Faux Meat Tasting

[Guest guest]

On Oct. 20 we did a fantastic faux meat-tasting event, with a goal of finding

out which faux meats appeal to the most people. We had about 40 guests, most of

whom were meat-eaters. We offered 13 different vegan " meats, " all widely

available in one or more chain grocery stores (Trader Joe's, Whole Foods,

Safeway, etc.).

 

We sampled 4 kinds of burger, 4 kinds of hot dog, 4 kinds of chicken, and some

BBQ ribs. Each person scored the meats with a rating from 1 (awful) to 7

(great). Here are all 13 meats with their average scores (listed from most liked

to least liked):

 

1. Morningstar Hickory BBQ Riblets (6.1) OVERALL WINNER

2. Boca Original Chik'n Patties (5.3)

3. Vegetarian Plus Vegan Half Chicken (5.3)

4. Amy's California Veggie Burger (4.1)

5. It's All Good Chick'n Filets (4.1)

6. Boca Original Vegan burger (4.1)

7. Morningstar Grillers Vegan burger (4.0)

8. Yves Hot Dog (3.6)

9. Gardenburger Flame-Grilled burger (3.5)

10. Morningstar Meal Starters Chik'n Strips (3.2)

11. Yves Tofu Dog (2.8)

12. Lightlife Smart Dogs (2.2)

13. Lightlife Tofu Pups (2.2)

 

The clear winner was the Morningstar riblets. Faux chicken was well-liked, the

burgers got average scores, and the hot dogs were the least popular (although we

suspect that the burgers and hot dogs might have scored better if they were

served with buns and all the fixin's). We finished off with Maggie Mudd's vegan

ice cream and gave everyone a list of stores that carry each of the faux meats.

 

Many of the meat-eaters at this event were pleasantly surprised at how tasty

faux meats can be. We're already planning to do a vegan food giveaway with the

riblets! (Thanks to superstars Alex, Kristie, Drew, Jeff, Henry, Dan, Deedra,

Jaci, Mark, and Michelle, who made this event happen!)

-Lisa

lisa.towell