Era Vegans - what foods have you not been able to find a good replacement for?

signal · Jul 6, 2020

Vegetarians permitted as well. There are so many great vegan analogues now that's easy to find a replacement for a certain dish or ingredient. Sometimes i.e. milk and yogurt these can be better than the originals, but is there a certain item you haven't been able to find a good replacement for? Good replacement here referring either to accuracy or a 'this doesn't exactly taste like x but it's really good and close enough'.

I think vegan cheese in general is kind of bad but it's not something I miss aside from brie or camembert. Impossible / Beyond Brie is my current dream.

Deleted member 44129 · Jul 6, 2020

Vegans have told me that modern science still can't do decent fake cheese.

Cyclonesweep · Jul 6, 2020

Steak. I really miss it

Kumquat · Jul 6, 2020

Fish and shrimp. All the subs are just bad. In all honesty, when they come out with lab grown meat I am switching over to using that. I didn't stop eating meat because it's tasty and I actually do better on a weight plan with meat. I just can't support that industry anymore.

Futureman · Jul 6, 2020

as someone who does not particularly like sea food, going vegetarian wasn't very hard, especially with impossible/beyond now.

I could go full vegan if there were good vegan cheeses.

signal · Jul 6, 2020

God_Of_Phwoar said:
Vegans have told me that modern science still can't do decent fake cheese.

It's all terrible imo though I haven't really bought any in ages, maybe they are better now or maybe there are USA brands that have good ones.

A while ago though I feel they just wanted to make something that could melt so it was like temporarily solid pieces of oil. Still though the taste was bland and you can't really replicate the texture varieties of melted cheese at various melty stages.

Finale Fireworker · Jul 6, 2020

God_Of_Phwoar said:
Vegans have told me that modern science still can't do decent fake cheese.

Nonsense. Nut and soy cheeses have become very compelling in the last few years. I don't miss cheese at all.

Edit: Surprised to see several people saying cheese still sucks. Maybe I'm easier to please, but I consider the cheese barrier long broken.

Cyclonesweep said:
Steak. I really miss it

Proper beef is still a big blind spot. Burgers are good but you'll never get a vegan "steak" that satisfies the same craving.

collige · Jul 6, 2020

Mostly pastries because of milk and butter. I was never a meat eater in the first place, but boy oh boy do I miss stuff like donuts and cheesecake.

God_Of_Phwoar said:
Vegans have told me that modern science still can't do decent fake cheese.

Depends on the brand and what you're making with it. It's definitely way behind the meat replacements in terms of science but for a recipe Dayia can cut it a lot of the time. There's some really good nut based cheeses out there too.

jph139 · Jul 6, 2020

Yeah, I've moved away from beef/cow products and cheese is the hardest thing to replace. It's usually worse and significantly more expensive than the real thing. And you never realize just how prolific cheese is in your favorite foods until you're trying to avoid it.

I also find they're pretty scarce - like, I can pick up 12 types of fake milk at the CVS down the street, but between the two grocery stories near me there's like a single rack of fake cheese.

Deleted member 44129 · Jul 6, 2020

I have flirted with vegan food out of curiosity. Might as well not rule it out, as some of it might be nice. I personally find that anything trying to imitate meat is bad, but things that just try and do their own thing can be really nice. Heck do a "Bollywood Burger", which doesnt really try and taste like beef at all, it's almost more like a big green onion bahji. Enjoyed it.

steejee · Jul 6, 2020

Cheese and seafood.

Seafood wise it's more about all the nutrition. You can replicate some of it but not totally there.

Cheese wise it's more that I havent seen anything that can compare to a more unique cheese like a nice rich blue. Stuff that just ends up as part of a dish might be more up to snuff.

Im not a vegetarian but my wife is and I only eat meat when ordering or eating out. So I have a probably 90%+ veggie diet as a result.

Pirateluigi · Jul 6, 2020

Nut cheeses are delicious but they dont taste like real cheese to me.

