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Why does no one sell real vegan cheese?
Okay, I don't understand why there are so many fake cheeses. Why can't people make real cheese with a soy base? None of the "cheese"s I've ever seen have been made with any sort of bacterial process--they're just a bunch of gums.
Why don't we have a mold process for vegan cheese?
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
I wonder if it just tastes nothing like cheese if you do that.
Tempeh is fermented soy beans - never tried it myself - does it taste cheesy?
It's unlikely to have the texture of cheddar and mozarella cheese as that is down to the casein - I suppose it could end up crumbly, though.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Quote:
joehaer
Okay, I don't understand why there are so many fake cheeses. Why can't people make real cheese with a soy base? None of the "cheese"s I've ever seen have been made with any sort of bacterial process--they're just a bunch of gums.
Why don't we have a mold process for vegan cheese?
In the UK there is an excellent hard 'cheese' called scheese made by - I think - Greendragon foods.... It's excellent. I don't use it all the time as it has the soya protein in it, but it is really an excellent alternative to cows milk cheese.:)
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
I haven't found a good replacement in the US for cheese made by soy. I always thought tofu..soy bean curd ... was the 'cheese' made using soy milk???? Could be wrong about that. At any rate I found making my own 'cheese' sauces out of nutritional yeast much cheaper and tastier than what I could buy here. Though I do occasionally splurge on Toffuti 'Better than Cream Cheese'. I have to admit that I really do like their version much better than my own...and well life is much to short not to have a little splurge now and then.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
I actually bought something called Vegan Rella last week and made enchiladas...they have cheddar and mozzarella flavor...It wasn't too bad and it did melt...and it's completely vegan...
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Quote:
Jane M
I always thought tofu..soy bean curd ... was the 'cheese' made using soy milk???? Could be wrong about that.
That's what I thought too.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Quote:
nmvegan
I actually bought something called Vegan Rella last week and made enchiladas...they have cheddar and mozzarella flavor...It wasn't too bad and it did melt...and it's completely vegan...
I quite often use that one. It melts quite well.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
I didn't like Vegan Rella chedder flavor. It melted great but had this weird chemical taste to it. I might try Follow Your Heart cheeses. They got some good reviews, though I'll have to order them off the internet or drive to denver (an hour away).
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
I'll keep dreaming of the day when there's vegan brie and gouda and stringy, chewy pizza cheese and it's just like the dairy kind. It may never happen, but hey, they finally put out a good vegan whipped cream.
It's casien that gives cheese that elastic texture, isn't it? If only they could find an alternate for that.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Quote:
Morna
I didn't like Vegan Rella chedder flavor. It melted great but had this weird chemical taste to it. I might try Follow Your Heart cheeses. They got some good reviews, though I'll have to order them off the internet or drive to denver (an hour away).
I thought the same of Vegan Rella...the taste is very chemical and quite untasty, to put it mildly. It does melt very well, but I can't stand the taste. I've heard really good things about Follow Your Heart, but unfortunately my health food store doesn't carry it. I would like to try it when I find it, and I really hope that it tastes good!
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
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Unseen
I'll keep dreaming of the day when there's vegan brie and gouda and stringy, chewy pizza cheese and it's just like the dairy kind. It may never happen, but hey, they finally put out a good vegan whipped cream.
It's casien that gives cheese that elastic texture, isn't it? If only they could find an alternate for that.
Me too.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
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Unseen
It's casien that gives cheese that elastic texture, isn't it? If only they could find an alternate for that.
I read in VegNews magazine this month that Kraft has developed a soy based casien. I am not sure it will be used in soy cheese, the article didn't say.
Of course, everyone is probably boycotting Kraft anyway, but it was exciting news!
Here are some links it gave and if you have the magazine, it is on page 14.
www.freepatentsonline.com/6780446.html
www.notmilk.com
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Soy based casein? Cool. Well, if they develop it, maybe someone else will develop some and make a good non-dairy stretchy pizza cheese.
Now if someone would get to work on the brie and gouda...
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
they are BOUND to develop it. think of all the new vegan foods that are being made all the time..
veganism is on the rise..and food companies are starting to meet our demands.. cos the number of vegans is growing.
i went on veganstore today and saw they had fake tuna for crying out loud..HOW can you fake tuna? its amazing :)
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Quote:
lozza
i went on veganstore today and saw they had fake tuna for crying out loud..HOW can you fake tuna? its amazing :)
I have no idea how they can fake tuna, but I had some mock tuna in a cafe when I was in Seattle this past week, and it tasted, looked, and smelled like tuna, and the texture was exactly like real tuna. It *is* amazing! So I agree that the're bound to make tasty, realistic vegan cheese one day...I just hope it will be soon...
