Use Cottage cheese instead ricotta?

[Shaheen]

Can I use Cottage cheese instead of ricotta? Its not easily available here. I'm not looking at any specific recipe when I ask this. Just curious.

 

[ironchef]

I will say no for two reasons:

1. Taste
2. Texture

Ricotta and normal processed cottage cheese are different in both aspects.

 

[Shaheen]

As I mentioned earlier I'm not looking at any specific recipe right now. Just wanted to know..
How is the the taste and texture of ricotta different form cottage cheese? I have never had it.

 

[ironchef]

As I mentioned earlier I'm not looking at any specific recipe right now. Just wanted to know..
How is the the taste and texture of ricotta different form cottage cheese? I have never had it.

American cottage cheese is usually more watery and more mild in flavor than traditional ricotta. A good example is lasagna. If you try to substitute cottage cheese for ricotta on an equal basis the lasagna will probably be runny and it won't taste as good.

 

[Shaheen]

Looks like the Indian Cottage Cheese (paneer) is quite different form its American counterpart.
Here is how it looks like

 

[ironchef]

That looks similar to ricotta salata in texture.

The American version of cottage cheese is much different than the Indian version.

 

[licia]

I don't know about ALL recipes, but I think cottage cheese could certainly be used instead of ricotta in some recipes. I'd try it and see.

 

[Haggis]

American cottage cheese is usually more watery and more mild in flavor than traditional ricotta. A good example is lasagna. If you try to substitute cottage cheese for ricotta on an equal basis the lasagna will probably be runny and it won't taste as good.

It depends if the ricotta is drained or not. Some undrained ricotta is runnier than a lot of cottage cheeses, but you are right they are definitely more 'watery' in flavour.

I do feel that you can use cottage cheese instead of ricotta but I wouldn't even call it a substitute, the dish would be completely different. I have used it when I didn't have any ricotta and the inspiration to cook a dish with ricotta has come to late in the day to go pick some up (dislike supermarket stuff, I buy straight from an Italian manufacturer).

 

[bethzaring]

I used to substitute cottage cheese for ricotta cheese 100% of the time in lasagna type recipes and was quite pleased with the results. I am also a big advocate of using what ingredients are available to you. If ricotta cheese is not easily available to you, by all means, try cottage cheese. My circumstances appear to different from some posters to this forum. I try to get by with local ingredients, which means I can not make authentic foreign recipes for the most part. But life is full of compromises. I do purchase some nonnative foods in bulk, such as; parmesan cheese in 5 pound bags and xv olive oil in gallon tins. I can not exclude those ingredients from my cooking just because they are not local foods, but I try to concentrate on native foods in my cooking.

 

[grumblebee]

Paneer isnt as creamy as ricotta but could be used as a substitute in many dishes. You could also try labneh (fresh yogurt cheese) or goat cheese. It really depends on the recipe though and what texture/taste you are wanting.

American curd cottage cheese is good in a lot of dishes but wouldnt produce the same texture and taste as ricotta in recipes. But again, it all depends on what recipe you are using. I like American cottage cheese in lasagna.

 

[Gretchen]

I have often used cottage cheese in place of ricotta in lasagna. When I do I whip it in my KA to smooth it out. My recipe uses eggs so the cheese layer using cottage cheese sets up just fine. I notice no difference.

 

[Yakuta]

Shaheen, look at my response in the home made Ricotta thread. It's difficult to go through the elaborate Ricotta making process but you can use the paneer making process for Ricotta. It will give you a similar taste.

The only difference is as follows - To make it like Ricotta you have to use milk and cream and then use Vinegar to curdle it. You also don't need to drain the curds overnight or under weight like you do with paneer. This will give you a ricotta texture and you can use this in any recipe that calls for ricotta (e.g. lasgne).

 

[Shaheen]

Thanks Everybody!!

 

[Banana Brain]

To me, cottage cheese is just flavorless.

 

[vyapti]

In lasagne, I often use cottage cheese instead of ricotta. To me, I have a dwarfed sense of smell and taste, ricotta and cottage cheese are both rather bland. I choose based on the texture I'm in the mood for.

Cottage cheese isn't a replacement for ricotta, but, IMO, they are often interchangable.

 

[Horab]

I have heard that cottage cheese can replace ricotta also, but I never do while preparing lasagna.

I don't know, the texture of ricotta seems easier to work with, it's just lighter. I have substitued cottage cheese for ricotta I make it for someone lactose-intolerant.

 

[Gretchen]

And ricotta has SO much flavor. As I said in my post, if I am using cottage cheese in place of ricotta I whip it in my KA so it is basically becomes the same texture as ricotta.
How can you use cottage cheese for someone lactose intolerant?

 

[Horab]

And ricotta has SO much flavor. As I said in my post, if I am using cottage cheese in place of ricotta I whip it in my KA so it is basically becomes the same texture as ricotta.
How can you use cottage cheese for someone lactose intolerant?

Heh, I try to "turn" cottage cheese into ricotta by hand, didn't work so well, your method didn't dawn on me til your post.

All I know is that people severly lactose-intolerant have told me that the pills they take before a meal don't seem to work as well with ricotta, since I think it's made from a very lactose-rich whey to begin with.

 

[jjstrichards]

Cottage Cheese instead of Ricotta

As I mentioned earlier I'm not looking at any specific recipe right now. Just wanted to know..
How is the the taste and texture of ricotta different form cottage cheese? I have never had it.

Try using half of each. I do that and it doesn't really seem to change anything. Sometimes I feel Lasagna can get a little dry depending on the brand and type of cheeses you use.

 

[jjstrichards]

In regards to the above post, I don't like the texture of Ricotta so that's why I use both. It's not as bad. I think Ricotta tastes like a "mud paste"! Eww!