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Cottage cheese is not controversial in my world: the creamy dairy flavor, light tang, and big squeaky curds are an unbeatable combination. I eat it with black pepper for breakfast, stir it into tomato sauce to give it extra body, and bake it into lasagna. I understand that there are people who don’t like it, however, as well as those who aren’t sure what cottage cheese even is. Having tasted 17 different kinds of cottage cheese to find the best ones, I understand why there are so many cottage cheese haters: They probably have yet to find the right cottage cheese for them.
With my trusty tasters, we tried versions as thick as milkshakes, ones without much detectable liquid, and altogether too many that were oddly foamy. We ate spoonfuls of large, tender curds and tiny curds that resembled dry nubbins of chalk. We went through bowls of bland, salty, sweet, and often sour cottage cheese and persevered to find the best of the bunch: big, well-defined curds suspended in a cool, creamy, tangy, balanced, and liquid-y whey.
The Tasters
There are two types of cottage cheese eaters: those who don’t particularly enjoy it but like a ready-to-eat food high in protein and low in fat, and those who love it. I am the latter. My best friend is the former. Both of us regularly make our way through at least a tub of cottage cheese a week. My six-year-old joined in for the fruit-included category.
The Methodology
We tested each cottage cheese by category, starting with the low-fat versions, then working our way up to the full-fat, then onto the fruit-included versions. We each took a spoonful to start, but circled back at the end to re-taste many with the perspective gained from the rest of the selection.
The Results
Best Overall: Daisy Pure & Natural Low Fat Cottage Cheese
This might be the first tasting ever where a low-fat version wins the overall. But the results were consistent: Across the board, we found that the low-fat variety from a brand tended to have a cleaner flavor and more defined curds. Daisy was a prime example. This winning tub featured robust curds, plenty of salt, no sour notes, and a light creaminess. Unlike many of its competitors, it lacked unnecessary additives, which we appreciated. While a lot of the cottage cheeses that used stabilizers like guar gum or locust bean gum were still great, Daisy’s simplicity really showed in the fullness of the dairy flavor.
Best Organic: Organic Valley 2% Milkfat Small Curd Lowfat Cottage Cheese
Organic Valley’s low-fat version had nicely defined curds, if a touch on the firmer side, and a pleasant, balanced ratio of curd to liquid. The main thing keeping this tub from competing for the best cottage cheese overall was a bit of blandness; it lacked some of the signature tang of cottage cheese and just tasted a bit flatter. However, in certain applications, this could be helpful: I use cottage cheese in lasagnas and kugels, and this would be the first I’d reach for.
Best For Yogurt Lovers: Nancy's Organic Probiotic Low Fat Cottage Cheese
As a lifelong cottage cheese fan, I found this one a bit odd. My friend and fellow taster, who just joined the cottage cheese club recently for nutritional reasons, loved it. As we talked and tasted, it became clear: If you’re eating cottage cheese for the protein advantage over yogurt, this is the one. It has a vibrant tang and the cultured taste of yogurt. The curds are much less defined, making for a smoother spoonful that’s more like yogurt. For cottage cheese purists, this one doesn’t quite work, but for yogurt fans, it’s the perfect entry into a new dairy category.
Best For Curd Fans: Organic Valley 4% Milkfat Small Curd Cottage Cheese Tub
I like big curds and I cannot lie. I want the curds to be chickpea size and chunky, to stand out from the whey. While there were other brands that had bigger curds, only Organic Valley managed to have big curds that also weren’t afloat in a sea of foam or tasted of last month’s milk. The curds were a bit firmer than ideal, but that’s the sacrifice required for a size queen.
Best For Lunchboxes: Good Culture Simply 2% Milkfat Simply Pineapple Cottage Cheese
I have no rational explanation for why the Good Culture single-serve size was so good when its larger tubs couldn’t compete. Some of the smoothness and lack of curd definition worked well in this fruit-on-bottom style container. And once mixed up, the pineapple gives the overall flavor a nice boost. A huge problem with many of the single-serve styles was overly sweet filling, but Good Culture managed to use much less sugar than competing brands, and the result nicely balanced the savory notes of the cottage cheese.
PHOTO CREDIT:
Photography: Paul Quitoriano
Art Direction: Sarah Ceniceros Gomez
