Did the Impossible Veggie Burger Pass the NY Times' Test?

Veggie burgers have long been popular among those who have forsaken meat from their diets. With a little help from a Silicon Valley tech startup, however, meatless patties may soon also crossover to an audience of carnivores. At least that's the goal of Patrick Brown, founder and CEO of Impossible Foods. According to Brown, a former biochemistry professor at Stanford, his company can create delicious meat without using animals.

That claim was recently put to the test when food critic George Motz sat down at the trendy New York restaurant Momofuku Nishi to try the Impossible Burger. The meal may have looked typical — a patty topped with cheese, lettuce and tomato and served on a white bun. However, this burger has the potential to fundamentally change meat production.

Brown's meatless product includes many ingredients commonly found in beef alternatives, including wheat, coconut oil and potatoes. In order to create a more realistic taste and texture, the scientists at Impossible Foods added an iron-rich molecule called "heme" to the mix. This "secret" ingredient gives the uncooked patty a pink hue that looks similar to raw meat. The Impossible Burger will also cook, sizzle and even bleed just like a traditional beef patty. Brown claims that heme, which is found inside animal tissue, provides the blood taste that burger eaters love. His scientists are able to produce this molecule in bulk by using fermented yeast.

To Brown, a vegetarian for 40 years, developing a successful meat substitute is about more than just preventing the slaughter of billions of animals. The meat industry puts a major strain on the environment by taking over farmland, releasing greenhouse gasses, utilizing fossil fuels and polluting waterways. According to the Water Footprint Network, one pound of beef requires nearly 1,800 gallons of water for feed irrigation, drinking and processing.

From the outset, Impossible Foods has been about finding a solution to this problem of sustainability. Apparently, many investors believe that consumers will eventually become more receptive to meat substitutes. Impossible Foods has already raised more than $180 million from backers such as Google Ventures, Bill Gates and UBS.

Brown knows that in order for the Impossible Burger to succeed, it will have to attract meat eaters who aren't necessarily interested in saving cows or reducing their carbon footprints. That's why the opinion of Motz, a respected "hamburger expert," is so important. For now, Motz is not convinced. While granting that the Impossible Burger is better than many beef alternatives, he said it doesn't taste quite like real meat. The ultimate verdict was that it lacked the greasy texture and taste of a traditional burger.

Undaunted by the opinion of Motz, Brown claims that this is just the beginning of the Impossible Burger. His team is continuing to improve the formula and has recently begun offering it in more restaurants. In an informal tasting session conducted by the New York Times, the Impossible Burger got many positive reactions. According to Brown, blind taste tests have shown that many people can't differentiate between his product and a real burger.