The revolutions in plant based burger over the past few years has really solved what I considered the biggest gap. Cheese is a smaller issue but I think it's the last major food that needs to be replicated

Futureman · Jul 6, 2020

Finale Fireworker said:
Nonsense. Nut and soy cheeses have become very compelling in the last few years. I don't miss cheese at all.

Edit: Surprised to see several people saying cheese still sucks. Maybe I'm easier to please, but I consider the cheese barrier long broken.

There's just such an insane variety of cheeses. I think that's the main problem.

Fhtagn · Jul 6, 2020

I would really love a proper vegan roast beef sandwich cuz I haven't had one in almost 30 years now.

maybe it'll happen; impossible burger is way better than I ever imagined fake meat could get, who knows what's on the horizon now that there's a genuine mainstream market for vegan foods even if the total % of strict vegans remains low.

Finale Fireworker · Jul 6, 2020

Futureman said:
There's just such an insane variety of cheeses. I think that's the main problem.

That's fair. Where one nut cheese thrives another may flounder.

RichardHawk · Jul 6, 2020

Organ meat. I miss tongue tacos and cartilage. Also, liver and blood sausage. I never miss steak or bbq or anything like that.

PuppetMinion · Jul 6, 2020

Just vegetarian but pizza, by which I mean cheese.

I have eaten an quite decent vegan pizza(Omno pollo, stockholm) but it wasn't quite there.

A lot of what I eat is vegan but I am not willing to stop with the cheeses entirely.

MisterSnrub · Jul 6, 2020

Cheese is tough but yeast flakes have become my substitute. It tastes different, but it's still delicious and satisfying in the same kind of way powdered cheese flavouring is I guess

Bacon, steak and fish don't really have a viable alternative. Only chicken, sausages and beefburgers so far, for me.

Poppy · Jul 6, 2020

cheese and eggs mostly - i use tofu instead of eggs and it is fine but it obviously is missing the flavor you want. like instead of tomato egg stir fry you do it with tofu. still good but not nearly as good. and you cant enjoy a runny yolk or delicious omelette

cheese is like, i think you actually get some very good tasty results with nut butter and nutritional yeast and lemon juice, but it mostly only emulates sharpness. it can also be used as a pretty good faux bechamel/mornay for lasagna, maybe with a little added starch. but you cant replicate mozzarella or other gooey cheese very well, the fake ones for those suck

otherwise i am quite happy with my veganism to be sure, it would also be nice to enjoy really specific stuff like honey and butter but i can deal - thats mostly just related to my actual biggest pain in the ass of being a vegan, which is all the snacks in the stores i go to all contain dairy or honey

signal · Jul 6, 2020

MrBoourns said:
Cheese is tough but yeast flakes have become my substitute. It tastes different, but it's still delicious and satisfying in the same kind of way powdered cheese flavouring is I guess

I need brie!! Or maybe some vegan equivalent of that nasty nacho cheese.

Cyclonesweep · Jul 6, 2020

Finale Fireworker said:
Nonsense. Nut and soy cheeses have become very compelling in the last few years. I don't miss cheese at all.

Edit: Surprised to see several people saying cheese still sucks. Maybe I'm easier to please, but I consider the cheese barrier long broken.

Proper beef is still a big blind spot. Burgers are good but you'll never get a vegan "steak" that satisfies the same craving.

The taste of cheese is close now but the behavior of cheese, the stretchyness and texture isn't there.

Proper beef is a blind spot. Burgers are fine cause they are covered in toppings and condiments for me anyways but steak..I dream of the day

Cyclonesweep · Jul 6, 2020

signal said:
I need brie!! Or maybe some vegan equivalent of that nasty nacho cheese.

