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February 24th 2002 >> Source: Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel No grease will drip down your chin with veggie burgers. That's both a curse and a blessing.
For the sake of better health, you forsake the red-blooded juiciness of an all-American hamburger. But taste a veggie burger on its own merits. Most are spun out of some combination of soy, grain, legumes, vegetables and seasonings. Many taste pretty good, despite their healthy stats. That's according to a four-person panel that recently participated in a blind tasting of 16 different veggie burgers and "patties," as they are sometimes labeled. The group included two omnivores and two vegetarians, and - with the exception of myself - fell in the twentysomething age group. At the outset, all were familiar with veggie burgers and at least occasionally ate them. Veggie burgers can be divided into two groups. According to Anne Schultz, purchasing manager of Outpost Natural Foods in Milwaukee, there are those that "taste like hamburgers and look like hamburgers," and those that are "primarily vegetables," and do not try to mimic meat. This latter category, she said, "just gives you something else to make a sandwich with." In general, tasters preferred patties that did not masquerade as meat. The big winner, for example, was Amy's Organic Vegetables California Burger, put together with bulgur wheat, vegetables, oats and walnuts. No one would mistake it for a hamburger. It was praised instead for its pleasing texture and hearty flavor. It is available in health food stores, but also was spotted at Jewel Osco. Tasters deemed the differences between the groups to be somewhat hazy, with a number of patties owning up to burgerlike appearance, texture or taste as well as having lots of chopped vegetables. Because it was not always possible to place a burger in one camp or the other, they are not grouped separately in the following ratings. A further distinction can be made between burgers dressed up with special flavors such as barbecue or roasted onion and those that rely on the more muted flavors of the primary ingredients. Only a few of the flavored burgers were included in this admittedly incomplete sampling, but shoppers should keep an eye out for favorite seasonings. Most non-meat patties are found in the frozen food case. Supermarkets are apt to carry at least two or three different brands, with Boca Burgers leading the way. Outpost Foods makes its own fresh tofu burgers, and they are with the refrigerated items from the deli. Some brands offer organic products, and others stick to vegan guidelines, that allow no animal products, including cheese or eggs. No-wheat and no-fat burgers are also available. Look in health food stores for the widest selection of these versions. Boca sports an organic line that closely parallels their regular line-up. In supermarkets, you may see regular Boca Burgers in one section of the frozen food case, and the organic Boca Burgers stocked separately, along with other frozen natural food products. Veggie burgers are pre-cooked, and can be heated in a skillet, microwave, oven or grill. Care is necessary to see that patties are warmed through, but not dried out or burned. Here are the results of the tasting along with some comments from participants. Prices are approximate, and vary from store to store. Health food stores carry the best selection, but supermarkets are a good bet when it comes to popular brands such as Boca Burgers or Gardenburgers. Products are listed in descending order of appeal in the tasting. There were ties for 3rd, 4th, 10th and 11th place. Amy's California Burger earned the top spot, and Simple Soyman Toaster Burgers came up last. 1. Amy's Organic Vegetables California Burger/Garden Vegetables ($4.99 for 10 ounces). "Tasted hearty and grainy." "Soft, with good onion flavor." "Fresh, healthy tasting." 2. Morningstar Natural Touch Okra Patties ($4.50 for 9 ounces). Oops, this chickenlike patty sneaked in with the burgers, but tasters rated it highly, so it deserves a spot in the line-up. "Flavorful." "Good flavor and texture." "Too much like meat for a vegetarian." 3. Gardenburger the Original Veggie Patties ($4.39 for 10 ounces). This vegetable-laden burger tied for third place with Outpost Tofu Burgers. "Sort of buttery." "Chewy texture." "Mild." Outpost Tofu Burgers ($4.77 for 3 burgers). "Colorful." "Pretty flavorful." "Fresh veggie taste." 4. Nature's Bakery Vegetarian Burgers/wheat free ($4.39 for 12 ounces). From Madison, these fresh-tasting burgers scored well with most tasters. "Grainy, good." "Would be good with ketchup and mustard." Vegelicious Vegetable Burgers from Quaker Maid/Original Flavor ($3.49 for 10 ounces). Chock-full of vegetables, this one tied for fourth place. "Not like a hamburger, but good." "Smell was not appealing, but tasted great." 5. Morningstar Natural Touch Garden Veggie Pattie ($4.50 for 9.5 ounces). "Smells like pizza, tasted like peppers." "Texture chunky, a little like breakfast sausage." 6. Amy's Organic Vegetables Texas Burger/Barbecue Flavor ($4.50 for 10 ounces). "Strong barbecue flavor." "Good texture." 7. Gardenburger Classic Greek with Kalamata Olives and Feta Cheese ($4.39 for 10 ounces). "Flavor a little too much, a little odd." "Strange taste - like spinach." 8. Boca Made with Organic Soy Garden Vegetable Burgers ($4.69 for 10 ounces). "Smells like Mexican food." "Texture was not appealing." "Meatlike texture." "Tastes stale." 9. Natural Touch Hard Rock Cafe Zesty All Natural Veggie Burgers ($4.49 for 12 ounces). "Too much carrot." "Springy texture." "Very grainy and hearty." 10. Boca Made with Organic Soy All American Classic Burgers ($4.69 for 10 ounces). This organic manifestation closely resembles the popular non-organic All American Boca Burger. You will pay perhaps a dollar more for the organic version. "Hamburgerlike, good texture." "Tastes like a hamburger." Harmony Farms Soy Burger Original ($3.58 for 10 ounces). "Weird texture, too dry." "Looked like a hamburger." "Rough texture, hard to chew." 11. Boca Made with Organic Soy Roasted Onion Burgers ($4.69 for 10 ounces). "Another bad imitation hamburger." "Ugh." "Smell was not appealing." Gardenburger Meatless Flame Grilled Hamburger Style ($4.49 for 10 ounces). "Too smoky." "Tastes like a cheap, dry school lunch hamburger." 12. Simple Soyman Toaster Burgers, Original ($4.19 for 9 ounces) "Rubbery." "Bland." "Flat tasting." In addition to this monthly feature, Anne Schamberg also writes On Wine, which runs the first and third Sundays in Entree.
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