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Quote:
joehaer
Why can't people make real cheese with a soy base? None of the "cheese"s I've ever seen have been made with any sort of bacterial process
Hmmm, I think this is what happens when you sugject tofu to a bacterial fermentation process
http://www.makansutra.com/Makanzine/...elly_tofu.html
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
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they have been known to ferment the tofu with fish, fowl or poultry innards under sealed lids, for days and weeks.
:eek: Ackk, gagg, aaaacckkk, retch...
Thanks for that veggie!
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Quote:
DancingWillow
I have no idea how they can fake tuna, but I had some mock tuna in a cafe when I was in Seattle this past week, and it tasted, looked, and smelled like tuna, and the texture was exactly like real tuna. It *is* amazing! So I agree that the're bound to make tasty, realistic vegan cheese one day...I just hope it will be soon...
hehe are you SURE it wasnt real tuna and were just being deceived? ;)
heh. thats cool..i might try that stuff then cos i actually did really like tuna when i was omni.
and at work, i have to make tuna mayo all the time..and the smell doesnt freak me out or anything. cos i still remember eating tuna & liking it.
btw, i'm sure they will make very realistic fancy vegan cheeses soon.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
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lozza
hehe are you SURE it wasnt real tuna and were just being deceived? ;)
lol...It was so realistic that I *did* have to make sure with the girl that was working there that it wasn't real tuna! But it was an all vegan place (except one vegetarian item on the menu), so I think it's safe:)
and veggiesosage, that sounds really gross!!!
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Quote:
DancingWillow
lol...It was so realistic that I *did* have to make sure with the girl that was working there that it wasn't real tuna! But it was an all vegan place (except one vegetarian item on the menu), so I think it's safe:)
ah thats cool!
i LOVE all vegan places :D dont you just feel so 'safe' eating there? you dont have to worry about "ooh i cant have this or that" or cross contamination or anything :)
rock & roll the vegans :D
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Quote:
lozza
ah thats cool!
i LOVE all vegan places :D dont you just feel so 'safe' eating there? you dont have to worry about "ooh i cant have this or that" or cross contamination or anything :)
rock & roll the vegans :D
Yeah, it's truly an amazing feeling! :D To be able to order anything on the menu and actually get DELICIOUS food!!! What a difference from many omni places where all you can get is a pathetic salad consisting of iceburg lettuce with one cherry tomato on the top and no dressing:rolleyes:
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
I've tried various soy cheeses and most of them seem to have a horrid similarity to stinky feet. :eek:
However, - like Barley I find that 'Scheese' can be very palatable. It seems to go well with a bowl of thick soup, or perhaps with some pickle in a sandwich as it's quite hard. Cooking it just seems to enhance the oddness but I don't mind it with a Hot Chilli sauce for some nachos. I like the Smoked flavour best .
Doesn't melt though - so be warned.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Quote:
DancingWillow
Yeah, it's truly an amazing feeling! :D To be able to order anything on the menu and actually get DELICIOUS food!!! What a difference from many omni places where all you can get is a pathetic salad consisting of iceburg lettuce with one cherry tomato on the top and no dressing:rolleyes:
haha, i know EXACTLY what you mean. pffft..there should definitely be more vegan places. or at least vegetarian places with lots of vegan options.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
I suppose if I ever got really desperate for something cheesy I could eat my toenails.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Redwoods Cheezly Melting Mozerella is probably one of the best I've personally come across. It melts well- not quite the same as real cheese, but well enough.
On a pizza base, with a nice spicy chili sauce and oregano in an oven for 10 mins, you can pretty much forget that dairy pizza ever existed!
Only problem with the vegan cheeses is I notice they don't keep too well which makes them an expensive luxury. My MIL got around the problem by cutting the block into pieces and freezing them... then if you need it on a baked spud or on a salad, you can grate the frozen blocks with a cheese grater over the top. :)
The vegan parmesan is good too, though it kinda 'vanishes' as you sprinkle it so you need to use lots.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Quote:
TofuFooYung
Only problem with the vegan cheeses is I notice they don't keep too well which makes them an expensive luxury.
i never have a problem with them. mainly cos i eat the whole pack in about 2 days.. hehee.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
There are vegan cheese options out there for Americans, but they might be hard to find if you don't leave near a decent sized co-op or natural food store. And, as far as I've seen, they're about twice the price of regular cheese. For a block of vegan cheese about the size of your standard block of firm tofu, you can expect to pay about six bucks. In my area, anyway.
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Jane M said:
I always thought tofu..soy bean curd ... was the 'cheese' made using soy milk????
