Teese Taste Testers Pizza Party
Chicago Soy Dairy sent me four pounds of Teese, their new soy cheese. I hosted a pizza party on Sunday night to see what was what.
When it comes to soy cheese, a key phrase from my days as a cubical inhabitant come to mind: “manage expectations.” And I guess as vegans our expectations have been effectively managed. We don’t require much, if it melts we seem to be sufficiently satisfied. That aftertaste of melted crayons? You know what? We can deal with it. But the thing is, most soy cheeses don’t do a good job of melting and so we’re often left with workarounds like broiling or, god forbid, microwaving and some of us even resort to satanic ritual or boiler room deals with shady characters that promise us they can “make it melt.” Then before we know it, we’re missing fingers and our life savings.
Exclusive photos of the star of the evening, thoroughly undressed!
But let me get straight to the point - Teese forking melts! It doesn’t disentigrate or merely become softish. It melts! And our tasters were also pleased with the taste. General consensus was that it was an improved Follow Your Heart and so it was difficult to discuss Teese on its own merit without mentioning FYH. The taste could be described as tangy and creamy. And, to put it bluntly, one tester said “There’s no nice way to phrase it: it definitely didn’t have the funky smell that FYH has when melted.” Granted, she didn’t care much for Follow Your Heart to begin with. Another tester who was a FYH fan said “It seemed to have lower water content, which made it more cheese-like.” But she thought that it was only a minor improvement to FYH. The only place where FYH won out was that people seemed to think it congealed faster when cooling down.
Patty, our Brooklyn Italian vegan tester and professional pizza model, loving on the Teese
But we’re vegans, who cares what we think, right? Let’s get the opinion that really matters - that of people who eat cheese. Well both cheese eaters at our soiree were impressed. They thought the Teese was best compared to a soft, fresh mozzerella. It didn’t have the stretchy stringiness normally associated with pizza parlor cheese. One of our cheese eating testers thought that it could pass for cheese, the other didn’t think it would fool anyone, but he still enjoyed it. He had, like, 8 slices.
As for me, I loved it. It was a joy to work with and I’m excited to get to the pictures so I’m gonna’ go ahead and shut up and let the pizzas do the talking. Since it’s so image heavy, the pizzas are below the cutsky.
You can order a sample here, for 7.50 a pound. Do it, you won’t regret it.
All pizzas were baked in a 500 F oven, on a pizza stone and a stainless steel pizza tray.
This was the first, and I kept it simple to really see what the cheese was made of. It’s cremini mushrooms, oil cured olives, fresh basil and roasted garlic, baked for 12 minutes. I was really conservative and skeptical, and I think that this pizza, although delicious, kind of shows it. Once I was confident that the cheese would melt, the gloves came off.
There were a couple other native New Yorkers at the pizza party and none of them remember this from the pizzerias of their childhoods - baked ziti pizza! I specifically remember my mom driving to Queens to get it, piling us all into the Cordoba, filling our bellies with pizza and then driving to Laguardia Airport. My mom would open up the sun roof and us kids, my sister, brother and me, would all be looking up as the planes flew in, practically hitting us in the head. We’d all scream and laugh and cry. So this pizza brings back good memories. It’s cashew ricotta mixed with the marinara, put on top of the sauced up crust and covered in plenty of cheese. It was a crowd favorite.
Oh man, do I love fresh basil in the middle of winter, when no one should be able to get fresh basil. This is a marinaraless pizza - pesto, cashew ricotta, cheese and fresh tomatoes. And my testers were supposed to tell me when 12 minutes were up, but they were too busy eating the previous pie that they forgot and so it was overcooked. But as Bob Ross taught us, there are no mistakes - only happy accidents. Some testers really liked how bubbly the cheese got, others just liked the crunchier crust. You can see that the cheese thins out significantly when cooked for this long so while some people liked it, I think that’s where the congealing issues mentioned previously came up. So this pie was a hit, but I’d still advise for a lower cooking temperature. Especially once your oven reall gets going.
