plant based meats (impossible, beyond, gardein, etc)

Have not tried the spicy sausage but will investigate. I like the TJ's chorizo too, although I wish they didn't feel the need to pack them in sausage-like wrapping, getting them out is always kind of an unnecessary mess.

I didn't like the Impossible meat the one time I remember having it (in a salad, no less). And the last I checked (admittedly a while ago), plant-based meat substitutes might not be that healthy, either, given the additives and processing. I prefer just to go with plant proteins as they are, and not pretending to be meat.

Oh they are definitely processed food

We mainly choose them over just being bean people bcz 1. taste good (most of time) 2. save ecosystem a little bit

I guess what I’m saying is we get to have some fun in the kitchen with different recipes that would otherwise be out of reach, especially things like the sausage ragu or the vindaloo, while minimizing environmental impact

I'm under no illusion that they're healthy, but they are a fun way to add some protein and texture to a veggie dish. And the Tofurkey sausages have mostly recognizable ingredients, I don't think they're crazy processed:

Water, vital wheat gluten, expeller pressed canola oil, tofu (water, soybeans, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride), soy sauce (water, soybeans, wheat, salt), soy flour and/or concentrate, sundried tomatoes, contains less than 2% of basil, granulated garlic, sea salt, spices, sunflower oil, potassium chloride. CONTAINS: SOY, WHEAT.

my first bites of beyond and impossible, i was so sold on the stuff. but since then as i've eaten more i've become more sensitized to the non-meat flavors present. especially when i make them at home. thought maybe it was something i was doing but i think those flavors are present in the restaurant versions too. except the burger meat impossible which just tastes like ketchup and mayo.

so it's a nice sleight of hand they do but the effect wears off. is how i break it down to an extent.

also all of these products are invariably very salty...

I love salt and don't need them to taste like meat, it's just nice to have a chewy umami element to hold the dish together.

yeah i think what i'm saying is that the beyond/impossible category is falling for me whereas i'll always chomp into a chickpea/beet/root vegetable/whatever mash that doesn't have a bunch of other chemicals in it. those tend to very salty too. i had the shakeshack veggie burger yesterday, which i like better than the portabello burger they had before (not filled with cheese!) but was still super salty...

Yeah that's fair, I'm totally good with those too as long as they sort of hang together. Love a beet burger with whatever gluten & egg sorcery is involved in getting them to have a firm structure & texture.

And I think of getting those at restaurants moreso, because we're usually too lazy to make them at home. What are the good store-bought versions these days? I assume we've advanced from the Morningstar black bean burgers of yore.

Yeah if it's a gateway to getting people to eat less meat, I can get on board with them.

morningstar farms keeps me alive

fwiw I think cooking with these as ingredients in a dish that’s more complex, like an etoufee, is the way to go - as plain burger substitutes they all fall a bit short imo (sez omnivore)

Luckily our home burgers tend to be so overloaded with condiments and and side sauces that the burger itself is merely one ingredient among many.

yeah the patty is more of a structural element than a taste element in a fully loaded burger imo

yeah that is what burgers are for me -- a vehicle for toppings. i like beyond burgers. i haven't experimented a ton with it outside of burgers but i did try to make it Ethiopian style and it was both easy and tasty. it had so many spices that i couldn't really single out any aspect of the flavor aside from garliconiongingerberbere.

i don't actually like beef burgers all that much and am not a fan of ketchup, yellow mustard or mayo.

also i like the beyond burgers because i can eat them at room temp after they have been sitting there for a while which is how i eat dinner several nights a week at work. they feed us at work but i can't eat restaurant food 3x/week or i will die.

Ooh Ethiopian burger

Xps I agree about the Beyond and Impossible burgers - they taste pretty incredible the first time but I find I can’t eat them very often or that “off” taste starts to be really dominant.

Trader Joe’s has a ground beef that’s pretty good in a spaghetti bolognese or similar.

Good old tofu is honestly great - freezing and thawing super firm tofu gives it a great texture and it takes marinades/sauces really well.

I tried the Fynd (sp?) patties awhile ago and thought they were awful. Very weird chemical flavor.

Ive got to the point when i want to make a burger-y sandwich i'll steam and pan fry a tempeh slab. Or for open faced sando will season and pan fry tofu. I love that these alternatives exist just don't feel like eating alot of it.
Yes to freezing tofu
And that tj's beef is also fine in a chilli imho