Taste-Off: The best Bay Area ricotta — and the worst

Plenty of people think ricotta is good for little else than lasagna layering, manicotti filling or cheesecake baking. That’s because they’ve yet to experience those fluffy clouds of cheesiness in lemon-blueberry pancakes, stirred into pasta, dolloped on pizza or slathered on toast. They just don’t know. Yet.

Originally a peasant food made from leftover whey, ricotta may not pack the same cachet as Parmesan or Gouda, but it’s a recipe game-changer, an instant dose of fresh richness for just about any dish, sweet or savory. And the best part? It’s a relatively healthy cheese: 1/4 cup has 100 calories and just a touch of salt.

In Italy, ricotta is made from the whey of cow, sheep, goat or water buffalo milk, but for this taste test, we stuck with what’s found on store shelves here — cow’s milk ricotta. While all the brands we tried have the same basic ingredients, differences in flavor and texture are stark. Some are grainy and moist, akin to cottage cheese. Others are fluffy and moist — or dense and buttery. Some are so sweet, they would be out of place in a savory dish, and others are so sour, they could stand in for sour cream.

Making ricotta is simple. But too much heat can turn the mix sour or chalky. Too much or too little agitation can turn the curds tough and chewy — or large, more like cottage cheese. Improper draining can leave it watery.

Great ricotta is light, creamy and slightly grainy, but so velvety smooth that it coats the tongue with fresh milky deliciousness. The worst supermarket version tastes like flavor-free Jell-O, misted with cleaning solution.

Here’s the scoop on the best ricotta available here — and the cheeses to avoid. Nutrition information refers to 1/4 cup. And one more thing: Ricotta is a fresh cheese and has a lot of moisture, so it’s highly perishable, lasting only days in the fridge.

Mauro Gianni Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

This BelGioioso brand made with milk from Oregon is creamy and smooth out of the carton and has a fresh milk flavor that lingers. Cooked, it’s creamy with a yummy buttery note that would make it perfect for both sweet and savory dishes. 90 calories, 7 g fat, 80 mg sodium, 2 g sugar, 4 g protein. $7.49 for 15 ounces at Sprouts. (4 stars)

Trader Joe’s Traditional Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

Delicate sweetness and tiny, velvety grains make for a delicious spoonful that stays moist when cooked. This is one of the few ricottas made with whey rather than milk or cream. 80 calories, 6 g fat, 125 mg sodium, 2 g sugar, 5 g protein. $2.99 for 16 ounces. (3½ stars)

365 Whole Foods Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

Large curds sitting in whey that’s seeped out of the mix make for a bad first impression, but this additive-free cheese has clean flavor and bakes up tender and buttery. 100 calories, 7 g fat, 115 mg sodium, 3 g sugar, 4 g protein. $4.99 for 15 ounces. (3 stars)

Galbani Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

This bouncy yellow cheese stays moist when cooked, but it’s surprisingly — and disconcertingly — sweet. This would perform well in any dessert. Savory applications? Not so much. 100 calories, 7 g fat, 65 mg sodium, 3 g sugar, 4 g protein. $6.49 for 32 ounces at Safeway. (2½ stars)

Bellwether Farms Basket Hand-Dipped Whole Milk Ricotta

Sure, this artisan cheese made in Petaluma is luxuriously smooth and tastes like soft butter, but it’s so fatty that it melts like cheese. This won’t work in most dishes, but it would be great on pizza. 110 calories, 9 g fat, 150 mg sodium, 2 g sugar, 6 g protein. $9.99 for 12 ounces at Whole Foods. (2½ stars)

Calabro Whole Milk Ricotta

The rich punch of fresh, creamy milk in this cheese is impressive, but the coarse, almost chewy texture due to large curds is problematic — and magnified when it’s cooked. 100 calories, 7 g fat, 45 mg sodium, 2 g sugar, 6 g protein. $7.49 for 16 ounces at Whole Foods. (2 stars)

Organic Valley Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

Puffy, pale yellow curds get points for freshness and for being well drained, but the flavor is bland and the curds are simply too large to qualify as ricotta. 100 calories, 7 g fat, 100 mg sodium, 3 g sugar, 6 g protein. $8.49 for 15 ounces at Sprouts. (1½ stars)