I love your analogies, "its like bacon in black & white", or "Its kind of like bacon that's really far away". It's shocking how well this gets the idea across lol
That last one made me laugh and think of that one guy who tried explain laCroix water "it's like drinking lightly carbonated water when someone drives buy on a bike and screams the name of a fruit really loud." I kept using that one to describe bland stuff lol
*Afterthoughts & Addenda* That last rasher* from this pack, I cooked the next day, after rubbing it with a little smoked paprika and extra salt. This was an improvement. *('rasher' is just the word for a slice of bacon.) *The bread contains yeast* - this does not make it non-vegan. Yeast is still not an animal.
I wonder how much of muted flavours are a result of it not being acceptable and/or manufacturers not being allowed to add as much salts and saturated fats as you you find in a rasher of regular bacon?
You should have used as the title "Plant Based Bacon Rashers not as apertising as poo" LOL. I do get it from an evironment POV, Living with a veggie i eat veggie/vegan regularly.
Roughly 3 year vegan here: Always appreciate the honesty on these, it gets harder and harder to grasp the accuracy of these products the longer you go without the real thing and the craving for meat-esque products is something I no longer experience to be honest. Never been compelled to try this one, always just looks like it's made of plastic for a movie set or something.
Defo. I was a vegetarian for 4ish years (not sure exactly because I don't keep count, but I think it was about 2016) and went vegan about a year ago (should have been sooner). When I try these vegan alternatives, I could swear blindly they taste just like the real thing, but when I ask my meat eating family to try them, they say they can tell. Not sure how much that is subconscious and how much is fact though.
Its almost impossible to get close to a real meat texture. But there are a few mushroom and fungus types that do a very convincing impression of chicken and provide the right texture. Adding a smoked flavour would help with the illusion of bacon as well. Iv always wanted to try liquid smoke which is a smoke flavour additive more common in the us than it is here in the uk. But there are tutorials on youtube that show people how to make their own liquid smoke. It literally is what it says on the bottle as well as its made by spraying the wood coals (different woods = different flavours) with water and then allowing the heat to evaportate and condense that water which traps the smoke wood flavour...... Or just use smoked paprika lol. Thats a staple spice in my cupboard
Why do vegans/vegetarians want meat type products? That's like me wanting a steak made out of carrots.🤣 no but seriously why would you want anything resembling a meat product?
@@edmundblackaddercoc8522 I'm not vegan, but I heard that just because someone is vegan or vegetarian, it doesn't mean that they didn't like the flavor of meat.
@swanningabout The LOL, as I interpret it, is in reference to the comment, not the response to AS's poo joke (i.e. making the comment is also laughable, not just Mike's comment.) Thanks for letting us all know you are slow AND lack a generous spirit.
You should try the Richmond vegan bacon next - also the obvious answer to 'Why?' is, a lot of vegans aren't against the taste of meat, just the process in which it got there. Many vegans spent many years of their life's eating meat so having products like this help them to transition
Yep, and also a lot of traditional British food is based around meat so it's good to be able to just swap the meat for an alternative. It's not about reinventing the wheel and rejecting society....it's just about not eating meat!
I was also going to recommend Richmond vegan bacon. It actually crisps up quite nicely when you fry it. Once in a roll with brown sauce it’s quite nice. I do eat meat, just nice to cut down sometimes.
As someone who also doesn't eat meat I agree. I quite liked eating *some* meats. I just didn't like the process it took to get on my plate for several reasons. Even if fake meat is clearly not meat, I don't mind because it serves the same purpose for me, to eat something different. So not only do fake meat products provide an outlet for vegans/vegetarians to eat something quite similar, it also provides a bridge for those who just want to try it, who normally eat meat
@@bearmugs1408 Also there are people who are not able to eat meat. I have known a couple of people who had a genetic disorders that made them unable to digest animal fats. There's also alpha-gal syndrome from tick bites that causes allergy to most mammal meat.
Vegan here. Meat taste fucking good, no denying that. So if I can get something that taste like meat, atleast enough, without the animal element, yeah I'll eat it.
As a fellow non-vegan I really enjoy your reviews of vegan substitutes. While I prefer meat and don’t plan to stop eating it anytime soon, if some substitutes are decent enough I’d be more than happy to replace them from time to time, that can’t hurt.
I'm not vegan nor even vegetarian, but I love some vegetarian products-- black bean burgers are my favorite. In general, I prefer meat-sub products that don't try to taste like meat... but then, I don't have a craving to satisfy, so I guess that's a wash. Also I've started looking into vegan meat/etc because I've got high cholesterol, and have found that some-- though by no means all-- meat subs are lower in fat & cholesterol. Not cheap enough to be a staple in my healthier diet, but a good bit of variety.
Benny Bennerson I thought the same way as you for decades. That there was some perfect correlation between how ethically concerning I thought a food was, and how bad it was for you. Like it had all been planned that way; like nature was "testing" us somehow. But the real world isn't like that in other ways, and I no longer think it is in this way either.
I like foraging stuff, and there's this one mushroom that has a flavor reminiscent of bacon. I've had it a few times, and it's very tasty, even though it smells kinda sketchy when you pick them lol... That mushroom is the milk-cap! Maybe you can try and make your own fake bacon from it!? It's not a common mushroom here where I live, but Wikipedia claims they're also found in the UK.
Would that be the safron milk cap? Iv always found them to have a slightly gritty texture. Also its the only mushroom iv foraged where i gave myself the only panic attack iv ever had the misfortune to experience by thinking i poisioned myself. Never again will i google for toxic lookalikes after iv consumed something lol. I have it on good authoritity that they pickle very well though and are more commonly eaten that way in eastern european countries
You probberly could, the problem tho is that to get anywhere near a meat texture you would need a extruder (same way the pee protiens are pushed into form) Whether or not extruded-made products are healthy is still in debate, as its not longer a raw food product but prosseded food product.
lol go ask an Orthodox Christian. We swing back and forth between vegetarian, vegan, pescetarian, and occasionally omnivore depending on time of year and day of the week. :)
3 year vegan followed by 3 year vegetarian here: These "meat-replacement" products aren't really tailored towards longterm vegetarians or vegans but rather: The rest of the population. People that just started eating no or less meat often have a hard time adapting to full-vegan/vegetarian dishes, so they would buy these meat-replacement products and cook their usual "meat" dishes, simply replacing the meat with these "meatless" products.
@@JamieTwells mainly for an increase in convinience towards myself and my family. Aside from the additional time you need to invest in buying and preparing your personal food, if you are in a hurry or just living spontainious you can't exactly walk into any random bakery or restaurant and expect them to always offer something vegan. (At least in germany)
@@JamieTwells I was young and still living with my parents. Changing my diet to veganism gave me full control over my mealtimes and their content. The restrictions aren't that bad if you can do your own shopping and regulary cook for yourself. I imagine the mindset of always preparing your own food for the day before you leave for school/job isn't that different from someone with serious food allergies, just a matter of getting used to it and accepting it as normality.
"These "meat-replacement" products aren't really tailored towards longterm vegetarians or vegans but rather: The rest of the population." I like that. Back when I was a vegetarian, I don't remember feeling compelled to eat fake-meat-that-wasn't meat. I just didn't eat meat, and never imagined that someone might produce a fake meat substitute for me. On rare occasions, I might feel like having a burger, or some sausage, so I did. It was not an, "either - or ELSE" proposition for me. It still isn't. Sometimes I don't eat meat, sometimes I do. The notion that you must be ONLY one or the other escapes me.
I actually really appreciate your vegan videos! I'm a vegan for almost 3 years myself and I really appreciate the honestly and the thought process. It's awesome that you include these types of videos!
