    
Cottage Cheese
To make Cottage Cheese, pasteurized skim milk is heated to 85 F (29 C), at which point an acidic bacterial mix is added to curdle the milk. The curd is cut, hot water (114 F/ 45 C) is added, and the mixture is further heated to 124 F (51 C) and stirred to make the cheese thicker. After two hours, any remaining whey is washed off with cold water, which helps to keep its taste bland. It is not aged and will not in fact store long.
The cheese ends up very white.
Cottage Cheese comes in different curd sizes, usually small or large. In some places, you can buy it flavoured with fruit or herbs.
The acidic bacteria used to curdle the cheese gives it a tang which survives the washing. Sweet Curd Cottage Cheese, which is curdled with rennet instead, is less tangy.
Cooking Tips
Home-made cottage cheese (note: this will end up a consistency that is different from commercial brands)
- You will need a food thermometer, piece of cheesecloth or muslim; and a colander.
- Slowly heat 1 pint (2 cups of milk/ .5 litres) to 100 F (38 C);
- Stir in 2 or 3 tbsp (30 to 45 ml) of lemon juice;
- Keep on stirring. It will start to separate into curds and whey (whey being the liquid part), and eventually the whey will run clear;
- Set the muslin into the colander, pour the mixture into it and let sit to drain;
- You can use the curd cheese as is, or, if you want it to look more like commercial cottage cheese with smaller curds, put the curds back in the sauce pan, heat it until it separates into smaller lumps, then add a bit of milk to moisten;
- Refrigerate.
Substitutes
Fromage blanc, buttermilk cheese, crumbled tofu, ricotta, yoghurt cheese, curd cheese, Creole cream cheese (one of the varieties that has visible curds in it).
In Germany, substitute körniger Frischkäse or Hüttenkäse.
Nutrition
Cottage Cheese can be easier to digest for some people than other cheeses.
Equivalents
1/2 pound = 8 oz = 200g = 1 cup
Storage
Store in refrigerator for up to a few days. Bin at once if any sign of mould.
History
The milk used for Cottage Cheese historically was skim, as the cream in the milk would have first been used for another cheese or for butter.
Language Notes
It was called Cottage Cheese because it was simple enough to be made at anyone's home.
Also called:  el Queso de campo, Queso cottage (Spanish)
See Also
Sweet Curd Cottage Cheese, Washed-Curd Cheeses
Other entries for Cottage Cheese
Cottage Cheese, Dry-Curd Cottage Cheese, Sweet Curd Cottage Cheese
Other entries for Fresh Cheeses
Cream Cheese, Curd Cheese, Fresh Cheeses, Fromage Blanc Cheese, Fromage Frais, Mascarpone Cheese, Mató Cheese, Neufchâtel Cheese, Panela Cheese, Pot Cheese, Quark Cheese, Queso Blanco Cheese, Queso Fresco, Queso Quesadilla, Requesón Cheese, Ricotta Cheese, Yoghurt Cheese, Zufi Cheese
Other entries for Soft Cheeses
Añejo Cheese, Banon Cheese, Boilie Cheese, Boursin Cheese, Brie Cheese, Brillat-Savarin Cheese, Bruss Cheese, Burrata Cheese, Caboc Cheese, Camembert Cheese, Chèvre Frais, Cornish Yarg Cheese, Crottin de Chavignol Cheese, Crowdie Cheese, Edel de Cléron Cheese, Feta Cheese, La Tur Cheese, Lancashire Cheese, Lymeswold Cheese, Mitzithra Cheese (Fresh), Oaxaca Cheese, Oxford Isis Cheese, Pié d'angloys, Pithiviers Cheese, Squacquerone Cheese, St-Nectaire Cheese, Telemes Cheese, Vacherin Mont d'Or, Wensleydale with Cranberries
Other entries for Cheese
Affinage, American Cheeses, Casu Marzu, Cheese Rinds, Creamery, Double/Triple-Cream Cheese, Extra-Hard Cheeses, Firm Cheeses, Goat's Milk Cheeses, Mexican Cheeses, Pate (of a Cheese), Processed Cheese, Queso Fundido, Rennet, Semi-Firm Cheeses, Sheep's Milk Cheeses, Skim-Milk Cheeses, Smear-Ripened Cheeses, Surface-Ripened Cheeses, Sweet Curd Cheeses, The Crumblies, Truckle, Washed-Curd Cheeses, Washed-Rind Cheeses, Yak Cheese, Yeel Cheese
Other entries for Dairy
Butterfat, Butter, Milk, Nondairy Topping
Related Recipes
Stilton & Apricot Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Top...
|
|
| |
|