The lowly tub of cottage cheese, once scorned as part of dismal mid-century diet plates, is basking in a newfound spotlight on TikTok. Those white globs of curd, once the satirical butt of bad food jokes, are undergoing a radical makeover. TikTokers are transforming cottage cheese into colorful and scrumptious ice cream creations. Brace yourselves, the cottage cheese revolution may be upon us!
One TikToker, @lainiecooks, boasts a whopping 60 grams of protein in her bombastic cheesecake-esque blend of strawberries and graham crackers. That’s no small curd-le! Other cottage cheese connoisseurs are experimenting with a smorgasbord of delightful ingredients such as peanut butter, chocolate chips, nuts, and more. Cottage cheese is practically throwing a coming-out party on the TikTok platform!
Even the humble plastic containers cottage cheese typically calls home are being repurposed in this whirlwind of a trend. TikTokers are blending ingredients right in those containers, reducing the need for pesky dishes. As one user aptly commented, “Cottage cheese is the new cauliflower.”
How did we get here? Well, influencers had been rediscovering this sad dairy product and giving it a new lease on life. From the “caviar queen” to a green goddess salad, TikTokers breathed new life into these once-shunned curds. And now, we have a full-blown cottage cheese-olution on our hands, thanks to Gen Z’s nostalgia and the hack culture of TikTok. Cottage cheese is truly the comeback story of the century.
Not one to resist a challenge, I decided to give this protein-packed ice cream a whirl myself. Little did I know, I was about to embark on a journey that would end with a newfound appreciation for the curd. Like a true explorer, I dove headfirst into the adventure, aiming to create two flavors: strawberry cheesecake and cookies and cream.
Blending, chopping, and smashing, I added jam, graham crackers, maple syrup, and Oreos to my concoctions, dreaming of the tasty treats that awaited. After a chilly four hours in the freezer, my sweet experiments were ready to be tested. They were almost as deceiving as the fake fish, but the mouthfeel was slightly… off. It wasn’t exactly the ice cream euphoria I was seeking. However, the cookies and cream emerged triumphant, leaving me somewhat consoled.
Alas, I wasn’t ready to renounce my love for commercially produced ice cream, but the DIY blend had shown me the hidden potential of cottage cheese. Perhaps in savory forms, like dips and spreads, those little lumps could truly shine. And just like that, cottage cheese found its way back into my life, all thanks to an ice cream experiment gone slightly awry. The curdfather has returned!
