Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After I read this cover-to-cover, I decided to go for it. I bought everything: Springform pans. Cheesecloth. Dehydrator. Exact recommended high speed blender model. Pounds of every nut listed. Celtic Salt, Himalayan Salt, Agar, Tapioca, spirulina, lactic acid, Acidophilus, etc. All of it except the wine cooler. I spent 896 dollars total. Many of these cheeses have the same ingredients in different quantities and combinations, so I thought I was sure to get several winners. I had not read any other vegan cheese book before this one. My experience: Smoked Almond Cheddar spread: Grainy, very fibery from the almond skins, oddly sweet and the smoke flavor made my husband think of hot dog water. I threw it away. Next time I would blend it smoother in the blender, and replace the pimientos and smoke with ½ jar of chopped chipotles, maybe blanching half the almonds first. Quick form Sharp Cheddar: Maybe I overcooked it. I don’t know what it should look like in the pan when cooked enough. It immediately started sweating oil in the mold and got very spongy and rubbery. The flavor was a mild cheddar but in an off-putting way matched with the texture. I threw it away. Artichoke Spread: Made this in the blender. This was a winner, albeit very rich. Next time I’ll use ½ cashews and ½ white beans to cut the heaviness and calories. Quick Form Provolone: Maybe I undercooked this one because it became a spread, never holding shape. The flavor was pleasant but again, not appetizing with the texture. I threw it away. I made one more agar/tapioca starch quick-form cheeses and hated it, so gave up on those. A friend of mine tried the sour cream and said it was disgusting so I used the recipe from the high speed blender book which worked well for me. At this point I wanted to bypass any more spreads or quick agar/tapioca type cheeses and make a “real” sliceable aged cheese that I could pair with wine, fruit, nuts and crackers. Aged Gorgonzola: I followed directions exactly, aging in the fridge instead of a wine cooler. I salted the cheeses once and flipped them every day. After a day or two in the fridge it was similar to thick cream cheese texture and slightly pungent aroma/flavor. I was not interested in soft cheese so I kept aging. After 1 week: Soft, firming up slightly. More like a thick spread. Not ready to slice yet. After 2 weeks: Sliceable soft cheese texture. No longer a spread. Good, tangy taste with developing mild umami quality however it was very salty. I think salting the exterior (even only one time) causes salt absorption. I would cut the recipe salt to 1/4tsp next time. This cheese works for me and I’d serve it to a stranger/make it again. I plan to keep aging these up to 8-12 weeks to see what happens. Overall this book gave me a few keepers for my recipe files, led me to rationalize purchasing the premier high speed blender which I use often, and a dehydrator I use to make fantastic sundried tomatoes and dehydrated strawberries for granola. It inspired me to look around for other vegan cheese recipes, and for that I’m grateful. As a stand-alone book there are some recipes that are great as a springboard for learning and experimenting in the world of vegan cheese.