I have my suspicions when it comes to cheese substitutes or alternatives. Cheese is a dairy product, through and through, and I don't think that making a comparison to "real" cheese with any alternative "cheese" is really fair. A non-dairy "cheese" should be evaluated on its own merits of flavor and texture, not as though it were cheese, but as though it is similar to cheese.

I was a little reluctant, but my curiousity about the alternative cheese one out in the end and I bought a package at Trader Joe's. I went with the sliced, packaged variety because it seemed as though it might not be all that different from the sliced, packaged "cheese food." As it turns out, I was right in my assumption. The soy cheese from Trader Joe's does taste a lot like the processed cheese, if perhaps a bit more bland. Does it taste like cheddar? No, and it's not bad, just unremarkable.

 

Because so many parents cannot resist the convenience of boxed macaroni and cheese when it comes to feeding their kids, there will probably always be a market for it. Some of the options are just not appetizing, with clumps of cheez-powder and either crunchy or gummy noodles. But because it is a marketable product, not to mention a popular comfort food, more companies are releasing tastier versions of boxed mac and cheese and Real Simple sat down to taste a few in this month's issue. Their top three versions were Whole Kids Organic White Cheddar Cheese , Annie's Homegrown Creamy Deluxe Shells & Real Aged Wisconsin Cheddar and Back to Nature Crazy Bugs. Tasters liked the "authentic cheese flavor" of the Whole Kids brand. Annie's brand came with a packet of cheese sauce instead of a powder. The Crazy Bugs pasta is shaped like bugs (it doesn't include real bugs) and has a slightly sweet cheese. The magazine had kids taste the contenders, as well as adults, to get their feedback and all the kids loved these versions of macaroni and cheese. All three of the taste test winners are available at stores like Whole Foods, but may be available in your local grocery store, too.

MSN's report on the Worst Foods to Eat got us to thinking about what our list might be. MSN has nothing on us here at Slashfood. While we think that living a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle is a great choice, unlike MSN “health” advisors, we don’t think it’s the only way to live. We put on our Slash Foodie un-scientifical research hats and here are our picks for 8 of the worst foods you can eat:

• Deep fried Snickers or Mars bars - This "snack" packs over 450 calories and about 30 grams of fat, and a king size will deliver more than 700 calories and 44 grams of fat. What's more disturbing is that some pubs plate them with a side of fries and call them lunch.
• Shelf stable “creamers” – Water, sugar or corn syrup solids and partially hydrogenated oils make up this shelf-stable faux cream. Need we say more?
• Pasteurized, processed cheese food - No, we don’t care how well they melt. These melty, spreadable, day-glo orange “cheeses” have to be labeled as “cheese food” because of the addition of preservatives and liquids. Yum.