Miracle Finds

In my lactose free kitchen I have a few essential items.  The ideas seem so simple but they have taken me forever to find!  My staple items are: lactose free milk, lactase drops, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese and butter.  I have always liked using the lactose free milk that is found in many grocery stores but I found it limiting for when recipes called for heavy cream, whipping cream etc.  In an act of desperation one day I perused the internet and stumbled upon this magic potion that has changed my life, lactase drops ... 

These little drops pack a major punch in the war against lactose.  I did some investigating and they are not made of some crazy chemical (that I could find).  Lactase is actually harvested as a byproduct of yeast digestion, so the lactase is cultivated through a natural process.  I did not want to trade one problem for another by adding some new substance into my body.  I use the directions as listed and it works every time!  When using heavy cream or whipping cream I often double the dose, just to be safe.  It does take about 24-48 hours to "marinate your moo," but it will be worth the wait when you can make homemade whipped cream again.  I will be using dairy products that have been treated with these drops throughout many of my recipes!  I would be lost without them and although it does not look like a lot, a few drops go a long way! These lactase drops are the best $19.95 I have ever spent on Amazon.com!  I hope you enjoy this little secret as much as I have! 

Another little known fact that took me far too long to find out is that hard, aged cheeses have reduced amounts of lactose.  Many cracker barrel and Cabot products are actually lactose free and even say so right on the label!  How I missed this for so long I will never know.

Parmesan cheese is also another safe cheese!  Knock on wood, I have never had a problem with parmesan.  Often times when I am at a restaurant I will just have them substitute whatever cheese is on the meal for parmesan, it makes me feel very special I can have cheese on my plate like everyone else.  Never do I feel lonely at an Italian restaurant, parmesan heaven.  Butter also shockingly has trace amounts of lactose, and for anyone who knows me they know I LOVE butter so I use that freeeeely.  These are a few of my staple items I always keep in the kitchen that have allowed me to create many of the recipes I will be sharing!