Did you also slap ya knee? Did your eyes also bulge out your eyes? Did you hover off the floor for a few seconds in disbelief? Why do people need to lie about spitting their drink everywhere? Are you constantly guzzling down liquids?
Genuinely loving these videos for all their qualities. Not just the item being reviewed, but also your attitude towards both the product and the review process and your choice of tablecloth.
I like these but I haven't eaten meat in years so I'm not really making a direct comparison. They taste nice with cheese in a toasted sandwich. The one complaint I have is that the 'rind' seems to just be decoration and doesn't taste any different from the rest of the 'meat'.
these taste almost exactly like frazzles crisps with the softness of corned beef (unless you get them fully crispy), a good substitute for sure but not quite as close as, for e.g., vg chicken
I like how honest they are about not being quite there, as someone trying to cut down on eating meat I hate it when companies claim that it's exactly like the real thing when it's just not when you actually eat it.
I once tried a bacon substitute based on seaweed from a company called 'Seamore food' and their way of going about emulating the taste of bacon was to basically salt something already dry. Maybe not the most nutritious, but it had some of that same pan burn taste, even if it was a completely different texture. I mostly stopped it eating it because after the novelty wore off, having 'bacon' on toast every morning got a bit samey. It did go near enough for my taste for the short while I used it and unlike bacon it didn't feel so heavy in stomach for the next hour. Fun thing about that one is that the weed starts as purple, but frying it in oil made it turn green.
I’m a lifelong vegetarian of 44 years. I’ve tried this bacon before & it’s rare for me to take a strong dislike to a veggie product. This one ended up in the bin quicker than you could say “rubbish.”
Phahahaha this made me laugh too much. I'm a 4 years vegan, thought they were a bit rank. Tasted like salty carpet to me, but it still doesn't make me miss bacon! 🙃
@@meagnelhug9976 - You’ve got it spot on by calling it rank. It should be rebranded as naked with extra rank lol. I’ve no idea how they managed to make a product taste so bad.
Your description of the bacon being like a black and white photo of bacon reminds me of my husband's description of a book versus movie based on a book. He described the book as a great hot dog, while the movie is like the leftover hot dog water from boiling them. Just cold hit dog water...
I've recently been dabbling with vegan/ vegetarian products as I've been having stomach issues and was curious to see if it made a difference (I don't think I'll ever go fully vegan/ veggie though), and some of them really aren't bad. There's a quorn vegan "ham" which is actually super impressive in a sandwich. Like they said, they're getting there.
My fiance is vegetarian, and I'm a meat eater, but we get Morning Star "bacon" all the time (We call it Fakin' Bacon haha) and while it's not a complete replacement for me, I honestly love them. I make BLTs for us both all the time. I like the texture when they're golden brown, it's a nice little crisp.
That's the best fake bacon on the market. Their meatless crumbles are really good too-just add whatever spices or sauces as ya would meat and enjoy. Stay safe and be well. 👍✌
Morningstar fake bacon is like if you took bacon and dialed it *up.* I also enjoy the stuff; would be interesting seeing it in one of these Philosophical Omnivore Meat Substitute Reviews.
I am in Germany, and semi meat eater, but there is a vegan fish over here that is actually pretty good when it's friend, also chicken nuggets (vegan). I think it's mostly made from mycelium and soy. The fish actually fries easier than the real thing, and I found that by slipping some brown sugar and spices into the frying oil it actually adds a sweet crispy flavor. If you are interested, I'll let you know the companies, but I'm not sure if they would be found in your area.
As to whether vegans would like products like this, it really depends on the vegan (I'm not one, but live with one and know a few), but I'd guess that most wouldn't (either due to not 'missing' meat to begin with, or disliking the encouragement of consumption of products that look like meat, which still keeps meat on the minds of people). These products are really targeting a different market - omnivores who are looking to reduce intake of meat (especially processed meats and red meat) for health reasons. I like meat quite a bit, but still use 'fake' meat as a frequent protein source. Some of them are actually quite good.
For me, the wheat gluten and maltodextrin would irritate my digestive system. I would like to try plant based foods, but the gums and starches are trouble for me. I really enjoy your assessments of these various foods, plant based or not. I especially like your "weird stuff in a can" series.
I have been using oyster mushroom stripes as a substitute for bacon in sandwiches. They get nice and crispy and go well together with the rest of the ingredients
It was indeed interesting, thanks Mike :) I've not tried any meat alternatives, but it's always cool to get honest reviews of such things, like the "impossible burger" that was all the rage when it was launched.
Thanks for this one Mike. Brilliantly informative and helpful for those of us who might like to try fake bacon. Also the hilariously funny Eva’s little walk on part. Her eyes just make you melt, and she’s so gentle. But another reason that people may like to know - is that some of us simply can’t digest meat from animals and we get by with all the usual tofu, lentils, Tempeh, nuts and seeds, etc. but this kind of thing is nice for a change and if you don’t eat the real thing, then your taste buds change and accept the slightly dulled down black and white version of flavours! Haha - it’s all good. Anyway, I’m grateful that you go to so much trouble with your fakin’ tastin’ videos. Always fun - keep up the good work.
There's another fake bacon test coming this week - I didn't intend to do another so soon, but I saw something in the supermarket that looked really quite bacon-like in the visuals
Just a thought but perhaps add a bit of "liquid smoke" to the pan when frying up fake bacon (facon?) To help mimic the curing flavor. Do not recall the the brand here in the states though.
I've never tried plant-based bacon, but I have tried plant-based burgers. I sometimes prefer Impossible Burgers and Beyond Burgers (over actual ground beef burgers) since they are less greasy. They taste fine to me, don't taste exactly like meat, but still taste good enough that I like eating them. I do eat meat, just sometimes, I like trying different stuff and less greasy stuff.
The thing that is interesting to me is, I am not a vegan, but I eat a lot of things meant to replace meat, and I find that my palate is slowly starting to "tune out" some flavors that are common among some fake meat products. Like that typical pea protein flavor is starting to become less obvious as it fades to the background as I eat it more often.
I think its fun to eat something that is plant based, I feel lighter after eating plant based. I do not think I will stop eating animal products but cutting down is better than doing nothing on an environmental standpoint.
@@rucker69 A report published in The Lancet in 2019 concluded that a dietary shift toward plant foods and away from animal products is vital for promoting the health of our planet. ... A global shift to a plant-based diet could reduce mortality and greenhouse gases caused by food production by 10% and 70%, respectively, by 2050.
I LOVE how you saved a bit & gave it to your 'dog' for a second opinion. I'm not vegetarian anymore (but was for decade+, rarely eat meat now; but got myself so I didn't feel sick if food was cooked with animal fats so separate saucepans etc weren't required), but I recall trying to feed my Dad vegetarian sausages I love (nut meat), and my Dad gave one to the dog; the dog didn't eat it... My Dad said he'd use the dog in future for my testing my *meat-like* products.
@AmericaDeservesBetter All I can find is that, according to WHO, genuine bacon is carcinogenic (cancer-causing) and that people are switching to vegan/vegetarian bacon as a replacement. I can find nothing about bacon replacements having cancer-causing chemicals. If you have a source, please do provide it.
4:48 - I'll be that next guy and recommend another Polish mayonnaise; Kielecki - the flavour is much stronger in that one, I'd say it's a more zesty mayonnaise that goes really well with tomatoes (try just having a plain bap with that mayo and a slice of tomato... works too well, even without seasoning on the tomato). 7:30 - Made me laugh so hard, gotta love Eva and your approach as usual
Nice to see something that’s not soya or nuts. I would like to reduce my meat consumption but I’m very limited what I can eat and meat is one of those things. Glad they are doing these products. Hope they keep trying.
