What is Truly Artisan?

You've probably noticed as I have that products on grocery store shelves have increasingly featured the words "Artisan" this or that.

So what does it mean to have artisan pizza, bread, chocolates, etc.?

There is no guidance or oversight for the use of the word "artisan", so technically a food company could use it on whatever they choose.

A generally accepted description of an artisan product would be one that is handmade (you would probably know the person or at least where the business is located), contains whole unprocessed ingredients,  prepared using traditional methods of cooking/baking, and usually in small quantities.

If the item doesn't fit the generally accepted description above, (and almost all of the grocery store stuff won't), it just isn't an artisan product.

For the real deal, check out local bakeries, farmers markets, and off-the-path restaurants.  You'll know when you've found it.

When Cheese Isn't Cheese

 My wife's doctor told her to cut back on dairy products a couple of years ago.  It seemed like the end of the world.  After all, dairy is a part of a lot of the foods we eat every day.

In the end, it hasn't been that challenging and has even been rewarding discovery of new flavor and healthier options.

One of the things we replaced was traditional cheese in our house.  We did this with help from Galaxy Foods that prepare cheese-like products.

We replaced slices of cheddar block cheese with "Veggie Slices" cheddar flavor slices.  The other flavors include pepper-jack, American, Swiss, mozzarella, smoked provolone, and cheddar with jalapenos.

In every taste-test (grilled cheese or sandwich), nobody could tell the difference.  Our family and friends have had it on their sandwiches without notice.  The flavor and texture is great and it melts easily.

The base for this product is soy flour rather than milk.  It maintains a 3 grams of protein but without any cholesterol.

I recently purchased their "Vegan" version as it was on sale.  The protein is derived from peas rather than casein (a milk derived product) giving it a firmer texture and slight green color.  The first thing I noticed between the Veggie and Vegan options was the color and how much firmer the Vegan cheese slice was.

The Vegan cheese slice melts okay and the taste is similar, but using it cold will be a definite giveaway as it is not that flexible and has a different mouth texture.

If you are a first-time purchaser and can choose between the two options, try Veggie first.  I would recommend this product to anyone wanting to reduce their cholesterol intake or who is looking for a healthier option for cheese slices.

At health food stores, you can buy a package of veggie slices for $3.99, but our regular grocery store also carries them (by the bagged lettuce) for $2.99.  There 12 slices in a package for the Veggie slices and 10 for the Vegan version.

I have not tried Galaxy Foods other cheese-like products, but there are many.  Based on my experience,  I would think they would be really good.  The company also the Carbon Fund for carbon free shipping of their products.

There's Gluten on my Shredded Cheese?

I did a double-take when my wife first came home from the Dr.'s office and said she needed to be gluten free and that things like shredded cheese were off the list.

Did I hear that right, cheese?  I thought cheese was a product derived from milk, not wheat.

That's when I learned that a bag of pre-shredded cheese has more than just cheese in it -- something I had previously not recognized.  The added ingredient was traditionally flour.

Why the addition?  If you've ever shredded your own cheese before, you know that the shreds can stick together.  To prevent this from happening, companies add an ingredient or two to prevent the shreds from sticking.

That was a couple of years ago and many cheese companies have found different ways other than glutenous products to prevent the natural stickiness.  But, you should still be aware of this new addition to your cheese.

For instance, instead of flour, the Sargento cheese company uses a few different things in their shredded cheese, including wood pulp or cotton.  Yep, wood, on your cheese.  You won't find wood mentioned in the ingredients, instead it will read "powdered cellulose" or microcrystalline cellulose.  The other items in this brand could include potato starch and calcium carbonate.  The good news is that these don't have gluten.  The bad news is that you may just not want to eat it though they are presumed to be safe.


The other large national brand, Kraft, had nothing on their web site regarding their shredded cheese, but I found numerous blog posts that mention similar/same extra ingredients.

What we do to solve our issue is buy block cheese and shred what we need with a nice microplane grater.  There are a few of benefits to this including knowing where your cheese comes from (perhaps you want cheese made from grass-fed dairy cows), that there are no added by-products, and saving a bit of money by not having your cheese pre-shredded.

Even if you're not concerned with gluten, get yourself a nice microplane grater (I got mine at World Market for $9.99), some nice cheese and start shredding.  I think you will like having more control.