Trouble With Cottage Cheese

willfalconxp
willfalconxp Posts: 329 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I posted the following thread in the recipe forum as well but badly need some advice and thought I'd try and cover more than one space:

Yesterday I tried cottage cheese for the first time in my life, and it was no joke the most vile thing I've ever tasted. And that's saying something because as a student have had some woeful meals in my time (like poor mans fish tacos, which uses tinned fish not fresh). But at least poor mans fish tacos didn't make me want to throw up - twice.

I tried simple salt and pepper, which I've read is meant to be enough to make it palatable. This is complete BS in my opinion.
So then I tried sweetening it using blueberry jam, which didn't work. So I added some maple syrup, roughly a tablespoon, and still it tasted like dry wall and had a vomit like consistency.
To combat the vomit like consistency I chucked it in the blender and added a small amount of milk to smooth it out. This helped a little but I still got some chunks here-and-there and it still tasted horrendous.
Lastly I added it to a wrap - which defeated the purpose of it being low carb, but I was determined to get through the 250g I put in my bowl (I hate wasting food).

I'm currently attempting my first 'clean bulk' but I honestly don't think I can get through the other half of the container.

Any suggestions will be welcomed and (very) appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
Will
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Replies

  • grinning_chick
    grinning_chick Posts: 765 Member
    edited July 2017
    I get not wanting to waste food purchased.

    There are recipes floating around for effectively turning cottage cheese into cheesecake:

    https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&ictx=2&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_g667h4XVAhUP1GMKHb1WA1sQPQgD#hl=en&q=cottage+cheese+cheesecake

    Turning it into dip(s) may work for you, too:

    https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&ictx=2&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjdlKyAiIXVAhVM1WMKHX4FBPkQPQgD#hl=en&q=cottage+cheese+dips

    Or latkes:

    https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&ictx=2&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjdlKyAiIXVAhVM1WMKHX4FBPkQPQgD#hl=en&q=cottage+cheese+latkes

    Good luck to you. Personally, I eat it plain as I like the slightly sour and tangy taste of it (I also adore plain full fat Greek yogurt, too). I find the lower the milkfat %, the grosser the texture so I always eat the 4%. Unfortunately, those with carrageenan have a better texture than those without, too. :\

  • hannys
    hannys Posts: 85 Member
    Add salsa to it and put on top of a salad in place of dressing. I love cottage cheese but I often use salsa and/or cottage cheese as "salad dressing" to up the protein content
  • klrenn
    klrenn Posts: 245 Member
    willfalconxp wrote: »

    I'm currently attempting my first 'clean bulk' but I honestly don't think I can get through the other half of the container.

    Any suggestions will be welcomed and (very) appreciated.
    Thanks in advance.
    Cheers,
    Will

    Throw away the rest of the cottage cheese and don't look back.

    You're running a bulk which means you get *more* calories. No need to waste them on food you don't like.

    I ran a 'clean' bulk last year. All that means is you keep a modest calorie surplus to minimize fat gain.

    Eat food you like, keep your protein high enough to support your lifting, and eat to a 250-500 calorie surplus (depending on how much you want to gain per week)

    Good luck!
  • WickAndArtoo
    WickAndArtoo Posts: 773 Member
    edited July 2017
    I'm on the "if you don't like it don't force it" bandwagon. I personally LOVE cottage cheese, but I can see why someone wouldn't. There are just so many other wonderful protein rich foods that are still "clean" that it is so not worth gagging over a product just because you bought it.

    People rant and rave about sweet potatoes and yams being amazing and healthy, but they literally trigger my gag reflex, I hate them... so I don't buy them, and if I did accidentally buy them I would toss them out because life is short and hard enough as it is. Ask a friend if they like it, if you truly hate to waste but please stop trying to force yourself to like something you don't, cottage cheese is so very permanently cottage cheesy.
  • niknik212
    niknik212 Posts: 2 Member
    I agree with using Greek Yogurt (plain) instead and just tossing the cottage cheese. It's fab for a replacement for so many things. Add a squirt of sriracha and it's an amazing spread. Add to smoothies or to tuna instead of mayo. Mix with lime juice and garlic and it's great with fish tacos. Add a little honey and strawberries and it's an amazing snack or dessert. I always have it around!!!
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    So don't eat cottage cheese. Problem solved. I just had some with peaches - yum. But doesn't sound like it is something that works for you. Toss it out and move on with life.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,597 Member
    Personally, I love cottage cheese with just a bit of salt. I eat it 5 days a week when I get home from work with sliced cucumbers in it.

