Lisa's Impossible(TM) Burger Patties

I like Impossible(TM) brand plant-based burger "meat." But working with it isn't exactly the same as working with ground beef. Some differences to be aware of are:

1. It browns a lot faster than beef, so keep a close eye on it. You might also want to use a slightly lower temperature.

2. Since Impossible burger can be consumed raw, all you're really doing is browning it for color and cooking it enough for the burger (or meatball or whatever) to hold its shape. I'm finding that if you don't overcook it, it cooks up to something that's much tenderer and juicier than beef. (Yum!) This is one reason I like making my own Impossible burgers instead of ordering them from, for instance, Burger King. Undertrained cooks often treat the Impossible burger the same as regular hamburger patties, and cook them to death. Then the patties come out tough and charred. Cooking them myself is way better.

3. Impossible burger doesn't shrink as much as beef when it cooks. So 3 oz. of Impossible burger will cook up to about the equivalent of 4 oz. (a quarter pound) of beef, weighed raw. Impossible burger is sold in 12-oz. packages, available at Walmart and other stores. You can get four burger patties from that -- the same as a full pound of ground beef. Still, the Impossible packaging shows 4 oz. as being the standard serving size, possibly for marketing reasons. That will fill you up more than a quarter pound of beef.

4. I'm finding that Impossible burger rests easier on my stomach than beef.

5. The price of Impossible burger is roughly comparable to that of ground beef.

6. There is as much protein in the Impossible burger as there is in 80/20 ground beef. But it's plant-based protein which is good. And it has no cholesterol. However, don't go thinking it's fat free or "light." That wasn't the Impossible company's objective when it developed the product.

7. It's a whole lot better for the environment than beef from cows because, pound per pound, it takes only a tiny fraction of the natural resources to produce Impossible burger than it does to produce beef from cows.

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Here's my recipe for a single Impossible hamburger patty -- you can multiply it as needed:

3 oz. Impossible burger "meat"

1 tsp. roasted sesame seeds

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp. onion powder

A pinch of salt

Mix it up. Cook it up. (Avoid overcooking it.) Serve it like you would any hamburger patty.

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Here's one way I like to prepare and serve up the Impossible burger -- it's good this way with or without a bun:

First, for each burger, stir together 2 tsp. mayo, 1.5 tsp. ketchup, and 1/8 tsp. sweet paprika. You can add a little mustard too, if you like. (I prefer it without.) The point is, the burger will cook so quickly, you'll want your condiments already combined into one mixture for swift application.

Next, spread out a sufficient number of dill pickle slices for your burger on a small, microwave-safe plate.

Have a slice of Swiss cheese handy.

Mix together your burger meat.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan and sauté a small amount of yellow onion until it carmelizes and starts to brown. Then remove it from the frying pan and set it aside.

Heat a little more oil in the frying pan over medium-low to medium heat. (You might need to let the pan cool a little after sautéing the onions.) With wet hands, form your burger into a patty shape and gently set it in the frying pan. Quickly clean off your hands.

While the first side of the patty is sizzling, nuke the pickles for a few seconds. (If they're fresh out of the fridge, getting them hot will help the cheese melt more quickly.)

When the first side is brown, flip the patty. To the browned side of the patty, quickly apply the above elements in this order: Spoon the condiment mixture onto the done side of the patty and spread it around. Next, add the hot pickle slices. Then pile on the sautéed onions. Finally, top it with the cheese.

Cover the frying pan briefly to help the cheese melt. Carefully check the underside of the patty for brownness. Remove the patty from the pan when done. Serve immediately, either on a plate or in a bun.

Enjoy!