Cottage Cheese is the New Greek Yogurt

[Alex]

Discuss  (from The Atlantic)

 

Quote

Despite this and other advances in cottage-cheese production, like texture analyzers, high-powered microscopes, and trained human tasters, cottage cheese has never enjoyed the same popularity as yogurt. That’s because cottage cheese, once revered for its flavor and versatility, has taken a series of gut-punches in the dairy sector: enduring associations with weight loss, inconvenient packaging, and near-total displacement by its cousin, Greek yogurt, to name a few. But stalwart food scientists and artisanal dairy farmers have high hopes for the future of cottage cheese. With yogurt sales on the decline, a golden age of curds might be right around the corner.

 

[FauxPas]

I love a good cottage cheese but some of them taste awful to me. 

 

Has anyone tried the Cowgirl Creamery's Clabbered Cottage Cheese? I'd like to know what it's like, but it's not available here in Tucson as far as I can tell. 

 

Quote

Maureen Cunnie makes Cowgirl Creamery’s Clabbered Cottage Cheese. It’s a time-consuming artisanal process, but one that yields a product with its own nuanced character. The creamery sources its milk from a local supplier, Bivalve Dairy, about a half-hour’s drive from Petaluma, California, where the cottage cheese is made.

 

[ElsieD]

I can honestly say that I have never eaten as much as a spoonful of plain cottage cheese or fancied up cottage cheese, for that matter.  By that I mean cottage cheese on it's own.  I could never get past the look of the blobby mess.  I did, however, use it a couple of times in lasagna until I discovered ricotta.  That was in my early cooking days so I have an excuse.   On the other hand, I love Greek yogurt and eat it a lot.  I shall be on the look-out for a full fat single serving portion of cottage cheese.  Maybe I'll find I've been missing something all these years..

[Alex]

4 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

I can honestly say that I have never eaten as much as a spoonful of plain cottage cheese or fancied up cottage cheese, for that matter.  By that I mean cottage cheese on it's own.  I could never get past the look of the blobby mess.  I did, however, use it a couple of times in lasagna until I discovered ricotta.  That was in my early cooking days so I have an excuse.   On the other hand, I love Greek yogurt and eat it a lot.  I shall be on the look-out for a full fat single serving portion of cottage cheese.  Maybe I'll find I've been missing something all these years..

 

I don't like cottage cheese on its own, but it's delicious mixed with a little sour cream (the way my parents did it*) or yogurt (Greek or otherwise), some fresh fruit, and a little granola or other crunchy item. It also could be good with chopped fresh vegetables and the appropriate seasoning.

 

*When I started doing this, I had to fight past the feeling that I was turning into my father. Which wouldn't have been such a bad thing, but still.

[heidih]

I cycle it through my kitchen every few weeks. I had the diet association revulsion but got over it.  It melts and my favorite perhaps is stirred into Trader Joe's Tomato/roasted red pepper boxed soup. I have no discrimination but have often heard strong brand opinions. It'll get stirred into the lentil and lamb soup today. 

[ElsieD]

14 minutes ago, heidih said:

I cycle it through my kitchen every few weeks. I had the diet association revulsion but got over it.  It melts and my favorite perhaps is stirred into Trader Joe's Tomato/roasted red pepper boxed soup. I have no discrimination but have often heard strong brand opinions. It'll get stirred into the lentil and lamb soup today. 

 

Does it really "melt" into the soup or do the curds just turn into smaller curds?

[ElsieD]

16 minutes ago, Alex said:

 

I had to fight past the feeling that I was turning into my father. Which wouldn't have been such a bad thing, but still.

 

I'll just paraphrase here " Yikes! I have turned into my mother.  This really isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  Mostly."

[heidih]

2 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

 

Does it really "melt" into the soup or do the curds just turn into smaller curds?

 

I call it melting. It strings when you lift the spoon. 

[BetD]

I have always enjoyed cottage cheeese, especially with chives & scooped up with a ruffled potato chip. Not a whiff of diet food about that! 😁

[lemniscate]

Trader Joe's 4% small curd cottage cheese is something I would be hard pressed to live without.  I use it in place of sour cream on Mexican and Eastern European dishes as a condiment.  I don't, however, cook with it.  I always eat it cold, straight or as part of the finished dish.  I won't buy any other type, been buying it for ages.  I don't know who makes it for TJ's.

 

I guess I wouldn't turn down the opportunity to try hepped-up artisanals if samples were offered somewhere.

 

I do not like Greek yogurt.  I was hoping traditional texture sour yogurt would return after the Greek yogurt trend lost steam.

Edited March 25, 2019 by lemniscate (log)

[Alex]

I am going to try to find some Cowgirl Creamy cottage cheese. The locator function on their website wasn't helpful.

[blue_dolphin]

Interesting article, @Alex, thanks for sharing.  I'd never really thought about how cottage cheese was made and didn't realize that curds and "dressing" are made separately and then mixed together. 

I like an occasional summer meal of fruit, especially melon, and cottage cheese but I don't keep it on hand regularly.  It always seems to go off rather quickly and grows weird pink slime.

[pastrygirl]

They wish!

 

I don't understand - Americans are more obese than ever but the association with low fat diets is bad? 

