Worth It: Melty, Gooey Cheese For The Lactose Intolerant

Much unlike many a magazine editor who recommends you buy all sorts of crap that they most likely got for free, your Jezebel staff doesn’t get jack shit (other than books, unsolicited). And that’s how it should be. But on our own time, in our personal lives, we still buy stuff. So this is Worth It, our daily recommendation of random things that we’ve actually spent our own money on. These are the things we buy regularly or really like, things we’d actually tell our friends about. And now we’re telling you.

Chances are, if you’re lactose intolerant, vegan, eating healthier, or just craving a change in your disrupted digestive track without incorporating Jamie Lee Curtis’ yogurt into your diet twice a day (or all of the above like me!) you’ve tried going the non-dairy route before. But if you haven’t — and you feel as though you fit into one of the aforementioned categories, here’s a secret: Daiya cheese is the best substitute cheese of all the substitute cheeses!

I feel pretty qualified to say this — because I’ve tried so, so many kinds of fake cheese — the only cheese that melts enough to make a quesadillas, grilled cheese, and macaroni and cheese is Daiya. When I stopped eating dairy products, one of the biggest voids left in my eating habits was pizza. Every time I would make homemade pizza — I really, really missed pizza, you guys — it always failed my expectations. Until (surprise!) I tried making pizza with Daiya. It melts, and it melts unlike any other kind of fake cheese I’ve tried. I had pizza back in my life and I was stoked. (For inspiration for non-dairy pizzas, I suggest this blog.) The best part of Daiya cheese is the variety, of course: you can choose from cheddar, mozzarella, or pepperjack flavors. Just think of the possibilites!

If cooking with a non-cheese is new and/or scary to you, I recommend checking out my favorite food blog, Daiya’swebsite, or just doing a simple google search for inspiration. If you have any non-dairy cheese recipes leave ’em in the comments — and if you do try it for the first time, do report back!

Daiya cheese, $5.99 at VeganEssentials.com, or find it in your local grocery store.

Worth It only features things we paid for ourselves and actually like. Don’t send us stuff.