Faux Meat Fake Out on ‘Hell’s Kitchen’

I don’t know how I missed this, but on an episode of Hell’s Kitchen, Chef Ramsay asked the remaining contestants to identify the missing ingredient in three dishes: chicken parmesan, beef stew, and sausage ravioli. Not one of the chefs could identify the missing ingredient in any of the dishes—meat.

That’s right, Chef Ramsay replaced the chicken and beef with vegetarian Gardein “meats” (available at Whole Foods deli counters and in California and Arizona as the brand It’s All Good), and the sausage with Lightlife’s soy sausage. Even Ben, who claims that he has “the best palate in the world,” couldn’t tell that they were faux meats.

If you’re a fan of these products or Morningstar Farms Meal Starter Strips, this probably isn’t very surprising to you either, since these products taste great and have a convincing texture. As always, I was amused by the show, but definitely not surprised.

You can watch the clip here: Vegetarians Unite!