In modern day America we have become accustomed to the consistent soft curd and creamy texture of commercially produced cottage cheese. Added emulsifiers and stabilizers ensure commercial products are consistent. Even brands with just two or three ingredients listed may still be using stabilizers and additives. They’re often simply included in smaller quantities that don’t require disclosure on the label. In our home kitchens where we are using milk from one or two cows, that milk changes with the seasons and stage of lactation and we aren’t using additives, we must have different expectations of our cottage cheese.  

In this recipe I am intentional about creating a soft curd and a creamy texture for fresh eating cottage cheese. The best way to make soft curd cottage cheese is by naturally culturing (acidifying) raw milk.  However, since many folks are not comfortable with naturally culturing raw milk and even more of us don’t have the time to wait for our milk to naturally culture, I am using an acidifier in this recipe to speed it up and use a method that many people are more comfortable with.