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Burger King is rolling out meatless Impossible Whoppers nationwide

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Re: Burger King is rolling out meatless Impossible Whoppers nationwide

#161

Post by DogOnTheWeb »

everdev wrote: post #40

I wonder what the cost basis is of an Impossible Burger vs. a beef patty. The meat industry has built up some economies of scale but it's hard to believe that raising and slaughtering cows is the most cost effective way to feed people protein.

Keep in mind that cattle ranchers and feed suppliers also receive subsidies that artificially lower the price of meat in America.

Quantifying the exact impact of this is muddled by polarized articles on both sides, a complicated supply chain, and the fact that the alternatives industry also benefits in subsidies indirectly. Still, it seems to be the case that meat alternatives are facing an uphill battle on cost due to subsidies.

Re: Burger King is rolling out meatless Impossible Whoppers nationwide

#162

Post by asark »

JohnFen wrote: post #48
mhandley wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are vegetarians the target for this? I wouldn't have thought you'd find too many of them in Burger King. I'm not a vegetarian, and do like a burger occasionally. On those rare occasions (usually on long journeys) when I do go to Burger King, if there's a good tasting beef alternative that's easier on the environment than beef, why not.

I have an interesting anecdote of possible relevance to this. A company that I worked for a few years ago was near a vegan burger joint. Their burgers were works of genius -- they were excellent and even meat-eaters like myself literally could not tell that there wasn't any meat in the things. We hired a new dev who was a vegan from birth, and had never eaten food intended to taste like meat. In an effort to be inclu…

Yeah, I'm a meat eater who's most of the way to vegetarian just because I don't care for most meat, really. I usually go for vegetarian options when dining out out, when they're available and look like they'll be decent, and treat meat dishes as a fallback, with some exceptions (sushi).

I hope these things don't crowd out other veggie alternatives and make them harder to find. Things like portobello "burgers", which I'd much rather have than a real burger or something imitating one.

Re: Burger King is rolling out meatless Impossible Whoppers nationwide

#163

Post by Baeocystin »

sgillen wrote: post #100
goda90 wrote: post #41

Here an interesting quote[0] from the founder of Impossible Burger that kind of touches on the meatless vs vegetarian/vegan discussion happening a lot in this thread: "[Before becoming a vegan] I loved putting milk in my coffee and cereal, but plant-based milks don’t work for me so far. No-one is trying very hard to deliver the full experience of what consumers value from milk. We don’t want to follow the course of s…

Ironically I find that I (vegetarian, not vegan) tend to enjoy meat replacements that don't try replicate meat. I find the ones that DO try to replicate meats taste are just not very good at it, and it ends up tasting pretty bad. The good stuff is still tasty and savory but it's doing its own thing. edit: Not to say the impossible burger can't be good (I've not been able to try one) Just a comment on existing product…

I'm not a vegetarian at all (I eat a lot of various meats, love'em) but I genuinely like veggies, too, and I fully agree with you. The best vegetarian dishes are the ones that work with the best flavors of whatever ingredients are present, not ones that try and pretend to be something else. You can get some very savory flavors with mushrooms, gluten, etc that are wonderful all on their own.

That being said, I've been reading enough about the impossible burger that I'm looking forward to getting to try one.

Re: Burger King is rolling out meatless Impossible Whoppers nationwide

#164

Post by JimiofEden »

calbear81 wrote: post #68
turtlebits wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whopper patties IMHO are the worst fast food burger patties. Sometimes they're over-microwaved and on the border of inedible. I can't imagine an impossible burger tasting worse.

Burger King actually flame grills their burger patties - are you saying they are overly tough or overly burnt?

My answer would be overly tough.

They do get flame grilled initially, after being pulled from the freezer, but then they sit in a heated drawer for an amount of time. The only reheating they get is a quick microwaving for maybe 5-10 seconds, and then they're off on their way. (This is all unless you ask for it fresh, in which case you'll wait for 2-3 minutes while you get a fresh patty.)

In addition, the people working in the kitchen are supposed to toss any extra patties out after x hours, provided they don't just press the ignore button when the timer goes off and do nothing, which is what I saw 99% of the time when I did this job like, 15 years ago.

So if you come at an odd hour, you may be getting a particularly old patty. Granted, things may have changed in a decade and a half and I worked in a very low profit store in a rural area, so my experience may be much different.

Re: Burger King is rolling out meatless Impossible Whoppers nationwide

#165

Post by seriousaccount1 »

twiss wrote: post #155
loeg wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't this just a criticism of existing meat-alike products? Or have you tried impossible burger and found it not tasty?

I've been a vegetarian for ~my whole life, tried the impossible burger, didn't like it. To be fair it might have more to do with the way it looks rather than the taste - meat-looking stuff doesn't appeal to me. My favorite burger is [0], which makes no attempt to look or taste like meat but is delicious in its own right. [0]: https://www.ah.nl/producten/product/wi128419/garden-gourmet-...

Love that one as well. The chimichurri burger of garden gourmet is nice as well, but a bit spicy.

