Cheezly? Matt Just Isn’t So Sure.

Didja know that cheese is mildly addictive? It’s true. Cow’s milk contains small amounts of amounts of opiates that are specifically intended to create a bond between the calf and the cow; this is why some people ‘love’ milk so much. They are, in fact, a little bit addicted to it. When cheese is produced that same chemical is intesified — a LOT.

Hence, why so many people, omnis and vegetarians, find cheese to be such a central part of their lives.

And that’s why so many vegans find they have cravings for cheese randomly, after months or even years into being vegan.

As always, in our modern world getting ones vegan muts on an alternative to non-vegan foods is pretty darned easy.

Enter Cheezly by Redwood Foods.

Warning, the Redwood website is quite strange and may freeze your browser (like it did to mine!).

I’ll be honest, when I first thought about eating non-vegan cheese I didn’t have the highest expectations. And honestly? Those medium expectations were just about fulfilled.

The reality is that “cheeze” (vegan cheese), will always be a false product. No matter how I try to clothe it, I can’t help but remember that what I’m eating is something processed. Here’s the low-down:

Cons… D:

• The cheese taste isn’t massively strong, and there isn’t any cheese smell to pick up on when you’re preparing it. As such, your senses aren’t hugely tricked.
• When it ‘melts’ it turns into a hunk of gunk. It doesn’t look all that appealing, there isn’t any difference in colour among the melted cheeze and there’s NO way it’s gonna get stretchy.
• If you leave it in a non-airtight container (ie. in your fridge uncovered), it will turn pink in a few days. Disconcerting? You betcha.
• If you cook cheezly in the oven (say, on a pizza), you’ll find the cheeze either disintegrated into the tomato-sauce base or dried-out and browned on the top. Not fantastic, for sure.
• There is a fair amount of saturated fat in most of the Cheezly range, so best it be more of a one-off than a regular to your refrigerador.

Pros!

• Cheezly doesn’t have any cholesterol, trans fat, artificial colours, artificial preservatives, wheat, gluten, genetically-modified ingredients or casein. In a lot of soy products like vegan cheeze and tofu, the original soya can have been genetically-modified. For people like me who outright protest the genetic-modification of plants, this is FANTASTIC.
• Cheezly comes in a wheel, not in plastic slices, so you can do whatever you like with it, which is nice.
• Its consistency when preparing is JUST like cheese. If you grate it too hard it’ll start to crumble a little; if you keep it in your hand for 20 seconds it’ll start to melt a tiny bit.
• All of Redwood’s products are verified by the vegetarian and vegan society, which is a very trust-inducing label.
• The calories in the Cheezly range? AT LEAST HALF that of normal cheeze. That means you can have double!

Ultimately, Cheezly cheeze by Redwood is just about what you should expect: a fake cheese that acts like a fake cheese. If you’re DYING for the taste of cheese then it could very well be an adequate solution, but there’s real doubt in my mind that it’ll ever become a regular for my belly.

I give Cheezly a fair but firm 6.5/10 Stars.