Eggplant bacon

[Cindy's Mom]

There are very few foods that I dislike. Eggplant is number one (it is a texture issue for me).

Then you've never had good eggplant. LOL You just don't eat it raw. You have to brine it, you bread it, fry it, bake it with mozzarella and red sauce.

Or just brine, bread, fry and dip in a tzatzki sauce.

 

[Kitty 34]

If I'm going to eat bacon, it's going to be from a pig. Anything else can be called something else.....just my opinion of course.

 

[dclpluto]

Just made it. It was pretty good.

 

[kaytieeldr]

My friend, who is vegan, gave me a recipe for carrot hot dogs. I was skeptical about how they'd taste, but they had a hot dog flavor and were very good.

that sounds good, so I looked it up. It still sounds good! Next time I'm at Wegmans, I'm buying rainbow carrots.

 

[low-key]

get that stinkin egg plant out of my bacon, RIGHT NOW

 

[marcyleecorgan]

What? No no no

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I've never totally understood why vegans constantly are creating foods that mimic meat products. I know some have restrictive diets and aren't able to have certain foods, so substitutes make sense. But for those who are vegans by choice, why keep trying to make plant-based products look and taste like meat?

I didn’t give up animal products because they taste bad; I gave them up for ethical reasons.

 

[ronandannette]

I didn’t give up animal products because they taste bad; I gave them up for ethical reasons.

That being the case, are you interested in products that try to simulate some sort of meat-like flavor or texture? There's lots of buzz right now about the "Beyond Meat" products and other stuff like them and I'm curious if non-meat eaters even want them.

 

[Hikergirl]

Most of the recipes for fake bacon that I've seen (coconut bacon, eggplant bacon) don't use chemicals, just spices and stuff to make them taste like bacon.

Coconut bacon? I love coconut in all it's forms but coconut bacon is a hard no for me.
I wonder what those spices are that replicate the taste of bacon since it gets it's flavor from the meat and fat.

 

[Hikergirl]

That being the case, are you interested in products that try to simulate some sort of meat-like flavor or texture? There's lots of buzz right now about the "Beyond Meat" products and other stuff like them and I'm curious if non-meat eaters even want them.

My dd is starting to cut meat out of her diet for ethical reasons. She has no problem eating "fake" meat because she grew up eating real meat and the taste isn't something that bothers her.
She keeps me updated on the new things she tries and is genuinely surprised how close some of the things are to their 'meat' inspirations, she said it is easy for her to make the change with that stuff as an option.

 

[Imzadi]

My friend, who is vegan, gave me a recipe for carrot hot dogs. I was skeptical about how they'd taste, but they had a hot dog flavor and were very good.

I wonder what those spices are that replicate the taste of bacon since it gets it's flavor from the meat and fat.

In these two products, it's the liquid smoke flavor that makes people think they taste like the meats.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

That being the case, are you interested in products that try to simulate some sort of meat-like flavor or texture? There's lots of buzz right now about the "Beyond Meat" products and other stuff like them and I'm curious if non-meat eaters even want them.

Yes, and I’ve eaten a lot of mock products over the past 20+ years. They’ve run the gamut from good to bad as far as how closely they resemble the real thing, but the products coming out in the past couple of years have been a game changer. They are practically identical to meat and ordering them in a restaurant can be nerve wracking because it’s difficult to be sure you got the right version.

 

[1GoldenSun]

I LOVE eggplant and only sometimes like a bit of bacon if I'm in the mood for it, so I'd say leave my eggplant alone! As it is, I seldom have eggplant because I'm the only one in the family who likes it and I don't love it enough to eat it for days. Actually, I probably wouldn't mind eating it for days, but it seems pointless to make it just for myself. Same with beets. Ooh, I'd love some beets right now!

 

[ronandannette]

Coconut bacon? I love coconut in all it's forms but coconut bacon is a hard no for me.
I wonder what those spices are that replicate the taste of bacon since it gets it's flavor from the meat and fat.

In these two products, it's the liquid smoke flavor that makes people think they taste like the meats.

Actual bacon doesn't have any spices at all, just a butt-ton of salt and sometimes sugar. It's the curing process with smoke that makes it bacon as opposed to just side meat or pork belly. I have no idea what chemicals are in liquid smoke but I know of no natural ingredient that would replicate that taste. Just going by what I've read, many of the "almost-meat" products have a lot of additives to simulate flavors. Doesn't that come against the idea of a plant-based diet being healthier?

Interestingly, one of the most philosophically-committed vegans I've ever know went back to consuming some meat recently. He says it was missing real bacon that lured him back into "the life".

 

[porschegrl]

I have no idea what chemicals are in liquid smoke but I know of no natural ingredient that would replicate that taste.

Liquid smoke is, literally, liquid (condensed) smoke. No additives except water.

 

[ronandannette]

Liquid smoke is, literally, liquid (condensed) smoke. No additives except water.

Interesting, thanks! I can't imagine how such a thing is possible...off to google. If that's the case I may actually buy some to try it. I use bacon grease as a little "secret ingredient" for flavoring fairly often and if I could get a similar effect without the fat - winning!!

 

[DLgal]

Actual bacon doesn't have any spices at all, just a butt-ton of salt and sometimes sugar. It's the curing process with smoke that makes it bacon as opposed to just side meat or pork belly. I have no idea what chemicals are in liquid smoke but I know of no natural ingredient that would replicate that taste. Just going by what I've read, many of the "almost-meat" products have a lot of additives to simulate flavors. Doesn't that come against the idea of a plant-based diet being healthier?

Interestingly, one of the most philosophically-committed vegans I've ever know went back to consuming some meat recently. He says it was missing real bacon that lured him back into "the life".

You forgot the nitraites. Lots and lots of sodium nitrate. It is what makes bacon red/pink. In "uncured" versions of bacon, celery salt is used because it is a natural nitrate/nitrite. I assume many of these recipes contain celery salt.

 

[DLgal]

Interesting, thanks! I can't imagine how such a thing is possible...off to google. If that's the case I may actually buy some to try it. I use bacon grease as a little "secret ingredient" for flavoring fairly often and if I could get a similar effect without the fat - winning!!

You create a bunch of wood burned smoke in a closed container, add a bunch of water vapor, then rapid cool it so it condenses and "rains" smoky water. That's it.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Liquid smoke is, literally, liquid (condensed) smoke. No additives except water.

To be more precise, the smoke you see from an open fire is not what is used to make liquid smoke and if you try to condense that, you'll have a hard time of it as you'll not have much product. Instead liquid smoke is produced from pyrolysis, the thermal decomposition of wood in a low oxygen environment. Oh and the yarn you see about it being invented in the 1800s, uhhhhhh no. The product was first marketed as liquid smoke in the 1800s But the process was known as early as Pliny the Elder's time.

 

[Kitty 34]

This is actually turning into a very informational, interesting thread.