I'm breaking up with Soyatoo!; Trader Joe's new vegan whipped cream is far superior

Soyatoo!, we've had some good times. Back when you were the only game in town, I was satisfied to wait a half hour for you to "defrost" from the fridge- despite the fact that your can claims that you only need to take it out 8-10 minutes in advance for it to be "ready to serve." Never mind that non-vegan whipped cream is ready at a moment's notice; we vegans are used to accommodating weird inefficiencies. I was even long-accustomed to throwing out what were probably half-full cans of Soyatoo!- simply because I couldn't, for the life of me, get it to come out even when I could feel that there was still cream left in the can. That problem just got chalked up to the vegan tax- paying twice as much money for half as much product. I was willing to accept all of this in order to fill the whipped cream-shaped hole in my life in any way I could. But, no longer.

Veganism has come so far into the mainstream that I am able to be discerning in my quest for vegan whipped cream. Don't think I made this decision to ditch Soyatoo for Trader Joe's new coconut whipped topping lightly. I did what any responsible, whipped cream-loving vegan would do: I conducted a proper taste-test.

First, I had to wait the requisite eons letting my Soyatoo! warm up from the fridge. In case you're wondering, leaving the can in the sunniest spot in the house is the whipped cream equivalent of pressing tofu with a stack of cookbooks and cans. I know I'm not alone in getting creative with this.

Anyone familiar with Soyatoo! knows that it can come out of the can relatively slowly (i.e. snail's pace)- even when full, and appear kind of, well, slug-like. To be fair, I made sure to squeeze out a pretty, Soyatoo! floret to visually compare with the creamy dollop of TJ's whipped cream that burst airily from the can DIRECTLY FROM THE FRIDGE. If it sounds like I'm bitter, it's because I am. Is it too much to have vegan whipped cream and be able to enjoy it on a whim? Must I plan a half hour ahead of time? And, as VM pointed out: imagine passing the sputtering can around the table at a large dinner party? It would be laughable.

Admittedly, I'd never had an issue with Soyatoo!'s color, taste, or consistency until I compared it to TJs.

• TJ's is white; Soyatoo! is ecru- far less appetizing from a visual standpoint. 

• TJ's is sweet and coconutty; Soyatoo! is far less sweet and bland in comparison.

• TJ's is light & fluffy; Soyatoo! is creamy, but oddly thick in comparison.

And, not to put too fine a point on it, TJ's comes right out of the can as soon as you want it to.

I estimate that it took me .0002 seconds to generously spritz TJ's on the left pie slice. I had to work for the plop of Soyatoo! on the right pie slice for about 4 minutes*: three sputtering tries and two unsuccessful attempts included. *This after the 30 minutes of defrost...

All of this to say: it's over, Soyatoo!; I am never, ever, ever getting back together with you and your stupid "!," which- by the way, is an indication of SO SLOW!!

If you need me, I'll be stocking up on TJ's. One for home, one for VM's, one for the car, and one for my purse. Two extras just to be on the safe side.

UPDATE: before I even had the chance to post this, I stopped by Trader Joe's to pick up a bushel more cans of whip. To my dismay, I was met with this sign.

The cashier kindly told me that there would be a delivery the next day and that I could call in the morning to ask if they'd hold a can or two for me. In order to "hold" a case, I'd have to place an order in advance. What? You didn't think I'd ask?

Anyway, because I am awfully impatient, I chose to drive to the next closest TJ's in the meantime. Not only were they out as well, but there was not even a sign there. So, I panicked and inquired at customer service. To my surprise, they told me the product is "on hold" as they deal with a "quality issue." "QUALITY ISSUE?," I demanded, "It's practically the world's perfect food!" One of the nearby staff members instantly agreed with me: nodding his head and recommending it on pina coladas (genius). I was assured that the issue was with the packaging, but the whole thing sounds suspect to me. I wanted to blame someone. The USDA, the National Dairy Council...BIG AG? So, this morning I called the original location to request a hold. Sadly, the gentleman I spoke to told me the cashier had been mistaken and went on to reiterate the 2nd location's explanation about the quality issue. He confirmed that it is a problem with the packaging. Apparently they identified an issue with getting the whip to dispense, AND THEY ARE ADDRESSING IT. Imagine that, Soyatoo! Oh, the irony.

I'll keep you posted on the progress of my quest over on Instagram; in the meantime, think positive thoughts on the matter. I meant what I said about Soyatoo!; our breakup was final. Now that I know how good it can be, I'll wait for TJs to make a comeback.

UPDATE 12/5/17: I went back to TJ's yesterday (I'm nothing if not persistent) and customer service told me the issue is that the can originally stated erroneously that the item was a product of Canada, instead of Indonesia. The person I spoke with said this is an "easy fix" but that it "could take some time." In the meantime, I went to Whole Foods to snag their vegan whipped cream (that I just learned about from Jesse) and there wasn't even a spot on the shelf for it. Is there a vegan whipped cream conspiracy going on? Now I just blame Soyatoo! !

UPDATE 12/19/17: This very can of Soyatoo! is still 80% full, but guess what? NOTHING WILL COME OUT. I left it out of the fridge overnight and it still won't budge. I just went on their website so I can send them a strongly worded letter, only to find out that their email address is north.america@tofutown.com. You really can't be angry at someone whose domain is tofutown. It's practically veganville!

