I Asked 2 Food Experts To Name the Best Cottage Cheese Brand—They Said the Same Thing

From a visual standpoint, it's pretty obvious why cottage cheese always gets such a bad rap. It's a soft, white mass of milk protein that—given its chunky texture—never ceases to look spoiled, even when it's fresh. But it’s actually quite easy to unlock the magic of cottage cheese, especially when its creamy consistency and protein-rich nature can be wielded in a variety of deliciously creative ways.

In 2023, TikTok inspired quite an impressive renaissance for the less-than-attractive dairy product. Today, people are cooking with cottage cheese more than ever before. But despite its newfound popularity, I still had a few details I needed to sort out for myself—like, what brand of cottage cheese should I buy? And what makes one brand better than the next?

I contacted two pros with ample experience eating and cooking with cottage cheese to get a clear and concise answer. And to my surprise, they both said the same thing.

The Experts I Asked

• Grace Elkus: Food writer and recipe developer

• Jake Cohen: Recipe developer and author of Jew-Ish 

The Best Cottage Cheese, According to Food Pros

When asked to name her favorite brand of cottage cheese, Elkus says, “Good Culture, hands down. It's creamier than most brands and doesn't have any gums or preservatives.”

To Elkus’ point, Good Culture is simply made up of milk, cream, salt, and live and active cultures (also known as probiotics). One 16-ounce container (priced at roughly $4) contains 14 to 18 grams of protein and less than three grams of sugar. It also comes in varying levels of fat (2%, 4%) and flavors (strawberry chia and pineapple).

“It's one of the few brands I enjoy eating straight up with a spoon,” Elkus says while noting the benefits of cooking with it. “Yesterday, I blended it with a box of tomato soup before heating the soup on the stove, which instantly added 15 grams of protein to my lunch. Plus, the soup tasted extra creamy and nourishing.”

Cohen adds, “I love Good Culture because there is an organic option and it's extremely creamy.”

He recommends making scrambled eggs with a scoop of cottage cheese mixed in “for extra fluffiness and protein.” He also likes to employ the same method when making pancakes for similarly fluffy results.

Cottage cheese often gets overlooked by home cooks, yet—as Elkus and Cohen both point out—it yields both excellent texture and flavor when added to your favorite foods. It's a shining example of the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” and I would be remiss not to encourage you to revisit it for yourself.

_{To learn more about our approach to product recommendations, see HERE.}

Read the original article on SIMPLYRECIPES