Not a soy milk fan

[redbird]

I'm trying doing without dairy for a few days. Mostly this means eating cold meat or fish for breakfast, instead of yogurt, and having tea with sugar instead of milk and sugar (and a little cool water to avoid burning my mouth). But I bought some soy milk, and just tried making hot chocolate with it.

I poured it down the sink after about three sips. Ah, well. There's plenty of other chocolate in the house.

Comments

[feorag.livejournal.com]

It's important not to let soya milk boil for any length of time, or it loses its creaminess. Also, there's a lot of variation between brands. The best of them isn't available in the US AFAIK, alas, that being the particular type of Alpro that has to be kept in the fridge, even when it's not open yet.

There are other options, such as rice milk, and I suspect almond milk would be quite nice with hot chocolate.

[redbird]

I did walk away and came back to find a bit of skin on the top, which is a bad sign.

I think I will wait until I'm in Arlington again, and ask adrian_turtle to make me some by using the microwave (if I'm still doing the non-dairy thing ten days from now).

[feorag.livejournal.com]

Ah, overheating is probably your problem then. I heat it till it's just at the boil, then turn off the heat, add the cocoa and whisk it in.

The ready-made chocolate soya milks are mostly okay. Again, the Alpro is the best, but unobtainium for you, but I found Silk to be okay. The Odwalla ones are superb, especially the high-protein, low-carb variant, which is not sweet (to me, this is a good thing - I might be weird).

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

which is not sweet (to me, this is a good thing - I might be weird).

In this, we are alike in our weirdness.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

I am happy to help, both because I love you, and because I am an experimental sort of turtle. But there has *got* to be a microwave oven closer to Manhattan than here.

[redbird]

Of course there does. But since I'm not that optimistic about the results, it doesn't seem worth traveling for the microwave. I'll be coming to visit you because I love you and want to see you; the microwave is a minor added attraction.

[fjm.livejournal.com]

Tescos is now selling the refrigerate alpro.

[feorag.livejournal.com]

They've done so for a while, though I'm glad to be moving somewhere where the nearest shop is Real Foods and not a Tesco Express. I'm trying to avoid the supermarkets as much as is possible.

What is weird is that, even though it's a Belgian product, the refrigerated version seems to be a British market thing - I haven't seen it in Belgium, the Netherlands or Germany, just the on-a-shelf pack (and usually using the Provamel brand - they're the same company).

My next experiment is with this stuff (http://www.tigerwhitedrinks.com/), which is a traditional Spanish drink, horchata de chufa, in disguise.

[elusis.livejournal.com]

Almond milk was giong to be my suggestion, definitely.

[pantryslut.livejournal.com]

A small suggestion: try almond milk next time.

[callunav.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest almond milk, too, but from all the conversations I've had with people who drink the stuff - some by preference - the conclusion I've drawn is that soy milk (or rice milk, or even almond milk) are not in any way, shape, or form actually good substitutes for dairy milk. They can be (to some people) very enjoyable as their own thing, which is not milk. And, just as one might try honey in one's coffee instead of sugar, just to see what it's like, they may *also* be good in settings in which one *also* has used dairy milk. But coffee with honey is not the same as coffee with cane sugar, and cereal or tea with soy milk--

Oh, you know what I'm saying. It's not milk, and there's no such thing as a milk substitute, but it can be an acquired taste on its own.

Do remember, though, that if you conclude that your problems are lactose intolerance

A. Not all forms of dairy may be equally upsetting - many people can eat cheese, but not drink milk or eat ice cream. Once you're clear on the basic issue, you can arrange experiments to discover your individual parameters.

B. You may be able to consume dairy that is not cow's milk with fewer if any side effects. That may or may not help - if what you want is cow's milk in your tea, sheep's milk probably will not do, but a goat's milk yogurt might very well be pleasant.