You can home make an equivalent of nasty nacho cheese relatively easy. Lots of recipes out there. It's mostly potato, carrots nutritional yeast and some plant based milk. Depending on spices to you can get close

Ploppee · Jul 6, 2020

Poppy said:
cheese and eggs mostly - i use tofu instead of eggs and it is fine but it obviously is missing the flavor you want. like instead of tomato egg stir fry you do it with tofu. still good but not nearly as good. and you cant enjoy a runny yolk or delicious omelette

cheese is like, i think you actually get some very good tasty results with nut butter and nutritional yeast and lemon juice, but it mostly only emulates sharpness. it can also be used as a pretty good faux bechamel/mornay for lasagna, maybe with a little added starch. but you cant replicate mozzarella or other gooey cheese very well, the fake ones for those suck

otherwise i am quite happy with my veganism to be sure, it would also be nice to enjoy really specific stuff like honey and butter but i can deal - thats mostly just related to my actual biggest pain in the ass of being a vegan, which is all the snacks in the stores i go to all contain dairy or honey

for good scrambled eggs try using Black Salt. It's makes it reeeeeally eggy.

cupcakeunicorn · Jul 6, 2020

There are cheesy vegan alternatives that work for certain foods, but I have never found a good vegan hard cheese. Like an aged cheddar or something.

signal · Jul 6, 2020

Ploppee said:
for good scrambled eggs try using Black Salt. It's makes it reeeeeally eggy.

Have you ever tried that 'JUST' brand of liquid egg?

Ploppee · Jul 6, 2020

signal said:
Have you ever tried that 'JUST' brand of liquid egg?

no not yet, it seems a tad 'dry' to me from the pics?

signal · Jul 6, 2020

Ploppee said:
no not yet, it seems a tad 'dry' to me from the pics?

Never have either. Isn't it a liquid though 🤔

Poppy · Jul 6, 2020

Ploppee said:
for good scrambled eggs try using Black Salt. It's makes it reeeeeally eggy.

oooh, sulfur salt, that sounds like a good idea

Deleted member 11985 · Jul 6, 2020

There are two foods I allow myself to cheat on: doughnuts and pizza. Vegan doughnuts are good. The thing about me cheating on doughnuts is more about having to walk into a coffee shop and being tempted by the huge display of doughnuts all the time. I cheat on pizza is because I consider vegan cheese pizza a crime against humanity. I gave it numerous attempts for like 7 years or so before I finally said fuck it, and just put regular ass cheese pizza back on the menu.

That being said, there is vegan pizza that's good. It's usually the kinds that don't use any fake cheese at all, and use some kind of sweet sauce to compensate. But I'm a cheese pizza purist, and the fake cheese just never cut it for me.

Also, don't @ me about replying to this thread while eating cheese pizza and doughnuts. I don't mind calling myself a vegetarian now.

BillerBomber · Jul 6, 2020

Ploppee said:
for good scrambled eggs try using Black Salt. It's makes it reeeeeally eggy.

Going to second this I use Kala Namak on everything I want egg flavoured, sometimes in unhealthy amounts i'm afraid :).
The No egg, just egg stuff doesn't even get near.

For gouda or cheddar like cheese on sandwiches there are two okay substitutes available in my country from the Violife and Wilmersburger brand. There used to be a restaurant in my town that sold amazing brie, blue cheese, camembert... imported from Poland but it closed down unfortunately.

There isn't a lot I miss anymore since the frankfurter quality went up last years. Maybe some cottage cheese? I tried lots of recipes already but there's always something missing.

andymcc · Jul 6, 2020

My SO was vegan for some time and switched to vegetarian because of how bad vegan cheese is

Garcia el Gringo · Jul 6, 2020

Yeah, as far as vegan cheeses go, I find mostly vegan cheese sauces (be it restaurant or packaged) are enjoyable (not even necessarily an accurate analogue), whereas each new hyped up sliced/shredded cheese is a bust. My intense cashew cheese cravings are actually separate from my dairy cheese craving.

Ironically enough, Miyoko's (in the USA) makes good vegan cheese wheels (no brie, unfortunately, OP), but their new sliced cheese that had (manufactured) hype is what I'm thinking about in regards to my latest disappointment with sliced/shredded packaged product.

This is coming from a vegetarian who still eats plenty of real cheese (though most other forms of dairy I main substitutes).

