It's in the technique
Plant-based `meats' grill up well with enough heat and seasonings
Good news: there's not a huge learning curve to making great grilled plant-based “meat.”
“It's not as dramatic as I thought it would be,” says Dan Zuccarello, executive food editor for cookbooks at America's Test Kitchen, which recently released Cooking With Plant-based Meat.
That's one of the main goals for brands such as Impossible Foods, says Laura Kliman, the company's director of new product development.
“We're trying to replicate the entire sensory and meat-eating experience,” and that includes how the items cook, she says.
There are, however, a few things to keep in mind to make the transition as easy as possible.
Moisture loss: Burgers made with animal proteins shrink when cooking, but the America's Test Kitchen (ATK) team didn't find that with plant-based options,
Zuccarello says. If you're adapting a recipe that calls for regular meat, count on using 12 ounces (340 g) of plant-based meat for every pound (454 g) of beef, pork or chicken.
■ Shaping: Zuccarello says ATK found it beneficial to chill plantbased patties after shaping to help them hold their shape and to allow for better cooking. This gives you enough time to brown the outside without overcooking the inside. Because plant-based products tend to be stickier than meat, wear gloves or moisten or oil your hands while shaping, he adds. And be sure your grill is hot and has clean, well-oiled grates.
■ Temperature and doneness: “Our (plant-based) meat tends to cook faster,” says Kliman of Impossible Foods. You can observe doneness by paying attention to texture and colour. Burgers will firm up as they cook, and the colour transitions from rare (pink/red) to well done ( brown/grey) thanks to heme, an iron-containing protein.
Zuccarello says the ATK team preferred to take their plant-based burgers a little past medium-rare (125 F/52 C) to avoid a mushy texture. He recommends a sweet spot of 130 to 135 F (55 to 57 C) or medium doneness.
■ Sausage: Because there's no shaping involved, make sure your grates are clean and well greased. Zuccarello recommends not taking the links all the way to 160 F (71 C), as some package directions state, to keep them from drying out. Look for sausages to brown well and the casings to crisp.
■ Flavour and appearance: Kliman encourages cooks to season bulk plant-based meat the same way
they would animal-based options. “Do whatever flavour combinations that you like,” she says. “It really is that sort of blank canvas.”
Each brand's proprietary blend for ground products means flavour can vary, depending on what seasonings are included. If you don't like one, you may have better luck with another.
Especially with grilling, you may lean toward smoky flavours, Zuccarello says, and smoked paprika is one such enhancer.
He also notes that plant-based burgers and sausages brown and pick up attractive grill marks extremely well.