If you’re anything like the team here at IN, food trends have been permanently imbedded into your social media algorithms. Of the trends we’ve seen, few have the staying power of an old classic that’s taken the social scene by storm: cottage cheese. Even if you’ve just dipped your toe into “Foodtok,” chances are you’ve stumbled upon this protein-packed, versatile ingredient being used in new and interesting ways. Not all cottage cheeses are created equal, however, and so we decided to compare the 4% small curd option of the four most readily available brands. As usual, we asked our team to rate each brand in three categories: flavor, texture, and packaging design. Here are the cheesy results:

THE BRANDS

THE VERDICT

Flavor: The clear winner in this category was Good Culture. Our testers praised its rich and creamy taste, some detecting a subtle nutty flavor while others enjoyed sour notes. Kemps came in second with a buttery, creamy flavor much enjoyed by our testers, followed closely by Old Home which had a saltier flavor. With its slightly sour taste, Daisy came in fourth. The flavor was preferred by a couple of testers, but it failed to stand out for the majority.

Texture: Good Culture also came ahead this category. Our testers enjoyed the smooth consistency, some describing it as lighter than the other options. Old Home came in second with a similar curd texture to Good Culture, followed by Kemps and then Daisy. The testers lauded the creaminess of each of these options but decided that Daisy had a bit of a runnier consistency that placed it slightly behind its peers.

Packaging design: Good Culture completed its sweep by winning this category as well. Our testers liked its simple, modern design and said it looked like a premium product. Daisy came in second, carried by its classic and clean design. Following was Old Home with an old-fashioned look and feel. In fourth, Kemps packaging seemed a bit too busy for our tester’s tastes.

Despite Good Culture sweeping the categories, the bulk of our testers had to admit they would happily purchase any of these products again. On our journey to find the greatest, we discovered the only bad cottage cheese is no cottage cheese.

Some may say the middle of summer is not the best time for a warm, straight-out-of-the-oven, ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookie brand test. However, with National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day rapidly approaching (August 4th), it is the IN team’s sacred duty to make sure our dear readers are prepared to celebrate. We’re more than willing to make this sacrifice.

For this brand test, we put aside our competitive natures to explore three place-and-bake chocolate chip cookie dough brands. These products have their own unique qualities and benefits that would give them an edge, depending on who purchases them. So rather than pitting brands against one another, we will go over what makes each special and let you decide for yourself which is best. You may notice that the Pillsbury place-and-bake dough is not on this list. Since General Mills is a client, we decided to not review this brand to remain unbiased.

THE BRANDS

HOW THE COOKIES CRUMBLED

Despite their muted appearance, the cookies from Sweet Loren’s had a crispiness that delighted some of our testers. Although it’s nut-free, the cookie had an earthy, nutty flavor that, while being slightly unappealing to some of our testers, was welcomed by others whole-heartedly. Even being a healthier and more environmentally-conscious option, this was the preferred cookie for some of our testers. Others found an artificial aftertaste that was somewhat off-putting.

Nestlé Toll House is a powerhouse in the chocolate chip cookie game, and their cookie walks the walk. The IN team was impressed by the appearance of this cookie and noted that it had the classic chocolate chip cookie flavor the testers were expecting. This choice is not taking any risks, and it certainly doesn’t need to.

Time to see if Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar can bring the flavors of the state fair to our kitchen! Our testers were impressed with its golden-brown appearance. The suggested baking method produced a soft, warm cookie with notes of vanilla and butter. Though our testers were impressed with the frozen dough, nothing beats eating a bucket of them at the state fair.

As the temperature rises going into the summer months, the IN team is looking for ways to stay cool. What better way to beat the heat than with a brand test of a classic summer treat: the ice cream sandwich!

There are many amazing variations of this dessert – from chocolate chip cookies on the outside to Rocky Road in the middle. But for this test, we’ll be sticking to the basics. Picture the quintessential ice cream treat: the classic vanilla placed between two dimpled chocolate wafers – that’s what we’re going for!

The brands below were selected based on their brand recognition and perceived quality. We administered a blind taste test and asked the testers to select their favorite based on visual appeal, texture, and flavor. As a strategy and design agency, we also have a duty to evaluate the packaging of each product.

RESULTS

This brand test required our team to be quick on the draw. Once the options were presented, it was only a matter of time until we were dealing with a melty, delicious mess. Luckily, as consummate professionals, we wasted no time getting to task.

Visual Appeal: We were looking for a good balance between ice cream and wafer, and none of the options disappointed on that front. Blue Bunny had a darker wafer, and the “frozen dairy dessert” helped keep its shape. Klondike offered a square sandwich with a thicker wafer. Schwan’s was notable for its cream-colored ice cream which stood out against the white of its competitors. Overall, Schwan’s (or Yelloh) secured the victory in this category.

Texture: A decent ice cream sandwich needs to hold its shape and be at least somewhat resilient against the dreaded collapse, otherwise a firm squeeze could make your ice cream dessert into an ice cream disaster. Blue Bunny had a softer wafer, Klondike had a flakier wafer with airy ice cream, and Schwan’s had a higher ice cream-to-wafer ratio. Schwan’s excelled in texture.

Flavor: The category we were most excited for! Blue Bunny’s sandwich checked all the boxes you might be looking for in an ice cream sandwich but failed to stand out. Klondike’s sandwich has distinct notes of cinnamon or nutmeg, but the flavors were distracting from the traditional flavors our testers were expecting. Schwan’s delivered on the classic flavor, leaning heavily on the ice cream and letting the wafers take a back seat. Schwan’s took this category as well.

Nothing beats the taste of a freshly baked apple pie, but let’s face it, we don’t always have the time or skills to make one from scratch. Thankfully, the frozen food section has our back with a wide variety of options to choose from.

In this brand test, we’ll be reviewing three popular brands of frozen apple pie: Marie Callender’s, Sara Lee, and The Village PieMaker. We selected these brands based on their brand recognition, store availability, and perceived quality.

The brand test is conducted by administering a blind taste test of the product, reviewing the packaging of each product, and then selecting our favorite based on visual appeal, texture, and flavor.

RESULTS

After conducting the blind taste test and reviewing the packaging, we’ve come up with the following results:

Visual Appeal: All three brands have their own unique charm when it comes to packaging. A few testers were partial to Village Piemaker’s minimalist design and homemade appearance. The vote was close, but Marie Callender’s won with its mouth-watering imagery. Although the lattice work did make it difficult to compare apples-to-apples (pun definitely intended).

Texture: Sara Lee’s pie had a firmer crust, while The Village PieMaker’s had a thicker, flakier crust. Marie Callender’s crust was flaky and crispy on the outside, while still being soft and buttery on the inside. Overall, this vote went to The Village PieMaker despite an oven-hot debate.

Flavor: This is where the oven mitts came off. Nearly half of our testers voted for The Village PieMaker’s pie as their favorite, stating that its flakey crust and homemade taste influenced their decisions. The other half were eager supporters of Sara Lee’s pie, citing its firmer crust and balanced flavor. One taster was a staunch supporter of Marie Callender’s, who could not be swayed by the other factions.