The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2019 is in full swing in Las Vegas. While smart home technology, televisions and wearable tech takes center stage, many surprising innovations are grabbing media attention. Take, for instance, the latest iteration of an Inhabitat favorite — the Impossible Burger. We tried the newest recipe from Impossible at this year’s CES; keep reading for our thoughts.
Delicious in tacos or served as a classic burger, the Impossible Burger has become a favorite for vegetarians and vegans since its inception in 2016. Now, the company is debuting a new and improved recipe that boasts a flavor and texture identical to meat with a smaller impact on our planet than its animal-based counterpart.
Related: Impossible Burgers to hit grocery stores in 2019
The new recipe is gluten-free and remains free of animal hormones or antibiotics. The kosher-and halal-certified “meat” will please a wide array of people with dietary restrictions. In addition to its striking resemblance in taste and texture to meat, a serving of the new Impossible Burger offers the same amount of bioavailable protein and iron as a serving of traditional ground beef. It also boasts 30 percent less sodium and 40 percent less saturated fat than the original recipe. The original recipe used wheat in its ingredients, while the new burger is made with soy.
We tasted the first round of patties made with the new recipe at Las Vegas’ Border Grill. Executive chef Mike Minor praised the meat substitute, mentioning the smell and flavor of the new Impossible Burger is “addicting” to himself and his fellow chefs. With this in mind, we couldn’t wait to dig in.
Our burger was cooked medium well and looked shockingly identical to a real beef patty cooked the same way. We could already see the juiciness and charred bits before taking a bite, but we were still surprised with how delicious the burger was. It tasted like a high-end burger made from animal protein — it was juicy, tender and full of flavor. As we all know, meat has a huge carbon footprint. With a meat alternative that mimics real meat so closely, the Impossible Burger could transition hardcore meat eaters to a plant-based alternative that saves water, energy and animal lives without compromising the distinct flavor and texture that so many other alternatives miss the mark on.
The new recipe is rolling out to select restaurants starting Jan. 8, 2019 and will hit grocery store shelves later this year.
Images via Impossible
