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McDonald's is adding plant-based burgers to the menu

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Re: McDonald's is adding plant-based burgers to the menu

#401

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the appeal of a vegan pizza? Is it even pizza without cheese?

I make cashew "mozzarella" for my vegan pizza. Everybody I know absolutely loves it.

If you’re vegan because you’re against cruelty, you might want to reconsider eating cashews. They’re processed in facilities that are often horrifically cruel to the workers [1].

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/nov/02/c...

Re: McDonald's is adding plant-based burgers to the menu

#402
post #12

Here in the Kitchener-Waterloo region of Ontario/Canada, the local McDonalds ran with Beyond Meat burgers for about a month (maybe April-ish)? From what I could tell, it was very successful (often sold-out, and anecdotally the workers told me that it was the most popular new thing they'd seen in a long time). For my family, we went from not having eaten McD's for years to getting it occasionally. However, they stoppe…

If you want to really be blown away by plant based meat replacements at fast food restaurants the dark horse is KFC. Whatever they put into their plant based crispy chicken burger is shockingly good, they also turned it into popcorn chicken which is also delicious.

It's too bad their restaurants are in such poor condition and their staff always seem to hate their lives... If not for that I'd probably go more.

Re: McDonald's is adding plant-based burgers to the menu

#403
post #389

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I'd bet that in a few iterations the plant based meats will taste better too. It took them a pretty long time to get the food to taste like meat, there's nothing stopping them from tweaking the taste even more. Their food science must be pretty alright as it stands. A few dozen taste variables and you get thousands of distinct tastes. You can tailor the taste in some acceptable 'tastes-good' parameters to fit just ab…

I want to see a coca-cola freestyle-style plant-hamburger machine where you choose your own blend of bases and watch them be extruded from some bags then blended together and plopped onto a griddle.

Umami boosters, juicy upgrades, fattier striping, or drier styles.

Mix and match lamb, elk, or pork into the final flavor profile.

All from effectively fridge safe pouches and lessened spoilage risks.

Re: McDonald's is adding plant-based burgers to the menu

#404
post #385

Can someone help me to understand all of the pessimism surrounding plant-based meat? Of all of the morally-dubious technologies in the world today, this seems like a force of unequivocal good, and yet the criticism is endless: "it's not healthier", "the name sucks", "it'll give you cancer". All of these just seem to be missing the point that it's _no worse than meat_ in most respects, and _way better_ in others (i.e.…

I want to know what I eat. For example, if I eat meat I want to know if it is pork or beef. Plant-based does not cut it on that criteria. Call it what it is, not what it pretends to be.

You point is moot, just read the ingredients label. Which one confuses you, [Beyond](https://lmgtfy.app/?q=beyond+meat+ingredients)? [Impossible](https://lmgtfy.app/?q=impossible+burger+2.0+ingredients)?

Re: McDonald's is adding plant-based burgers to the menu

#405

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the appeal of a vegan pizza? Is it even pizza without cheese?

Most Italian pizza has rather little cheese. I remember watching something once where the chef of a fancy pizzeria said that the most important thing in pizza is the bread: it should taste great without any topping. Then the sauce and finally everything else. I've had a great vegan pizza once and between bread, sauce and toppings, it tasted like great Italian-style pizza. Sure, a sprinkle of cheese would have made it…

The worst pizza I ever ate was in Rome. Nothing but bread and some sauce. Tiny too. The bill was not tiny.

Nothing beats American-style pizza.

Re: McDonald's is adding plant-based burgers to the menu

#406
post #399

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I grew up on pizza in the NYC/NJ area. The Italian styles with minimal cheese are a disappointment to me. Many are able to get the crust and sauce perfect, which is no small feat, and then it feels like they just gave up with the cheese. Pizza in NYC usually not only has great crust and sauce, but it also has plenty of cheese. They don't "overload" it like many places outside the area. (I am purposely separating "Piz…

>>> I grew up on pizza in the NYC/NJ area. The Italian styles with minimal cheese are a disappointment to me. As an Italian the first time I saw a nyc style pizza I found it disgusting

I've been to many places in Italy and always prefer NY style pizza.

Just because you invented it doesn't mean you've perfected it.

Re: McDonald's is adding plant-based burgers to the menu

#408

Can someone help me to understand all of the pessimism surrounding plant-based meat? Of all of the morally-dubious technologies in the world today, this seems like a force of unequivocal good, and yet the criticism is endless: "it's not healthier", "the name sucks", "it'll give you cancer". All of these just seem to be missing the point that it's _no worse than meat_ in most respects, and _way better_ in others (i.e.…

A definitive answer to your question might not be possible but always keep in mind that in any free market, the incumbent has a vested interest in maintaining their position.

A recent parallel could be vaping: It had rediculously overblown criticisms for quite a while, to the point where some smokers were telling folks (unironically) that it wasn't safe and they shouldn't do it.

Re: McDonald's is adding plant-based burgers to the menu

#409
post #357

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The Italian styles with minimal cheese are a disappointment to me. Have you had one in Italy? Personally, I quite like American style pizza, but the Italian style I still find has a more interesting flavour profile and therefore I tend to prefer it.

As far as I am concerned the Neapolitan pizza is the only real pizza. Compare it to the archetypical Dominoes Margherita pizza. American variants of "pizza" definitely deliver melted cheese, tomato sauce, and heated bread in large quantities but the layers of flavor that you find in a faithful reproduction of Neapolitan pizza to the Italian standard are completely missing. One of the first things Americans will notic…

You do realize you can share a preference without all the condescension and gate-keeping, right?

Re: McDonald's is adding plant-based burgers to the menu

#410

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are a few groups that are making "real" vegan cheese, ie modifying e-coli or yeast to produce the same milk proteins, and then going through the cheese making process. One such is Real Vegan Cheese [ https://realvegancheese.org/ ].

Godspeed to the marketing team that has to go to market with "modified e-coli".

Oi but is eating bacteria and yeast - a living organism - vegan?
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