I finally tried Just Egg as its received a price cut at some retailers, and while I could imagine an animal product purist being squicked out by its taste and texture, I was pleasantly surprised. But my priority with analogues isn't them being 100% accurate, I find more pleasure in making the compromise and inching towards veganism as food science progresses.

BillerBomber · Jul 6, 2020

compo said:
There are two foods I allow myself to cheat on: doughnuts and pizza. Vegan doughnuts are good. The thing about me cheating on doughnuts is more about having to walk into a coffee shop and being tempted by the huge display of doughnuts all the time. I cheat on pizza is because I consider vegan cheese pizza a crime against humanity. I gave it numerous attempts for like 7 years or so before I finally said fuck it, and just put regular ass cheese pizza back on the menu.

That being said, there is vegan pizza that's good. It's usually the kinds that don't use any fake cheese at all, and use some kind of sweet sauce. But I'm a cheese pizza purist, and the fake cheese just never cut it for me.

Also, don't @ me about replying to this thread while eating cheese pizza and doughnuts. I don't mind calling myself a vegetarian now.

Can your digestive system cope with the cheese if you almost never eat dairy? If I would try a slice of cheesy pizza right now I'm afraid I would end up sick in bed.

signal · Jul 6, 2020

BillerBomber said:
Wilmersburger

Haven't had this but the 'simply life' or whatever that brand is slices were ok. The grated kinds were bad.

BlackSalad · Jul 6, 2020

Ploppee said:
for good scrambled eggs try using Black Salt. It's makes it reeeeeally eggy.

recently got some black salt from amazon

totally works with tofu for scrambled eggs!

JasoNsider · Jul 6, 2020

I'm going to say what pretty much everyone else says - cheese. It's the one thing I can't find a good replacement for and basically just avoid. I use nutritional yeast like everybody else, but it's only a singular taste without really nailing that usual cheese flavor. It's the one thing I wish we could get a lab-grown, cruelty free version of.

That's about it, though. All the meats are easy to replace, as is milk.

Garcia el Gringo · Jul 6, 2020

If vegan sliced/shredded cheese can't be cracked by the methods of plant-based soon, I place my hope in Perfect Day and their animal-free dairy. They've launched limited ice cream to the public before.

Deleted member 11985 · Jul 6, 2020

BillerBomber said:
Can your digestive system cope with the cheese if you almost never eat dairy? If I would try a slice of cheesy pizza right now I'm afraid I would end up sick in bed.

I was worried about that, but I never had a problem with it. For reference, I went like 7 years or so of no dairy at all before I finally caved. I've now eaten cheese pizza a handful of times each year for the past 5 years, and have never had digestive issues.

BillerBomber · Jul 6, 2020

signal said:
Haven't had this but the 'simply life' or whatever that brand is slices were ok. The grated kinds were bad.

We never use grated cheese when preparing dishes, we use the (violife) Feta-like cheese. It has a mozarella-like melting effect and tastes quite good/acceptable on Pizza, Lasagne... Just don't add it too early or it will somehow totally disappear.

signal · Jul 6, 2020

Garcia el Gringo said:
If vegan sliced/shredded cheese can't be cracked by the methods of plant-based soon, I place my hope in Perfect Day and their animal-free dairy. They've launched limited ice cream to the public before.

This looks cool. Also ice cream is something I'm totally happy with. Try not to buy it often but even supermarkets brands here have great vegan ice creams.

Deleted member 18407 · Jul 6, 2020

The one thing I miss the most after going veggie is cereal marshmallows.

CDX · Jul 6, 2020

Not vegan but

A true airy light angel food cake.

And I'm always disappointed every time I try a new vegan cheese. Someday they'll be able to crack the code and make a mimic for EVERY variety and flavor of cheese, that successfully replicates the taste, texture, and melty stringy behavior of every cheese. That day is not here yet.

