The Store-Bought Cottage Cheese We Won't Be Buying Again

If you're like me, you associate cottage cheese with 1990s diet fads. I saw my parents eat it every morning, often with fruit and toast. It's mild, kind of tangy flavor never appealed to me and the texture made me gag. It turns out cottage cheese is basically just a tub of protein. If you're trying to hit your protein goals and eating it on the regular (or you just love cottage cheese), it's important to get the correct brand. 

We ranked store-bought cottage cheeses from best to worst, and it turns out Friendship Dairies cottage cheese just doesn't hold up. It's extremely low fat, and small curd. They claim it's whipped, so therefore it should be smooth and spreadable. Unfortunately this comes off as claggy and mealy, according to our reviewer. One of the weird joys of cottage cheese is the texture. The curds should be soft and distinct, when it's whipped, the texture is lost. There are a few better options. You can always just make your own at home (it's actually easy.) Or simply spend a little bit extra and get whole milk Good Culture. You'll thank us later.

We have no shortage of advice here, from cottage cheese chips, to adding it to your scrambled eggs. However you enjoy it, the benefits of cottage cheese are undeniable. Its ratio of calories to protein makes it an excellent fuel for post workouts or quick breakfasts — who knew a '90s diet fad would have a kernel of truth? One cup of cottage cheese has 25 grams of protein, with very little fat to boot. If you're trying to build muscle, it's one of the best foods to eat.

Cottage cheese can help regulate blood sugar, because it's low in carbohydrates. Protein doesn't affect blood sugar as harshly as other nutrients. It's chock full of calcium and phosphorus, both of which are key to maintaining bone health. It's also a great source of selenium, which is necessary for thyroid function and DNA production. More studies need to be done on cottage cheese as its probiotic benefits have been mostly unexplored (especially compared to yogurt.) Some cottage cheese are cultured, meaning they have probiotics, but there's no readily available data on the health effects of cultured cottage cheese. Like other probiotics, it might support gut health (though a varied, fiber-rich diet is the best way to better gut health.)