C. This is what Lactaid was invented for. You'll probably still have to make some significant changes to your lifestyle, but I'm betting the odds are good that you will be able to take a tablet and have your hot chocolate with milk if you want to. Not guaranteed, but probably good odds.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Agreed. These other soy, rice, and nut "milks" are enjoyable for what they are. But as substitutes for dairy, they really don't do it for me.

I've been lactose-intolerant since about tenth grade. I make do with Lactaid. I really like soy milk, but I consider it quite a different drink that happens to be colored white.

[fjm.livejournal.com]

it helps a lot to skip milk completely for a while, and only then look for a substitute. I can barely remember what milk tastes like (lactose intolerant) so I think in terms of which soy milk I like rather than which tastes most like milk.

[redbird]

The current plan is to avoid it completely for a few more days, then either a slow reintroduction to see what dairy I can deal with, or a day or two of my previous normal consumption to confirm that it made a difference (cattitude's suggestion, and I think unnecessary).

The reintroduction will be either a slow choice of products (e.g., maybe try a day or two of yogurt and no other dairy); a test of a small amount (say, milk in tea); sheep's and goat's milk (mostly yogurt and cheese, then); or Lactaid.

My current inclination is to go out and buy Lactaid tablets, and try slow reintroduction with the Lactaid to hand.

If none of that works, I'll go back to where I am now.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

I *much* prefer nut milks to soy. You can buy them in the store, but they're easy to make -- 1 part raw nuts (of any kind -- my faves are cashews, but even peanuts work), 4 parts water. Blend the shit out of it, and strain. Keeps in the fridge for a few days.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

Oh, and it may not be lactose that's your problem, even if dairy turns out to be a culprit. Lactaid helps with my milk issues, but it doesn't make them go away. I suspect it's the milk protein that's at fault, but I don't know. And 7patches can have lactose and milk protein, but no milk fat. People's bodies are so fascinatingly different.

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

I like soy milk, and I even like warmed-up soy milk, but hot chocolate made with soy milk is something I just don't like.

I think for people who are very accustomed to milk based beverages, as I was, soy milk is a bit of an acquired taste (I actually prefer soy milk for some things these days). If you want to try again, I'd recommend trying Silk brank soymilk. Most people I know agree that it's got the best taste and texture.

I've occasionally used rice milk, but I don't really like its watery texture and I don't like hot chocolate made with that either.

[redbird]

I used vanilla-flavored Silk soymilk.

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

Ah then, maybe just being careful not to overheat with help.

And as you say, there are many other chocolate delivery methods.

[pameladean]

Silk does not take well to being heated. As suggested above, almond milk works well for a hot chocolatey beverage. I like Silk cold very much and it's fine in baking, just not warmed on its own. The vanilla kind is awful in coffee, but their plain is okay. They make a creamer, and it's nice in coffee but it's a bit heavy for tea. I put their plain in tea, but it isn't as nice as milk is.

Westsoy is pretty good, but you might not like it either.

P.

[ailsaek.livejournal.com]

You too? I've been supposed to do a dairy-free test for months and I'm finally getting to it. I even made myself a gluten-free dairy-free pizza tonight.

I've been using soymilk for a while, as a milk substitute for fleishig things (mainly swedish meatballs and chicken fricassee) and in my coffee, and have only just started branching out to using it for other things. I'm finding that I quite like vanilla soymilk on cereal. I hadn't tried making hot chocolate yet. I'm taking your post here as a warning, though.

A warning back at you - if you like egg nog, you won't like Holly Nog (aseptic packed soy eggnog), but if you happen to end up with some, it's not bad in coffee, and actually pretty good over oatmeal.

Have you tried soy pseudo-cheese yet? I'm very wary of it.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

I found Silk Nog quite pleasant. Check the refrigerator case of large supermarkets. I discovered it years ago, when I was still drinking cow's milk, and liked it as a separate thing. Of course, I had never tasted dairy egg nog, so I didn't have the comparison. I just liked the Silk Nog as its own thing. A friend of mine used to put it in coffee. It might be good on a relatively uninteresting cold cereal.

