Vegetarians and vegans have been waiting for a better non-meat alternative that would rival the traditional all beef burger that has been a staple of the American diet for decades.
Impossible Foods may have just met their expectations with the debut of their new Impossible Burger 2.0. They accomplished this by substituting soy proteins to improve the structure of this imitation meat, further allowing them to infuse it with extra nutrients and flavor in every bite.
This new burger recipe is not only vegan but gluten-free as well, further accommodating those with restrictive diets. The Impossible Burger accomplishes all of this while also generating “87 percent fewer greenhouse gases, and it uses 75 percent less water and requires 95 percent less land than conventional ground beef,” according to Impossible Foods.
Due to its increased popularity, entirely new avenues of dining experiences for those with health and ethical concerns have opened up.
Jenna Kreiger, a quasi-vegetarian server at a local fine dining restaurant, has noted an increase in customers coming in asking specifically for the Impossible Burger.
“I am relieved to go out to eat and know I have an easy meat alternative available that actually tastes good. I also like that it doesn’t have as big of an eco impact,” said Kreiger as someone who has had ethical concerns with the treatment of animals, but not strictly opposed to meat products.
Intrigued, but never actually having had the Impossible Burger myself, I set out to find a place that served it. I went to Inc 82 in Dublin and ordered my plant patty Medium-Rare as I would order most of my burgers.
Served with an excellent presentation including melted cheese, an onion ring, and a nice thick slice of tomato on a grilled brioche bun, I was suddenly very excited for my first bite into this coveted Impossible Burger.
Firm, yet soft as a perfect medium rare burger should be with “meat” juices running down my hand, the well-balanced flavor of cheese, onion, bun, and fried onion filled my mouth as the meat flavor came through.
The Impossible Burger was unrecognizable from meat, in my carnivorous expert opinion. However, lacking in flavor and only a step above a frozen burger, the veggie patty itself was a huge disappointment.
Additionally, Impossible Foods is going to be challenged with the current cost of its $15 veggie burger that does not taste like a $15 burger should.
However, with better prep, I would 100 percent choose this over meat any day of the week, due to the fact that I could not recognize it from actual meat and that it could have benefited greatly from marinades and seasoning.