    But if you really don't like it, don't eat it.

    Weight loss doesn't hinge on you liking cottage cheese.
  • CeciliaBobilia
    CeciliaBobilia Posts: 246 Member
    Use it on a taco in the place of sour cream.
    Substitute ricotta in a pasta or lasagna (this definitely defeates the purpose of low-carb, but I've seen cottage cheese successfully consumed by haters using this method).
    Mix it with eggs then pour over spinach or some other greens in a non-stick skillet Cover, don't stir...it carmalizes the greens and is quite good.

    I'm not going to tell you to throw it away. I never waste food and probably should have been born during the Great Depression.

    If all of these suggestions fail, give your cottage cheese to me...I like cottage cheese.
  • Lynnette1709
    Lynnette1709 Posts: 1 Member
    I was exactly the same... I think cottage cheese is a brand game. Find the one that suits your taste.Gagged with every mouthful on several occasions and actually threw out tins with major guilt too...but one day tried m&s natural cottage cheese.. plain at room temp on a savoury multi grain cracker and it was bomb!!! Could liken to cooled down egg whites (5 crackers & 1/2 cup cottage cheese).Another variation of mine is on toasted wholegrain bread( can use Melba toast), I tbsp all natural peanut butter/ almond, 1tsp all fruit preserves & 1/2 cup cottage cheese. Works out about 280 calories, 22g protein and 28g carbs. Hope this helps.
  • butterflylady86
    butterflylady86 Posts: 369 Member
    I just went Vegan. But was a cottage cheese freak. I loved it with spicy salsa. It's good with ranch. I even blended it in my smoothie once. Good luck.
  • tk2222
    tk2222 Posts: 199 Member
    Yeah, if it's not something you like, its not something you like.

    Personally, I love it (but it's also a staple here, had it every day since I was a kid.) I would say though that cottage cheese is really a savoury thing - I eat with hot sauce, mustard, chilli, maybe mixed in with a vegetable salad or tuna, or as a side to an ommlette.

    An alternative - which doesn't have the icky texture but fairly similar macro ratios - is quark cheese. Its smooth, like a thicker yogurt (or a lighter cream cheese), and is usually 5% fat or so, but has a higher protein content than most yogurt brands (at least the varieties I'm familiar with do). That does work sweetened (at least for me) and is brilliant to mix a bit jam or fruit or maple syrup or even just a spoonful of sugar into.
  • willfalconxp
    willfalconxp Posts: 329 Member
    edited July 2017
    Hey everyone thanks heaps for all your tips.

    @grinning_chick thanks for the links to recipes. And @Lynnette1709 and @CeciliaBobilia thanks for those tips. Cecilia I'd be happy to send the cheese to you but I'm not sure how well half a tub of cottage cheese would travel in the post haha.

    @klrenn thanks for the advice. Nice to get some tips from someone who has done what I'm starting to do myself. Any suggestions for high protein and low cal foods?

    Also thanks to everyone who suggested Greek yougurt. I'm going to try some of the suggestions given on this thread to finish of the container, but suspect I won't be buying anymore (happy to be pleasantly surprised though).

    Once the cottage cheese is gone I plan on consuming all the Greek yogurt and peanut butter I can get my hands on. I know peanut butter is more a fat source than a protein source, but if I used it as a 'treat' protein source would that seem alright to most people?

    Thanks once again to all of you.
    Cheers,
    Will
  • Heather4448
    Heather4448 Posts: 908 Member
    Don't eat things you don't like! Life is too short. They're are plenty of high protein snacks you can make- a simple hard boiled egg and turkey bacon. They're are lots of options. Use the search function to find high protein meal/snack ideas.
  • willfalconxp
    willfalconxp Posts: 329 Member
    @Heather4448 Yeah I think with all the advice given, once I finish this tub I won't be touching cottage cheese agian.
    Good idea with the search function on this forum.. I didn't even think of using the forums search engine.
  • _pi3_
    _pi3_ Posts: 2,311 Member
    Never had it and the way you described it I never will
  • laur357
    laur357 Posts: 896 Member
    You can use the rest of your container as you would ricotta cheese - mix it into eggs while you're scrambling them. Make a mixture of cottage cheese, mozzarella, one egg, and Parmesan - roll it up in strips of zucchini, thin chicken breast cutlets, or pile on top of eggplant and bake with marinara sauce.
    I feel the same about yogurt. So I just avoid it, unless I'm hiding it in Indian food with serious spices.
  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
    I'm not a big cottage cheese fan either. The ONLY way I eat it is as a dip. If you like ranch dressing, you'll like it. It's simple...cottage cheese, powered ranch seasoning and about 1-2T of mayo (light or whatever you prefer) and it makes a good dip for veggies. Some people blend it, but if the texture is OK to you then eat it just like that. Hope that helps to not waste the container you have.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Trash, don't buy it again, done.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    willfalconxp wrote: »
    Yesterday I tried cottage cheese for the first time in my life, and it was no joke the most vile thing I've ever tasted.

