Half The Cheese It Used To Be

Instant cups are a really easy on the fly meal snack for those craving some quick mac n' cheese.  One thing that we do have to worry about (well those of us who seem to eat mac n' cheese with wild abandon) is the caloric and fat intake that the cheesy goodness brings to our arteries and midsections.  A number of national cheese makers have begun making cheese using 2% milk rather than whole milk like cheese is normally made from.  While it cuts down on the fat, some of these 2% cheeses also seem to cut down on the taste.  While Velveeta isn't remotely close to a natural block of cheese, but that doesn't mean that they can't get in on the reduced fat craze.  Now all I'm left to wonder is if this reduced fat cheese affects the taste compared to it's high octane cousin. 


The Review

Brand:
Velveeta Shells & Cheese: 2% Milk Cheese

You don't look any thinner than a regular mac cup.

Price:
$1.08 at Target

Packaging Description:
On Front
1/2 the fat of regular microwaveable shells & cheese. See nutrition information for sodium content.

On Back
N/A

Preparation:
*Remove the lid from the cup and place the foil cheese pouch to the side.

Well Velveeta hasn't gone and just given us less cheese, so that's a plus.

*Add water to the line visible on the inside of cup

I don't see any life guards on duty, please be careful little shells!

*Once you've added the water, stir the pasta up before you place it into the microwave.

Just a little murky, it's still good. It's still good!

*You'll be cooking this in the microwave for 3 1/2 minutes.  Be careful when removing this from the microwave after the ding.  The cup will be hot, and steam may be coming off the pasta.

A little naked without it's cheese sauce.  We better fix that.

*Grab the foil pouch that you put to the side after you opened up the cup.  You'll either want to tear an opening from the top of the pouch, or get some scissors and cup a side of the pouch off.

"Proper" opening instructions included! What doesn't Velveeta think of? 

*Now that you've got the pouch open, squeeze that cheese into the cup.

Unleash the Kraken!

*Once you've squeezed every last drop of cheese sauce out of the pouch, take your eating utensil of choice and sir the cheese and cooked pasta up.

Almost done, keep stirring!

*Normally i'd say let this sit for a few minutes to cool, but between the cool cheese sauce and the time you've taken to add it to the pasta, the cup should be ready to eat.

*Commence with the nomming!

Taste:
Out of the microwave you get a smell of pasta, after the cheese is added it smells like Velveeta.  Upon digging into the cup you get cooked noodles that are firm and a sauce that was cheesy and tasted just like Velveeta.  I noticed no difference between the standard Velveeta sauce taste and this lower fat alternative.  Towards the bottom of the cup the sauce started to get watered down and it's flavor became somewhat diluted. 
  
Final Score:
What food manufacturers do, rarely ceases to amaze me.  Totally cooked pasta in just over 3 minutes in the microwave?  Awesome!  A cheese sauce that doesn't make this snack sized meal in a cup not a horrible option for you (save the salt, there is more than this little cups fair share) is a pleasant surprise.  While you shouldn't go into the store buying only these 2% reduced fat cups to replace any other mac that may be in your cupboard, when you're in the mood for something quick, lower in fat and don't mind the Velveeta taste, you've got a viable option.

Nutritional Information:

Serving Size 1 package (62g)

Calories 180
Calories From Fat 250
Total Fat 3g (5% Daily Value)

Saturated Fat 1.5g (8% DV)

Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 10mg (3% DV)
Sodium 650mg (27% DV)
Total Carbohydrates 31g (10% DV)
Dietary Fiber <1g (3% DV)
Sugars 4g
Protein 8g