Look, bacon is another one of those animal products that I still miss. I can't help it. The grease, the fat, the saltiness - everything. When I first looked at the package for Yves' veggie bacon, I of course could already tell that it would never satisfy me in all the ways that piggy bacon once did. As the picture shows, the strips are all the exact same shape, size, and colour. There is also a swirl of a lighter colour on each strip, which I believe is supposed to be analogous to bacon fat, but it really doesn't do anything to help the overall cause. Anyway, they don't even try to hide the insanely unnatural appearance of these babies, which I found a little unusual since companies tend to go all food-porn on us and make their product look like the nectar of the gods. I guess they just couldn't make them look any better.
I bought the strips because I wanted a quick and easy breakfast meat replacement. I really wanted to like them, especially since I enjoy so many of the other products in the Yves line. They were affordable (about $4 Canadian for a 156g package) and the nutritional information was awesome. As I mentioned in my corn dogs review, Yves fortifies all of their products with a buttload of B12 and iron and all of that stuff that veg*ns want to keep an eye on - and the bacon strips are no exception. They have zero cholesterol and next to no fat too. This is all very promising, no? Unfortunately things go downhill from here.
Upon opening the package, I found all of the strips very nearly melded together in one plastic-y bunch. I carefully peeled out a few strips and was not impressed. They look EXACTLY like the picture on the package, swirls and all. The strips are also quite thick, with the smell and feel of cheap bologna. I followed the stovetop cooking instructions (no, I don't have a microwave; I don't have room for one in my studio apartment... there's barely room for Boy and Cat and I), which said to sauté (a euphemism if I ever heard one) the strips in some oil for a couple of minutes on each side. The bologna smell grew stronger. I set them on a plate with my otherwise normal breakfast. I first tried to eat like a human being, using a fork and knife. That didn't work so well, so I ended up eating them with my hands, gnawing off chunks and chewing for a long-ass time in between bites.
They don't taste terrrrrrrible. They really do taste like fried bologna, just slightly sweeter and smokier (and a hell of a lot chewier). I do love that they are healthy and vegan and affordable, and I have admittedly bought them again since the first purchase (though I am always disappointed and end up throwing them out and should just stop). In a race against the real thing, I guess faux bacon strips just can't win.
Product and nutrition info: http://www.yvesveggie.ca/index.php/products/product/veggie_bacon_strips/
I just tried these bacon strips and absolutely loved them! Of course I made a full 'real' breakfast with eggs, hashbrown potatoes, english muffin, fresh strawberries and the Yves bacon strips. I felt like I was eating a 'real' breakfast again. The bacon strips are more like a combination of thin sausage/bacon strip combo. That's what they tasted like to me. And even my 2 cats who are meat eaters and know the difference ate little pieces of the Yves bacon strips I gave them. So if Yves bacon can make my cats believe it's real meat then that convinces me. The product tastes very good. Next time I will try an egg/bacon muffin like McDonalds. You give this to anyone without telling them it's not real meat and they would never know the difference. I can't believe that the reviewer posting this page has such an unfavorable opinion of them.
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