Mission Impossible: Did White Castle Just Find a Meatless Burger that Tastes Like Meat?

Image via Twitter

If you could dupe your taste buds into believing a plant-based patty you were served was meat, you’d probably be happy. The current scientific literature, after all, admonishes us all to cut back on red meat.

So the question on many foodies’ minds today is does White Castle’s new “Impossible Slider” (so named because it’s made by Impossible Foods) pass for the real deal? It depends who you ask.

The sandwich, which is set to debut at nearly 400 White Castle locations nationwide, including the three in the metropolitan area, is made of an ingredient called soy leghemoglobin, which releases a protein called heme, which in turn gives the burger a tang that many associate with blood. (If you eat your burgers and steak rare or medium-rare, you probably know what we’re talking out.)

But is that enough to persuade burger lovers that they’re eating red meat? As noted earlier, it depends who you ask. Here is a video that White Castle is circulating that features a cross-sampling of opinions. As you’ll see when you watch, not all are uniformly positive. One taster remarks that the burger tastes “like peanut butter,” while another says it has an aftertaste.

We’ll be on hand to taste the Impossible Slider and report back to you when it becomes available, but maybe you shouldn’t keep your fingers crossed.

The Impossible Slider, by the way, is topped with smoked cheddar cheese, pickles, and onions and costs $1.99 a piece.