Veggie burgers have been around for decades. And as the popularity of plant-based and flexitarian diets has grown, there are more and better options in this category than ever. You probably wouldn’t ever have mistaken one of these for actual beef. But if you’re looking for something meatless to put on a hamburger bun, there are plenty of choices.
There’s a new meatless burger on the market that claims to look, cook, taste, and chew so much like actual ground beef that you might not be able to tell the difference. Having sampled it this week, I have to say that this claim is actually not far off the mark.
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The Impossible Burger is made from wheat, soy, and potato protein, and coconut oil. The makers have done an admirable job configuring those ingredients into something that looks and acts remarkably like raw ground beef. You can even choose whether you want to cook it well done or still pink in the center.
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