Philadelphia Fat Free Cream Cheese Review

I'm someone who can tolerate the fat-free versions of otherwise infamously fattening foods. Some folks can't stand the idea of substitutes that cut out the signature flavor, and they typically steer clear of such products either out of passion or depression. But as far as I'm concerned, you can sacrifice full flavor and still enjoy the added ingredient so long as you know how to infuse some of your own less-fattening flavors into healthy recipes. With that said, there always needs to be a base of edibility to begin with.

Kraft Fat-Free Philadelphia Cream Cheese has its work cut out for it. The rich, velvety, and unforgivably fattening flavor of regular cream cheese isn't easy to replicate sans the necessary ingredients. At 30 calories per serving, the fat-free alternative is 50 calories less per serving than its full flavor counterpart, which is an exceptionally large amount of taste ground to cover for cream cheese. Simply put, Philadelphia's fat-free option fails to break out of the starting gate.

Applied to a bagel, the taste is somewhere between plain yogurt and powdered milk. What begins as the familiar sensation of a warm buttery spread soon turns into a mashing of wheat bread and thickened skim milk which as you can imagine is humbling to say the least. This is complicated by the fact that, due to the thinner agents in the mix, this fat-free alternative starts to liquidate when applied to a freshly toasted bagel, which results in dribbles of the stuff leaking down out of the crack of your mouth while you chew.

Kraft Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese Review

We've had mixed reviews about Kraft Fat Free Cheeses here on Iateapie.net. Kraft Fat Free Mozzarella Cheese was not good, but Kraft Fat Free Sharp Cheddar Singles was okay - although "sharp cheddar" was a bit of a stretch. I decided to the the Kraft Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese next as a tie breaker. What I didn't know then was that I should have saved my money, because this fat free cheese was not worth it!

Like the Fat Free Mozzarella, this also had a sour, bland, plastic-like taste. Yuck ! When I melted some on a tortilla for a healthier quesadilla, I didn't want to finish - and I'm not one to waste food. It was like eating rubbery, cheese-flavored goo; this cheese had none of the bubbly goodness I crave in a cheddar.

Nutritionally, this product is great though. A 1/4 cup serving of Kraft Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese provides just 45 calories (about half of the calories provided by regular shredded Cheddar cheese), no fat, 280 mg sodium (12% of the daily value), 9 grams of protein, and 25% of the RDA for calcium.

Kraft Light Velveeta Cheese Review

(Photo Credit: Larry Page)

Velveeta is one of those foods that you either adore or loath with a passion. Personally, I've loved the stuff since I was a child. For years, it's been my creamy "cheese" staple for macaroni and cheese, con queso dip, or simply melted on broccoli. While the food snob in me wants to renounce it in favor of actual cheddar, the child in me decided to try the Kraft 50% Less Fat Light Velveeta Cheese.

I decided a chip dip would be the simplest way to try my "cheese product." Using a large microwavable bowl, I nuked a few chunks until I had a smooth, thick, melted cheese concoction. I added a little hot sauce and dipped a chip in hungrily. It tastes just like regular Velveeta! Salty, cheesy, creamy - nothing like real cheese, but hey, I wasn't expecting it to. I did notice that the light version takes longer to melt, and for macaroni and cheese, I needed to add extra milk to it. However, I don't see why this wouldn't work for any recipe that calls for the orange block.

Kraft Velveeta Rotini & Cheese Broccoli Cup Review

If you have ever tried to whip up a single serve packet of Annie's Microwavable Mac & Cheese, you would have run into a powdery cheese packet that just looks like trouble. The end result is a small pile of macaroni dotted with salty clumps of powdered cheese. However, living in a dorm with only a microwave at hand will not stand in my way of enjoying a comforting bowl of macaroni and cheese from time to time. Therefore, I decided to branch out and make a $0.98 experiment with a Kraft Velveeta Rotini & Cheese- Broccoli Cup.

Open up this yellow cup and you will not find any powdered cheese packets (phew). What you will find is the traditional pouch of creamy Velveeta cheese along with a laughable packet of "broccoli" that is simply green specs and a handful of spiral shaped pasta. This microwaveable bowl doesn't have a huge portion, but it would be unrealistic to expect more for something that's less then $1.00, so bulk up with some real broccoli and maybe a chopped up Sunshine Burger, and you have got yourself a satisfying and completely delicious comfort meal, in no time.

Each single serve cup provides 220 calories, 8 grams of total fat & 3 grams of saturated fat, almost 30% of the daily value for sodium, 1 gram of fiber and 8 grams of protein.

Kraft Natural Cheese Snacks Mozzarella & Cheddar Cheese Twists Review

I try to get as much calcium into my diet as possible, so I'm always looking for new ways to sneak in dairy products - after all, I can only eat so much yogurt, and I'm not sure ice cream counts as a "good" source of the mineral. When I was visiting my family recently, I noticed that my mom always has a couple of Kraft Mozzarella & Cheddar Cheese Twists before bed, and although I was never too interested in eating this snack in the past, I decided to give it a try.

Each mozzarella & cheddar twist provides 60 calories, 5% of the daily value for total fat, including 2 grams of saturated fat (10% of the daily value), no carbohydrates, 6 grams of protein, and 15% of the DV for calcium. I hadn't realized what a low-calorie, high-protein snack this calcium-laden treat was. I opened a singly-wrapped cheese stick to see what I was in for. What I found was a fun swirl of mozzarella and cheddar cheese that was surprisingly fun to peel and eat. Before I knew it, I had polished off a few sticks - which is something to watch out for, because the saturated fat content is on the high side.

Kraft LiveActive Chocolate Raspberry Bars Review

LiveActive Bars contain a beneficial probiotic culture which helps promote digestive health. Kraft LiveActive Chocolate Raspberry Bars are chewy granola bars and they are SO good. I love how they taste, how they feel, how they smell; everything about these bars is absolutely delicious. The Chocolate Raspberry bar has soft pieces of raspberry spread all around the bar, with a chocolate base that combines to give a delicious yummy flavor. I just don't know what it is about these bars