Why Exactly Is Cottage Cheese So Lumpy?

Cottage cheese, a staple of restaurant diet plates from the 1950s onward, hit its popularity peak in the '70s and was a favorite of POTUS Richard Nixon (he liked to eat it with ketchup or pineapple). It dropped off the radar for decades, however, until it was given a 2020s glow-up by health-conscious Gen Z-ers who use it to add protein to anything from homemade cottage cheese bread to a banana pudding that Tricky Dick surely would have appreciated. Why the decades-long fall from favor, though? 

Well, it might have had something to do with the texture. Cottage cheese, after all, is nothing if not lumpy. The reason for this turns out to be that it's actually made of itty-bitty cheese curds just like the ones you can buy in every gas station in Wisconsin. They're quite a bit softer, though, and are mixed with liquid for a more spoonable consistency.

The process of making cottage cheese starts with adding something acidic to cow's milk to make it curdle. When the milk separates into curds and whey (insert Little Miss Muffet-related witticism), the former are chopped into pieces and heated to extract yet more whey. The resulting curds shrink in size as they cook and then harden to a clay-like texture. They're then drained and sometimes rinsed. The final step in the process involves mixing the curds (aka lumps) with cream, half-and-half, or buttermilk along with salt and any necessary preservatives.

When you shop for cottage cheese in the grocery store, you'll often be given a choice of either small or large curd. While the manufacturing process may result in some inconsistencies, generally the large curd variety will be the lumpier of the two. Its curds usually measure around ⅜-inch in diameter, although they may be up to ½-inch in size. Small curd lumps, on the other hand, are ¼-inch or under.

Large curd is often moister and can have a sweeter flavor and creamier texture, although this, like curd size, can vary by brand and batch. This can make it the cottage cheese of choice if you're eating it on its own or using it as a toast topper. You may also want those larger lumps if you're swapping cottage cheese for paneer in a South Asian-inspired recipe. 

For mixing purposes, however, you may want the small curd variety — as long as you don't mind its tangier flavor. Small curd is great for baking, and it can also be blended into a creamy alfredo sauce to stretch it out and give it a protein boost. You could use it to replace the yogurt in a smoothie as well since the former has a flavor that's even more sour than that of small-curd cottage cheese.