Anyway, I'm finally getting around to posting this review (unsolicited, if it were compensated, you can bet I'd have gotten it done right away! lol). The post was originally just a bunch of my thoughts, jumbled up. So now I'm taking the time to organize them and make sense.
I will be reviewing the Beyond Sausage Hot Italian. I almost bought some of the Brats when they were on sale a short while ago, but couldn't quite budget it out. Yes, they are expensive! Though apparently Beyond Meat is working on a plan to lower prices. When they first came out, my local Tops Friendly Markets had them in the meat case, priced at $5.99. I figured that would be a splurge for me. Little did I know that they'd be GONE when I was in next (about 10 days later), and that the price at Whole Foods Cooperative would be $8.99! As mentioned, there WAS a sale recently. And Beyond Meat does usually have a $1 coupon. Today (10th June), I saw them back at Tops again, but they're $8.49 now. I'm on too tight a budget for that. So, the review is based on that one experience.
First off, let's compare some nutritional facts. I tried to get a photo of the Nutrition Facts label, but all 4 attempts came out blurry (and it's long gone now). But here's nutrition info from their site:
Serving Size 1 Cooked link, (76g)
Amount per serving
Calories from fat 110
Calories 190
Total Fat 12g (18%)
Saturated Fat 5g (25%)
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg (0%)
Sodium 500mg (21%)
Potassium 230g (7%)
Total Carbohydrate 5g (2%)
Dietary Fiber 3g (12%)
Sugars 0g
Protein 16g (25%)
Vitamin A (0%)
Vitamin C (0%)
Calcium (6%)
Iron (20%)
And here's some nutritional info on meat-based hot Italian sausage, courtesy of My Fitness Pal:
Serving Size 1 link
160 Cal
Nutritional Info
Carbs 2 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugar 0 g
Fat 13 g
Saturated 4 g
Polyunsaturated 0 g
Monounsaturated 0 g
Trans 0 g
Protein 8 g
Sodium 480 mg
Potassium 0 mg
Cholesterol 35 mg
Vitamin A 0 %
Vitamin C 0 %
Calcium 0 %
Iron 2 %
As you can see, the Beyond Sausage does marginally better when it comes to fat (1g less), but has 1g more of Saturated fat (however, it has no cholesterol). It has SLIGHTLY more Sodium, but also has Potassium (which the meat sausages do not). It's a little higher in carbs, but those extra carbs are fibre, so it balances out. What's shocking is that the Beyond Sausage has TWICE the protein! It also has more Calcium and Iron. But is higher in calories. Still, the two are pretty comparable.
Okay, so that's enough of that. What you really want to know is how does it look, feel, smell, and taste! Well...
They come in a sectioned cardboard tray, that has been shrink-wrapped. Lighting was a bit off, but here's a quick photo:
When I opened the package, I got a faint "meaty" scent. They LOOK like sausage to me. Usually, the veggie "sausages" are some shade of brown (or even grey!). But these are somewhat reddish. Other "sausages" either have a plastic casing you have to cut off, or no casing at all. These have an edible (Veg*n) casing! I picked one up, and...it has that sort of slippery, slimy feel of a raw (meat) sausage. :-X
I heated my trusty cast iron skillet, and plopped a couple of these babies in. Right away, it starts to sizzle and spit! As it cooks, a little fat seeps out, but significantly less than with their "burgers". And that oil really starts to splatter, so be ready to clean your stove! In spite of that, the casing still sticks a bit. And some of it even tore a little. As it cooked, it smelled exactly like some of the bulk sausage from Dollar Tree, that I'd bought and cooked for someone else in the past. I think that smell would fool anyone.
I took one out, and cut it in half with a fork. I'm used to Veg*n "sausages" that are either slightly rubbery, difficult to cut (especially gluten-based ones), or just a bit mushy. But these were firm, yet meaty! And greasy.
Will I buy them again? Maybe if I find them on sale, or if the prices ARE lowered. Or if I can scrounge up enough to budget a pack out.
Well, that's it. I have a couple other things I'm working on, but...you know how I am! lol. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the post.
Until next time....