monosodium glutamate on meat and poultry labels.

PAPAIN - an enzyme that can dissolve or degrade the proteins collagen and elastin to soften meat and poultry tissue. It is derived from the tropical papaya tree and is used as a meat tenderizer.

PHOSPHATES - the two beneficial effects of phosphates in meat and poultry products are moisture retention and flavor protection. An example is the use of phosphates in the curing of ham where approved additives are sodium or potassium salts of tripolyphosphate, hexametaphosphate, acid pyrophosphate, or orthophosphates, declared as "phosphates" on labels.

PROPYL GALLATE - used as an antioxidant to prevent rancidity in products such as rendered fats or pork sausage. It can be used in combination with antioxidants such as BHA and BHT.

RANCID/RANCIDITY - oxidation/breakdown of fat that occurs naturally causing undesirable smell and taste. BHA/BHT and tocopherols are used to keep fats from becoming rancid.

SODIUM CASEINATE - used as a binder in products such as frankfurters and stews.

SODIUM ERYTHORBATE - is the sodium salt of erythorbic acid, a highly refined food-grade chemical closely related to vitamin C, synthesized from sugar, and used as a color fixative in preparing cured meats. (Note: Erythorbate is NOT earthworms. Perhaps the spelling or pronunciation has contributed to this misconception because the Hotline receives many calls related to this concern.)

SODIUM NITRITE - used alone or in conjunction with sodium nitrate as a color fixative in cured meat and poultry products (bologna, hot dogs, bacon). Helps prevent growth of Clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism in humans.

SUGAR (SUCROSE) - used as sweetener in an endless list of food products.

TEXTURIZERS/STABILIZERS/THICKENERS - used in foods to help maintain uniform texture or consistency. These are substances that are commonly called binders. Examples are gelatin and carrageenan.

WHEY, DRIED - the dried form of a component of milk that remains after cheese making. Can be used as a binder or extender in various meat products, such as sausage and stews.

 

[Rianne]

BTW here are the ingredients in Beyond Burgers. Quite honestly, I feel more comfortable with the ingredients of a beyond-meat-type product than actual meat. Unless you prepared the meat from the animal itself, before going to market. DH is a food scientist (PhD from Univ. of Illinois).

https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-US/products/the-beyond-burger

Water, pea protein*, expeller-pressed canola oil, refined coconut oil, rice protein, natural flavors, dried yeast, cocoa butter, methylcellulose, and less than 1% of potato starch, salt, potassium chloride, beet juice color, apple extract, pomegranate concentrate, sunflower lecithin, vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, vitamins and minerals (zinc sulfate, niacinamide [vitamin B3], pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], cyanocobalamin [vitamin B12], calcium pantothenate).

 

[aja8888]

BTW here are the ingredients in Beyond Burgers. Quite honestly, I feel more comfortable with the ingredients of a beyond-meat-type product than actual meat. Unless you prepared the meat from the animal itself, before going to market. DH is a food scientist (PhD from Univ. of Illinois).

https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-US/products/the-beyond-burger

Water, pea protein*, expeller-pressed canola oil, refined coconut oil, rice protein, natural flavors, dried yeast, cocoa butter, methylcellulose, and less than 1% of potato starch, salt, potassium chloride, beet juice color, apple extract, pomegranate concentrate, sunflower lecithin, vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, vitamins and minerals (zinc sulfate, niacinamide [vitamin B3], pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], cyanocobalamin [vitamin B12], calcium pantothenate).

I'll stick with Prime briskets from Costco and high quality pork shoulder for my smoker. No adds except salt and pepper.

 

[Gumby]

Just an observation. Back in 2020, when the world shut down due to Covid, I recall going to the super market and seeing the meat section completely empty of all product except for the fake meat stuff. That suggests to me that for many people, buying it is more about virtue signaling than anything else. But if you actually like it, more power to you. We all should be able to eat what we like.

 

[Rianne]

I'll stick with Prime briskets from Costco and high quality pork shoulder for my smoker. No adds except salt and pepper.

That sounds good, the adds are limited and labeled. I'm not a vegetarian but eat a limited amount of meat and watch ingredients closely.

 

[flyingaway]

Talking about processed foods.
I will eat either real vegetables or real meat.

 

[audreyh1]

I'll stick with Prime briskets from Costco and high quality pork shoulder for my smoker. No adds except salt and pepper.

Talking about processed foods.
I will eat either real vegetables or real meat.

+1

 

[pacergal]

I have eaten the Beyond meat burgers, they were not bad and felt a bit more chewy to me.
If I want a vegetarian, non meat burger, I prefer The Original Gardenburger Veggie Burger.

 

[jim584672]

I tried the "Impossible" Whopper. More like impossible to finish it, yuk.

 

[MarieIG]

BTW here are the ingredients in Beyond Burgers. Quite honestly, I feel more comfortable with the ingredients of a beyond-meat-type product than actual meat. Unless you prepared the meat from the animal itself, before going to market. DH is a food scientist (PhD from Univ. of Illinois).

https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-US/products/the-beyond-burger

Water, pea protein*, expeller-pressed canola oil, refined coconut oil, rice protein, natural flavors, dried yeast, cocoa butter, methylcellulose, and less than 1% of potato starch, salt, potassium chloride, beet juice color, apple extract, pomegranate concentrate, sunflower lecithin, vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, vitamins and minerals (zinc sulfate, niacinamide [vitamin B3], pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], cyanocobalamin [vitamin B12], calcium pantothenate).

I am particular about what I put in my body and that ingredient deck would not work for me. I would much prefer lightly steamed organic vegetables which I prepare and season myself. I don't eat canola oil (or any seed oils as opposed to seeds) and I like plants that taste like plants. I don't eat deli meat, avoid ultra processed foods, and I do read ingredient labels. I prefer one ingredient foods.

If someone else wants to eat them - that, of course, is their prerogative.

 

[MC Rider]

I will stick with plant based meats like cow eats plants and becomes burger and steaks.

 

[Koolau]

I will stick with plant based meats like cow eats plants and becomes burger and steaks.

I love it.

 

[orbops]

My wife is vegetarian, so we buy plant based meats - but not Beyond Meat or Impossible burger since they are typically 33% higher in price. I eat plant based meats to reduce my cholesterol intake since I had a quadruple bypass last year at the age of 57.