People have such different tastes. It's strange to me that so many people like almond milk better than soymilk. I tried almond milk for Passover this year, the first year after I stopped drinking cow's milk. I threw it out on the second day and decided I could drink water and tea for the rest of the holiday. But some people clearly like it better than soy.

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

I love Silk Nog. I like home-made egg-nog (but don't make it often and don't know anyone who does). Commercial dairy egg nog is way too thick and way too sweet. IMO.

I also don't like almond milk, but actually the only thing almond I do like is the actual nut (though I've possibly never tried a raw nut). Anything almond flavored or made with crushed up almonds is (amazing but true) worse than cilantro. (Yeah I'm one of those.)

[pameladean]

I've been eating soy cheese for eleven years. For the most part, you have to be resigned to paying specialty cheese prices for a very mundane product. Soy Moon makes a nice pseudo-gouda. They make the only soy cheeses that I really like eating cold. Vegan soy cheeses that say they melt are not, in my opinion, at all good. They more smush than melt, and they have a weird aftertaste. I mostly use Soya Kaas, which is rather like a superior Velveeta. I have gotten used to macaroni and soy cheese (jazz it well up with mustard powder, cumin, and hot sauce, and it tastes better), grilled soy cheese sandwiches, and faux mozarella on lasagna and pizza. Wariness is wise, however.

P.

[redbird]

Oatmeal is one of the things I'm doing without for a few days while I experiment. And I don't like coffee. (The local coffee-drinker is still happily consuming milk, but takes his coffee black.)

My normal preferred forms of soy are tofu and edamame.

[wouldyoueva.livejournal.com]

Too bad. I have Chai-flavored SILK in the house, and it's great.

[trifles.livejournal.com]

Chai Silk is both brilliant and largely unobtainable where I am. Sigh. Enjoy yours!

[wouldyoueva.livejournal.com]

See, this is my problem with large grocery chains. I never knew Chai Silk existed until I bumped into it at Wegman's. Every local grocery chain stocks vanilla and chocolate soy milk, but not chai-flavored. Under those conditions, the cheaper product is going to be more popular. Why not stock different flavors from different manufacturers?

I found my Silk (now that I don't live near Wegman's anymore) at My Organic Market (MOM's) in Jessup. I'm hoping it will be more widely available.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

I like soy milk quite a bit, but it's not milk. I put soy milk on my cereal, but then, as a small child, I quite liked Cheerios with orange juice, so "similarity to milk" isn't a requirement in my cereal-liquid-topping preferences. I drink it plain.

As far as non-dairy hot chocolate goes, I tend to do cocoa powder, sugar, and boiling water. Maybe some cinnamon and cayanne. But, at times when I'm going non-dairy (for kashrut reasons, or because my guts are doing the "I don't want any milk right now" dance), I don't use pseudo-milk with it. Boiling water, Dutch process cocoa, and sweetner is good.

[treadpath.livejournal.com]

For your tea, you may want to try Silk creamer. I am completely addicted to the stuff! I gave up dairy for a while after Tamsin was born because she was having reactions to it. The creamer is a little sweet, so if you try it you may want to reduce your usual amount of sugar. Oh, it also comes in French Vanilla flavor, which I initially hated but now, disturbingly, crave (particularly in chai! Yum!).

Soy yogurt is also more or less palatable (it's a little chalkier than regular yogurt), but it gets spendy and doesn't seem to come in big containers.

Also--I used to have on and off weird lactose intolerance issues, and found that it usually happened when (I don't know how to say this delicately) my gastrointestinal flora were out of whack. Taking probiotics helped a lot.

Mmm... now I am craving cold fish for breakfast! :)

[carbonel]

Last week I ran out of milk for my morning latte, and since I was going out of town the next day, I hadn't wanted to buy a new container of milk. So I tried making my latte with some of the soy milk I had left over from the Romance Exchange. (Usually I give the leftover soy milk to pameladean, but this time she got away too soon.)

I expect it's a taste that takes some getting used to (rather like the alleged Canadian Tab), but I'd say it was just barely better than no latte at all.