Augason Farms Freeze Dried Shredded Colby Cheese Can, Emergency Food Supply, Everyday Meals, 30 Servings

I’ve learned the hard way that ordering these #10 cans in multiples when they go on sale is a bad plan. Multiple 2 lb cans shipped in the same box with nothing but air pillows results in severely smashed/compromised cans that according to the USDA, are not safe to eat. So, I did a test and ordered one can of the Augason Farms cheese, waited 24 hours and ordered a second one. Both arrived separate in single boxes with NO DENTS AT ALL. The Cheese: This cheese is one of their best products. If you put it on a burger with condiments like mayo or mustard you don’t even have to rehydrate it first with water, just wait a minute or two. (If you do rehydrate it with water, don’t use too much or it will get soggy, but still tastes fantastic). Since it’s freeze dried it removes 90-96 percent of the water as opposed to dehydrated which only removes about 70. Freeze dried is much lighter and lasts years longer than dehydrated food though this cheese will get eaten long before the expiration date. This is probably one of my favorite Augason Farms products. Shelf life of 30 years.

Great product beats out their competitors price great quality

My only disclaimer is that I've never had Colby cheese before this, so I can't compare the flavor to other Colby cheeses, but I have eaten many different freeze-dried foods from this brand and others, as I live "semi off grid". This cheese is tasty and rehydrates well. Just pour warm (not hot) water over it and wait. I find it takes longer than the "15-20" minutes stated on the label for it to be completely soft. I haven't timed it, but I leave it for maybe 30-40 minutes while I'm prepping other food. It's not very hard to begin with, it's more of an airy crunch, so I taste-test it until there's no longer a crunch. It says to pour any remaining water off but depending on what I'm cooking I sometimes just add it all in, because it's cheese-flavored water! So I put it in sauces, etc. that way. I agree with another reviewer who commented that it's good 'as is' right out of the can as a snack. This would be excellent for camping or even in a trail mix (dry) for hiking. I also tried it on garlic bread and was pleased to see it melted quite nicely in my toaster oven. My only complaint - well, not a complaint but more of a word of caution - is that it shrinks down a bit once hydrated, so I find I need to use a bit more than I would expect each time. So the big can will probably go faster than I might have hoped, but in fairness I do tend to go heavy on cheese in general. I would definitely buy this again.

...even after soaked in water. Completely inedible without cooking.

This is delicious!!! I was expecting it to be dull, but had a great flavor. Perfect for camp meals. Rehydrates very fast, or can be sprinkled on food when served.

Great thought in this changing world.

I really love this cheese! I live 100% off grid so I needed to have something that is shelf stable. As shown in the photos I've used this cheese in many different dishes. Since I live in a really humid climate I've noticed that I don't have to use as much water to rehydrate it. In fact sometimes I don't use water at all. Like in the cabbage rolls made with plantain leaves, I just sprinkled the cheese on top of the sauce and it rehydrated fantastically. Once rehydrated it had all the properties that fresh grated cheese would have. I used it on top of tacos and taco salad, and sometimes I just like to snack on it right out of the can! And it's a huge can! Highly recommend!

Easiest cheese for recipes. I love cheese in recipes (soups, sauces), but it will burn at the bottom if you are not careful and takes a while to distribute. So, this cheese is great. I place a cup of the freeze dried cheese in the pot with the other ingredients and my sauce it perfect. Lasts 1 year after opening, so worth it to buy. I wish this company had extra-sharp-cheddar freeze-dried cheese...I would all of that up! I will buy again.