War of the Cheezes: Daiya vs. Teese

Ok, so I went about a year and a half being vegan without using any commercial cheese substitutes.  I was always curious about them, but had never tried them.  When I read about Daiya, I was intrigued and just had to try it.  I fell in love immediately.  It was the perfect thing to fill that cheese void I had been trying to fill since giving up dairy.  I have used it to make grilled cheeze, mac'n'cheeze, avocado melt sandwiches, quesadillas, and vegan nachos.  I tried (and thoroughly enjoyed) Tofurkey's pepperoni pizza with Daiya, as well as on a veggie pizza at a local pizza joint in Broadripple that has vegan toppings.  It melts, it stretches, it gets creamy, it's cheesy...everything I expect from cheese, without dairy.  Bonus - it's also soy-free! 

Ever since my discovery of Daiya bliss I have been itching to try some of the other cheese alternatives (although I had read that none of them were anything compared to Daiya).  SO, I recently decided to try them out, finally!

First up...Teese.  I don't know what it was about the shape of the Teese package, but it just made me want to try it!  It wasn't slices or shreds, but a squishy log, more like a package of sausage.  Anyway, it hooked me.

As soon as I cut into it, I was felt the need to try a bite...just to see what it tasted like.  At first it seemed creamy, but as it moved around in my mouth it seemed to fall apart, feeling a bit like wet powder or flour.  The taste was interesting, but I wasn't sure it was all that good.  A little plastic-ish?  I don' t know.  Anyway, I decided to go ahead and make a good ol' grilled cheese sandwich with it.  I buttered a couple pieces of sprouted grain bread, cut a couple thin slices and waited patiently for the skillet to do its magic.

It took a few minutes, and it didn't look it...but the Teese did heat up and melt.  I didn't realize that it had melted until I squeezed the sandwich and some yellow goodness oozed out.

I was hoping this grilled cheese would be as delicious as I anticipated, especially after getting excited by the ooze (I love a good, gooey grilled cheeze).  Here we go...

Unfortunately, I wasn't as impressed as I look in the picture.  The taste was bland, with a strange aftertaste that lingered on the back of my tongue.  I tried salting it, but that wasn't enough.  I ended up spreading a bit of vegan sour cream (which I bought for vegan nachos) and a squeeze of mustard on the sandwich to give it a bit better flavor.  I was highly disappointed...but, maybe that's not fair.  I have been spoiled by Daiya!

I am going to look at some of the recipes on the Teese website and see if this alternative is better for use in dishes rather than a stand-alone staple for sandwiches and quesadillas.  I won't get my hopes up too much, though.

Summary:  I don't think I'll try Teese again.  Like so many vegan choices, it's a bit pricey for the quality.  I think I'll stick with my tried and true Diaya...never a disappointment!