Does the melting cheese really melt?

[cnc]

Wasn't really sure where to ask this sorry, but my mum recently had a rather interesting attempt at dairy free cooking for me, she very kindly made me a dairy free lasagne, which although tasted lovely, but had an appearance resembling a shepherds pie on the top, fluffy normal cheezly?!!Is there a cheese that will definatly avoid this problem as I'm a poor student and can't afford to keep experimenting with different cheeses, and I like food so this was a rather distracting problem!!

[Lan]

Hi CNC,

Cheesley produce a melting version and the taste is great. I have tried the mozarella and it melts about 80%. It's great for cheese on toast. For sauces I use Parmazano which is available from Tescos and Sainsburys, but you have to mix it in quite quickly.

Kind Regards,

Lan. :D

[cnc]

Thanks a lot, ill give those a go

[Pam]

I have tried the meltingly cheezly and didn't think it melted very well (though it is supposed to). I also had no luck with Veggie Kaas which is advertised as a melting vegan cheese. The only thing that I have found that actually melts is Tofutti slices (but they don't taste brilliant). The lady in the Green Health shop suggested grating cheezly into a white sauce to produce the cheesey taste (or you could just sprinkle parmesano into it). I use Tofutti cheddar style slices on pizzas and lasagne and have found that it bubbles and melts on both. The slices are individually wrapped so you can keep a pack in the fridge for months without it spoiling.

Morrisons also sell dairy free cheese sauce in a tub. It doesn't taste all that cheesy but it's not bad and it is quite easy to make up with either water or soya milk (I just bung it in the microwave and mix every so often). It is made by Free and Easy and it is on the free from shelf.

[Fozzybear]

I've tried the Cheezly super melting mozarella on a pasta bake* (Iceland sell a jar of milk-free sauce for this) and it melts just enough to make it usable. Not brilliant but much better than going without - I love pasta bakes!


*for those not in the know a pasta bake is pasta and a sauce cooked in the oven with cheese on top.

[Copper]

My youngest daughter and her boyfriend still make pasta bakes - they think that they are still students :)

[cnc]

Personally I prefer Potato bake!!Or Jacket potato with cheese and beans, or basically any food containing cheese, which is why most of my posts so far have been about 'cheese'.(there's nothing wrong with students!!)
I'm assuming the jar of milk-free sauce will be similar to the powered dairy-free cheese sauce?As i can get hold of this more easily!
Can't wait to get some suitable cheese- eating is a popular hobby of mine

[Copper]

I never said there was anything with students :) I know that students are poor and have to cook and live on a shoestring.

[Fozzybear]

I'm assuming the jar of milk-free sauce will be similar to the powered dairy-free cheese sauce?As i can get hold of this more easily!
Can't wait to get some suitable cheese- eating is a popular hobby of mine

Not quite - this is a tomato and bacon sauce. I've got one in the cupboard so I've taken a couple of pics of the jar and the ingredients/allergy lists:

http://www.forsdick.dsl.pipex.com/milk/pasta1.jpg

http://www.forsdick.dsl.pipex.com/milk/pasta2.jpg

I used to have the Dolmio Creamy Tomato pasta bake all the time as it was mega-yummy, but with cream AND cheese it was a definite bad-food for me. This Iceland version seems to be ok for me (does have gluten but not a problem for me) with some of the super-melting cheezly.

[cnc]

I'm a terrible student, I'm in a catered college, get all meals provided except saturday and sunday evening meals, which normally means eat out or basic cooking!!Have a limited choice of meals, but can normally get away with finding something, as dairy doesnt have a too obvious reaction
I thought I should defend students as we get such a bad press normally :(
Attempted to buy some melting cheese today, but the shop had sold out so settled for some non-dairy chocolate ice cream!!So looks like I'll have to rest my cooking skills for another day :lol2:
Must look out for more coook-in sauces as i should really cook more often for myself

[matt]

you don't need cook in sauces, far cheaper option is either honey and soya sauce. or a stock cube, or can of coconut milk/cream with soya or stock cube. add some dried herbs to the list and you're well away. the lot will prob cost less than two cans of ready made sauces. not much more effort to cook and same length of time if not quicker.


lecture over.:rant: i'm only jealous not being able to use many/any cookin sauces.

[cnc]

Nice idea Matt, but when I'm away there is one major problem, the closest kitchen to me has a microwave and nothing else!!The other kitchen is four flights of stairs down, so my food tends to get cold on the way back to my room!
I know I could make sauces from scratch and am able to, but I don't!!:D

[matt]

ok no prob, you got a lakeland nearby? they do a microwave casserole container. so grab one of those, get the ingredients chuck them all in and microwave..... eat straight from the container. cuts down on washing up aswell!!!:lol2: :drool:

i take it the catering during the week is reliably dairy free? that's a result. and suprising.

