Daiya taste-test
Daiya brand “cheese” has generated a lot of buzz in vegan circles this year. In March it won VegNews magazine’s “best of show” award at Expo West, a major natural-products trade show. More recently, VegNews named it product of the year. Bloggers have been posting rave reviews. It melts…. And even more, it stretches!
So I’d been eager to try it. The opportunity arrived a few weeks ago with an email from the Vegan Essentials mail-order company. They had five-pound blocks of Daiya available. I ordered a cheddar block immediately, fervently hoping that it wouldn’t be gross. Five pounds is a lot of fake cheese. Luckily, it freezes well. And Vegan Essentials also offers smaller packages of shredded Daiya – although, alas, both the blocks and the shreds are currently sold out.
The flavor has just a hint of the fake-cheese flavor that plagues many vegan cheeses; otherwise it’s pleasant if not overwhelmingly wonderful. But its ability to melt exceeds any other vegan cheese I’ve tried. The texture is fantastic. I’ve enjoyed it in macaroni and “cheese,” atop English-muffin pizzas and various casseroles; and best of all, in nachos. So far, that is my favorite way to use it. I’m conserving the remaining blocks, hoping Vegan Essentials will get more stock in before I’m left Daiya-less and needing nachos!
