For years, the "Tofurkey" seemed like some sort of make-believe food item and I pictured blocks of tofu stuck together and carved into a giant turkey shape. This particular mental image was smashed the day I first spotted an actual Tofurkey at the market. The product is a 100% vegan roast made out of tofu and vital wheat gluten (this is the combination, with seasonings, is known as "Tofurkey"), stuffed with a brown rice stuffing and accompanied by a side of "giblet and mushroom gravy," which contains more Tofurkey, mushrooms and a variety of seasonings, oils and thickeners.
I decided that I'd give it a try and see what it was like. After all - how bad could it be?
I opted to follow the basic directions that came on the box, although I later discovered that there was a "Tofurkey Roast Cooking Contest" winning recipe on the bottom that involved a reasonably tasty sounding cherry relish, which sounded somewhat better than the standard. I opened up the box, expecting to find a box-sized roast. Instead, I found this:
There was more gravy than roast. The roast, rolled up like a sausage, was about six inches long and was meant to serve 6 people. The gravy was supposed to have 6.5 2-tbsp servings, but it looked as though there was easily twice that amount.
Surprisingly, the roast looked almost exactly the same once I removed the casing. The primary difference between the wrapped and unwrapped states was the lack of text on the side of the unwrapped version. I put it in a casserole dish with some vegetables and mixed up a batch of the "basting liquid" (3 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 1/2 tsp ground sage). The directions were to baste the roast, then bake it for about 75 minutes covered with foil, baste again, and bake uncovered to brown before serving.
Here is the "before" shot, basted:
Here is the "after" shot:
Does that look a bit dry and leathery to you? It did to me, too.
Once I pulled the roast from the oven, I took a moment to prepare the giblet and mushroom gravy. Strangely, even though the container had been at room temperature for some time, the "gravy" seemed to be solid. Still, I popped it into the microwave, as per the directions on the box. Let me just say that the giblet and mushroom "gravy" was probably one of the more disgusting things I have ever laid eyes on. The picture here does not come close to doing justice to its grainy, slightly crumbly yet semi-gelatinous texture. On the plus side, it had no real aroma, so the overall experience could potentially have been much worse. I tossed the gravy and opted to eat the Tofurkey plain.
Getting back to the roast, here is what it looked like plated:
The center pieces of the roast looked just like the picture on the box, although the end pieces had very uneven stuffing distribution. I started tasting with the Tofurkey itself and quickly stopped. The roast appeared to have a somewhat meat-like texture, but it also had a tough, rubbery skin and a very chewy texture that seemed vaguely spongelike. It also had a strange, slightly bitter aftertaste and a strongly peppery flavor, despite the fact that the ingredients do not list pepper.
In contrast to the Tofurkey, the stuffing mixture was actually quite good. It had a distinctly nutty flavor from the brown and wild rice and a nice texture due to the mixture of ingredients that kept it from getting mushy. The spicing was very well done, too. The vegetables, of course, were also fine. It's hard not to like roasted vegetables and the fact that they were in a casserole dish with a Tofurkey seemed to have no impact on their flavor.
So, would I buy this Tofurkey roast again? I think that it would be very unlikely, as I would rather have a meal of well-prepared veggies than a sort-of turkey-flavored roast, especially if the roast has the texture of an old sponge. Vegetarians and vegans can do better than Tofurkey for Thanksgiving, but if a thoughtful relative goes out of their way to prepare one, at least try to get a piece that is mostly stuffing. I should also point out, that the stuffing is sold separately and if that version (which I have yet to see in any local stores) tastes as good as this one did, I would definitely consider picking that up once in a while.
A fraking amazing Battlestar Galactica cake
Iced Tea 101
Pierogies + cheese + onions + kraut = Parmageddon!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
11-21-2006 @ 10:15AM
Stephen said...
I have been roasting turkeys for years and prefer it over the fried turkey... I wonder how different this would taste if fried?
My sister gets these every year... every year I am thankful for my turkey and stuffing recipe.
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 10:37AM
Monkey Eat Food said...
It's very labor-intensive, but Bryanna Clark Grogan's recipe for a soy-seitan "turkey" is fantastic. I've never encountered a faux turkey that has the same texture as real turkey, but this one comes close in flavor: http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/bryanna_thanksgiving.htm
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 10:41AM
Jen Stone said...
It's disgusting! I have tried it before.
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 10:54AM
Kandiss said...
Just like a person can botch a regular turkey, a person can botch a Tofurky. The error here was not in the roast, but in the cooking method. When cooking a regular turkey, do you baste only once if you want a finished product that isn't dried out? No way. Just as there are 'recipes' for cooking regular turkey and ways to screw it up, there are recipes for peparing tofurky and ways of screwing it up. If you wrap the tofurky in foil before cooking to trap in steam and moisture and baste every 30 minutes for the entire cooking time with a mixture of water, sesame oil, tamari or soy sauce and a generous amount of apricot jam, it comes out wonderfully! Moist and delicious. As for the gravy, its best to empty it into a small saucepan and heat over a stove while stirring constantly. That will give you a completely different result than the picture of yuckiness shown in the blog.