Atomic Shrimp, I've never even heard of "Brown Sauce". What is it? What does it taste like? Also, I know you didn't ask but, I don't put ketchup(or is it catsup?) on my bacon sandwiches, I put hot sauce.
always impressed by your videos, I really wish more people would be as open minded as you are where vegan/veggy food is concerned. I know so many people in real life (and sadly the comments section here bares this out) that are not and will never try vegan products on principle. honest videos like this really help open the debate and show what is possible.
I haven't eaten meat for nearly 40 years so I don't remember what bacon tastes like, but I do like this fake bacon. The reason why many vegans eat meat substitutes is because they like meat but don't like eating animals, and it's also nice to have something to chew.
Just a tip.. if using cherry tomatoes in a sandwich, try them next to the bread with full leaf of lettuce on other side. Keeps them from sliding as much. I only grow cherry tomatoes, and all colors are delish in BLT sandwiches. Interesting review I prefer morning star farms sausage and bacon. NOT over the real deal. Thanks, Mike for entertaining information! You'd be a great teacher! You ARE a great teacher. Oxford, Ohio USA
As always, love every one of your eclectic videos! 😍 Please, can you (Or have you done) an *Impossible Meat* test? (To me, the *Best* replacement meat out there- not kidding! The others don't stand close to it (for ground beef dishes.. ie hamburgers etc)
I found pan frying kalamata olives until they're crispy was a good alternative to the bacon flavour as a vegetarian. The other secret is to add a bit more oil to a dish, most vegetarian dishes have low fat so any strong flavours aren't carried around your mouth as well.
Lovely review! Especially including day Two and making a straight up vegan dish for comparison. I‘m not vegan or vegetarian, but I‘m happy to find meatless alternatives from time to time. Love your content and keep up the great work! Btw - what kind of a breed is Eva? She‘s adorable and looks kind of like my former pup Grizzi.
Hi, your friendly neighborhood vegan here to answer any genuine questions commenters have. I've been doing it for 12 years so I'm quite well versed. If you just want to leave abusive comments please don't waste your time, I won't rise to them.
The rule for me has always been if it's a meat only roll you are having, like bacon and sausage for example then it's brown sauce. However if you introduce anything else to a bacon roll like a fried egg, potato scone etc. it needs to be tomato sauce.
As a Vegetarian, I sometimes eat fake meat because I do like the taste of meat, but not the thought of eating animals. It's an ethical issue to me. I wish I could say I stopped eating meat for health reasons, but I just didn't want to protect one kind of animals (pets/cute animals) and eat the "ugly" ones. 😸
Going vegan, frozen and fresh peas are my favorite food. If I’m going to have that protein anyway I might as well just make peas. Small ball shapes makes them cool pretty well, although the fake bacon seems like a novel idea.
wow they really nailed the looks of that "bacon", and it seems pretty delicious after cooking too wish we had that around here, I know meat substitutes are never as good but I'm super interested in trying out all the weird experimental plant-based "meat-like" foods
ever other youtuber would have cut the video with the dog taste test. Good enough, honest review with a little doggy bonus. BUT NO You have an insane commitment to quality and thoroughness. You slept on it and gave it another trying. For our benefit. You had me laughing outload at the bacan but far away part. You are making some of best content on this platform.
It might just be that the texture is easier to imitate, but plant based ground beef tastes just as good as the real thing to me. I'll have to try the bacon.
Even before I became vegetarian (30 years ago) bacon wasn't high on the list of things I ate because I found it to be too salty. I think you've convinced me that 'dialed down bacon' might be quite nice.
As a vegan, it depends can be a help to ease transition to vegan. People are vegan for several reasons, environmental impact of meat farming or animal cruelty. So they may like the taste of meat but don’t like hurting animals or environmental impact .. hope that helps 😊
@@BrunodeSouzaLino the majority of crops go into producing food for farm animals, specially soy. Also lots of vegans are against big agriculture because of the impact it has on the environment.
Food scientists : "We spent years of research and experimenting to make this fake meat product as similar to the original as possible" Also food scientists: * stirs some oatmeal into a water * "Look everybody, it's milk" lol
@@elfpi55-bigB0O85 I like it on it's own, but sadly my attempt replacing the milk in my coffe didn't work out. After getting nauseous a few times sadly now the smell alone makes me gag. I hope for improvement, not that i'm against the concept ;)
great balanced review. I'm not a veggy, but appreciate their view. I'd wager that if they added the salts etc to make it like bacon, it would look so unhealthy on paper that no one would buy it. I think I might give it a try, if it saves a piggy or 2
I have been an avid watcher and admirer of your videos for a few years now, they are always informative, interesting and objective. I also find I can watch them more than once, sometimes coming back to them for a bit of Atomic goodness. So, I just wanted to say thanks! Also, can I suggest you change the title of this to 'Facon' ? Cheers and thanks again.
Definitely the best vegan bacon I have tried. Vegan "meat" has improved drastically over the past few years. I often buy plant based alternatives to the processed meats like bacon and sausages.
I'll be interested to see what you make of the vegan McDonald's burger when it's available. I find their normal burgers a bit disappointing, 100% beef sure sure but I'd accept 95% if the rest was spice, anything to add flavour.
I think that pea protein based fake meat is usually the worst for replicating the flavour of meat, but it is often nice in other things. Pea protein based mince is fantastic in spaghetti bolognese for example.
Price is a major factor for me. The demand for vegan alternatives has increased w/o a corresponding price drop (as far as I can tell here in the U.S.) and that is the main reason I don't try such things. I am not vegan, nor do I wish to become vegan but I still like to try new things. Thank You for your review, reviews like yours are how I normally experience such things, and your attention to the minutiae is very helpful. edit to say " I wonder if some MSG would add to the flavor of this product?"
Yeah, I don't go daft for the meat substitute stuff. I'm not vegetarian either, but I do try to eat a couple of veg only meals a week, which I definitely enjoy for they're own sake. So many tasty options for veggie cooking, and really cheap too, I enjoy them BECAUSE it's veg, not 'in spite of...' The meat substitute stuff's OK, but at this point in it's evolution that's all it is... 'OK...'... Good effort though. Cheers for the upload mate 🏴👍
As a vegan for 5 years now I'm gonna answer the "why" question, it actually is kinda obvious like you already said - Why not? We have the possibilities to do something which looks and tastes kinda like meat (of course not exactly, but it is close enough to make some people happy), but with less animal harm and in an environmental-friendler way. I think this is reason enough to say "I'm gonna take the fake meat because I personally like it as much as normal one". Other reasons are that some people want to live vegan for ethical reasons, but it's hard for them to abstaim from animal products. For the reasons mentioned above I don't get the point some people try to make with "But you are vegan, so you HAVE to abstain from everything, if you want meat, then eat real meat!!" - If there is something which makes it easier for people to live a life they are happier with, then that is great. Yes, of course it is possible to live vegan without any replacements - in that case, a vegan diet is even cheaper than a normal one. I did that for over a year, but since there are more and more possibilities each year I now like to try some of the replacements from time to time, and I don't want to miss my soy joghurt anymore :D
im pretty sure most people could answer the "why" their own if they only thought about it for a few moments. i havent seen one individual that asked it and was satisfied with an answer either which gives me the impression that they dont really ask about a reason, but state the opinion that its questionable to do. you only need to change the words with the same idea of the question to see how ridiculous it really is; "if you dont have wings, why do you want to fly?" "if you hate fur, why do you copy loincloths with cotton?" "if you shave your face, why did you become a man?"
