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Looks may fool, but taste doesn't
By KATHY SAUNDERS
Published June 21, 2006
To our panelists, veggie burgers are one of those foods that sound better than they taste. We sampled five brands of meatless patties and had similar reactions. The "burgers" were made of textured vegetable protein or soy protein. One was made with cooked brown rice. We prepared all of them according to package directions, on the grill or stove. The favorite was MorningStar Farms $2.99 for four. Panelists gave this brand 54 out of 100 points. Three judges said they would buy this brand. Another was noncommittal. MorningStar looked the most like a regular hamburger. A couple of judges said they probably could eat it with the traditional burger fixings piled high. "These glisten like they were sprayed with real grease," said one panelist. "It tastes like turkey sausage and has a texture like tearing into real meat." Another detected a beefy flavor. Gardenburger's original veggie burger ($2.50 for four) placed second. Judges gave it 52 points, but only one said she would buy the brand. "I love the rice grains in it," she said. "I want a toasted bun." Others objected to a garlic flavor and the "somewhat chewy" texture. "It looks like lawn clippings, but it isn't as bad," said another. The third pick was the Boca meatless burger ($2.99 for four), which got 49 points. The one judge who said he would buy the Boca burgers said it looked the most like a grilled beef burger. "These are yummy, and they could definitely pass as real burgers," he said. The other panelists weren't so convinced. "It looks like a burger, but that's all," said one judge. Another described it as "health food meatloaf." Taster's Choice also sampled meatless burgers from Amy's ($4.89 for four patties) and Publix Green Wise ($2 for four). Panelists were: Nan Jensen, registered dietitian with the Pinellas County Cooperative Extension Service; Bob Devin Jones, artistic director of Studio@620 personal chef Julie Overton; Gary Kawalec, chef-owner of Tampa Bay Supper Club in Safety Harbor; and Jim Yockey, aesthetician at Indulgence Medical Day Spa in St. Petersburg. All foods were tasted blind. Send suggestions for product testing to Taste section, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 or e-mail them to krieta@sptimes.com Please put TEST SUGGESTION in the subject line. To read past Taster's Choice columns, go to www.sptimes.com/food. VEGGIE BURGER Rankings No. 1: Morningstar Farms No. 2: Gardenburger No. 3: Boca
[Last modified June 20, 2006, 09:55:29]
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