 

Besides marketing, I think the single-serving convenience of yogurt is a big part of it.  Plus, so many yogurts are sweetened, and we do love our sugar.  I like cottage cheese as long as the 'dressing' doesn't have gooey thickeners added - Daisy is a good one - but I could see how the texture could contribute to unpopularity.

[FauxPas]

1 hour ago, Alex said:

I am going to try to find some Cowgirl Creamy cottage cheese. The locator function on their website wasn't helpful.

 

The zip code locator didn't work for me (unfortunately), but the drop-down city list did. Did you check it? 

[FauxPas]

48 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I like an occasional summer meal of fruit, especially melon, and cottage cheese

 

Mmm. I love cottage cheese with melon or mango, strawberry, fresh apricot or peach. Also with diced fresh tomatoes/celery and a bit of pepper. And I don't mind it in lasagne, either.   🙂

 

But I am picky about the type of cottage cheese. My favourites are Canadian ones, specifically ones from British Columbia and I like 1, 2 or 4% ones. Both Dairyland brand and Island Farms dairy co-operative taste good to me (Island Farms is the best), but it seems hard to find an equivalent brand in the US. Maybe it's just because I am used to those brands' flavours but it's been hard to find anything here that appeals nearly as much. 

 

I thought Shamrock and Daisy were OK, but neither thrill me. There was one from Sam's Club that was decent enough, but I don't think they carry it anymore. I got a Sam's Club membership partly because I tasted that cottage cheese as a side dish at a Tucson restaurant and was surprised that it was so tasty. 

 

I'd love to try that Cowgirl Creamery one! We'll be on the west coast in a few weeks but not sure we'll have a chance to shop for it. 

Edited March 25, 2019 by FauxPas (log)

[Alex]

33 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

 

The zip code locator didn't work for me (unfortunately), but the drop-down city list did. Did you check it? 

 

Yes. Neither worked. Thanks for the suggestion, though. I'll just call them tomorrow.

Edited March 25, 2019 by Alex (log)

[lemniscate]

@FauxPas  Have you tried the TJ's cottage cheese?   To me Shamrock and Daisy are such  inferior products in taste and texture by comparison.

Edited March 25, 2019 by lemniscate (log)

[FauxPas]

23 minutes ago, lemniscate said:

@FauxPas  Have you tried the TJ's cottage cheese?   To me Shamrock and Daisy are such  inferior products in taste and texture by comparison.

 

 

I'm almost positive that I did and I had high hopes because I really like lots of TJ's stuff, but I think I should try it again so thanks for the friendly push!   🙂

[heidih]

2 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

They wish!

 

I don't understand - Americans are more obese than ever but the association with low fat diets is bad? 

 

Besides marketing, I think the single-serving convenience of yogurt is a big part of it.  Plus, so many yogurts are sweetened, and we do love our sugar.  I like cottage cheese as long as the 'dressing' doesn't have gooey thickeners added - Daisy is a good one - but I could see how the texture could contribute to unpopularity.

 

Well if you ever were overweight or involved in weight issues you'd know. My anger level is  intense. That said I'll add celery to the mix! 

[CatIsHungry]

Ahh cottage cheese -- I grew up on Braums Cottage Cheese. I have tried other brands here & there and always been offended *blech* - I always went back to Braums - my family is the same same. 

[scubadoo97]

Never had an aversion to cottage cheese.  Yes some store brands can have a mild bitter note to it.  

 

My my favorite way to enjoy it is to serve it with a good pour of fruity extra virgin olive oil and a grind of  fresh ground black pepper 

Edited March 25, 2019 by scubadoo97 (log)

[Tri2Cook]

7 hours ago, heidih said:

Well if you ever were overweight or involved in weight issues you'd know. My anger level is  intense.

Why would a product having an association with dieting cause anger in a person who is or was overweight? Does the overweight person think "nope, don't want anybody to see me eating that and think I'm trying to lose some weight"? Does a person who isn't overweight think "nope, don't want anybody to see me eating that and think I'm fat"? I'm not trying to be nasty here, I just really don't understand the anger. I assumed the thing in the article that talked about a negative association to diet foods was referring to the line of thinking some people have where they automatically say "yuck" any time you tell them something is healthy or low fat or low sugar or anything along that line.

[munchymom]

Imagine growing up in a family where in a typical meal everyone is having burgers and fries, except for you, the fat person, who is given a bunless hamburger patty with sliced tomatoes and cottage cheese. Multiply this experience times a few thousand. You're probably not going to run out and get cottage cheese for a tasty snack once you're an adult.

 

I actually like cottage cheese, but it must be full-fat. I like it with Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel seasoning, or with dill and celery seed.

[kayb]

I love cottage cheese. Always have. Low fat, full-fat, doesn't matter. Love it with fruit, love it with salt and pepper and sliced dead-ripe tomatoes. Even love it in congealed salads (the canonical "green stuff" and "pink stuff.").

[Katie Meadow]

Cottage cheese varies a lot. Some I kind of like, others not so much. I buy it rarely, so I can never remember which one I like, which means....I buy it even more rarely.

 

I only have two uses for it. One is with cantaloupe and a shake of cinnamon. Where I go that I have no idea. The other is more nostalgic. My dad"s standard weekend lunch, if we were not going out for a slice, was a mix of cottage cheese and sour cream with radishes and cucumbers, salt and pepper. Every once in a while, in the summer, I get a craving for it.