Veganism is NOT environmentally friendly. Dont kid yourself. The machines in the factory where the ingredients are pressed together…. That place oils the machines they work with…. FOSSIL FUELS The trucks and boats that deliver the product? They run on DIESEL FUEL…. now times that X12 for the gather and shipping process of almost every ingredient that goes into this 1 product alone…. You guys just love pollution if it means you gets to imitate meat… great ethics there. You’ll end up suffocating the pigs you’ve saved with toxins from the exhaust pipes of the very vehicles that deliver this product to a shop near you… Its all so backwards, and way too easy to poke holes in. Now the question has become “why attempt to imitate meat, polluting in the process, When you could just eat vegetables and be miserable with your choice to be a vegan, and if you can’t tough it out on a diet of lettuce, why not just give it up? You dont have to eat meat every day….”
@@nicks4802 given the length and wording of your post, i assume you are one of those haters and im not in the mood to debate, but your reasoning is as stupid as it gets. the transportation you speak of? how do you think does all the soy from south america to feed the animals around the world? and surprise, the cows dont run on their own either... they get shipped around. edit deleted the last paragraph because i misunderstand. my bad.
@@nicks4802 I never said it is environmental-friendly, I said "friendlier" - that is a difference. The ecological footprint of a vegan diet normally is lower than of a normal diet. That is a fact. Inform yourself if you don't believe me. Like it was already written by Thomas Herzog, vegan food isn't the only one that gets transported. What I would like to add to their comment about the soy which gets shipped from south america: I often hear people say that vegans are so bad because they eat soy which is so bad - But in fact, the most vegans consume less soy than people eating meat, because of the immense amount of soy which is needed to produce meat (when animals eat soy, and you then eat the animal you get less kalories out of the soy in the end than if you eat it directly), and also, most vegan products (at least in my country) are from european (mostly ecological) soy, not from other continents. Yes, not all soy, and that also might be different where you live, but I actually once went to three different stores, wrote down all vegan soy products they have and looked it up - the majority was made with european soy. Think about what you write, don't believe everything you read in the internet because the internet tends to only show what's inside your own bubble of believes, go out there and check stuff yourself. And then build up an opinion. 100% environmetal friendly is no diet - that is impossible. Everything needs resources to be produced. And yes, fake meat is not as good as relying on other protein sources like beans and lentils. But I don't blame people for eating meat, so I don't see why I have to defend myself for eating a meat substitute every now and then, which has a lower ecological footprint/lower use of resources than the product it resembles.
I’ve tried this bacon before, I quite liked the flavour, but I think the plant pioneers brand tasted better. I was happy that they fortified it with b12 though, because an estimated 40 percent of people (not vegans) are déficient in b12 And in terms of why do vegans not eat meat, we still like the taste of these products but we just don’t like the process the animals have to go through for people to eat these things, so these plant meat products are a way for us to ethically enjoy the same products we like.
@John Doe I'm sorry, but as a scientist myself, you're just plain worng. It's completely impossible for plants to have emotions such as fear, they don't have a nervous system! However, even if they could suffer (the absolutley can't), it would still be far more ethical to go vegan - it takes significantly more plants to produce meat than to just eat plants directly (the energy loss between trophic layers is enormous). The overwhelming majority of crops grown by humanity are as animal feed, not as food for humans. Take soy, for example. Only 4% of global soy production is for human consumption, with the rest going to feed farm animals.
Had these last night! They are not half bad. But they did take alot longer than a couple of minutes, texture was good - better than the Quorn ones. Found them more like back rashers than crispy bacon.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
I love your analogies, "its like bacon in black & white", or "Its kind of like bacon that's really far away". It's shocking how well this gets the idea across lol
That last one made me laugh and think of that one guy who tried explain laCroix water "it's like drinking lightly carbonated water when someone drives buy on a bike and screams the name of a fruit really loud." I kept using that one to describe bland stuff lol
@@birdgirl8390 😆😆😆
You love his what 🤨😳
@@fouadabouhatab8514 You're absolutely right. *Simile
@@birdgirl8390 lol I heard a similar one where la croix tastes like someone thinking about fruit in the other room
*Afterthoughts & Addenda*
That last rasher* from this pack, I cooked the next day, after rubbing it with a little smoked paprika and extra salt. This was an improvement.
*('rasher' is just the word for a slice of bacon.)
*The bread contains yeast* - this does not make it non-vegan. Yeast is still not an animal.
Odd that it didn't have more spices, liquid smoke, etc to get it closer to actual animal bacon....
I wonder how much of muted flavours are a result of it not being acceptable and/or manufacturers not being allowed to add as much salts and saturated fats as you you find in a rasher of regular bacon?
Yes! All for plant-based foods being reviewed! Love your videos 💙🌿
I hate that word "rasher" so much! It makes me think of a rash with my food, and no thank you.
Hey, you didn't say a word about polish mayonnaise 😞
"Not the most enthusiastic endorsement from Doggo and she eats poo" 😂😂 brilliant.
10/10 😂🤣
“She eats poo…” greatest atomic shrimp quote
Deer poo is a dog delicacy
You should have used as the title "Plant Based Bacon Rashers not as apertising as poo" LOL. I do get it from an evironment POV, Living with a veggie i eat veggie/vegan regularly.
That line did give me a good laugh.
If he hadn't said it I was just about to comment the same,
@@Petertronic indeed my dog tries to have a fresh serving every morning.
Roughly 3 year vegan here: Always appreciate the honesty on these, it gets harder and harder to grasp the accuracy of these products the longer you go without the real thing and the craving for meat-esque products is something I no longer experience to be honest. Never been compelled to try this one, always just looks like it's made of plastic for a movie set or something.
Defo. I was a vegetarian for 4ish years (not sure exactly because I don't keep count, but I think it was about 2016) and went vegan about a year ago (should have been sooner). When I try these vegan alternatives, I could swear blindly they taste just like the real thing, but when I ask my meat eating family to try them, they say they can tell. Not sure how much that is subconscious and how much is fact though.
Its almost impossible to get close to a real meat texture. But there are a few mushroom and fungus types that do a very convincing impression of chicken and provide the right texture. Adding a smoked flavour would help with the illusion of bacon as well. Iv always wanted to try liquid smoke which is a smoke flavour additive more common in the us than it is here in the uk. But there are tutorials on youtube that show people how to make their own liquid smoke. It literally is what it says on the bottle as well as its made by spraying the wood coals (different woods = different flavours) with water and then allowing the heat to evaportate and condense that water which traps the smoke wood flavour...... Or just use smoked paprika lol. Thats a staple spice in my cupboard
Why do vegans/vegetarians want meat type products? That's like me wanting a steak made out of carrots.🤣 no but seriously why would you want anything resembling a meat product?
@@akoyash9964 keep your panties on, I'm asking a genuine question, if you can't help best off not saying anything ffs lol.
@@edmundblackaddercoc8522 I'm not vegan, but I heard that just because someone is vegan or vegetarian, it doesn't mean that they didn't like the flavor of meat.
“Not the greatest endorsement from doggo there… and she eats poo…” genuinely had me laughing out loud at my screen lol
You don't need to add "lol"
@@swanningabout fair comment. In my defence I think I was tired watching this at about 3 or 4 in the morning unable to sleep 🙂
@@swanningabout - The poster's name might be Lawrence, but likes it shortened to 'Lol'. Think before you make a negative comment.
@swanningabout The LOL, as I interpret it, is in reference to the comment, not the response to AS's poo joke (i.e. making the comment is also laughable, not just Mike's comment.)
Thanks for letting us all know you are slow AND lack a generous spirit.
