Meat substitutes
Discussion
SlimJim16v said:
ambuletz said:
as a substitute for a greasy doner this stuff isn't too bad in a pitta, some salad and condiments
This could've been great, however there's a hint of cinnamon or paprika, which has no place in a kebab. Edited by SlimJim16v on Thursday 24th June 20:22
Murph7355 said:
I wouldn't try to replace it.
Work your meals around simply not having meat and then have a good piece of meat as a treat when you do decide to have it.
You will, in all likelihood, regularly be thinking to yourself "I wish this was the real thing" and it will work against you trying to give it up.
My OH's a veggie, and for convenience we did Hello Fresh for a while a couple of years ago, going with the veggie box option. The recipes were top notch to the extent where you simply don't miss meat when eating them (their recipes are available online).
Good advice. I have tried quite a few things from ultra cheap to premium million dollar hedge fund invested brand and NONE of them are a replacement for meat. They might taste great (but then veg can anyway) but to call them meat substitutes is like saying a 1995 MR2 is as good as an F355. (Hint: the MR2 is a great car.) Work your meals around simply not having meat and then have a good piece of meat as a treat when you do decide to have it.
You will, in all likelihood, regularly be thinking to yourself "I wish this was the real thing" and it will work against you trying to give it up.
My OH's a veggie, and for convenience we did Hello Fresh for a while a couple of years ago, going with the veggie box option. The recipes were top notch to the extent where you simply don't miss meat when eating them (their recipes are available online).
If you go in thinking, "I want something tasty" then just get any burger-shaped or sausage-shaped thing that's plant-based from any supermarket - falafel, bean burger, whatever. If you want a "meat replacement", forget it, you will be disappointed with the texture.
Which means that those really expensive meat replacements are a waste of money.
And pulled jackfruit is nothing like pulled pork. WTF are people thinking? It's just like a meat-flavoured fine coleslaw.
SlimJim16v said:
QuartzDad said:
Linda McCartney's Vegetarian Shredded Hoisin Duck (which is vegan), very good indeed. With pancakes, onion etc. it's difficult to tell.
Yes, the duck is great, so good we're trying to think of other ways to use it, maybe duck donner. We tried quorn mince in a spaghetti bolonaise however as with normal it simmers for 3-4 hours slow cooking it.
Yuck I ate maybe a 1/5th of it and pushed it away. It had beef capsules in it too. Such a waste of effort.
Utterly vile.
We eat lean mince with a max 5% fat content whereas quorn has 2% so the delta isn’t big - sure if you have normal beef mince 20% fat I can see the benefit but lean fat mine has very little difference.
Yuck I ate maybe a 1/5th of it and pushed it away. It had beef capsules in it too. Such a waste of effort.
Utterly vile.
We eat lean mince with a max 5% fat content whereas quorn has 2% so the delta isn’t big - sure if you have normal beef mince 20% fat I can see the benefit but lean fat mine has very little difference.
I guess any TVP does the trick for a quick chilli but real mince is more versatile in the ways that it can be used and prepared. I remember being in a town I didn't know, looking for a full English and went into a vegan Cafe without noticing, the waitress told me that I was in a vegan place and I thought I'd give it a go. I don't believe that a vegan would go for the full English, I think that they would know better.
Your thinking around adding the Quorn mince later in the process matches my experience. It's also the best mince substitute I've tried.
I'd recommend giving THIS chicken pieces a go in salads and stirfries. Found in a white pack in the chiller, in a couple of flavours. I'd struggle to tell it apart from supermarket cooked chicken. Very impressive stuff.
Quorn mini sausages are also bloody excellent. It turns out that you don't need any meat content to make a party sausage taste good.
THIS bacon is an acquired taste, and needs quite careful cooking to avoid drying it out excessively.
I'd recommend giving THIS chicken pieces a go in salads and stirfries. Found in a white pack in the chiller, in a couple of flavours. I'd struggle to tell it apart from supermarket cooked chicken. Very impressive stuff.
Quorn mini sausages are also bloody excellent. It turns out that you don't need any meat content to make a party sausage taste good.
THIS bacon is an acquired taste, and needs quite careful cooking to avoid drying it out excessively.
Tofu- great meat substitute especially instead of chicken. Full of protein and versatile, you can easily add it to many meals and season with different flavours to change the outcome.
Richmond mealtess sausages- 10/10 for taste and texture, perfect for a veggie full english breakfast
quorn mince- can be used as an alternative in chilli, spag bol, cottage pie etc
beans and pulses- chickpeas, butterbeans, black beans, lentils etc can be used as an addition for a variety of meals, full of protein: curries, chillis, salads and much more
aldi no beef burgers- full of taste, can be cooking on bbq too meaning you don't hve to miss out this summer
Richmond mealtess sausages- 10/10 for taste and texture, perfect for a veggie full english breakfast
quorn mince- can be used as an alternative in chilli, spag bol, cottage pie etc
beans and pulses- chickpeas, butterbeans, black beans, lentils etc can be used as an addition for a variety of meals, full of protein: curries, chillis, salads and much more
aldi no beef burgers- full of taste, can be cooking on bbq too meaning you don't hve to miss out this summer
Welshbeef said:
We tried quorn mince in a spaghetti bolonaise however as with normal it simmers for 3-4 hours slow cooking it.