Re: Burger King is rolling out meatless Impossible Whoppers nationwide

#166

Post by jimmaswell »

wccrawford wrote: post #69

As far as I can tell, I'm the target demographic for this. I eat beef (and other meat) burgers because I like how they taste. If this comes close, I'll gladly switch, even though they cost a little more. I'm far from vegetarian, but I've been thinking more and more that I'd like to slim down on my actual meat eating for a few reasons, including the environment, the animal living conditions, and the cholesterol. The o…

Have you actually been diagnosed with high cholesterol or is this just preventative? You probably don't have to worry unless your diet has already been causing a problem. Lots of people eat terribly and their bloodwork comes back with flying colors.

Re: Burger King is rolling out meatless Impossible Whoppers nationwide

#167

Post by N_trglctc_joe »

stale2002 wrote: post #137
Majestic121 wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not how the burden of proof works. It becomes the OP's job to provide fact when they state things and then are asked to back them up. OP can then choose not to do so, but the one asking for source is not to be blamed here.

Here is some evidence: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2018/11/22/american... So. Now that I have shown you the evidence about how people in the city are more likely to have attempted to reduce their meat consumption, are you willing to admit that your initial skepticism was completely and totally wrong? It seemed pretty obvious the the initial conclusion of "people eat less meat in cities" is a true stateme…

>Now that I have shown you the evidence about how people in the city are more likely to have attempted to reduce their meat consumption, are you willing to admit that your initial skepticism was completely and totally wrong?

Regardless of the accuracy of the original statement, I feel as though "initial skepticism" is ALWAYS the correct response to a claim made on the internet. If anybody is going to claim anything on a site like HN, they shouldn't have to provide evidence because they might not be trustworthy, but rather they should have to provide evidence so their statements can actually have something to stand on.

Re: Burger King is rolling out meatless Impossible Whoppers nationwide

#168

Post by Baeocystin »

cableshaft wrote: post #159
sgillen wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ironically I find that I (vegetarian, not vegan) tend to enjoy meat replacements that don't try replicate meat. I find the ones that DO try to replicate meats taste are just not very good at it, and it ends up tasting pretty bad. The good stuff is still tasty and savory but it's doing its own thing. edit: Not to say the impossible burger can't be good (I've not been able to try one) Just a comment on existing product…

I don't want these "Impossible" burgers to eliminate veggie burgers doing their own thing, and I'm a bit worried it might eventually come to the point where everyone thinks they need to be just like beef. Some of the existing veggie burgers are very tasty even though they don't try to trick your taste buds in replicating the 'meat experience' 100%. Like Morningstar Farms Tomato & Basil Pizza burgers are just awesome,…

I agree with you. There are a lot of veggie burger patties out there that are essentially flattened falafel, and it would be a shame to lose them. Falafel is great all on its own.

Re: Burger King is rolling out meatless Impossible Whoppers nationwide

#169

Post by everdev »

rhinoceraptor wrote: post #147
everdev wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How would grass fed beef generate a negative carbon footprint?

They eat grass, distress the soil and leave their fertilizer behind. The grass regrows, which captures carbon via photosynthesis. Obviously I have no idea what I'm talking about, so I don't know if the methane produced by cattle has a bigger impact. But it definitely seems better than both grain fed meat and monocrops, in terms of energy input and environmental/ecosystem impact. The major energy input in the system i…

Yeah I've never heard of carbon neutral cows. If you're saying that the grassland would be replaced with concrete, then there would be a reduction in carbon sequestration.

But still, I don't think it's close. Cows produce a lot of methane:

https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/methane-cow.htm

> Cows emit a massive amount of methane through belching, with a lesser amount through flatulence. Statistics vary regarding how much methane the average dairy cow expels. Some experts say 100 liters to 200 liters a day (or about 26 gallons to about 53 gallons), while others say it's up to 500 liters (about 132 gallons) a day. In any case, that's a lot of methane, an amount comparable to the pollution produced by a car in a day.

> In New Zealand, where cattle and sheep farming are major industries, 34 percent of greenhouse gases come from livestock.

> Initially, grazing areas were filled with a variety of grasses and flowers that grew naturally, offering a diverse diet for cows and other ruminants. However, in order to improve the efficiency of feeding livestock, many of these pastures became reseeded with perennial ryegrass. With the aid of artificial fertilizers, perennial ryegrass grows quickly and in huge quantities. The downside is that it lacks the nutritious content of other grasses and prevents more nutritious plants from growing. One commentator called it the "fast food" of grasses.

> Believers in naturally grown, mixed-species pastures say that the use of them will reduce greenhouse gases, improve animal health and meat quality and reduce the use of artificial fertilizers.

Sounds like it's still a carbon emitter, but if you're going to do it try to find cows that are eating on native, organic grass.

Re: Burger King is rolling out meatless Impossible Whoppers nationwide

#170

Post by MichaelApproved »

gitgreen wrote: post #136
mfatica wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can "buy" a cow from a local farmer and they will raise it and slaughter it and deliver all the meat butchered from the cow. It provides nearly a year's supply of meat, at much lower cost than buying similar amounts from the grocery store. If more people followed suit of buying local farm direct then the whole thing would be better off.

You're leaving out the cost of owning and powering a chest freezer which is not insignificant.

They're leaving out a lot more than the freezer cost. Not everyone wants frozen meat. Fresh meat tastes better.

There are a lot of other issues with their "buy a cow" idea.

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