If you've been stopping by recently here at My Real Life Reviews, you'll already know that I've been on a quest to find a better commercial meatless burger. You can read about some of the challenges I've encountered in this search at this previous post.
Here's the good news about Sol Cuisine Original Burger:
- A great taste. Not over the top, spiced just right.
- Nice meaty texture. Meat-lovers would like these too I think.
- Only a 109 calories per patty/burger.
- A generous size patty, over 3 oz. each.
- A good vegetarian protein source with 15 gr. protein per burger.
- Sodium content acceptable at 290 mg. per burger, much less than most commercial veggie burgers.
- An ingredient list that's easy to read and to stomach. Check out the U.S. and Canadian links here for specific ingredient list depending on where you live. They do vary a bit.
- No trans fats.
- Easy to prepare.
- Reasonably priced. 4 burger pack was $6.19 at our local food co-op.
- 100% Vegan.
- Wheat and gluten free.
- Minimal and recyclable packaging.
Did I find anything that I didn't like about these meatless burgers?
Well, a couple of things but both rather minor, considering all the pluses.
First, could not find a "best before" date anywhere on the package. I like to see an expiry date on products and on both boxes I purchased, couldn't find this information.
I also cooked the patties longer than was suggested on the package. I used a grill, oiled with vegetable oil and cooked product from frozen state as suggested. I allowed about 4 minutes at medium-high heat on both sides of burgers. I don't think the 2-3 minutes suggested is quite sufficient, when you are starting with a frozen patty that's fairly thick (about 1/2") .
The burgers stayed together nicely (no crumbling edges!) after they were cooked and for taste-testing purposes I did not add any sauces or spices while I was cooking them or afterwards, to ensure that the actual taste of the burgers was what I'd be able to share here. I'm happy to say that the taste stood up well, all on it's own!
If you've been looking for a tasty and satisfying alternative to meat burgers or you are already a vegetarian or vegan and want to have a convenient and delish burger choice, ready to cook from your freezer, give Sol Cuisine's Original Burger a try.
I've tried a lot of commercial veggie burgers over the years. By now, I can definitely spot a winner, when I taste one!
Overall rating for this product: Very Good. 4 out of 5.
Updated rating ( Feb. 2013...see comment below): Unsatisfactory. 1 out of 5.