Yuck I ate maybe a 1/5th of it and pushed it away. It had beef capsules in it too. Such a waste of effort.
Utterly vile.
We eat lean mince with a max 5% fat content whereas quorn has 2% so the delta isn’t big - sure if you have normal beef mince 20% fat I can see the benefit but lean fat mine has very little difference.
I'm a huge carnivore, but MrsC has successfully reduced my reliance on meat to be only well-sourced and occasional meals.Yuck I ate maybe a 1/5th of it and pushed it away. It had beef capsules in it too. Such a waste of effort.
Utterly vile.
We eat lean mince with a max 5% fat content whereas quorn has 2% so the delta isn’t big - sure if you have normal beef mince 20% fat I can see the benefit but lean fat mine has very little difference.
I've cooked plenty with Quorn mince, and with some attention to the sauce and cooking the Quorn correctly, you can get great results. Of course, it's never going to taste like a meal made with butcher's ox cheek, but it's every bit as good as the bland supermarket mince it replaced.
I'd suggest giving it another go, really working on getting flavours into your sauce, then adding the Quorn near the end (10-15min cooking, max). If you're eating 5% fat supermarket mince, you're probably not getting a huge amount of flavour from your meat anyway.
Welshbeef said:
We tried quorn mince in a spaghetti bolonaise however as with normal it simmers for 3-4 hours slow cooking it.
Yuck I ate maybe a 1/5th of it and pushed it away. It had beef capsules in it too. Such a waste of effort.
Utterly vile.
We eat lean mince with a max 5% fat content whereas quorn has 2% so the delta isn’t big - sure if you have normal beef mince 20% fat I can see the benefit but lean fat mine has very little difference.
You cant cook Quorn mince (or any substitute mince for that matter) for that long it just turns to slop. Add it 5-10 minutes from the end, much better, retains texture and taste much moreYuck I ate maybe a 1/5th of it and pushed it away. It had beef capsules in it too. Such a waste of effort.
Utterly vile.
We eat lean mince with a max 5% fat content whereas quorn has 2% so the delta isn’t big - sure if you have normal beef mince 20% fat I can see the benefit but lean fat mine has very little difference.
lightningbolt said:
Tofu- great meat substitute especially instead of chicken. Full of protein and versatile, you can easily add it to many meals and season with different flavours to change the outcome.
The only place tofu belongs is in the bin. Can't stand it. Have had it all my life being of a certain ethnic background.Laetiporus sulphureus, or the wild fungus otherwise known as 'chicken of the woods' is possibly the most 'meat like' of any meat substitute I know.
Marinated in soy sauce then deep fried in a spiced gram flour batter, I've had life-long vegetarians convinced that I'd somehow slipped them chicken. Obviously I hadn't. COTW needs to be picked when young and at the 'pillowy' stage. By the time it has formed brackets it will be tough and woody.
Marinated in soy sauce then deep fried in a spiced gram flour batter, I've had life-long vegetarians convinced that I'd somehow slipped them chicken. Obviously I hadn't. COTW needs to be picked when young and at the 'pillowy' stage. By the time it has formed brackets it will be tough and woody.
Hoofy said:
Murph7355 said:
I wouldn't try to replace it.
Work your meals around simply not having meat and then have a good piece of meat as a treat when you do decide to have it.
You will, in all likelihood, regularly be thinking to yourself "I wish this was the real thing" and it will work against you trying to give it up.
My OH's a veggie, and for convenience we did Hello Fresh for a while a couple of years ago, going with the veggie box option. The recipes were top notch to the extent where you simply don't miss meat when eating them (their recipes are available online).
Good advice. I have tried quite a few things from ultra cheap to premium million dollar hedge fund invested brand and NONE of them are a replacement for meat. They might taste great (but then veg can anyway) but to call them meat substitutes is like saying a 1995 MR2 is as good as an F355. (Hint: the MR2 is a great car.) Work your meals around simply not having meat and then have a good piece of meat as a treat when you do decide to have it.
You will, in all likelihood, regularly be thinking to yourself "I wish this was the real thing" and it will work against you trying to give it up.
My OH's a veggie, and for convenience we did Hello Fresh for a while a couple of years ago, going with the veggie box option. The recipes were top notch to the extent where you simply don't miss meat when eating them (their recipes are available online).
If you go in thinking, "I want something tasty" then just get any burger-shaped or sausage-shaped thing that's plant-based from any supermarket - falafel, bean burger, whatever. If you want a "meat replacement", forget it, you will be disappointed with the texture.
Which means that those really expensive meat replacements are a waste of money.
And pulled jackfruit is nothing like pulled pork. WTF are people thinking? It's just like a meat-flavoured fine coleslaw.
In addition, the substitutes tend to be full of all sorts of fillers, chemicals and tons of salt.
You're better off finding an amazing veggie / vegan recipe than trying to substitute like for like.
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