Since we overcooked the last pie, I wanted to experiment with a shorter temperature and see what that would yield. This pie was simply roasted red peppers and pesto. Mostly because I forgot to add the sausages, but we’ll get to those next. This was 9 minutes, and I liked the cheese best at this temperature. It was melted and creamy but still toothsome. So once your oven is preheated, I think 9 minutes is the perfect amount of time for a thin crust pizza.
As you can see, things were starting to get all sloppy and out of control, so out comes the fake meat! This pizza was off the chain: pinto sausages, roasted garlic, mushrooms and grape tomatoes. It was fully devoured within minutes. I thought a riot would break out. A riot of mild mannered people sitting in their seats and quietly enjoying their pizzas.
This pizza goes against everything I believe in, but it was born of the dreams of two taste testers. Terry - who is obsessed with pineapple pizza. And deb who is obsessed with the May Wah ham tube. Put them together and stuffs about to get hectic - a pineapple ham pizza with onions. Terry and Deb loved the combo, and I didn’t hear anyone else complaining. But I did futz around with the baking time and was panned for it. 7 minutes isn’t enough time, they said. Well, let them make their own pizzas.
Seven pizzas in and only now do we get the coveted crust bubble! Check that baby out. This was an herbed breaded eggplant number, affectionately dubbed the eggplant parm pie. People thought they were too full to eat another slice, but once news started trickling in of this pizza’s awesomeness, they obliged. Panko breaded eggplant with rosemary and thyme, fried until tender.
Last but not least, this is my favorite combo lately - broccoli rabe and capers with roasted garlic. Everyone was so stuffed by this point that they took some slices to go, and it was my lunch for today.
So there you have it! A complete pizza success and finally a vegan cheese that melts and tastes delicious. Check out my flickR for more pics, and have a pizza party of your own. Thanks to Steven for hooking me up with the Teese and to Ryan for his continuous work on the perfection of vegan cheese. This is how the revolution will be won, with pizza grease!
March 3rd, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Shit, bitch. thems some tasty looking pizzas.
March 3rd, 2008 at 7:46 pm
I remember baked ziti pizza! Dang, I need to move to NYC & be your neighbor!
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Just the idea of eggplant parm pizza makes me want to die. I think i’ll try that soon, minus the fancy cheese of course.
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Awesome pizzas, Isa! Thanks for messing with the times. That makes your post even more educational.
That last pizza is especially beautiful.
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:17 pm
They just put it up on their website for sale!!
http://www.teesecheese.com/order_a_sample.php
Awesome!
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:40 pm
whoa.
just whoa.
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I’m glad I’m not the only one who loves eggplant on pizza!
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Oh my god, I’m ordering some right now. And I’m a NYer who remembers ziti pizza.
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:09 pm
I’m originally from Joisey and I remembuh ziti pizza, too. Stop appropriating everything, old school NYers.
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Also, Isa’s ziti pizza is waaaaay better than the crap they served us in the high school cafeteria. There was also a time when they served us a crust that had spaghetti baked into it.
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Oh! I forgot to ask: did anyone try eating the Teese unmelted? If so, how was it? Would it make a decent sandwich, unheated?
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:29 pm
It tasted a lot like FYH unmelted, but less watery and oily. Probably better for a sandwich. (Mind you, I can eat FYH mozz straight from the package.)
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:58 pm
I’m not a big fan of the FYH so I’m not sure how much I’ll actually like this. But I’m wondering if you could do a review of Cheezly. I heard it’s the vegan cheese above all vegan cheeses. Especially the cheddar and mozzerella flavors which also melt. They sell it at Vegan Essentials but because I’m Canadian they don’t ship it here.
Anyway, maybe I’ll give the Teese a try if I can find somewhere that will ship to me here.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:17 am
that looks like the best party ever.
and i totally remember ziti pizza out in the subs (doesn’t that sound more fun than burbs?). but i never ate it because i would only eat plain. the weirdest pizza was always the salad pizza though.
March 4th, 2008 at 3:14 am
ahhh so jealous!
