Vegan cheese (cheese substitute) is really getting good.

This thread is in the tech and science forum because this is about fairly new technology in food production, and apparently is pretty important (see my next paragraph, I really want to know what Bill Gates is doing in this, does anyone know?), so I'd ask the mods to consider leaving it here. Thanks. My "real" post:

Caught the last half minute of the Chris Hayes show on MSNBC, so I don't know what the whole story was about, but the segment was entitled something like "How fake cheeseburgers will save the planet", and they were talking about how Bill Gates is putting a huge amount of money into it.

That sounded about right. The taste of the newest vegan cheese, combined with the best of the vegan "hamburgers", is getting really good. I'm finally at the point where I can microwave two vegan patties, put a slice of vegan cheese on each one with about 40 seconds to go, slap the mix into a nice nan, add ketchup, mustard, relish, and some vegan mayonnaise substitute and, yum. It's pretty darn good.

The saving the planet part? Oh yeah, high five on that one. In a large part, both the historical and recent destruction of forests and prairies came around in order to make room to grow food for cattle and hogs (and for grazing space, although nowadays factory farms do a big chunk of that work). If the human race gets serious about reinstituting lost forests and prairies it will have to be because meat and cheese substitutes exist that will rival the experience of eating the best of the best cheeseburgers (and in the majority of cases, they will have to be good enough to compete with middling-to-good cheeseburgers). 'They're getting pretty close, enough for me to call eating the stuff a feast (and when I was eating "real" cheeseburgers back in 1988 I loved every one of them, as I had my entire life). Most meals are feasts after giving up meat and dairy, but these new things are a step up in taste and experience from what they were not very long agol (not even talking about vegan cheese pizza here, which has done some quantum leaping of its own).

So.....what did Gates do that made news?? I know I could look it up, but on this one I'd like to learn it on ATS, so I'll wait for posts with interest and anticipation. Thanks.

a reply to: Aleister

I don't understand the whole Vegan thing. Please expound on the reasoning. As I understand it, Vegans eat nothing resourced from animal products. Because....?

a reply to: Aleister

I have been dying to post this, I guess this format is close enough.





Q: Why does Vegan cheese taste so bad?
A: Because it's never been tested on mice.

Vegan foods sure have improved a hell of a lot the last few years. I try to avoid soy so it's great to see more products being made with almonds and rice. I used to be a cheese addict so for a while I sorely missed it. But now there are so many really good vegan alternatives. My favorite is Jalapeno Jack (made from almonds) produced by Lisanatti Foods. They have several other varieties including Cheddar, Mozzarella, Garlic-Herb, Jalapeno, Jack Style Cheddar Shreds & Mozzarella Shreds. All of them are very good especially the Jalapeno Jack, Jalapeno and Mozzarella. Melts well too. They carry it at most health food food markets (including Better Health & Foods For Living.) It's better tasting than any regular cheese I ever had.

a reply to: FalafelBallz

If ur vegan and eat crap like this cheese and other crap products. Your nothing better than any other diet eater.

Why the hell you need cheese? Because your weak brain can't help it.

This will not save humanities. This cheese will only prolong this stupid specie to evolute to humans that control they senses.

originally posted by: FalafelBallz
It's better tasting than any regular cheese I ever had.

you have never had good quality cheese then, there is no possible way a fake cheese taste as good as a decent quality cheese. then again taste is subjective...

originally posted by: saadad
a reply to: FalafelBallz

If ur vegan and eat crap like this cheese and other crap products. Your nothing better than any other diet eater.

Why the hell you need cheese? Because your weak brain can't help it.

This will not save humanities. This cheese will only prolong this stupid specie to evolute to humans that control they senses.

What an intelligent response.

originally posted by: jackjoedoe

originally posted by: FalafelBallz
It's better tasting than any regular cheese I ever had.

you have never had good quality cheese then, there is no possible way a fake cheese taste as good as a decent quality cheese. then again taste is subjective...

