cottage cheese

A large tub of cottage cheese

Homemade cottage cheese.

A bowl of cottage cheese.

Cottage cheese is a cheese curd product with a mild flavor. It is drained, but not pressed so some whey remains and the individual curds remain loose. The curd is usually washed to remove acidity giving sweet curd cheese. It is not aged or colored. Different styles of cottage cheese are made from milks with different fat levels and in small curd or large curd preparations. Cottage cheese which is pressed becomes hoop cheese, farmer cheese, pot cheese or queso blanco.

Cottage cheese is eaten straight, with fruit, fruit puree, on toast, in green salads, and used as an ingredient in recipes such as lasagna, jello salad and various desserts.

The term "cottage cheese" is believed to have originated because the simple cheese was usually made in cottages from any milk left over after making butter. The term was first used in 1848.^[1] The curds and whey of nursery rhyme fame is another dish made from curds with whey but it is uncertain what their consistency was, if they were drained at all or how they were curdled (which affects the flavor). Some writers claim that they are equivalent or similar.^[2]

Curd size

The curd size is the size of the "chunks" in the cottage cheese. The two major types of cottage cheese are small curd, high-acid cheese made without rennet, and popular large curd, low-acid cheese made with rennet. Rennet is an enzyme that speeds curdling and keeps the curd that forms from breaking up; adding it shortens the cheesemaking process, resulting in a lower acid and larger curd cheese, and reduces the amount of curd poured off with leftover liquid (the whey).^[3] Sometimes large curd cottage cheese is called "chunk style".

Nutrition

Cottage cheese is low in fat and carbohydrates and high in protein.

A 4 oz (113 g) serving of 4% fat product has about 120 calories, 5 g fat (3 g saturated), 3 g carbohydrates, and 14 g protein. It also contains about 500 mg sodium, 70 mg calcium and 20 mg cholesterol.

Manufacturers also produce low-fat and non fat varieties. A fat-free kind of a similar serving size has 80 calories, 0g fat (0g saturated), 6g carbohydrates, and 14g protein. To compensate for the flavor missing from the fat, low-fat and non-fat ones tend to have more sugar in them. Very low sodium varieties are also produced, which can be salted to taste.

In Israel, cottage cheese has evolved into a very popular, gourmet breakfast and lunch food and into a somewhat different product through the use of sea salt or purified sea water. This process yields higher levels of sodium per serving. Produced by the three major dairy companies, Tnuva, Tara and Strauss, cottage cheese is made in the 3 percent, 5 and 9 percent standard fat content products. Tnuva also produces a form of Yoga brand cottage cheese mixed with yogurt.

It is popular among dieters and some health food devotees. Cottage cheese is a favorite food among bodybuilders and weightlifters for its high content of casein protein while being relatively low in fat, and pregnant women are advised that cottage cheese is safe to eat during their pregnancy.^[4]

See also

• Paneer
• Curd
• Whey
• Twarog
• Quark cheese

References

External links

• Making Cottage Cheese At Home