Are fake meats and tofu good?

Question

my friend says fake chicken isd really good, and so is tofu. ive never had either cause my mom said its not good and she wont waste money on it cause i wont like it and not eat it. so i was wondering if its good cause there are so many good sounding recipes that have tofu and fake meats.

Answer 1

I highly recommend Boca's meatless ribs and Morningstar chix nuggets, patties and the chix mealstarter. I love the meatless products and eat them all the time!!!

Answer 2

I'm answering this with the assumption that you're a vegetarian. Perhaps your mom doesn't think it's good b/c she can easily eat meat/the real thing instead? Have you asked her if she's ever had any of the products? Maybe she's just going by the old stereotype that tofu products are horrible and bland. There are several products out there now that are excellent. Like someone said, tofu basically has no taste. Think: beans, b/c that's all it is really. The tofu products like fake hamburgers, hot dogs etc. are usually made very tasty. Boca is a good brand, so is Yves veggie cuisine, and Amy's. If your mom is concerned about your health I think she should at least try getting one or two things for you to try, otherwise how are you getting your protein and B vitamins? Many of the fake meats are enriched with lots of the vitamins vegetarians tend to lack. Try getting some frozen Boca burgers first and fry them up as you normally would with a hamburger and eat them on toasted buns with ketchup, mustard etc. Some fried onion adds flavour too. Who knows, maybe your mom will like them too! With most tofu products you have to jazz up a little in order to satisfy meat eater standards, but they often can't tell the difference once you do. Good luck!

PS - the best way that I like plain tofu, is the very firm kind cut into small cubes/rectangles and dipped into a batter and fried in oil. They are excellent with sweet and sour sauce, similar to how chicken nuggets are prepared. Back when I was a teenager this is what my mom would make for me (she liked it too!) and this was long before all the specialty products came to my region... I was lucky to even find tofu!

Answer 3

Tofu does, for most people, take some getting used to, but I really like it. Tofu also comes in many different forms, such as soft, medium, hard, fried, marinated, spiced, etc... I'm lucky enough to have access to many different kinds of vegetarian "meats", such as veggie shrimp, beef, chicken, and much much more. They are not the same as the real thing, but with enough distinction to make a nice variety.

You can do a search on the internet for "tofu recipes" and should be able to find some good stuff.

These fake meats are made from prepared wheat gluten, tofu, tempeh, TVP, agar, and other plant products.

The most important thing with tofu is that it does not have much taste by itself, you must have a sauce of some sort to give it taste.

Following is an article that discusses meat substitutes that you many find interesting.... Good luck

http://www.foodproductdesign.com/archive/1995/0795DE.html

Answer 4

Tofu is GREAT, but you have to know how to cook it. Get a vegetarian cookbook from the library and give it a try. It's not expensive, but if you don't know how to prepare it, you probably won't like it. Get a really good recipe and tell your mom you'll do all the work.

I love Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burgers. They taste less like meat than Bocca Burgers or Morningstar Farms Grillers, but that's fine with me because I don't like meat! - I just like having something to put on a bun. Some of the fake hotdogs and chicken taste so much like meat that I just can't eat them. One product that's easy to use is the burger crumbles from either Bocca or Morningstar Farms - you can add them to spaghetti sauce or chili just the way you would add hamburger.

Burger King has veggie burgers that are pretty good - you could try one of those.

Your mom should know that these products have much less fat and calories than meat and will help you stay healthy and slim.

Answer 5

I love fake meats! Gardenburger (I think) makes awesome corn dogs. I'm Chinese so of course I love tofu also. If you've ever had soybean milk, it tastes like that. It's very mild but it does have its own flavor and absorbs other flavors too. Check out an Asian market and try some tofu pudding/tofu fa. Microwave a couple scoops and pour over a little sweet ginger syrup. My mom stuffs firm tofu (with meat and vegetables, but you could try other things)and pan fries it. I love to put silken tofu in my soups, maybe some fried tofu cake in my noodles, curry, etc. A sushi place near me makes a pretty good tofu roll too.

Answer 6

Tofu is good if you have a good tofu cook. It takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. For a beginner, I suggest deep frying extra firm tofu and dipping it in a sauce of your choice. drain the water, use a paper towel to dry it out a bit, then fry. There are a lot of fake chicken brands. Try the quorn brand. It's not chicken but it's ok. If mom still won't make it, try a thai restaurant.

Answer 7

Not sure about fake meat, depends on what their processed with. As for Tofu.....its soy bean paste and full of potein! If cooked correctly Tofu is incredible. Dont try to make if you dont have the know how. It has no real taste alone but when cooked with other ingredients it takes on that flavor. It can be added to soups, meat mixtures, salads for extra protein. If you really want to try it...either go out for oriental food and try the soup .........or buy medium firmness and add to vegetable soup. Thats a sure why to get the ideal. Good luck

Answer 8

My son really enjoys eating tofu. He hasn't eaten meat for almost 2 years. I have tasted some of the tofu meats, they are good I was surprised.

Answer 9

Is meat that good?? ;)) I've forgotten how meat tastes like. While I don't know how to compare it with meat anymore, I think the Quorn brand is great! Love it! And you can just see on the net what sort of delicious meals you can make with tofu.

Answer 10

Veggie burgers are tasty, tofu hot dogs are terrible. I like tofu (steamed or raw) mixed with blueberries or bananas and walnuts for breakfast. A Japanese dish which is easy to make and delicious is miso soup. Mix miso paste and water and add tofu and green onions to make a tasty soup. The Japanese eat this for breakfast, but it's good any time. Enjoy.

Answer 11

Fake meats DO NOT taste like real meat. Fake meat sucks and so does tofu.