Garcia el Gringo · Jul 6, 2020

Kumquat said:
Fish and shrimp. All the subs are just bad. In all honesty, when they come out with lab grown meat I am switching over to using that. I didn't stop eating meat because it's tasty and I actually do better on a weight plan with meat. I just can't support that industry anymore.

I'm excited that Impossible has alluded to seafood being what they crack next after Impossible Pork has its wide release - specifically that R&D did anchovy-flavored broth for pealla.

Speaking of Impossible Pork, I finally tried it from Burger King and Starbucks in Americana breakfast sandwiches, and it's delicious. I would love for it to be offered in a vegan sandwich at these chains. Beyond Meat rolled out their Original and Spicy Beyond Breakfast Sausage in groceries for everyone's vegan home preparation needs!

But just like Impossible/Beyond Beef are great grounds that also make me pine for a hypothetical vegan steak, this new 2.0 ground faux-pork is making he crave whole pork - it's been too long since I had pernil and lots of Puerto Rican dishes. I can only tofu up the cuisine so much.

Poppy · Jul 6, 2020

CDX said:
Not vegan but

A true airy light angel food cake.

i havent yet explored it, but cant you get a pretty good meringue texture using aquafaba? seems like it should make a good angel food cake

dude · Jul 6, 2020

Runny eggs are the only thing I haven't found a real replacement for :(

sgtnosboss · Jul 6, 2020

there seems to be a replacement for everything, whether its good is a different story. Good vegan cheese is hard to find and affordable good vegan egg or meats. Although I will say I have just omitted those mostly to holiday meals or special occasions anyways, I don't miss them some how.

sgtnosboss · Jul 6, 2020

Ploppee said:
no not yet, it seems a tad 'dry' to me from the pics?

signal said:
Never have either. Isn't it a liquid though 🤔

its really really close if not exact for the JUST Egg product, but holy crap is it expensive. No idea what it is around the US, but in central IL where things are generally cheaper its still 9 dollars a bottle. That bottle is like 2 people's worth of a small amount of egg when cooked. The only time I splurged and got it was when my Aldi's was testing it, no one bought it, and it got marked down to 1 dollar.

Gawge · Jul 6, 2020

Tuna for me. "Good Catch" brand is the best I have found, and it makes a passable tuna mayo, but doesn't quite do the job.

Supermarket cheese is good for melting on burgers, but yeah, it's not comparable for a cheese board. Specialist (and expensive) vegan cheeses can be pretty damn good though, had some stuff from La Fauxmangerie that is really good.

HandsomeCharles · Jul 6, 2020

Note: My experiences extend to the UK and no further

Cheese is a weird one. There are some good "gooey" and "hard" cheeses. For example, Applewood's Smokey one is really good at being a hard cheese, grated and sliced, and melts pretty well if you want it as a filling in something. That said, none of the cheeses "crisp" the same way real cheese does. You never get that slightly toasted top like you would get on a pizza or similar. Its for that reason whenever I try to find a pizza I try to just find a cheese that tastes good, but isn't sticky or anything. Shame though, I really miss that.

Also Jaffa cakes. There aren't any vegan ones at all. Its a fucking travesty.

Gawge · Jul 6, 2020

HandsomeCharles said:
Note: My experiences extend to the UK and no further

Cheese is a weird one. There are some good "gooey" and "hard" cheeses. For example, Applewood's Smokey one is really good at being a hard cheese, grated and sliced, and melts pretty well if you want it as a filling in something. That said, none of the cheeses "crisp" the same way real cheese does. You never get that slightly toasted top like you would get on a pizza or similar. Its for that reason whenever I try to find a pizza I try to just find a cheese that tastes good, but isn't sticky or anything. Shame though, I really miss that.

Also Jaffa cakes. There aren't any vegan ones at all. Its a fucking travesty.

Yeah, though when I make my own pizza with Violife grated 'mozzarella' i'm pretty happy with the results.

I always check the ingredients whenever I see a shop brand of jaffa cakes just in case... no luck yet.

Era Vegans - what foods have you not been able to find a good replacement for?

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