Cottage cheese
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cottage cheese is a cheese curd product with a mild flavor. It is drained, but not pressed so some whey remains. 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.
It is also eaten in salads, with fruit, with fruit puree - such as peach, raspberry, blueberry, pineapple, or strawberry, on toast - or as an ingredient in recipes like jello salad and various desserts. Also, it can be used to replace grated cheese or ricotta cheese in most recipes (such as lasagna). It is popular among dieters and some health food devotees. Cottage cheese is a favorite food among bodybuilders for its high content of casein protein while being relatively low in fat.
The term "cottage cheese" is believed to have originated because the simple cheese was usually made in cottages from any milk leftover after making butter[1]. The term was first used in 1848[2].
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[edit] Curd size
The curd size is the size of the "chunks" in the cottage cheese. Sometimes large curd cottage cheese is called "chunk style." 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).[1]
[edit] Nutrition
Cottage cheese is low in fat and carbohydrates while high in protein.
A 4 oz (113 g) serving has approximately 120 calories, 5 g fat (3 g saturated), 3 g carbohydrates, and 14 g protein. It also contains approximately 500 mg sodium, 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.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Making Cottage Cheese at Home 1977 (PDF). UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HOME AND GARDEN BULLETIN NUMBER 129. Retrieved on 2007-07-22.