I have had quality cheese. Since you haven't tried it I guess you clearly have no clue whether it's as good or not, do you?

originally posted by: Ultralight
a reply to: Aleister

I don't understand the whole Vegan thing. Please expound on the reasoning. As I understand it, Vegans eat nothing resourced from animal products. Because....?

Healthier (some will argue that, but in my universe there's no argument on that question: healthier). Not very hard to do once you realize that your love of eating a certain way, which has given you maybe half-a-dozen dishes which are "Oh Wow, this is so good!", will be replaced with half-a-dozen other dishes which will give you the same "Oh Wow, this is so good!" experience. Maybe even better, as the taste buds "heal" and probably become more acute to taste.

Full disclosure: I'm not vegan. I eat some egg white used in Quorn products, which are made from something like a mushroom-but-isn't held together by egg whites and other stuff - sounds gross, but their fake-chicken patties do it for me. And pancakes. A few times a year I do the pancake thing. And nan, which is an Indian bread which usually contains some butter. Love me some nan.

But what did Bill Gates do that's making news in this field???

a reply to: Greathouse

lol. At first I thought they both had their tongues hanging out (the one on the right, it's her dress strap, on the left, her hair).

If I was going to become a vegan, I wouldn't be making fake cheeseburgers. But I would definitely need real butter on my veggies. I guess I will never be a vegan.

Does vegan cheese make you constipated? I love real cheese but rarely eat it anymore. When vegan cheese can match a high quality sharp cheddar or Jarlsberg, then I will switch, but until then I'd rather have no cheese than bad cheese.

originally posted by: Aleister
But what did Bill Gates do that's making news in this field???

He seems to be backing a vegan start-up called "Beyond Meat".

originally posted by: daskakik

originally posted by: Aleister
But what did Bill Gates do that's making news in this field???

He seems to be backing a vegan start-up called "Beyond Meat".

Nice, thanks. Bill Gates "backing" something means "roll in the wheelbarrows because we're going to need a lot of them to haul out the money". Will check back on this later, but I have a feeling this project will be quite important, maybe even a game changer. Why do I say that? I've now eaten some of the good stuff, and yep, the quality holds up.

originally posted by: LowTechRedneck

Does vegan cheese make you constipated? I love real cheese but rarely eat it anymore. When vegan cheese can match a high quality sharp cheddar or Jarlsberg, then I will switch, but until then I'd rather have no cheese than bad cheese.

I don't think so. I drink lots of water though, and that is pretty much a cure all for constipation, especially on a in-the-vicinity-of-vegan diet.

Almond milk is not bad at all.
I have not tried almond based cheese.
Now I am curious what almond teats look like.

Yes, because what the world needs is more processed crap. Gawd, I can't imagine what that is doing to your body. Plus you are contributing to factories that harm the planet. Please think of the animals whose homes are being destroyed and environments are being polluted so you can have something that "tastes" like cheese. You are better of eating real cheese from a free range dairy that focus on the care, well being and quality of like of the animals.

a reply to: Aleister

I actually agree had a vegan pizza from a friend who's into that and it was pretty darn good.

a reply to: Aleister

But are you saying it is good in that it tastes like Kraft "cheese"? Because Kraft cheese is the furthest thing from cheese you can get.

Are there vegan Havartis? Swiss? Fresh Mozzarella comparisons?

Can you get a replica of Gouda or the right flavor that mocks Feta or Goat's cheese?

Does it even come close to the sublime experience of an Aged Cheddar?

I don't think so. If you're praising it because it shares the texture and cheezy taste while being inordinately shiny and flappy like your average processed American slices, we have a problem.

originally posted by: Ultralight
a reply to: Aleister

I don't understand the whole Vegan thing. Please expound on the reasoning. As I understand it, Vegans eat nothing resourced from animal products. Because....?

....meat is the game and diet of the predator. The human race moves ever closer to extinction and the destruction of the natural world because of a deeply entrenched predator psychology and all that that entails. Time for a wee experiment, stop being a predator and see if it helps our survival. It's worth a go. no?