The Secret Ingredient You Should Be Adding To Your Impossible Burgers

Even if you are the most prolific carnivore to roam your city, chances are you've heard of the now-famous Impossible burger — even if it's just from Burger King commercials. From longtime vegetarians to new vegans and those simply reducing their daily consumption of meat, the audience for alternative meat products appears to have room to grow. With the rise of climate change, the United Nations University has suggested that eating less meat could be essential to curbing the phenomenon. Now one in four Americans is eating less meat for both health and environmental concerns (via The Hill).

Today you can find Impossible burgers at grocery stores and many different restaurants nationwide (via Vox). Impossible Foods even makes it easy to eat local with their locations map that allows consumers to search for nearby restaurants that cook and serve their burgers and other products. While the burgers and other alternative meat options have become incredibly popular, Harvard Medical School has concluded that the meat is still a highly processed food that's less than great for your health — though it is great for the planet. One thing we can all agree on, though, is that if we're going to eat an Impossible burger, we want it to taste great.

According to Impossible Foods, Impossible burgers get their protein and chew from soy and potato proteins while the meaty flavor comes from heme, a source of iron. You'll also find dextrose and yeast extract are added for additional flavor while coconut and sunflower oils make up the fat in the burger. Though the science and technique of making meatless meat taste like, well, meat involves much more than heme, it is the basis that gives Impossible burgers its signature taste (via Wired).

Impossible burger meat might be a bit slimy and give an initial impression similar to that of highly-processed dog food beef. But the "meat" cooks up just like real beef with a crispy, craggy exterior perfect for melting cheese on top of (via Business Insider). The secret ingredient that you should be adding to your Impossible burgers, however, is salt, which will amp up those meaty flavors. The meat itself needs a pinch, but do not season your burger until after you cook it. When salt is added to the faux meat, it causes the Impossible burger to "bleed" which turns into steam in the pan. For a crispy burger, pan sear it in hot oil first then add your salt and pepper during assembly (via Los Angeles Times). If our ranking of fast food's meatless burgers from worst to best is any indication, you might be better off eating them at home anyway.