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Expert Q&A
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| By Dawn Wise Dawn Wise Chef Author: The Online Cookbook, Wise Publications | ||
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I'm trying to eat really well this pregnancy and cut back on meat and will be testing my mettle at a barbecue we have coming up. We're supposed to bring our own meat, and I'm thinking of bringing veggie burgers. What kind are the best, what are they made of, and do they taste at all like hamburgers or am I up for a new taste treat?
While frozen vegetarian burger patties are approximately the same shape and size as the equivalent hamburger, the resemblance often ends there. Among the burgers which do attempt to duplicate hamburger texture and flavor, are Boca Burgers, Gardenburger Hamburger Style and Morningstar Farms Better N' Burgers. Such patties are usually made of soy protein.
Original style Gardenburgers are made of grains, mushrooms and cheese. Gourmet flavored versions are also available. In addition to Better N' Burgers, Morningstar Farms offers a variety of burgers, including Spicy Black Bean and Garden Veggie Patties. Green Giant's Harvest Burgers are comparable in quality to the Morningstar Farms line.
Personally, I would recommend a Gardenburger or other burger which makes no pretense of being a hamburger. My reasoning? Because, to a meat eater, vegetarian burgers may seem like undesirable fakes when in sight and smelling distance of the real thing and for that reason you may be more satisfied with a Gardenburger. If you do prefer a more hamburger like patty, Boca Burgers have a slight edge on the competition.
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