What’s Going On With Cottage Cheese?

Cottage cheese might look like a blast from the previous, however we by no means stopped consuming it. Not earlier than it was stylish once more, not whereas it was simply stylish once more, and never after it kinda-sorta light out once more earlier this 12 months. The Critical Eats workforce is solely a gaggle of people that will at all times trip arduous for cottage cheese. This 12 months, nonetheless, amidst our continued cottage cheese conquests, we have opened new containers to search out a number of water, a number of sourness, and a number of chunky…chunkiness. However we stored coming again as a result of generally, it was additionally simply creamy and well-chunked and nice. Ultimately, we had no selection however to ask: What’s HAPPENING right here?

I spoke with Dr. Keely O’Brien, an assistant professor within the Fermentation Science Program at Center Tennessee State College, to see if she had any ideas on what is going on on within the land of cottage cheese. She beforehand labored for Huge Dairy and has spent years making her personal cottage cheese with milk from her dairy cows: Girl, Liberty, and Apple Butter.

How the Cheese Truly Will get Made

To contextualize a few of these inconsistencies, Dr. O’Brien started by detailing the method of creating cottage cheese. TL;DR: It entails including micro organism cultures to curdle the milk, fermentation, curd slicing, cooking, and including flavoring—all processes with immense wiggle room and variables throughout completely different producers.

1. Curdling/Fermentation: Acidic substances like micro organism cultures (e.g., Lactobacillus) are added to pasteurized cow’s milk, changing the lactose into lactic acid and inflicting the curds to separate from the whey. Ultimately, it turns into a strong mass; Dr. O’Brien usually provides rennet to assist the method, but it surely’s not required. The selection and amount of tradition and/or acid is brand-specific and impacts how tangy the ultimate product tastes.
2. Chopping & Cooking: The curds are sliced into giant or small items with a curd cutter after which gently heated to a particular temperature to take away extra whey. She cooks her curds till they shrink to pea-size and the consistency of clay. The curds present the feel and mouthfeel of the cottage cheese; a uniform curd dimension is good.
3. Draining/Rinsing: Chopping the curds releases extra whey, so the remaining liquid must be drained off. Some manufacturers will even rinse the curds to take away a number of the acidity earlier than draining. Usually, an extended drain leads to drier and firmer cottage cheese. 
4. Dressing/Flavoring: Acidified milk is added to the curds with salt and different components to create the ultimate product. Each model has its personal “secret sauce” comprised of cream, half-and-half, and even buttermilk to provide the specified creaminess. Various portions of sodium and different preservatives are added for taste and decide how lengthy the cottage cheese lasts on cabinets.

Why the Inconsistencies, Although?

Between the above and the truth that cottage cheese is available in completely different fats percentages (like milk (skim, 2%, 4%, and so on.) and small and enormous curd sizes), after all Dr. O’Brien wasn’t shocked to listen to our workforce had skilled inconsistencies with regularity, nor was she shocked that these huge manufacturers sometimes ship inconsistent merchandise. Not like her selfmade cottage cheese, the mass-produced batches “have fairly lengthy shelf lives,” she mentioned: “You are speaking 60 days, plus.” Quite a bit can occur in that point (on the retailer and at house) and cottage cheese ought to be saved at 40°F (4°C), or lactose within the milk can proceed to provide lactic acid and extra sourness. And simply because it ought to be saved that approach, does not imply it at all times is!

For the best-tasting cottage cheese, she warned, “do not let it sit too lengthy.” Whereas I could not inform if any of my cheese had been sitting out earlier than it received to me, I might examine the expiration dates. They had been all at the very least two weeks away! In actual fact, Breakstone’s sell-by date was greater than seven weeks away. Looks as if a very long time, does not it? Time looks as if the more than likely wrongdoer for the various QA outcomes. Some extra notes from Dr. O’Brien: “In case your cottage cheese is wanting too watery, simply toss it.” She additionally does not assume you need to rely solely on expiration dates. “When unsure, use your senses,” she informed me. “You are a really delicate instrument.”

Facet-by-Facet Cottage Cheese Comparisons

Over the course of this cottage cheese investigation, I taste-tested eight name-brand varieties labeled small curd with 4% milk fats. I famous how the 2 samples regarded and tasted in contrast to one another and famous any variations in curd dimension, quantity of dressing, acidity, and so on. And would not you recognize it? There have been loads of variations throughout pairs of equivalent merchandise.

Model 1: Natural Valley Cottage Cheese

Pattern A undoubtedly had extra tang and noticeably extra liquid sitting on the highest. Pattern B was creamy, and barely acidic with a couple of stray bigger curds. These two containers have the identical expiration date however look like completely different batches.

Model 2: Breakstone’s 4% Small Curd Cottage Cheese 

This model got here in mini 4-ounce containers in a snack pack scenario. It’s truthful to say that samples A and B appeared more likely to come from the identical batch. The curds regarded very small and there was solely somewhat dressing floating on prime. Barely bitter, and barely candy, however I’d say this one’s fairly constant, which is sensible as a result of they had been in the identical four-pack.

Model 3: Good Tradition Natural Cottage Cheese, Basic

This one has the best calorie depend per serving having a look at it it’s fairly liquidy/has a good quantity of dressing. It is solely barely bitter and has a tang to it. Pattern A and pattern B look fairly comparable, the one actual distinction was a stray curd or two that had been barely bigger in dimension.  

Model 4: Lactaid Milk Fats Cottage Cheese

Each samples have bubbles on the floor and the curds look fairly huge contemplating it’s presupposed to be “small curd.” The consistency nearly appears to be like like lumpy and homogenous store-bought potato salad. There was no noticeable distinction between samples A and B, however they had been sweeter than the opposite manufacturers and lacked acidity. 

Model 5: Daisy Pure and Pure Cottage Cheese, 4%

Pattern A was barely bitter and had pretty constant curds. Pattern B had noticeably extra acidity, a couple of stray bigger curds, and extra liquid on prime. I used to be not a fan of the dressing; it was simply too tangy.

Model 6: Dealer Joe’s Small Curd Cottage Cheese, 4%

Each samples regarded comparable, an nearly solid-looking mass of curds with little or no dressing. The flavour was the mildest of all of the manufacturers, with medium-sized curds. Pattern B had some extra bubbles on the floor and the slightest trace of tang, however I doubt I’d have observed a distinction if I hadn’t finished this comparability.

Model 7: Friendship Dairies Cottage Cheese, Small Curd, 4% Milkfat, California Fashion

This model had essentially the most cheese-like taste and the mildest style, the larger curds had been harking back to mozzarella. Pattern A had nearly no dressing in any respect, however Pattern B had sufficient dressing that I might see some liquid on my spoon.

Model 8: Hood Nation Fashion Small Curd Cottage Cheese

Each of those samples had been swimming in dressing. Pattern A had a smaller and extra constant curd dimension, seasoned with a really acidic liquid that was a bit watery. Pattern B was not fairly as tangy and had a creamier dressing total.