[emi_150]

Hehe one of the main reasons i didnt go into the halls of residence was so i could cook for myself, im a big fan of making everything from scratch! :D and i didnt fancy sharing a kitchen with other students... no offence but im a bit fussy when it comes to cleaning and generally speaking students have an interesting idea about cleanliness!!

Matt, that sauce you mentioned sounds yummy, could you tell me specific amounts? as id love to have a go at making some sauces myself, i seem to have a lack of imagination when it comes to pasta sauces so usually tend to leave them well alone.

[matt]

specific amounts.....well as specific as i normally do. as there's alot of chuck a bit more in to my cooking:

coconut sauce: fry some meat (up to you what, i've used chicken/beef/lamb) in olive oil gently to seal. then add carton coconut cream (or tin if cooking larger amount) add a knorr stock cube and let simmer for 20 mins or so. serve with rice pasta etc.

honey soya: again fry the meat gently, add soya sauce to taste, couple of good splashes atleast. then cover and simmer gently for 10 mins. then add a good squirt of runny honey per piece of meat. simmer for another 5mins or so be carefull to simmer as the honey will burn easily.

to adapt the above two easily. garlic puree, mixed herbs, small jar of morrocan spices(a couple of shakes per piece of meat) add one/two or all three for a different result.

i tend to serve quite often with home made oven chips and sweet potato chips. really easy, peel both cut into chip shape chunky. put in bowl with olive oil and rock salt make sure well covered then put in oven gas 8 for 20-25 mins turning atleast once. keep eye on them as they can burn easily. chunky chips that are good for you!

here endeth the lesson! they are very nice and taste better than they should when you consider the lack of effort involved. i tend to just experiment. if you start with a list of things you like then the chances are whatever you make will taste ok and ever now and then you come up with something worth doing again!

good one for pasta. decent sausages fried then add tin tomato puree, garlic,herbs,(spices if you're in a spicemood) simmer gently for 15 mins then add to passta of your choice.

enjoy (i hope)
:bleh:

[cnc]

I had no option every college is catered, I'm lucky I've got any form of kitchen most only have a hob!!
Have just heard from college and the head chef has emailed me a list of all meals and indicated which ones are dairy free- college is generally very good about this type of thing especially as we pay a lot of money to eat there. They have also said that they'll provide different meals for me if there is nothing I can eat on a certain day, although there seems to be at least one dairy free main meal item everyday. So seems quite positive to me!!
Thankfully my reaction to dairy is not to bad, so can cope with the risk of a small amount of dairy ending up in my meal.

[matt]

it does make life a heck of a lot easier if you can relax and let someone else cook. it's amazing that they are being so good. i wonder how well the other colleges would fair in comparison.

a few years since i was at college so things have no doubt changed a bit. mind you we weren't too worried about that, more about getting to the pub at lunch and grabbing a sausage roll at some point.:lol2: can't think why i didn't go on to university. other than realising before going that i would have spent 3 years intoxicated and come out without much other than an overdraft and a hangover!

maturity beyond my years.....nah, just wanted the hangover without the overdraft.

[Pam]

You're really lucky that the chef is being so helpful, not many of them are so good.

[cnc]

Have just got another email from the chef, saying that they're here to help, so I'm quite impressed and have offered to cook me different meals if necessary.
I think part of the reason they're so helpful is that they are cooking for a smaller number of people than at a normal university, because theres only about 450 people living on site, so its a bit easier than if there were several thousand people being catered for every meal.

[Pam]

I still think it is pretty amazing that this chef is going out of his way to be helpful (please send a letter of appreciation to his boss/the boss of the Uni so that his help is acknowledged - these helpful people don't get enough praise from their bosses). Are there many other people with special dietary needs at your college?

[cnc]

I know, I'm really impressed with his help, I will contact the catering manager/ see him in person to say thanks.
I don't know if there are many other people with dietary needs, although this is quote is from the special diets page of my colleges website "Special requirements do not usually present a problem - it is just a case of us finding out which foods are permitted. This is especially important where restrictions are based on medical grounds", which suggests that they are fairly used to special requirements.

[matt]

put up a notice on the notice board to let people know about our site. there's prob atleast one other person there with the same probs. give you someone to share dairyfree treats with!

good to hear a positive story for once. a chef who gives a damn. passs on our congrats for being so professional.:)

[cnc]

Have just been to visit the chef today, and his assistant is going to look on the internet for some dairy free deserts they can make on a mass production scale and then let me know when they are going to be served. Must say I was very impressed with this, (this was their suggestion not mine) and just generally his attitude- he also informs me, if a product is no longer suitable for me (e.g. dripping is sometimes replaced with butter if they run out in sauces).