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 11:07AM
Alex said...
Well, Nicole said that she followed the instructions on the box ... which I guess is what you usually do with packaged food like that. If there are better ways to prepare this product then why don't the manufacturers put those methods on the box?!
Why you would want to eat pretend turkey if you are a vegetarian or vegan is beyond me, anyway. Pretend anything is usually pretty revolting and only a shadow of the real McCoy. I'm with Nicole on the well-prepared veggie front!
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 11:28AM
Kandiss said...
Why is it beyond you that someone would want to eat a tofu/wheat gluten roast? Tofurky is the marketing name of the product, but really its just a tofu and wheat gluten roast. That's how I see it anyway, not as 'fake turkey', and I don't expect or want it to taste like turkey. Also, a great deal of people don't refrain from eating meat for taste issues, they do it for moral issues, so to have something that is similar even in a small way to foods that they are used to is comforting and familiar while still in line with their moral guidelines. I do agree that they could put better info on the box, although I'm pretty sure the directions don't say to baste it only once.
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 12:00PM
Lynne said...
I dated a vegetarian for ten years, and he loved Tofurkey. Gluten is an acceptable meat substitute, as long as you're not expecting it to taste like meat.
My meat-eating family was always anxious when my S.O. came to dinner because there was nothing on his plate that resembled meat, so they felt like he wasn't getting a proper meal. They were much happier when we put a slice of Tofurkey on his plate, so they could pretend he was eating what the rest of us were eating.
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 12:29PM
Kate said...
Kandiss, you bring up an issue that I have always had trouble comprehending.
"...a great deal of people don't refrain from eating meat for taste issues, they do it for moral issues, so to have something that is similar even in a small way to foods that they are used to is comforting and familiar while still in line with their moral guidelines."
My question is this: For those who have moral issues with eating meat or "anything with a face" or any animal product, why is necessary to have an industry so devoted to mimicing meat products? Why isn't a delicious plate of roasted vegetables with a roasted brick of tofu its own reward?
It simply strikes me as a bit hypocritical to both condemn the meat industry (and I acknowledge there are great many reasons to do so -- no question) and eschew eating our animal friends, but then seek out "Tofurkey" (if it isn't meant to mimic roasted fowl, it would be called Roast Tofu, but marketing has obviously proven the buyers DO want something which resembles roasted bird meat), or fakey hot dogs, or fake "chikken" and the like?
If it is morally repugnant to eat meat after knowing how meat is processed for our consumption, why is it "comforting and familiar" to eat products which mimic the very animals who suffered to make it to the plate of the meat eaters?
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 12:55PM
Christina said...
I've been a vegetarian for 9 years. I was completely worried about my first vegetarian Thanksgiving, until I found Tofurky. I thought it was the answer to my prayers. I also found the Tofurky itself to be rather unappealing, but the gravy was decent (at least better than any fast food gravy), and the yuba "skin" and stuffing were awesome!
Now, every time I go home for Thanksgiving, my parents buy me a tofurky. I hate having to eat all of that by myself, but I don't want to hurt their feelings. It makes them feel good to provide something substantial for me, although, truth be told, I'd much rather make the veggie sides vegan and feast on them.
I think the mistakes in preparing the Tofurky were using the clear glass pan, not leaving some liquid in the pan, and not basting enough. Turkeys have fat and juice that seeps out when you bake them, Tofurkys do not.
Also, I'd like to add that Tofurky makes a line of deli slices that are pretty good. They have flavors like cranberry stuffing, black pepper, and smoked. They work well with hummus or avocado and fresh veggies on a roll.
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 1:17PM
Nicole Weston said...
I would just like to add a couple things here. First, I did cook the roast covered in foil, and it wasn't particularly dry on the inside, just the "skin." I would consider trying it again if someone really knew a good way to prepare it, but I don't think that would help the actual flavor/texture of the product all that much. Normally I like a lot of the vegan/vegetarian "meats" made with wheat gluten, but this had a much denser texture than some of those that just didn't do it for me. Frying might improve it, though, since tofu in general is very good when fried.
Also, I second using any of Bryanna's recipes. They always turn out great for me and are definitely worth the time involved!
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 2:06PM
Alex said...
It's not beyond me that someone would want to eat roast tofu, nut loaf or something like that (though I confess that wheat gluten doesn't sound too good ...). I guess it's beyond me that anyone would want to eat something that looks so blatantly processed (not to mention all that packaging!).
Why buy this when you could do all sorts of interesting things with organic, fairly traded nuts, flour, tofu etc? That way you wouldn't be eating any animals, contributing to global warming or supporting the exploitation of workers anywhere - talk about keeping your morals happy!
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 2:08PM
Mike said...
