Veganism is the practice of abstaining the consumption and use of animal products, or animal by-products. People go vegan for different reasons, some of the main reasons include health, environment, and ethical reasons. Because the number of people going vegan or vegetarian is rapidly increasing , more people are looking for meat alternatives. This is a wake up call, for companies to create products that meet the demand of these individuals. While most non vegan items have a vegan alternative, such as milk, butter, cookie dough, and even eggs, it is difficult to find a good meat product.
The beyond burger is one of the most popular meat alternatives on the market. Among vegans that is. With 20g of protein, the burger is soy, gluten, and GMO-free. It contains primarily pea protein, which makes it different from most soy burgers. This burger has qualities much like real beef burgers. It is sold in a package like regular meat, and it is sold raw. Almost all vegan burgers are pre-cooked and sold in the frozen section of a supermarket. The burger looks like ground beef, with a pink, choppy appearance.
The cooking process of this burger is fairly simple. Until actual use, the burger needs to remain at room temperature. Adding seasoning to the burger is a recommendation. From here, it can cook on a grill, griddle, or stove top. The burger has a reputation for “bleeding” like a normal burger. This is because of the beets used in the burger to achieve the chop meat like color.
As someone who just recently went vegan, this burger does a great job of replicating beef. The physical appearance of this product looks just like actual raw beef. Cook time is a bit shorter than burgers because its base is plants. It smells very similar to beef as it cooks. While the burger is raw, it smells slightly like chemicals, and that is something I found unappealing. Although it has faint flavor without seasoning, I recommend adding spices to get a hearty flavor. If the burger is not fully cooked, it tastes artificial. Meaning, it tastes as if it grew in a lab. Overall, even though many vegans look up to this burger, it did not meet my standards.
I expected a better taste, better smell and much more substance from a burger that gets so much praise. I would give The Beyond Burger a 4 out of 10, and I do not recommend it.
