Harry Speaks, and Doth Proclaim: "Meat substitutes can be a fun way for vegetarian converts to replicate familiar foods, as few American vegetarians grew up vegetarian, but "cultural" vegetarians with long generational histories of vegetarianism don't exactly spend a lot of time producing food that tries to mimic meat."
And I think he's exactly spot on.
As do I. I've already mentioned by dislike for meat substitutes
I really don't think there could ever be such a thing as a "meat substitute." There is either meat or no meat. Seitan is fine, and I like it sometimes, but it's in no way comparable to meat (except that it is edible). I enjoy tofu in some applications, too. In fact, I had some last night as part of a pad Thai.
While nothing fully replaces meat, it has two components in food. One of those is flavor, and I have already said I can't replicate it. That said, lean meats have far less flavor, since most of the long-chain alphatics that give meat flavor are found in fat and cell membranes.
The other is texture. Here, things like seitan and soy protein can give vegetarian foods familiar body and texture. I've been using soy for many years just for this purpose.
Steingar, if you really want to make your food have that "rich" flavor, I'd suggest that you bone up on cooking with reduced vegetable stock and mushrooms. Mushrooms are awesome for that richness that is sometimes difficult to come by. If you have more cash, then use truffles. Porcini or truffle oil is a good way to start getting bolder flavors into your food.
Yes, but one does not want mushroom flavor in every last meal, and in some it is inappropriate. Most stocks get the majority of their flavor from salt, and are refractory to condensation for this reason. I've made reduced stock from scratch and it's good, but a royal pain.
Honestly, I have no complaints in this regard whatsoever. Mrs. Steingar and I have been feeding a group of non-vegetarians once a year for four years running. We've never sent anyone away hungry, and we've never served the same thing twice. I doubt we ever will.
The other thing I'd do is look towards cultures that are predominantly vegetarian for culinary inspiration. The best of them, in my opinion, is Indian cuisine.
My point is, if I were forced to go meatless then I wouldn't be messing around with so-called meat substitutes, because they are all (even if "organic") highly processed factory foods that I'd rather not eat. I'd just eat grilled, braised, sauteed, roasted, and raw veggies and starches prepared deliciously. Start using spices to form the flavor backbone of your dishes.
Another thing: have you ever tried smoking vegetables (like in a smoker... not out of a rolling paper)? That's another great way to give your food some depth.
While I am not a big fan of meat substitutes, they have their place. For example, when I was assembling my curry last week, I wanted a protein component in it that was not present in the vegetables or the curry sauce. We had some sort of meat substitute stuff in the freezer, once thawed it quickly and easily provided the desired nutritional component.
I have not used tofu in years, and never liked it much. It is in no way a meat substitute, as it has a distinct texture, horrid flavor, and is high in fat.