March 4th, 2008 at 5:44 am
Dammit, I hate it when people make tasty vegan food and then keep it in America!
I’ll probably never get to eat this.
Ah, Cheezly Gouda, my one love.
March 4th, 2008 at 10:28 am
This is a great day for vegankind–and non-vegankind, too.
March 4th, 2008 at 10:44 am
I’m happy to post that this Teezey pizza passes the cold pizza test with flying colors! My slice of broc rab pizza was the best breakfast ever.
March 4th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Wow. Those pizzas look SO good. Thanks for being the guinea pig for us blog readers. I just ordered a pound. I can’t wait to try it.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Wow. I love your reviews of things.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
I see that you still haven’t fixed the “Deb loved the ham tube and pineapple” combo. It was good, but it wasn’t love. That stuff shouldn’t be on pizza.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
My expectations have been managed to the point of utter denial. Vegan cheese is dead to me… until I get to try Teese, I guess. But I’m weary! Anyway, your pizzas look really good.
March 4th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
I’m throwing caution to the wind and ordering some. I must have melty pizza cheese. I hope it tastes as good as it looks in these awesome pizzas.
March 4th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
puddle of drool at my feet.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
so delicious! the teese melted and burned the roof of my mouth, just as i would imagine cheese pizza from brooklyn should. my favorite was the eggplant parm one, although i didn’t get to try the baked ziti pie…
March 4th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
I remember eating ziti pizza at the crappy Ray’s Pizza across from my lower Manhattan high school in, like, 1993. Yum!
March 4th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Hi, Isa. I was wondering how a I could become a tester for one of the new books coming out. I have the time to do it and follow recipies well, I just don’t know how or where to sign up for it. Feel free to respond back on this or e-mail to my address. No matter. Thanks. I’ll look back for a response.!
March 5th, 2008 at 4:41 am
Gaaaaah, I would shank a bitch for those pizzas! Can I come visit & we’ll get our pizza on?
March 5th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Oh man, saw the photos on Flickr and HAD to read all about these! I have to go with my favorite Urban Housewife and say what bitch do I need to shank for a piece of these pies?? Crazy deliciousness!
March 8th, 2008 at 12:52 am
This is why I must move to NY.
March 8th, 2008 at 4:59 am
This is why I must move to Isa’s circle of acquaintances. Oh, that looks so fantastic.
March 8th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Purim is almost upon us and I am wondering if you have a hamentashen recipe that you could share?
and also, your pizzas look delicious. mouth watering
March 8th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Just ordered a 3 lb. pack of Teese (thanks for the website) and it was a bit over thirty bucks including shipping. Ten bucks a lb. is not really that horrible considering it is new and technically not available yet! Whadya think people pay for the fancy shmancy cheeses at Whole Foods?! (Not meant as a dig, I shop at Whole Foods).
March 9th, 2008 at 12:24 am
Ooh, I didn’t realize how expensive shipping was. Hopefully all this support will get them into local stores soon.
March 10th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
[…] cheese on pizza and to quote them, “Teese forking melts!” They recently had a pizza party and most everyone there enjoyed it — even a couple of (real) cheese eaters. They are vegan […]
March 11th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I never understood the pizza hut “stuffed crust” but goddammit, once I get my teese, I’m making one.
March 13th, 2008 at 11:22 am
You don’t understand stuffed crust…that is just sad! Stuffed crust rocks my world…and it will rock your too, i promise. So darnit! Get your teese and make some
March 15th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
That looks great! The best pizza combo is pineapple and jalapeno (but you have to use the pickled jalapeno rings), mmmmmmmmm.
I just tried Soysation three-cheese shreds on a vegan pizza last night and it tasted pretty darned good.
