In the grand culinary circus that is Trader Joe’s, where kale and quinoa reign supreme and every snack boasts a cult following, there lies a humble, unassuming tub of small curd whole milk cottage cheese. This is not your Instagrammable avocado toast or your hashtag-worthy frozen acai bowl; no, this is the cottage cheese that time forgot, nestled between the organic tofu and the artisanal hummus. With the audacity to be neither artisanal nor exotic, it sits there in its dairy aisle throne, challenging the adventurous Trader Joe’s shopper to revisit the unsung hero of the refrigerator section.
Cottage Cheese is one of those things, either you love it or hate it. I happen to be in the Love It column. Growing up I ate two things for breakfast. Either I had scrambled eggs and toast or I had cottage cheese and toast. (and a piece of fruit to round it out). My goto is about a cup of cottage cheese with something interesting sprinkled on top. Usually just pepper but Trader Joe’s has so many sprinkles and toppings in the spice section, you pick whatever you want. Lots of people put fruit on their cottage cheese.
I didn’t grow up with Trader Joe’s, they weren’t on the East Coast when I was younger so I didn’t have their cottage cheese much. But I know what I like in cottage cheese. I like small curds, not too watery. I like a nice even distribution of curd size. I like there to be a nice milky flavor with a bit of tangy sourness to it and a hint of sweetness to the whole thing. It’s hard to describe but you know it when you have it.
This is one of the products, like eggs or sugar, that you just buy and buy and buy and never give a 2nd thought. I have been buying it for years and have been very happy and the product has been very consistent over the years. I don’t know how many times I’ve had a cottage cheese get too lumpy or watery from batch to batch. I don’t know who makes it for Trader Joe’s but they are doing a great job.
Cottage Cheese is a simple product and I am going to keep this review pretty simple and short. I really like it and will continue to buy it all the time. It’s great to use for a variety of recipes but I most frequently use it in lasagna instead of the more commonly used ricotta.
This is one of my favorite Trader Joe’s products and probably one that I buy almost every week. It’s a great unsung hero of Trader Joe’s line up and I highly doubt that it will ever be discontinued like so many other trendy products they introduce. Since there are hardly any perfect products in this world (I have only rated a couple of Trader Joe’s products a perfect 10), I am going to give Trader Joe’s Small Curd Cottage Cheese 9 out of 10 Bells!
Trader Joe's Small Curd Cottage Cheese
This is one of my favorite Trader Joe’s products and probably one that I buy almost every week. It’s a great unsung hero of Trader Joe’s line up and I highly doubt that it will ever be discontinued like so many other trendy products they introduce.
Pros
Easy to use
Good price
Good Taste
Cons
Sodium levels
Ingredients
- Cultured Pasteurized Nonfat Milk
- Pasteurized Milk
- Pasteurized Cream
- Sea Salt
- Stabilizer (Nonfat Milk, Locust Bean Gum, Agar)
- Carbon Dioxide (To Maintain Freshness)
- CONTAINS MILK.
Trader Joe’s cottage cheese topped with their apple sauce & a dash of sea salt is almost too divine to describe, just saying…
I agree! It’s great cottage cheese!
Locust bean gum and carbon dioxide added is a turn off for me. Daisy cottage cheese adds nothing to their cottage cheese and it’s delicious!