    I love cottage cheese. Love. Back when I was fat I would commonly eat a carton (not a huge carton, granted, but still) as a snack. I love that it fits so well into my current goals. I would NOT add salt or pepper, it doesn't need it (it's quite high in sodium, actually), and don't add anything, but do have it as a side with other foods (I like it with an omelet, for example.)

    That said, people have different tastes, and if you don't like it, you don't like it.

    Depending on what you don't like about it, I might try another kind (there are some brands I dislike because the texture is wrong), but if you hated it that much, probably not.

    You don't need help, because there is absolutely no reason to consume cottage cheese if you don't enjoy it. Period. Give it away or toss it. Maybe try making a lasagna with it, some do that. But really, it's no big thing if you toss it.

    I personally think (even as a cottage cheese fan) that sweetening cottage cheese seems vile, but again different people/different tastes.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    willfalconxp wrote: »
    Once the cottage cheese is gone I plan on consuming all the Greek yogurt and peanut butter I can get my hands on. I know peanut butter is more a fat source than a protein source, but if I used it as a 'treat' protein source would that seem alright to most people?

    What matters is total protein. It will help you reach that, and presumably you have room for some fat in your "clean bulk." So sounds good to me.

    I LOVE mixing nut butter into plain greek yogurt. I do it with almond butter and walnut butter, mostly.
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
    WickAndArtoo wrote: »
    I'm on the "if you don't like it don't force it" bandwagon. I personally LOVE cottage cheese, but I can see why someone wouldn't. There are just so many other wonderful protein rich foods that are still "clean" that it is so not worth gagging over a product just because you bought it.

    People rant and rave about sweet potatoes and yams being amazing and healthy, but they literally trigger my gag reflex, I hate them... so I don't buy them, and if I did accidentally buy them I would toss them out because life is short and hard enough as it is. Ask a friend if they like it, if you truly hate to waste but please stop trying to force yourself to like something you don't, cottage cheese is so very permanently cottage cheesy.

    You are my food taste twin. Love cottage cheese. That Thanksgiving dish with the marshmallows, or hipster restaurants with sweet potato fries, gag. Was not upset when Wal-Mart ran out of sweet potato pie.

    OP, if you don't like cottage cheese don't eat it. I eat mine with canned fruit, but that's not going to change the texture. I think yogurt is awful unless it's in a smoothie, so I don't eat it unless I'm in a mood for smoothies. There is no food you have to eat. There are always alternatives.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,186 Member
    willfalconxp wrote: »
    @Heather4448 Yeah I think with all the advice given, once I finish this tub I won't be touching cottage cheese agian.
    Good idea with the search function on this forum.. I didn't even think of using the forums search engine.

    I take what is left from you, no need to waste it or suffer eating it. I love cottage cheese mixed with fruit or with equal amounts of greek yogurt. Best dessert ever.

    Honestly OP, just don't eat what you don't like or enjoy. There are good sources of protein to replace the cottage cheese with.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    I'll take that cottage cheese off your hands OP.

    I could happily live out the rest of my life eating three foods: cottage cheese, potatoes, and apples.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    Cottage cheese is actually recommended as a substitute for ricotta in many recipes because it's got a similar creamy texture to the real deal. Many ricottas we get in the US are well subpar - very grainy and gummy.

    Use it like you would use ricotta - not because it's healthy but because it can be delicious in that context. Otherwise, just throw it out. Eat yogurt instead. Cottage cheese is not the be all end all of super mega foods.
  • junodog1
    junodog1 Posts: 4,792 Member
    One quick question ---> Are you sure it is good? Has someone else tasted it and said, "Yup, that's the way cottage cheese tastes."

    I am in the <3 love cottage cheese camp and would hate to have you hate CC over a bad package.

    Odds are you just hate it though.

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