[cnc]

To gloat just that little bit more, I emailed the chef on Thursday evening to tell him there was nothing on the menu I could eat, and so could they do me some chicken etc.. and when I arrived in the canteen on Friday lunchtime he had actually informed one of the servers to look out for me so he could be alerted and they could cook the chicken freshly for me!!I was rather impressed...:D

[matt]

stalker alert!!!! no just joking, great to see someone with integrity and whose proud of their work enough to bother.

try asking for something like duck or t-bone steak next time see how far you can push your luck!!!:lol2:

[cnc]

I think he'd cook me whatever I wanted that was on the list of dairy free, most of it seems to be chicken though!!
Duck and steak only tend to be provided in formal hall (slightly nicer meals, cost a bit more and held in our main hall), so can't see it happening! And I want to keep on the right side of him as well :D

[matt]

yeah i know i was only joking. great to have someone paying attention and making sure the foodss ok to eat. you don't want to take the mickey. just hope he's there next year...assuming you're in halls next year or will you rent flat?

[cnc]

Next year is a bit weird, generally speaking everyone gets to stay in college grounds for their undergraduate years, unless, you're very unlucky and end up at the bottom of the room ballot, which sees 30 of you shipped out to college owned property at the other side of town, so you cook for yourself, or eat in the canteen if you happen to be around.
But mostly end up cooking for yourself.

[matt]

so you're hoping for continued stay in your present accom to keep going with the good chef? if so i'd approach the admin staff and point out how helpfull it's been for your studies to not have to worry about eating the wrong food etc etc what a good chef etc etc how it would help your continued studies if you could be in the same block next year.......


can't hurt to ask if that's what you want. and the sooner it's agreed the better.B)

[cnc]

No sorry, I already know I'm being shipped out!! The ballot was done earlier on this year, so I'm going to be primarily self-catering. College wouldn't do anything I don't think unless I was actually diagnosed with a problem/ go to see a Doctor, which may actually happen, but thats another story altogether!!Self-catering is probably the safest option for me anyway, but I'll still eat in college when I'm in the area. Will just have to make sure that the guys I'm sharing with if cooking for me, only use certain ingredients :)

[matt]

time to put up that poster to see who else is dairy free! more recruits for the site and potential flat share mates....


unless you want to stay in accom in which case get to the doctors and see what they say.

[cnc]

I already know who I'm sharing with I got to choose that earlier on. (I'm going to live with 3 of my friends, so its not a huge problem). From what the chef said there doesn't seem to be anyone else whos dairy free that actually eats in the canteen. So maybe there is others around that I just don't know about?
I may actually be going to speak to a doctor about this eventually, but it's going to have to wait until after my exams, (not even going to bother going to see my own doctor), as I haven't got time to spend ages speaking to a doctor about all of this and they are not local, but should be willing to listen!!

[matt]

understandable. as long as you've got a status quo and can keep a lid on things while you do the exams that's all that matters.

not a matter of giving up or anything just that if you'vefound a way to get by then what's the point rocking the boat. not the end of the wolrd to exclude dairy just so long as you eat enough calcium.

[cnc]

I think the GP in question would actually listen and may be responsive, because of who she is.
I am a bit concerned about not getting enough calcium, I try and have cereal every morning so I know I'm getting some calcium, but I'm not sure its enough, that is my biggest worry, as I've already got joint problems, so don't want to be improving one aspect of my life at the cost of my future.

[matt]

broccoli, spinach, some nuts, rice/almond/oat etc etc milk most have added calcium. or failing all those calcium tablets. should be able to get it without too much trouble.

[cnc]

I can get broccoli occassionally in college, but its a bit dubious!! Nuts (but they're high in fat, which is a bit of an issue for me) or calcium tablets might be the answer, as I only drink calcium enriched soya milk and only have that once a day.

[Copper]

I am the wrong side of 50 and "worry" about my calcium intake. I drink Tropicana orange juice with added calcium but as I don't drink a lot I also take calcium tablets.

[cnc]

I think I might have to go for the calcium tablets, I've got bad enough joints as it is (hyperextension to varying degrees in most of my joints)- so don't particuarly want to be signing myself up for a future of broken bones etc... I know I'm still fairly young, but I think that it's still important to consider it now, before I do any long term damage.

[matt]

if your worried then it's better to err on the side of caution and take the tablets. i don't think there's much that too much calcium will do and the alternative is not worth the risk.

[cnc]

Just a bit of a random point, I managed to get the cheezly chedder to melt today!! I put it in a toasted cheese sandwich with ham, and it was mostly melted, was quite happy :drool:
But now I'm hungry thinking about it!!