March 17th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
AMAZING…i’ll have to get some Teese…just tried FYH for the first time and I have to say that while I completely dug the MJ, the Mozzarella left something to be desired…ordered Veganomicon off Amazon — can’t wait to try the recipes…
p.s. you can def still find a good baked ziti pizza in brooklyn — i saw it in a pizza shop off the Avenue M stop in Midwood…
March 29th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Sold by your lovely photos and your writing magic, I ordered some Teese right away. I got my order of Teese yesterday and immediately made a pizza for me and the kids. I must say, I didn’t much care for the Teese. It does melt (look at the Nutritional Info–70 calories, 70 calories from fat. I guess it *would* melt!) It doesn’t really taste great. My kids didn’t dig it either. Your pizza topping combos in your post are fantastic without any cheese-like substitute, just veggies.
April 2nd, 2008 at 10:26 pm
OK, did the first trial run with Teese, not on pizza but in panini. Did homemade bread slices with sliced mushrooms, Roma tomatoes (even though out of season, had to use them) and thinly sliced Teese, 2-3 minutes in the panini grill, and voila, a grilled cheese sandwich I will have any day of the week. By itself, first impressions of Teese were “salty, lemon-y”; not objectionable, just noticeable. The manufacturer basically claims this to be a work in progress. I am all a-flutter waiting for the next incarnation.
April 7th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Reading this wonderful and well-illustrated blog post, I too ordered me a 3lb. block of Teese to share with another vegan couple. And, well, my reviews are… sadly, not great. The disclaimer: I have not yet tried it on pizza, and it may well shine there.
BUT, I did try a bit of it plain. It left a greasy film all over my mouth–probably oil that doesn’t really melt at body temperature (I guess part of what makes butter “melt in your mouth” is that it melts at body temp).
Then, I tried it in some plain old mac and cheese, prepared the same way I would prepare the plain old FYH–with just a bit of soymilk to prevent burning. It did a good job of melting, alright, but I didn’t really like the texture or the taste. It was a bit too salty, and there was a kind of “aged” taste, but not in a good way. I’m going back to FYH for now.
Like Carolyn said above, I understand this is a project in the making, and am really excited to see the next incarnation! For now, though, I don’t think I’d order another batch.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
[…] A friend bought a block of Teese Cheese from Chicago Soy Dairy and turned it into all sorts of interesting looking things. I’m not a huge fan of vegan cheese, but I’d like to try it sometime. Apparently it melts. […]
April 15th, 2008 at 7:29 am
Hey Isa. Man I was skeptical about the Tesse, thinking I’d read about a bunch of artificial, trans or synthetic stuff in it but it’s all natural and theorhetically something you could make.
I’ve had my own suspicion about how to make some fake Mozzarella sticks but I’m staying quiet till I see if it pans out for one.
April 17th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Drew, I think it would work great for mozz sticks! As for everyone who didn’t love it, I dunno, more for me?
May 18th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
I ordered some Teese and when it arrived, I immediately got to work making a pizza. I was skeptical at first, but I kept telling myself that these are the people who make Temptation Ice Cream (ex. best vegan ice cream!) so I trusted them.
I have to say that it was delicious and it was devoured in my household in lightning fast time. I’ve also heard rumors that whole foods is using Teese on their pizzas. I hope it’s true. For a work in progress they are already well ahead of the game.
June 12th, 2008 at 2:47 am
[…] and homes alike. I?m actually a bit late to this party, as you can find reviews of this stuff all over the place, but I just had to check it out for myself […]
June 18th, 2008 at 9:27 am
I want to try Teese. FYH tastes kind of moldy to me. Anybody else experience that?
June 19th, 2008 at 9:22 am
BTW - Really love this site…
July 15th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
[…] issues aside (besides, others have had more luck), they did make darn good tasting meatball subs and I’ve tried lobbying local pizzerias […]
April 17th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
L-o-v-e the blog! H*A*T*E the Teese. Received first (and last) shipment today, based on many favorable vegan blog reviews. Gag!!! Hideous aftertaste. Bad melt. No browning. Equally grotesque raw. Ruined an otherwise decent from-scratch- whole-wheat-veggie-pizza. Will spend the rest of my life warning other vegans about it at every opportunity.
May 31st, 2009 at 8:26 am
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