Is it just me...or was that the look of betrayal in poor Eva’s wee eyes? 😂
Betrayal and sadness, indeed. They smell like we can be post doctorats in rocket science.
when she lifted her head with that "how dare you" spark in her eyes. She was definitely throwing daggers 🤣
"Hooman. What is this disgrace?" *sad leaves falling filter*
You should try the Richmond vegan bacon next - also the obvious answer to 'Why?' is, a lot of vegans aren't against the taste of meat, just the process in which it got there. Many vegans spent many years of their life's eating meat so having products like this help them to transition
Yep, and also a lot of traditional British food is based around meat so it's good to be able to just swap the meat for an alternative. It's not about reinventing the wheel and rejecting society....it's just about not eating meat!
I was also going to recommend Richmond vegan bacon. It actually crisps up quite nicely when you fry it. Once in a roll with brown sauce it’s quite nice. I do eat meat, just nice to cut down sometimes.
As someone who also doesn't eat meat I agree. I quite liked eating *some* meats. I just didn't like the process it took to get on my plate for several reasons. Even if fake meat is clearly not meat, I don't mind because it serves the same purpose for me, to eat something different.
So not only do fake meat products provide an outlet for vegans/vegetarians to eat something quite similar, it also provides a bridge for those who just want to try it, who normally eat meat
@@bearmugs1408 Also there are people who are not able to eat meat. I have known a couple of people who had a genetic disorders that made them unable to digest animal fats. There's also alpha-gal syndrome from tick bites that causes allergy to most mammal meat.
Vegan here. Meat taste fucking good, no denying that. So if I can get something that taste like meat, atleast enough, without the animal element, yeah I'll eat it.
As a fellow non-vegan I really enjoy your reviews of vegan substitutes. While I prefer meat and don’t plan to stop eating it anytime soon, if some substitutes are decent enough I’d be more than happy to replace them from time to time, that can’t hurt.
Have you tried Beyond sausage?
Hot Italian, bratwurst and sweet Italian are all legit. I highly highly recommend as an occasional treat.
Yeah but the meat can
@@tinyjungle_ is that a Bill Gates company?
I'm not vegan nor even vegetarian, but I love some vegetarian products-- black bean burgers are my favorite. In general, I prefer meat-sub products that don't try to taste like meat... but then, I don't have a craving to satisfy, so I guess that's a wash.
Also I've started looking into vegan meat/etc because I've got high cholesterol, and have found that some-- though by no means all-- meat subs are lower in fat & cholesterol. Not cheap enough to be a staple in my healthier diet, but a good bit of variety.
Benny Bennerson I thought the same way as you for decades. That there was some perfect correlation between how ethically concerning I thought a food was, and how bad it was for you. Like it had all been planned that way; like nature was "testing" us somehow.
But the real world isn't like that in other ways, and I no longer think it is in this way either.
I like foraging stuff, and there's this one mushroom that has a flavor reminiscent of bacon. I've had it a few times, and it's very tasty, even though it smells kinda sketchy when you pick them lol... That mushroom is the milk-cap! Maybe you can try and make your own fake bacon from it!? It's not a common mushroom here where I live, but Wikipedia claims they're also found in the UK.
Would that be the safron milk cap? Iv always found them to have a slightly gritty texture. Also its the only mushroom iv foraged where i gave myself the only panic attack iv ever had the misfortune to experience by thinking i poisioned myself. Never again will i google for toxic lookalikes after iv consumed something lol. I have it on good authoritity that they pickle very well though and are more commonly eaten that way in eastern european countries
I've heard about this mushroom before, I definitely gotta give it a go sometime
I normally just go through dumpsters when I forage for food
Also slippery jacks and relatives are very bacon-y when fried up! 😋
You probberly could, the problem tho is that to get anywhere near a meat texture you would need a extruder (same way the pee protiens are pushed into form)
Whether or not extruded-made products are healthy is still in debate, as its not longer a raw food product but prosseded food product.
As a vegetarian, I've always wanted to see someone who actually eats meat review these sorts of things.
lol go ask an Orthodox Christian. We swing back and forth between vegetarian, vegan, pescetarian, and occasionally omnivore depending on time of year and day of the week. :)
The honesty from them at the beginning was just outright cute.
3 year vegan followed by 3 year vegetarian here:
These "meat-replacement" products aren't really tailored towards longterm vegetarians or vegans but rather: The rest of the population.
People that just started eating no or less meat often have a hard time adapting to full-vegan/vegetarian dishes, so they would buy these meat-replacement products and cook their usual "meat" dishes, simply replacing the meat with these "meatless" products.
Why did you stop being vegan?
@@JamieTwells mainly for an increase in convinience towards myself and my family.
Aside from the additional time you need to invest in buying and preparing your personal food, if you are in a hurry or just living spontainious you can't exactly walk into any random bakery or restaurant and expect them to always offer something vegan. (At least in germany)
@@anduin9141 did you not realise you'd be restricting what you could buy before going vegan? What made you go vegan initially?
@@JamieTwells I was young and still living with my parents. Changing my diet to veganism gave me full control over my mealtimes and their content.
The restrictions aren't that bad if you can do your own shopping and regulary cook for yourself.
I imagine the mindset of always preparing your own food for the day before you leave for school/job isn't that different from someone with serious food allergies, just a matter of getting used to it and accepting it as normality.
"These "meat-replacement" products aren't really tailored towards longterm vegetarians or vegans but rather: The rest of the population."
I like that.
Back when I was a vegetarian, I don't remember feeling compelled to eat fake-meat-that-wasn't meat.
I just didn't eat meat, and never imagined that someone might produce a fake meat substitute for me.
On rare occasions, I might feel like having a burger, or some sausage, so I did.
It was not an, "either - or ELSE" proposition for me.
It still isn't. Sometimes I don't eat meat, sometimes I do.
The notion that you must be ONLY one or the other escapes me.
I actually really appreciate your vegan videos! I'm a vegan for almost 3 years myself and I really appreciate the honestly and the thought process. It's awesome that you include these types of videos!
That she eats poo line caught me completely off guard, I newly spat my drink out all over the floor! 😂
Did you also slap ya knee? Did your eyes also bulge out your eyes? Did you hover off the floor for a few seconds in disbelief? Why do people need to lie about spitting their drink everywhere? Are you constantly guzzling down liquids?
@@MrBaronCabronI did all of the above.
omg your dog had me in stitches. that look of betrayal like "I can't believe you've done this" hahaha
Heh. Eva's reaction was like she's just trying it to not hurt your feelings. XD
Genuinely loving these videos for all their qualities. Not just the item being reviewed, but also your attitude towards both the product and the review process and your choice of tablecloth.
I like these but I haven't eaten meat in years so I'm not really making a direct comparison. They taste nice with cheese in a toasted sandwich. The one complaint I have is that the 'rind' seems to just be decoration and doesn't taste any different from the rest of the 'meat'.
these taste almost exactly like frazzles crisps with the softness of corned beef (unless you get them fully crispy), a good substitute for sure but not quite as close as, for e.g., vg chicken
..."something almost, but not quite entirely unlike tea"
It looks like a giant frazzle aswell.
Oh man i love frazzels. Also love that mayo
do they repeat on you like Frazzles? because that's something I can do without.
I like how honest they are about not being quite there, as someone trying to cut down on eating meat I hate it when companies claim that it's exactly like the real thing when it's just not when you actually eat it.
I love your illustrations on the faintness of the beaconishness of the product. Humorous while all the narration was so refreshingly sober.
Oh we need a week of vegan novelty items - like a taste test kind of thing! Maybe like what people claim to be the best vegan alternatives tested.
