The 101 on nutritional yeast

Nooch carries a real amount of protein for something you use by the tablespoon, along with fibre, and it is naturally low in sodium and fat. It brings B vitamins, most of which the yeast makes itself, and it is a source of selenium, a trace mineral the body uses in its antioxidant systems.

B12 is the thing everyone asks about with nooch, and the answer is on the label rather than in the yeast. Yeast cannot make B12. Only certain bacteria can, which is why every food that has it got it from bacteria somewhere along the line. When a tub lists B12, that B12 was made separately and added during manufacturing, and the word for it on the front of the package is "fortified".

Unfortified nooch has none worth counting, and the amount in fortified brands varies a lot from one to the next. So the tub in your cupboard is the only one that can tell you what you are getting. Turn it round and read the panel.

• As a topping, in place of parmesan, over pasta, salad and roasted vegetables
• Stirred into sauces for savoury depth, especially tomato, pesto and anything creamy
• As the backbone of cashew-based vegan cheese and queso
• Through soups, stews and chili, where it does the job a parmesan rind would
• In a vegan alfredo, with vegan butter, unsweetened almond milk, garlic and salt
• On popcorn with a pinch of salt, which is the correct answer to popcorn

Flakes and powder are the same thing ground differently. Flakes are better for sprinkling, powder dissolves better into sauces. Buy it somewhere with turnover, because it loses its aroma sitting in a warm bulk bin, and store it sealed in a cool cupboard.

One last note on what it is not. Nutritional yeast is not brewer's yeast and not baking yeast. It is deactivated, so it will not raise bread and it will not ferment anything. It is a seasoning.