Some foods seem so pure and unadulterated that it would hardly be necessary to check their ingredient lists just to be sure. A couple of years ago I would certainly have included cottage cheese in that category. That, of course, would have been before the day my young shopping assistant and ingredient list reader, looking through the contents of my shopping cart, asked me what “food starch” was. Food starch, I said absentmindedly, usually refers to corn starch or white flour. It’s used to thicken foods. “It’s in the cottage cheese,” he said.
Food starch makes cottage cheese SEEM thicker and creamer. We put it back and checked the other brands. They all contained it. The only place I have found cottage cheese without food starch is at organic food stores, like Whole Foods and Mustard Seed Market.
- 1 quart of milk. Milk that is no longer perfectly fresh, but not actually sour, is perfect for making cottage cheese.
- 1/4 cup vinegar.
- salt
- heavy cream, or half-and-half, to taste
Heat the milk to 120 degrees, and then add the vinegar. Stir until well mixed. The milk will start to create curds. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Strain the milk in a colander lined with a tea towel.
Gather the sides of the towel to make a ball of cottage cheese inside the cloth. Run the ball of cheese under cold water while squeezing and massaging the ball. Rinse thoroughly. Open the towel onto a large cookie sheet and allow the cheese to dry. Massage to break up the curds.
This is dry cottage cheese. When ready to eat, season with salt and mix with cream if desired for a more creamy cottage cheese.
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