I once tried a bacon substitute based on seaweed from a company called 'Seamore food' and their way of going about emulating the taste of bacon was to basically salt something already dry. Maybe not the most nutritious, but it had some of that same pan burn taste, even if it was a completely different texture. I mostly stopped it eating it because after the novelty wore off, having 'bacon' on toast every morning got a bit samey. It did go near enough for my taste for the short while I used it and unlike bacon it didn't feel so heavy in stomach for the next hour.
Fun thing about that one is that the weed starts as purple, but frying it in oil made it turn green.
Maybe you should try and see if you can make a fake vegan bacon
Wouldn’t that just be, I don’t know, bacon? Lol
@@changliu7346 I guess it would be more like a black and white photograph of bacon, a long way off in the distance!
I’m a lifelong vegetarian of 44 years. I’ve tried this bacon before & it’s rare for me to take a strong dislike to a veggie product. This one ended up in the bin quicker than you could say “rubbish.”
Phahahaha this made me laugh too much.
I'm a 4 years vegan, thought they were a bit rank. Tasted like salty carpet to me, but it still doesn't make me miss bacon! 🙃
@@meagnelhug9976 - You’ve got it spot on by calling it rank. It should be rebranded as naked with extra rank lol. I’ve no idea how they managed to make a product taste so bad.
@@adesportgt shut up and do some research
@@adesportgt - Without any context it’s easy to make assumptions. How about you ask me instead assuming brainwashing?
Same - was a nope from me 😫
Doggo gave you the look like "Dude this is NOT bacon, who you trying to fool? But Im eating it anyway."
Your description of the bacon being like a black and white photo of bacon reminds me of my husband's description of a book versus movie based on a book. He described the book as a great hot dog, while the movie is like the leftover hot dog water from boiling them. Just cold hit dog water...
I've recently been dabbling with vegan/ vegetarian products as I've been having stomach issues and was curious to see if it made a difference (I don't think I'll ever go fully vegan/ veggie though), and some of them really aren't bad. There's a quorn vegan "ham" which is actually super impressive in a sandwich. Like they said, they're getting there.
I would call this product “Facon”.
I would call it garbage
@@dipacalypsee that’s the name of my new perfume except it’s said with a French accent to make it sound sexy
@@mrphatmunkeyspew6969 thats some nice marketing skills
@@dipacalypsee I do what I can sir I’m just trying to hold things together and make my mark in this wonderful world
My fiance is vegetarian, and I'm a meat eater, but we get Morning Star "bacon" all the time (We call it Fakin' Bacon haha) and while it's not a complete replacement for me, I honestly love them. I make BLTs for us both all the time. I like the texture when they're golden brown, it's a nice little crisp.
That's the best fake bacon on the market. Their meatless crumbles are really good too-just add whatever spices or sauces as ya would meat and enjoy. Stay safe and be well. 👍✌
Morningstar fake bacon is like if you took bacon and dialed it *up.* I also enjoy the stuff; would be interesting seeing it in one of these Philosophical Omnivore Meat Substitute Reviews.
I am in Germany, and semi meat eater, but there is a vegan fish over here that is actually pretty good when it's friend, also chicken nuggets (vegan). I think it's mostly made from mycelium and soy. The fish actually fries easier than the real thing, and I found that by slipping some brown sugar and spices into the frying oil it actually adds a sweet crispy flavor. If you are interested, I'll let you know the companies, but I'm not sure if they would be found in your area.
Their sausages aren't terrible either, my ex was vegetarian, so Boca-Burgers were a staple at that time.
@@lovingbeast5045 mmm vegan fish friend :P
“Tastes like a black and white photograph of bacon” is just the perfect description in so many ways lol!
The dog's reaction says it all 😂
As to whether vegans would like products like this, it really depends on the vegan (I'm not one, but live with one and know a few), but I'd guess that most wouldn't (either due to not 'missing' meat to begin with, or disliking the encouragement of consumption of products that look like meat, which still keeps meat on the minds of people). These products are really targeting a different market - omnivores who are looking to reduce intake of meat (especially processed meats and red meat) for health reasons. I like meat quite a bit, but still use 'fake' meat as a frequent protein source. Some of them are actually quite good.
For me, the wheat gluten and maltodextrin would irritate my digestive system. I would like to try plant based foods, but the gums and starches are trouble for me. I really enjoy your assessments of these various foods, plant based or not. I especially like your "weird stuff in a can" series.
I have been using oyster mushroom stripes as a substitute for bacon in sandwiches. They get nice and crispy and go well together with the rest of the ingredients
It was indeed interesting, thanks Mike :) I've not tried any meat alternatives, but it's always cool to get honest reviews of such things, like the "impossible burger" that was all the rage when it was launched.
This channel is amazing! I'm addicted to it lol
That becon looks like kid's drawing of bacon - quite close, but not really.
Thanks for this one Mike. Brilliantly informative and helpful for those of us who might like to try fake bacon. Also the hilariously funny Eva’s little walk on part. Her eyes just make you melt, and she’s so gentle.
But another reason that people may like to know - is that some of us simply can’t digest meat from animals and we get by with all the usual tofu, lentils, Tempeh, nuts and seeds, etc. but this kind of thing is nice for a change and if you don’t eat the real thing, then your taste buds change and accept the slightly dulled down black and white version of flavours! Haha - it’s all good.
Anyway, I’m grateful that you go to so much trouble with your fakin’ tastin’ videos. Always fun - keep up the good work.
There's another fake bacon test coming this week - I didn't intend to do another so soon, but I saw something in the supermarket that looked really quite bacon-like in the visuals
@@AtomicShrimp oh, brilliant. I’ll be stocking up. Must get some more brown sauce too!!!
Ah, had these before. Bloody beautiful!
Yeah mate there good
@@bennybennerson7728 where? 🤔
@@ollieb9875 where what
@@bennybennerson7728 indeed! 🤔
@@ollieb9875 wtf are you saying
Just a thought but perhaps add a bit of "liquid smoke" to the pan when frying up fake bacon (facon?) To help mimic the curing flavor. Do not recall the the brand here in the states though.
I don't know about smell, but I can definitely taste pea protein in anything that contains it, it's a pretty distinctive flavour.
Thanks for your honesty in these reviews.
I've never tried plant-based bacon, but I have tried plant-based burgers. I sometimes prefer Impossible Burgers and Beyond Burgers (over actual ground beef burgers) since they are less greasy. They taste fine to me, don't taste exactly like meat, but still taste good enough that I like eating them. I do eat meat, just sometimes, I like trying different stuff and less greasy stuff.
I love the imagery you use to desribe its flavour. My favourite was "bacon that's very far away"
It's unusual to see something made in my home-town in videos from foreign shores. Greetings from Kalisz the home of Winiary's production plant.
The thing that is interesting to me is, I am not a vegan, but I eat a lot of things meant to replace meat, and I find that my palate is slowly starting to "tune out" some flavors that are common among some fake meat products. Like that typical pea protein flavor is starting to become less obvious as it fades to the background as I eat it more often.
I think its fun to eat something that is plant based, I feel lighter after eating plant based. I do not think I will stop eating animal products but cutting down is better than doing nothing on an environmental standpoint.
Absolutely. Environmentally these products are incredible in comparison
I guarantee you're not making an environmental impact.
@@rucker69 A report published in The Lancet in 2019 concluded that a dietary shift toward plant foods and away from animal products is vital for promoting the health of our planet. ... A global shift to a plant-based diet could reduce mortality and greenhouse gases caused by food production by 10% and 70%, respectively, by 2050.
@@rucker69 agreed. A few people aren't really going to cause a change. Same with anything in life.
@@rucker69 picking up a single piece of litter makes an environmental impact. Us little people have to change our ways as well as those at the top.
