Cottage cheese

[honeybee]

I purchased some cottage cheese with today's date as the "sell by" date. How long can I expect this cottage cheese to still be good to use?

[marmalady]

Keep it in the coldest part of your fridge, use an 'impeccibly' clean spoon to scoop it out, and you should be okay for a few days!

[buckytom]

i read once that a guy mixed a bit of blue cheese into cottage cheese, and put it in the back of his fridge for a few days. when he opened it, he had a bleu cottage cheese. that is cottage cheese with bleu veins running thru it, and it had the bleu flavor. no, i doubt this is not very safe, especially for weaker stomachs, but it sounds interesting...

[debthecook]

Maybe up to one week more after the sell by date.

[Goodweed of the North]

Interestingly enough, the way veined cheeses are made is that the curd is cut with the desired bacteria strain before the aging process is begun. AS the cheese ages, the mold spores grow inside the cheese. Obviously, the spores are harmless to people, but give the veined cheeses their charecteristic flavors.

The same is true for all cheeses. It is the particular bacterial agent added to the milk that gives the cheese much of its unique flavor. There are of course other factors, such as aging cheese in specific caves, aging in straw or hay, how long the aging process is continued, etc.

Of course, not being a cheese maker, I have to rely on the various articles I've read on the subject, and a little biological knowledge to boot.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

[wasabi woman]

from the University of Virginia...

"the "sell by'' date stamped on a product is an indicator of freshness.
That date tells the store how long to display the product and gives the consumer a reasonable amount of time to use it after purchase."
"Cottage, ricotta and soft cheeses like brie will last about a week after the "sell by" date."

Good Luck!