Gone are the days when the best bet for an ‘egg replacement’ was a sad tofu scramble served by a patchouli-scented hippie. Now, chefs and food scientists have created so many new vegan eggs that it can be confusing to decide which ones to buy, and for what uses.
I decided to test out a variety of vegan eggs available at my local supermarket and share which I think is the best for four popular breakfast dishes.
Best for an Omelette: Follow Your Heart VeganEgg
This might have been the first vegan egg I saw for sale. They come in an egg carton-style package, and each one is a powdered replacement. I was blown away the first time I tried it out.
When testing it out for this story, I considered scrambling it, but found it worked even better for an omelette. The texture came out smooth and I was able to flip it with ease, allowing both sides to cook well. Note that these come perfectly seasoned already, so you’ll want to hold back on adding extra salt.
Best for a Breakfast Sandwich: JUST Egg Folded Plant Eggs
JUST Egg seems to be the most-adopted egg alternative in the vegan community—I’ve noticed that most cafes with vegan egg options use this brand. As I was searching for the liquid JUST Egg bottle in my market, an employee who was also a fellow vegan pointed me in the direction of these pre-made patties. I bought both to compare.
Surprisingly, there was quite a bit of a difference between the two. I made a sort of mini omelette with the bottled version and folded it, similar to the egg patty. The patty was simply seared in a pan, flipping halfway through the cooking time. The patty came out much airier and fluffier compared to what I made from the liquid. And, because it was pre-cooked, it was able to brown a bit on the pan, which I really liked. Overall, I thought the patties had a better taste, too.
All this makes them the perfect choice for a breakfast sandwich. The patty stays intact with every bite—there is nothing worse than taking the first bite of a sandwich and stuff falls out from the sides.
Best for Avocado Toast: Vegg Vegan Egg Yolk
When I went vegan in 2011, I would never have imagined that we would be here talking about a vegan egg yolk. The first time I saw such a thing was at a restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, where it was considered super novel–and for years that was the only place I knew of that you could try an egg-free yolk. Now, you can purchase a packaged one and make it at home.
Look, I’m not someone who thinks the runny yolk of a fried egg makes everything better. But one food that really benefits: a thick slice of toast, piled with avocado. If done right, avocado toast can be pretty satisfying on its own. But adding a nice fatty egg on top of it will only make it better.
Best for a Classic Scramble (and Breakfast Burritos): Tofu
I know I started by telling you how far we’ve come from our tofu scramble days, but the original vegan breakfast still has skin in the game. In fact, I find that a scramble with tofu and black salt has the most “eggy” taste out of anything I tried out.
Black salt has a strong sulfur taste to it, which recreates a flavor similar to an actual egg. Depending on the tofu brand, I go for a soft or medium firmness. We’re looking for something that has a light crumble but doesn’t fall apart too much, like a soft scrambled egg texture.
Once you’ve made your tofu scramble, I recommend wrapping it up in a breakfast burrito. It’s exactly the thing to scarf down when you’re starving or hungover.
The post The Best Vegan Eggs—and How To Cook Them appeared first on Outside Online.
by POM Administrator via Outside Online
Comments