I love Trader Joe's Monterey Jack cheese sticks--the regular, NOT low-fat, ones. Great post-exercise, high-protein snack, and I also sometimes grate or cut them to use in other things. I like they're individually wrapped so they last me a long time (I often have a problem with cheese going bad before I finish it, esp. if I have a few different types in the house at once).

I just go with the jumbo pack of Precoius Mozz string cheese at Costco. My daughter eats way too many of these to buy them in any package smaller than that.

Safeway has a really good mild cheddar cheese stick under their Lucerne brand. It's the only cheddar cheese stick that I've found that has a decent taste and texture.

we have recently abandoned the cheese stick for other yummier and, admittedly, more expensive cheese snacks - babybel cheese rounds and fresh mozzarella balls. yum!

the horizon organic mozzarella sticks were the way we went before the switch. ;)

Not. Real. Cheese.

Happy Valley or Happy Farms or whatever it's called at Aldi.

I think it's actually made by Sargento, but it's dirt cheap and tastes great.

@aneelee -- I LOVE Baybels. Mmmm. And Laughing Cow wedges as well, especially spread on a slice of multigrain bread.

I'm with you on this one, Faith -- full-fat mozarella sticks. And I don't mind cheddar, either. It might not be "real" cheese, but it works in a pinch and it's a great portable snack.

I like Polly-O it tends to get really stringy which is, of course, the point. I do not like sargento, too salty! bleh!

I love the sargento string cheese sticks, if I buy any. I generally buy really nice cheese, but if I am getting main stream cheese then I pick up sargento. I also try to avoid buying Horizon bc of its pseudo-organic ways.

Babybels and Bonbels make me happy no end. I do wish they were cheaper than 50 cents a pop. I got a couple of packs of Laughing Cow a while back, but then read the nutritional info and there's not much in them.

I really should consider these if only for portion control; if there's a block of cheese on my desk (and there often is), I'll just whittle it away until it's gone. (And then someone will suggest having pizza for dinner and I'll feel sick.)

I didn't know they made them in flavors other than mozzarella! Cheddar sounds good, I'll have to check those out.

Sargento is clearly superior to Kraft and Borden. I don't know about the others.

Sargento makes some tasty low fat cheese sticks that have flavors like chipotle cheddar and pepper jack. They're pretty good for a quick snack.

@ zoeroth
Thanks!
Cheese has a rind. No rind, no cheese.

What's a cheese stick? I know cheese. I know a stick. But together?!
Why waste your money on something artificial?..

So if you cut the rind off of cheese it's not cheese anymore? What about goat cheese? Paneer? I don't think the definition of cheese is that it needs a rind.

Anyway I like Sargento and Babybell.

My kids used to love cheese sticks, but have now decided they will only eat colby jack sticks! Since it is so much cheaper to buy a big block of that and cut it into sticks myself I've stopped buying cheese sticks altogether. But I agree, I have nothing against the good ole cheese stick! They are an incredibly convenient snack

No, I do not.

trader joes has good ones... and they just came out with a real mozz. stick - as in the wet real-style mozzarella ... has anyone tried that yet?

Too processed for me.

My favourite brand of cheese stick is ACTUAL CHEESE INSTEAD. What a dumb question.

Frigo

I think the best string cheese I've ever had is actually Oaxacan string cheese, which is easily found at any carniceria. It usually comes in a ball form and the string cheese is wound around a center. You just peel off strands of cheese as you eat. It is so tasty and pretty low in fat for a cheese.

I buy a block of cheese and make my own cheese sticks! ;) Usually I've been sticking to muenster but I think it's time to branch out to montery jack or something else.

over-packaged and overpriced. no thank you. i'll stick to the real thing and cut it into sticks myself.

There's entirely way too much cheese snobbery going on in this thread. Like none of you EVER touch unprocessed food and abhor and condescend all those plebians that do. Relax and let people be, eh?

I love the TJ's full fat mozz sticks myself, but don't really bother with the cheddar or monterey jack varieties. I'll get Precious if I'm at a bigger chain or whatever, though.

@ Tamarind
I come from a country where cheese is still sold with a rind. Most of the time cut it in front of your eyes.
When you ask me about "goat cheese" I ask you which one? There are quite a few type cheese made out of goat milk. Probably few hundreds.

My favorite string cheese is mozzarella, whichever brand is on sale.

Is this stuff really cheese?

Plus who needs all that packaging? We have GOT to stop buying things that are hyperpackaged like this!

Buy a block of cheese and cut a piece off.

Yes, it is real cheese. I usually do not buy them because of the cost and packaging, but most brands are just cheese in stick form.

Well, I guess it's sort of regional, but the Wegmans brand of string cheese is pretty fantastic.

@toberead - exactly, the lucerne brand is my preferred. It actually strings and isn't over-salted.

And also, love BabyBels; I get one in my lunch e'eryday.