I LOVE how you saved a bit & gave it to your 'dog' for a second opinion.
I'm not vegetarian anymore (but was for decade+, rarely eat meat now; but got myself so I didn't feel sick if food was cooked with animal fats so separate saucepans etc weren't required), but I recall trying to feed my Dad vegetarian sausages I love (nut meat), and my Dad gave one to the dog; the dog didn't eat it... My Dad said he'd use the dog in future for my testing my *meat-like* products.
I had these for breakfast today, pretty good, vegan substitutes are getting far far better and more numourous over the years.
@AmericaDeservesBetter do you have any research that backs that up? sources are always great! :)
@@jetison333 soya
@@PapaSeed the only information I can find about soya say it lowers chances of cancer, not increase it.
@AmericaDeservesBetter non-vegan bacon is literally carcinogenic.
@AmericaDeservesBetter All I can find is that, according to WHO, genuine bacon is carcinogenic (cancer-causing) and that people are switching to vegan/vegetarian bacon as a replacement. I can find nothing about bacon replacements having cancer-causing chemicals. If you have a source, please do provide it.
4:48 - I'll be that next guy and recommend another Polish mayonnaise; Kielecki - the flavour is much stronger in that one, I'd say it's a more zesty mayonnaise that goes really well with tomatoes (try just having a plain bap with that mayo and a slice of tomato... works too well, even without seasoning on the tomato).
7:30 - Made me laugh so hard, gotta love Eva and your approach as usual
"So not perhaps the most enthusiastic endorsement from doggo there... and she eats poo" 😂 That got a big laugh from this vegan here.
When you have had a day from heck it's the best thing to see a new video from Atomic Shrimp. Thanks Mike.
I love these videos where you try new, strange things. They're fun to watch!
I really enjoy these food reviews. Thank you.
Nice to see something that’s not soya or nuts. I would like to reduce my meat consumption but I’m very limited what I can eat and meat is one of those things. Glad they are doing these products. Hope they keep trying.
Atomic Shrimp, I've never even heard of "Brown Sauce". What is it? What does it taste like?
Also, I know you didn't ask but, I don't put ketchup(or is it catsup?) on my bacon sandwiches, I put hot sauce.
always impressed by your videos, I really wish more people would be as open minded as you are where vegan/veggy food is concerned. I know so many people in real life (and sadly the comments section here bares this out) that are not and will never try vegan products on principle. honest videos like this really help open the debate and show what is possible.
"The type of sandwich you might buy from a cafe to eat in the front seat of your car" - a man of taste
I haven't eaten meat for nearly 40 years so I don't remember what bacon tastes like, but I do like this fake bacon. The reason why many vegans eat meat substitutes is because they like meat but don't like eating animals, and it's also nice to have something to chew.
That's called being a hypocrite.
@@MrTea101 I think you need a dictionary as you clearly don't understand what hypocrite means.
@@MrTea101 how is it being a hypocrite? Lol numb nuts
Just a tip.. if using cherry tomatoes in a sandwich, try them next to the bread with full leaf of lettuce on other side. Keeps them from sliding as much. I only grow cherry tomatoes, and all colors are delish in BLT sandwiches. Interesting review I prefer morning star farms sausage and bacon. NOT over the real deal. Thanks, Mike for entertaining information! You'd be a great teacher! You ARE a great teacher. Oxford, Ohio USA
This is taking me back to the first episodes of breaking bad and the veggie bacon
My very favorite show. Although I think Id prefer some of the 50 dollar tequila from Better Call Saul. Lol
As a previous meat eater put this stuff between buttered white toast, fried egg and tomato sauce - yum!
As always, love every one of your eclectic videos! 😍
Please, can you (Or have you done) an *Impossible Meat* test? (To me, the *Best* replacement meat out there- not kidding! The others don't stand close to it (for ground beef dishes.. ie hamburgers etc)
Is impossible meet the one that "bleeds" when you cut it?
@@incredibleflameboy yes, it is made with beet root...
I found pan frying kalamata olives until they're crispy was a good alternative to the bacon flavour as a vegetarian. The other secret is to add a bit more oil to a dish, most vegetarian dishes have low fat so any strong flavours aren't carried around your mouth as well.
Lovely review! Especially including day Two and making a straight up vegan dish for comparison.
I‘m not vegan or vegetarian, but I‘m happy to find meatless alternatives from time to time.
Love your content and keep up the great work!
Btw - what kind of a breed is Eva? She‘s adorable and looks kind of like my former pup Grizzi.
'It's like bacon that's very far away...". I love you for that. I haven't laughed like that in years!
Hi, your friendly neighborhood vegan here to answer any genuine questions commenters have. I've been doing it for 12 years so I'm quite well versed.
If you just want to leave abusive comments please don't waste your time, I won't rise to them.
The rule for me has always been if it's a meat only roll you are having, like bacon and sausage for example then it's brown sauce. However if you introduce anything else to a bacon roll like a fried egg, potato scone etc. it needs to be tomato sauce.
The Richmond ones are a little better imo. The slices are thicker which improves the texture
As a Vegetarian, I sometimes eat fake meat because I do like the taste of meat, but not the thought of eating animals. It's an ethical issue to me. I wish I could say I stopped eating meat for health reasons, but I just didn't want to protect one kind of animals (pets/cute animals) and eat the "ugly" ones. 😸
Going vegan, frozen and fresh peas are my favorite food. If I’m going to have that protein anyway I might as well just make peas. Small ball shapes makes them cool pretty well, although the fake bacon seems like a novel idea.
If you want to get more maillard reaction (browning, roasted flavour and crispness) going, you can add some butter to the oil.
wow they really nailed the looks of that "bacon", and it seems pretty delicious after cooking too
wish we had that around here, I know meat substitutes are never as good but I'm super interested in trying out all the weird experimental plant-based "meat-like" foods
ever other youtuber would have cut the video with the dog taste test. Good enough, honest review with a little doggy bonus. BUT NO You have an insane commitment to quality and thoroughness. You slept on it and gave it another trying. For our benefit. You had me laughing outload at the bacan but far away part. You are making some of best content on this platform.
It might just be that the texture is easier to imitate, but plant based ground beef tastes just as good as the real thing to me. I'll have to try the bacon.
Even before I became vegetarian (30 years ago) bacon wasn't high on the list of things I ate because I found it to be too salty. I think you've convinced me that 'dialed down bacon' might be quite nice.
As a vegan, it depends can be a help to ease transition to vegan. People are vegan for several reasons, environmental impact of meat farming or animal cruelty. So they may like the taste of meat but don’t like hurting animals or environmental impact .. hope that helps 😊
The agricultural industry causes way more impact than the meat industry by a large margin.
@@BrunodeSouzaLino the majority of crops go into producing food for farm animals, specially soy. Also lots of vegans are against big agriculture because of the impact it has on the environment.
The polish Mayo was like: "What the hell is this guy putting on top of me? This is blasphemy!"
Food scientists : "We spent years of research and experimenting to make this fake meat product as similar to the original as possible"
Also food scientists: * stirs some oatmeal into a water * "Look everybody, it's milk"
lol
Don't diss oat milk it's the future
@@elfpi55-bigB0O85 Bahaha, exactly, except tbh, I would kind of say that oat milk is the now, it’s cool to see more people trying it out
@@elfpi55-bigB0O85 I like it on it's own, but sadly my attempt replacing the milk in my coffe didn't work out. After getting nauseous a few times sadly now the smell alone makes me gag. I hope for improvement, not that i'm against the concept ;)
Agreed that pea protein has a distinctive flavor/aroma, which I find to be slightly unwanted in most imitation meat products.
great balanced review. I'm not a veggy, but appreciate their view. I'd wager that if they added the salts etc to make it like bacon, it would look so unhealthy on paper that no one would buy it.
