Is there a site that goes into detail on every substitute? Like, my failure last time was none of the subs were any good, but its been a decade almost. stuff evolves. I love the taste and and feel of so many animal products. A roomie is going vegan, and I kinda want to join. But I'm scared of missing out. I FOMO hard. I want to. I really do, but I am gourmand hedonist who loves food and loves cooking for other people so much. I am a much better cook because of what I learned when I tried last, but god damn I NEED cheese and eggs in life you feel? I need something that compares to avoid that FOMO.
But when I was vegan I was in the best shape of my life, so I want to go back because who doesn't want to look good and be confident?
TLDR: A knowledge repository with the closest to 1:1 for animal product vegan versions that get damn close. I don't want to miss out if that makes sense.
As has been conveyed if you're not going vegan for majority ethical reasons, or finding them along the way, 99% of the time it's a recipe for failure. No amount of lackluster or expensive or difficult imitations will keep you there, the animals will. If you're a good cook(and enjoy it!) you're already in a stronger position than most to. Texture is the harder part to replace honestly, where as most flavors you can learn to let stand on their own easier, I feel. That said I'm not some pariah that doesn't use imitations, some are amazing, some are just convenient, but not many are worth the cost.
Seitan (made from vital wheat gluten, VWG) can be the mother of most meat imitations, but is damn annoying to make yourself(or I just suck at it) and stupidly overpriced to buy already prepared.
Soy Curls and Soya de Carne (aka TVP/textured vegetable protein) are both dried soy that you rehydrate and make amazing texture imitations. They don't have much flavor on their own so rely heavily on seasoning to get somewhere. Also IME most of the flavor is imparted through the stovetop cooking, not the broth used to rehydrate. Both are also [theoretically] very affordable if you find a vendor that isn't grossly inflating the prices(curls should be ~$3/8oz and tvp $2/lb and both double their volume when rehydrated) . Soy curls are like thin steak strips and are amazing for soups and stir fries, and I make a killer Philly Cheese Steak with them(the only reason I buy imitation cheese anymore). Tvp I like to use in chili or balognese sauce.
Replacing eggs in all their forms takes too much effort. If you're baking it's usually easy enough with apple sauce or something else(recipe dependant) . Scrambled eggs are super easy, look up tofu scrambles. My go to is crumble and heat a package of extra firm tofu(no squeezing necessary) and 1tbsp soy sauce, then add 1/4 cup nooch, 1tsp ea. curry, black salt, and turmeric, usually with onions and peppers sizzled before the tofu. Other eggs I gave up on or didn't care to figure out.
I'm a big fan of the various frozen meat patty substitutes from King Soopers/Kroger's Simple Truth brand if you're in the US, for quick and easy burgers/sandwiches. Already affordable and go on sale often.
:lmayo: has great store bought replacements though can be a tad pricey, I usually use Hellmans. I've had success using aqua faba to make it at home though!
As you mentioned elsewhere, nooch is nice for a cheesy flavor in limited applications. Best to just appreciate the savoriness it brings otherwise. I haven't tried many cheese substitutes otherwise. I know this seems to be the biggest hangup for people so it's up to you to figure out the balance of cost and convenience, sorry, but there are a lot of products out there and they're getting better everyday from my understanding.
Try making a pizza where you replace both the sauce and cheese with hummus!
I avoid Impossible, Beyond, and Just Egg products for the various animal testing they each performed to bring their products to market.