Long before cottage cheese achieved its current viral status as a protein powerhouse, I ate the stuff with gusto. Topped with canned pineapple or syrupy peaches at breakfast, mixed with salsa and swiped up with chips for an afternoon snack, or stirred into macaroni and cheese for oomph, cottage cheese has always been a staple in my kitchen.My love for it might be due to my cultured-dairy-loving Eastern European heritage. Or perhaps it’s because I grew up in the middle of ’80s and ’90s diet culture. (Cottage cheese in a scooped-out tomato, anyone?) Whatever the reason, I have always had a deep and abiding fondness for the fresh, homespun cheese.A new generation of enthusiasts has found its way to the nutritious versatility of cottage cheese. Spurred by influencers and America’s protein obsession, cottage cheese sales have increased nearly 40% over the past few years, making it one of the fastest-growing categories in the dairy aisle.But not all cottage cheese is created equal. Some kinds deserve its long-standing reputation as a bland, clumpy, good-for-you food. But there is some truly excellent cottage cheese as well, some savory with hints of milky sweetness, others resonant with a cultured-milk tang, all with unobjectionable, even appealing, textures. We sampled 27 plain, small-curd varieties — both full-fat and low-fat versions — to find the best.