Cottage Cheese

I can't say I envied that little nursery rhyme character, not least because of the spider! I rather pitied Little Miss Muffet in her predicament. Not only was she frightened away by the spider, she didn't appear to have much to look forward to in the food department either.

Curds and whey always sounded like a rather unpleasant dish to me, certainly nothing I was inclined to try. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it's one of my favorite foods and I've been eating it for years!



Cottage cheese, the commonly recognized name for curds and whey, has been around since the days of the early Greeks and Egyptians. It was first referred to as "cottage cheese" in the mid 1850's by colonial Americans who produced the cheese from left over milk after making butter in their cottages.

How it's made

Cottage cheese is made from milk which is curdled by adding an acidic ingredient such as lemon, vinegar or sometimes yogurt. This causes separation of the milk into curds (the solid bits consisting of milk protein and butter fat) and whey (the liquid component). The curds are then washed, removing much of the acidity which gives cottage cheese its bland taste.

If you want to have a go at making cottage cheese at home, it's not too difficult. You may need to experiment a few times with different types of milk and flavors to find your preferred taste.


Varieties

Many people find plain cottage cheese rather tasteless, particularly those with a very low fat content. However, manufacturers provide a variety of alternative styles and flavors so you should be able to find one to suit your taste. For example, cottage cheese with added pineapple, chives and onion or prawns are some of the most popular choices. Or you could buy some plain cottage cheese and experiment with a few of your own ingredients.

As well as flavors, cottage cheese is produced with differing levels of fat content, curd size and whey volume. Fat content ranges from 0% up to about 8%, depending upon whether skim, part-skim or full fat milk has been used. Those with added cream will have the highest fat content. Curd size ranges from small, medium and large. Some cottage cheese has the whey completely drained and is known as dry cottage cheese.

Storage

Fresh cottage cheese must be refrigerated and it usually has a shelf life of approximately 1 week. Always check the use by date and make sure you've consumed it within 3 days of opening. As with most cheeses, it can't be frozen.

Recipes

Due to its mild taste, cottage cheese goes well with either savory or sweet foods. There are an abundance of recipes available online for cottage cheese use.

Nutritional Information per 100g
(based on 1% fat cottage cheese with salt as the only added ingredient)

Calcium: 65mg
Calcium content can vary according to cottage cheese type. However, because it is a dairy product, cottage cheese is a good source of calcium and this amount provides around 10% of your daily calcium requirements of the recommended 700mg for adults.

Calories: 80
Cheese is often restricted on a dieters menu due to its high calorie content. However, thanks to the relatively low calories in cottage cheese, it's often incorporated into a weight loss or healthy eating program. The daily recommended amount of calories for the average women is 2,000 calories and for men 2,500.

Carbohydrate: 2.7g
Unlike most hard cheeses, however, cottage cheese has a slightly higher carbohydrate content per 100g. The recommended daily amount of calories from carbohydrates we should be eating is between 45-65%.

Cholesterol: 4mg
One of the main nutritional benefits of cottage cheese is its low cholesterol content.

We obtain about 20% of our cholesterol from food, while our liver manufactures the other 80%. A diet containing too much cholesterol can cause high levels of blood cholesterol leading to artery clogging and heart disease.

The American Heart Association recommends we eat no more than 300mg of cholesterol per day.

Fat: 4-8%
Nearly all varieties of cottage cheese are low in fat, with fat levels depending on which type of cottage cheese you buy. If you like a creamy cottage cheese, you can expect it to contain between 4-8% fat, while a low fat cottage cheese has between 1-2% fat. Non-fat or fat-free cottage cheese will have only trace amounts of fat.

Your body needs some fat for many vital functions including helping absorption of vitamins. Try not to eat more than 15-30g of fat per day as it's high in calories and can lead to weight gain if eaten in excess.

Protein: 13g
Cottage cheese is an excellent source of protein which is essential for growth, maintenance and repair of body cells as well as producing antibodies against infection and illness. It's also the main nutrient for helping to keep hair shiny, skin healthy and nails and bones strong.

As well as its value to dieters, cottage cheese a favorite food for bodybuilders due to its high content of casein protein which is essential for the development of muscle mass.

About 10-35% of our daily food intake should be protein based or 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight.

Potassium: 88mg
Potassium plays an important role in several key elements of our body's functions. It is essential for growth and maintenance of body cells as well as supporting the normal functioning of the heart, muscles, kidneys and blood.
Adults should aim for a daily intake of 3,500mg of potassium.

Selenium: 10mcg
Cottage cheese is an excellent source of this mineral.
Selenium is an important antioxidant which can help protect cells and tissues against the effects of free radicals. It's essential for the normal functioning of our immune system.
The recommended amount is 0.075mg a day for men and 0.06mg for women.

Riboflavin: 0.2mg
Riboflavin is needed in our diet every day as it cannot be stored in the body. Its functions include helping skin, eyes, nervous system and mucous membranes stay healthy. It also helps produce steroids and red blood cells. A healthy diet should provide all you need of this mineral.
The recommended daily amount of riboflavin is 1.3mg a day for men and 1.1mg a day for women.

Sodium and Salt Equivalent: 0.2g; 0.5g
Many cottage cheeses are quite high in salt content with as much as 0.2g of sodium per 100g or 0.5g of salt. Due to the nature of many processed and ready meals including bread, cereals and tinned foods, we generally consume more salt than necessary.

Guidelines stress we should consume no more than 6 grams of salt per day which is the equivalent 1 teaspoon. Too much salt has been linked to high blood pressure.

Sugars: 0.3g
The sugar in cottage cheese isn't an added ingredient; rather it's naturally occurring within the milk used to make the cottage cheese.

Although there is no recommended allowance, official US Guidelines advise a maximum 8% of daily calorie intake should include sugar.

Note: All recommended guidelines are given for the average adult.