I am not sure - does anyone know much about cheese making? To make tofu, you first make soy milk (you need a home soy milk maker to do this). Then, you add a coagulant (it's sort of a concentrated salt), which makes the soymilk separate into curds and soy whey. You then pour the entire thing into a tofu press (sort of little square colander with a lid), put a weight on top, and in twenty minutes you have tofu that is a million times more delicious than what you buy at the store! :) But, the whole curds and whey thing does sound a lot like cheese making.
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Wildflower said:
I read in VegNews magazine this month that Kraft has developed a soy based casien. I am not sure it will be used in soy cheese, the article didn't say.
The sad thing about this is, even if vegan casein becomes commonplace, who knows if they will label it as such? :( There are so many products out there that can come from animal and plant sources, and half the time the company uses different sources at different times anyway, so we vegans are out of luck!
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
I read somewhere that Benjamin Franklin was awed by the "high protein tasteless cheese" [they] were making out of soybeans.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
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Unseen
I'll keep dreaming of the day when there's vegan brie and gouda and stringy, chewy pizza cheese and it's just like the dairy kind.
For now, I'm quite happy with my Vegan Gormet Chedder/Mozzarella pizzas w/ Yves veggie pepperoni. Though I have to agree, Gouda would be nice. Add Muenster to that list as well.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
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lozza
hehe are you SURE it wasnt real tuna and were just being deceived? ;)
My fiancee makes an INCREDIBlE fake tuna...I don't know how she does it, but with some bizarre alchemical wizardry she can throw together some tofu and various spices and out comes tuna. I'll try to post a recipe in the future if I can get her to write it down.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
I have never been a fan of cheese myself and rarely ate it before becoming vegan. But it would be nice to have the option once in a while.
I think cheese is the holy grail of vegan food! Whoever evetually invents it will become an instant hero!
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Linxie, have you been to your local Holland and Barrett or any health shop you should be able to pick some up there. Quite nice too.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
I bought some "mozzarella" from there once which worked well in a lasagne sauce but I have never seen anything that is more like a cheddar or other hard cheese. We only have a small H&B here.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Hi Linxie
You can have cheeze sent straight to the comfort of your own home ....
www.redwoodfoods.co.uk/shop
There are other companies who mail out tofu, cheeze, etc... just do a goodle search.
I love the cheddar style one grated into cooked red lentils, mushroom - chuck it in a casserole, top with breadcrumbs or sliced pepper/tomato and chucked in the oven to brown.
Has anyone found a vegan parmasan that doesn't taste like grated plastic??
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
I know Whole Foods Markets sells vegan cheese in all different types, and also some Super Wal-Marts have them. I fell in love yesterday with the yves charbroiled burgers, it taste just like a BK burger. I was astonished.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
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Unseen
I'll keep dreaming of the day when there's vegan brie and gouda and stringy, chewy pizza cheese and it's just like the dairy kind. It may never happen, but hey, they finally put out a good vegan whipped cream.
In my experience, if you're vegan for a longer time, you will loose the appetite for cheese ;)
I don't like the taste of "soya too" whipped cream either (the spray can stuff)
In fact, a lot of dairy products now have just a "fat/grease" smell to them for me, not appetizing at all.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Quote:
daniel22132090
I know Whole Foods Markets sells vegan cheese in all different types, and also some Super Wal-Marts have them. I fell in love yesterday with the yves charbroiled burgers, it taste just like a BK burger. I was astonished.
I love the mozzarella from Whole Foods! I buy a block every week.
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Quote:
Barley
In the UK there is an excellent hard 'cheese' called scheese made by - I think - Greendragon foods.... It's excellent. I don't use it all the time as it has the soya protein in it, but it is really an excellent alternative to cows milk cheese.:)
Where do we get this from as I love my cheese, but as most of you now know I am totally against any form of animal products this includes meat, dairy, poultry etc...so any Vegan cheeses would be very welcomed by me!
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Health food shops, or goodness direct :)
I would suggest the redwoods mozarella super melting for toasties, pizza etc, the smoked sheese for crackers and the tofutti creamy smooth for cheesecakes and bagels :D
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Re: Why does no one sell vegan *cheese*?
Quote:
veg_eric
In my experience, if you're vegan for a longer time, you will loose the appetite for cheese ;)
Except for the casein...that stuff is addicting! :)
Seriously, I've been Vegan for almost 3 years, and while I don't crave cheese anymore, I still wish I could eat it once in a while -- the fake stuff works well enough for me to stay sane, in any case. Before I was vegan, I'm pretty sure I ate a few servings of some sort of cheese every day. I was a total cheese junkie.
Meat and eggs are easy to quit. Cheese is very difficult, I think...but I've been strong for 3 years now, and don't plan on giving in any time soon. :D