@Kate: Because we're not killing animals. Why is the form our food takes of any concern to you? Animals die to feed you. They don't to feed me.
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 2:29PM
Ed said...
Meat is murder-- so try new Imitation Murder! So delicious, you'll swear it's really murder!
I'll pass on all fake meats, McRib included.
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 2:34PM
Kate said...
Thank you, Ed!
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 2:35PM
Kate said...
Mike, I think in trying to respond rapidly and in a hostile fashion, you may have missed my point. I totally GET why Vegans are Vegans, and I applaud their convictions.
What I'm asking is, why is comforting to eat a food which obviously processed to look, taste, and remind you of the very animals that didn't have to die to feed you?
As Alex #12 points out, there are so many interesting things to be done with non-meat protein substances, I simply am curious (not "concerned") why a Vegan would go to such lengths to recreate or eat products which mimic dead animals, which are considered morally unacceptable.
I have no animus toward Vegans or Vegetarians, and respect their food choices. I just find it interesting that Vegans embrace both Faux Meat and No Animals Have To Die concepts -- jointly. Sure, you don't want animals to die. Bravo. But it's okay to fake it so you can pretend you're eating a turkey like substance, for comfort and familiarity? I find it odd.
Hopefully there will be a few who respect my curisoty and are willing to address it thoughtfully.
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 3:14PM
Laura said...
Funny, I keep hearing the word "sponge" used over and over again when describing tofurkey.
The tofurkey company makes really excellent faux sausage. I'm not vegetarian but I've pretty much stopped eating real sausage because the fake stuff is so much healthier and tastes darn good.
But I really haven't felt much of a yearning to replace real turkey yet.
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 3:27PM
Peace said...
I've been making these for years, and I've never had the leathery exterior you describe or the odd flavors. I don't do the veggies with the roast. I've always done the stovetop reheat for the gravy, whisking until smooth and it is always fine. I've always done the baste with the soy sauce & OJ. I just checked the package and saw the baste you used. I'm not sure I'd use an oily baste. I don't think I've ever baked it uncovered either. I've tried other brands, and this is by far the best, sorry you didn't get the good results we do.
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 3:34PM
Lauren said...
I prefer Now and Zen brand Unturkey. I was still a meat eater when I first tried that. I was dating a vegan and we went to my parents house for thanksgiving then back to his place so he could eat. He roasted a Now and Zen Unturkey-and even after eating the real thing a few hours before, i was very impressed with it.
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 3:43PM
Christina said...
Kate, I think it's familiarity. New vegetarians know what to do with these products. They are easy. As I said before, for my first meatless Thanksgiving, I felt totally lost, and thought I'd be forgotten amid all the buttered, sugared, giblitted dishes, so for me, that year, Tofurkey was a great way to avoid being forgotten.
Now, I'd much rather make meals that don't involve substitutes or alternatives like fake steak, fake turkey, or fake pork. I like simple, fresh ingredients refined as little a possible. I have two general rules: 1) If I can't make it in my kitchen(or don't understand how it is made), I don't buy it, which is why I don't buy hydrogenated oils. 2) If it has more that ten ingredients, or ingredients I don't recognize, I don't buy it.
I think much of the "progress" the vegetarian movement has made with vegan analog products has been detrimental. I would consider foods like Tofutti "sour cream" and "cream cheese" products(which contain hydrogenated oil), Tofurky, Gimme Lean (a ground beef/sausage analog) and veggie burgers to be transitional and convience foods. The same way most people don't eat microwave burritos or Hotpockets everyday, I don't think a vegetarian should any of the heavily refined, processed foods, like meat analogs regularly. By the way, I don't consider tofu, tempeh and seitan meat analogs, while are slightly processed foods which should not be eaten everyday, they are easy to prepare in your own home, and can be a big part of a healthy diet.
In case anyone wonders what a vegan eats instead of turkey and Tofurky, for my Thanksgiving dinner this year, I think I'll be making Tempeh Marsala.
Reply
11-21-2006 @ 3:47PM
Kris said...
On the morality question, I'm a vegan (raw right now), but it has nothing to do with morality. I wear leather, and I don't think there's anything wrong with using animal products, or other people eating animals. It's certainly not immoral for predators to eat animals, but not eating animal products is just as valid. I've eaten meat in the past, and probably will again, but it has to do with what I feel is the best thing to put in my body right now, not whether "meat is murder". I don't mean to offend anyone, but I think that's incorrect. Other animals don't make moral judgments about killing for food.
As for why vegetarians/vegans like fake meat, I think it's because they're in transition. They want to not eat meat, but also want the comfort of familiar textures and foods they used to eat. Like anything, you get used to your patterns, and when you try to change those patterns, it's good to have a stepping stone or halfway point to stop at on your way. Personally, I really don't like fake meat because it's a poor substitute. If I wanted to eat meat, I'd eat meat. Oh, and Tofurky is nasty.
Reply