Not all cottage cheese is created equal

Top-down view of a green bowl containing cottage cheese surrounded by colorful sliced fruit including berries, peaches, kiwi, and banana slices on a wooden surface.

Ruthie Darling/NYT Wirecutter

Cottage cheese can get a bad rap as bland, clumpy diet food. And frankly? Sometimes that’s not far from the truth. But after taste-testing 27 varieties, we found that excellent cottage cheese — the delightfully savory, tangy, creamy stuff — does exist.

Our five favorites — including one that has plush curds and well-balanced flavor — stand out in the dairy aisle. And they’d taste delicious with savory fixings (like cucumbers and olive oil) or topped with blueberries and honey. Yum.

A protein powerhouse (that doesn’t taste gross)→

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Today’s best deal: A handsome table for meals alfresco

Outer

For any upcoming dinner parties: This is the biggest outdoor table we recommend, easily expanding to seat a dozen people. We’re also big fans of the included cover, which protects the table from dust and debris during the off-season.

It’s more than $1,000 off right now→

More for easy breakfasts

Six different frozen breakfast sandwiches displayed on brown Parchment Paper set on top of a wooden cutting board and next to cups of coffee and bananas on a table.

The best frozen breakfast sandwiches

We found one that tastes almost freshly made→

Pieces of chocolate cereal O's on a yellow grid-lined paper.

Turns out, kids really are cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs

We asked dozens of kids to try six chocolate cereals. These were their favorites→

A few different Uncrustables and dupe peanut butter and jelly sandwiches displayed on cafeteria trays with snacks.

You can’t beat the classic Uncrustable

After taste-testing more than 20 crustless sandwiches, we found a few that we’d happily toss into a lunch box→

A person eating fried chicken and waffles topped with butter and syrup while holding a coffee.

Our favorite frozen waffles

Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and delicious with or without toppings→

The last of the Labor Day deals

A gif featuring various items including lip gloss, underwear, a mattress, socks, and bed sheets.

NYT Wirecutter

With Labor Day in the rearview, today is the last day to snag some of our favorite on-sale items. Here are the deals you all loved most this past week(ish) or so:

This lightweight underwear feels wonderfully cool on skin.
“The gushiest socks I’ve ever worn.”
If our bedding expert had to pick an all-time favorite set of the sheets, it’d be this breathable, durable percale set.
Our favorite tinted glossy balm comes in a range of shades that flatter just about anyone.
This soft, cradling mattress has a subtle springiness that makes it extremely satisfying to plop onto.

One last thing: “I was a yogurt Goldilocks. Then I discovered this one.”

A container of La Fermière Whole Milk Yogurt.

Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter

This luxe yogurt had our tasters swooning over its velvety texture and sweet cream flavor. Even our discerning kitchen expert — who’s dismissed yogurts for being too runny, too lumpy, too tart, or too sweet — loves it. She’s particularly smitten with the floral flavors, like delicate rose and milky jasmine: “They transport me to a lavender field in Luberon or a wild garden in the Loire Valley.”

Truly special yogurt→

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A scrumptious way to use up that tub of cottage cheese: How about whipping it up and serving it alongside summer’s last zucchinis?

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