I think I might give it a try, if it saves a piggy or 2
have you tried richmond vegan bacon yet? i love it and i’d like to hear what you have to say about it
How was the mayonnaise?!
I have been an avid watcher and admirer of your videos for a few years now, they are always informative, interesting and objective. I also find I can watch them more than once, sometimes coming back to them for a bit of Atomic goodness. So, I just wanted to say thanks!
Also, can I suggest you change the title of this to 'Facon' ?
Cheers and thanks again.
Facon is a trademark of a different product
@@AtomicShrimp Ah. I didn't know that. Someone stole my idea! 😀
Definitely the best vegan bacon I have tried. Vegan "meat" has improved drastically over the past few years. I often buy plant based alternatives to the processed meats like bacon and sausages.
This is awful. Tastes nothing like it
Processed* plant based...
I'll be interested to see what you make of the vegan McDonald's burger when it's available. I find their normal burgers a bit disappointing, 100% beef sure sure but I'd accept 95% if the rest was spice, anything to add flavour.
HUNGRY JACKS in Australia or Burger King in the UK has Rebel whoppers which are lovely and even my meat eating sons prefer them to meat whoppers
*"Faken"*
I accidentally bought some Walls plant based sausage rolls recently. I never thought I’d say I couldn’t taste the difference
In a BLT, I'll take it! Just to flavor and crisp up the sandwich, it's perfect, no matter the look.
I think that pea protein based fake meat is usually the worst for replicating the flavour of meat, but it is often nice in other things. Pea protein based mince is fantastic in spaghetti bolognese for example.
Seriously, I just love that you don't judge anything's taste before you have tried it yourself.
This is rare, keep it up!
Price is a major factor for me. The demand for vegan alternatives has increased w/o a corresponding price drop (as far as I can tell here in the U.S.) and that is the main reason I don't try such things. I am not vegan, nor do I wish to become vegan but I still like to try new things. Thank You for your review, reviews like yours are how I normally experience such things, and your attention to the minutiae is very helpful.
edit to say " I wonder if some MSG would add to the flavor of this product?"
Yeah, I don't go daft for the meat substitute stuff. I'm not vegetarian either, but I do try to eat a couple of veg only meals a week, which I definitely enjoy for they're own sake. So many tasty options for veggie cooking, and really cheap too, I enjoy them BECAUSE it's veg, not 'in spite of...' The meat substitute stuff's OK, but at this point in it's evolution that's all it is... 'OK...'... Good effort though. Cheers for the upload mate 🏴👍
The look of betrayal on the poor dog's face really got me.
As a vegan for 5 years now I'm gonna answer the "why" question, it actually is kinda obvious like you already said - Why not? We have the possibilities to do something which looks and tastes kinda like meat (of course not exactly, but it is close enough to make some people happy), but with less animal harm and in an environmental-friendler way. I think this is reason enough to say "I'm gonna take the fake meat because I personally like it as much as normal one".
Other reasons are that some people want to live vegan for ethical reasons, but it's hard for them to abstaim from animal products. For the reasons mentioned above I don't get the point some people try to make with "But you are vegan, so you HAVE to abstain from everything, if you want meat, then eat real meat!!" - If there is something which makes it easier for people to live a life they are happier with, then that is great.
Yes, of course it is possible to live vegan without any replacements - in that case, a vegan diet is even cheaper than a normal one. I did that for over a year, but since there are more and more possibilities each year I now like to try some of the replacements from time to time, and I don't want to miss my soy joghurt anymore :D
im pretty sure most people could answer the "why" their own if they only thought about it for a few moments. i havent seen one individual that asked it and was satisfied with an answer either which gives me the impression that they dont really ask about a reason, but state the opinion that its questionable to do.
you only need to change the words with the same idea of the question to see how ridiculous it really is;
"if you dont have wings, why do you want to fly?"
"if you hate fur, why do you copy loincloths with cotton?"
"if you shave your face, why did you become a man?"
Veganism is NOT environmentally friendly. Dont kid yourself.
The machines in the factory where the ingredients are pressed together…. That place oils the machines they work with…. FOSSIL FUELS
The trucks and boats that deliver the product? They run on DIESEL FUEL….
now times that X12 for the gather and shipping process of almost every ingredient that goes into this 1 product alone….
You guys just love pollution if it means you gets to imitate meat… great ethics there.
You’ll end up suffocating the pigs you’ve saved with toxins from the exhaust pipes of the very vehicles that deliver this product to a shop near you…
Its all so backwards, and way too easy to poke holes in.
Now the question has become “why attempt to imitate meat, polluting in the process,
When you could just eat vegetables and be miserable with your choice to be a vegan, and if you can’t tough it out on a diet of lettuce, why not just give it up? You dont have to eat meat every day….”
@@nicks4802
given the length and wording of your post, i assume you are one of those haters and im not in the mood to debate, but your reasoning is as stupid as it gets.
the transportation you speak of? how do you think does all the soy from south america to feed the animals around the world? and surprise, the cows dont run on their own either... they get shipped around.
edit
deleted the last paragraph because i misunderstand. my bad.
@@nicks4802 I never said it is environmental-friendly, I said "friendlier" - that is a difference. The ecological footprint of a vegan diet normally is lower than of a normal diet. That is a fact. Inform yourself if you don't believe me.
Like it was already written by Thomas Herzog, vegan food isn't the only one that gets transported. What I would like to add to their comment about the soy which gets shipped from south america: I often hear people say that vegans are so bad because they eat soy which is so bad - But in fact, the most vegans consume less soy than people eating meat, because of the immense amount of soy which is needed to produce meat (when animals eat soy, and you then eat the animal you get less kalories out of the soy in the end than if you eat it directly), and also, most vegan products (at least in my country) are from european (mostly ecological) soy, not from other continents.
Yes, not all soy, and that also might be different where you live, but I actually once went to three different stores, wrote down all vegan soy products they have and looked it up - the majority was made with european soy. Think about what you write, don't believe everything you read in the internet because the internet tends to only show what's inside your own bubble of believes, go out there and check stuff yourself. And then build up an opinion.
100% environmetal friendly is no diet - that is impossible. Everything needs resources to be produced. And yes, fake meat is not as good as relying on other protein sources like beans and lentils. But I don't blame people for eating meat, so I don't see why I have to defend myself for eating a meat substitute every now and then, which has a lower ecological footprint/lower use of resources than the product it resembles.
I really like that you taste these fake meat products because why not? I feel like your reviews are very reasonable
I’ve tried this bacon before, I quite liked the flavour, but I think the plant pioneers brand tasted better. I was happy that they fortified it with b12 though, because an estimated 40 percent of people (not vegans) are déficient in b12
And in terms of why do vegans not eat meat, we still like the taste of these products but we just don’t like the process the animals have to go through for people to eat these things, so these plant meat products are a way for us to ethically enjoy the same products we like.
@John Doe you sound tasty af
@John Doe I'm sorry, but as a scientist myself, you're just plain worng. It's completely impossible for plants to have emotions such as fear, they don't have a nervous system! However, even if they could suffer (the absolutley can't), it would still be far more ethical to go vegan - it takes significantly more plants to produce meat than to just eat plants directly (the energy loss between trophic layers is enormous). The overwhelming majority of crops grown by humanity are as animal feed, not as food for humans. Take soy, for example. Only 4% of global soy production is for human consumption, with the rest going to feed farm animals.
Had these last night! They are not half bad. But they did take alot longer than a couple of minutes, texture was good - better than the Quorn ones. Found them more like back rashers than crispy bacon.