Trader Joe's Vegan Ice Cream: Soy Creamy Cherry Chocolate Chip- Quick Review

I was inexplicably craving a vanilla ice cream float the other day, and had heard from The Shenandoah Vegan that Trader Joe's vegan, vanilla was a hit.  Unfortunately, when I arrived at my local Trader Joe's, the two remaining containers were crushed to oblivion and I was told that they would not restock if there was stock remaining.  In response to my equally crumpled face, the response was that "there was nothing wrong with them."  True though that might have been, I did not want to bring root beer to a friends' house with a tub of ice cream that looked like it had been run over by a tractor trailer, so instead I bought their cherry chocolate chip non-dairy frozen dessert and decided that the float would have to wait.

Unlike some (non-vegan despite what they may think) people, it's been a LONG time since I've had Ben & Jerry's ice cream.  But I do fondly remember the taste of their Cherry Garcia flavor, and this cherry chocolate chip knocks it out of the park!  Way more cherry flavor, way more chips, and absolutely no animal cruelty.  I will say that it left a slightly odd taste in my mouth both times that I had it (I've never had this happen with any other vegan ice cream), but it was no match for the enjoyment that preceded.  Just be forewarned that you may want to brush your teeth soon after indulging.

SHOWDOWN: Trader Joe's Vegan Mozzarella vs. Daiya

I've been on kind of a pizza kick, so I recently decided to pit Trader Joe's Vegan Mozzarella up against Daiya Vegan Mozzarella in a cheese to cheese battle of the best pizza; it had to be done.

When I'd initially spied the newbie to the vegan cheese world in my local TJs, I dismissed it; I'm a Daiya loyalist.  People kept telling me it was totally different, so when this big sign caught my eye, I figured the universe was trying to tell me something.

It was time to see what Trader Joe's had up it's sleeve in comparison to my beloved Daiya.

The TJ's shreds are smaller and drier in appearance and feel; it's similar to freshly grated, non-vegan, parmesan and has an out-of-the-bag taste as such as well.  I did not like it plain, as I was never a fan of Parmesan cheese.

The Daiya maintains a larger, wetter shred: similar to non-vegan mozzarella.  While I wouldn't eat it plain by the spoonful, it is pleasant enough out of the bag.

I have to admit that my lazy behind bought a ball of dough from my local pizzeria (check out this awesome dough-handling video) and I swiped a container of sauce out of VM's freezer.

In no time I'd created this not-so-symmetrical pizza taste-test-in-a-pan.

The TJ's mozz absorbed the sauce as I sprinkled.  Yet even though I piled it on and covered more than half of the pie with it, I still wound up with some left in the bag.  This worked out to my advantage because VM was able to test my parmesan theory and concur: right out of the bag, it does taste like fresh parmesan.

I piled the entire bag of Daiya on the unintentionally smaller side of the pie.

I set the oven to 450 degrees and the timer for 20 minutes.

While I was waiting, I compared the ingredients; they were much more different than I had anticipated.


Trader Joe's: natural vegan flavors

Daiya: vegan natural flavors

Then I noticed something interesting about the Trader Joe's cheese, "...do not microwave or freeze."  I don't know if you'll recall, but I'm all about microwaving and freezing my Daiya.  This could wind up being a deal-breaker.

It was about then that I noticed my oven temp had independently risen to 550 degrees, and the Trader Joe's cheese was seriously bubbling.  The Daiya was just chillin' out, per usual.  I opened the oven door to bring the temperature back down to 450 and let it continue to cook.

And then it was done!  It's been so long since I've seen a non-vegan pizza that I'm not really sure which side looks more authentic.

This was the TJ's side: it melted into a smooth layer of cheese.

The Daiya side retained the appearance of shreds, but also melted into a layer of cheesy goodness.

Who? Will? Win?


red pepper flakes!

Even though I let the pizza cool in the pan for about ten minutes before cutting, the Trader's Joe's side was extremely oozy: to the point of being liquified.  I'm not sure if this had to do with the cooking temperature and/or duration, but the dough wouldn't have cooked through had I cooked it for any less time or at a lower temperature.

The Daiya slice was perfection- even though I'd actually over-cheesed (yes; this is really possible).

In no time I had a generous slice of each on a plate for munching testing.

Should I start with the new?

Or the tried and true?

I don't even remember what I did; all I can tell you is that in no time I was in a pizza coma, sending photo texts and receiving drools in return.  As often happens, I'm sure there was a bit of what VM and I like to call the Ernie syndrome in full effect.  The whole thing was just delicious.

In order to prevent myself from eating the whole pie I decided it was a good idea to include the Esteemed Tasting Panel on the taste-testing of the leftovers (hooray for not eating everything at once!).  I probably ate more reheated pizza than fresh as a kid, and the reheated TJ's pizza looked exactly as I recall- even down to the burnt bits where the cheese oozed off the slice onto the pan.

The Daiya held it's shape like a champ!

Both VM and OD were surprised by how much they enjoyed the TJ's pizza.  My sincere appreciation for it was unexpected as well.  But, the suggestion not to microwave or freeze makes it less convenient.  Also, I'm not sure how it would hold up in other Italian recipes where the extreme oozification could cause a dinner catastrophe.  We're all still huge fans of Daiya, but it's nice to know there's a totally different option available.  Obviously more testing is in order.

UPDATE 12/11/17: Someone recently pointed out in the comments that I never actually state much about the taste of the two and I re-read this post and realized they were absolutely right! As I replied, "I got all caught up in the meltiness and random jibber jabber and never really talked about how good or bad they each tasted. At this point, so many years later, I'm still eating Daiya instead of TJ's, so that probably answers the question of which I liked better. Sorry to disappoint." Hope that's helpful.