How in the hell do you cook Tofu?

[and-justice-for-all]

I bought some extra firm tofu and it turns out, I do not know how the hell to cook it. tofu is very versital and there is a lot you can do with it, however my cooking skills are not that good.

Any pointers or links would be appreciated.

[flvegan]

1. How are you looking to prepare it?

I'd check out the recipe sticky above for some great tips.

[LeftyMom]

2. be aggressive in pressing the water out first

I haven't noticed that freezing and thawing makes a huge difference, but pressing the water out is enormously important.

[yewberry]

3. Depends entirely on what you want to do with it.

Chocolate mousse pie?
Deep-fried?
Scrambled?
Cutlets?

Is there a dish you have in mind that you want to incorporate it into? I'd be happy to offer suggestions if you have something in mind!

[and-justice-for-all]

5. I am clueless....but I am egar to try...

I found some recipts on savvyvegetarian.com and
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,how_to_cook_tofu,FF.html

Yeah, all of those LOL:
Chocolate mousse pie?
Deep-fried?
Scrambled?
Cutlets?

[yewberry]

8. Well, okay!

It sounds like you don't have a particular dish in mind and just want some ideas about you can use the stuff.


Chocolate mousse pie

1 brick firm tofu (the kind that comes in water)
1 bag dark chocolate chips
1 pie crust (premade or homemade is fine)

Drain the tofu, then cut into eighths (doesn't matter if they're exact--you're just going to dump it into a blender or food processor)
Melt the chocolate chips (use a double boiler--chocolate burns quickly)
Combine tofu and chocolate in a blender or food processor. Blend together completely (using a high setting if there is one--you want to get a good amount of air into it).
Fold the mixture into the pie shell and chill. Serve with whipped cream/whipped topping. Ta DA!


Pan-fried tofu
(it's easier and less messy than deep-frying)

1 brick extra-firm tofu pressed and cut into 1" cubes
3-ish Tbsp oil (canola or vegetable)
scant tsp or so of smoked sesame oil (sesame oil has a lower smoke point than most, so use only a small amount)

Heat oil to med-med high in cast iron or non-stick pan. Blot excess water from tofu. Carefully add tofu to oil--it can spatter. Pan-fry tofu until browned and crisp.

Serve as is with chili sauce or plum sauce for dipping, use cold in salad with peanut sauce dressing, use in soups or rice dishes, etc.


Well, that's two. I'll think a little about easy recipes and post a couple more.

:hi:

[and-justice-for-all]

9. danke!

I think I will be cooking my ass off this week! LOL

[flamingyouth]

4. Have you checked out this site?

http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/recipe.php?MainID=1

Lots of good recipes there. One of our favorite ways is cutting it into about 1/4" thick triangles and baking it in an Asian marinade. Then we serve it with wasabi mashed potatoes (both recipes are in the cookbook "Vegan With a Vengeance.")

[and-justice-for-all]

6. Nope, but I will..Dankeschon! nt

[Robeson]

7. For a very simple recipe, just stir fry it....

...cut it in to about 3/4 inch cubes. Put a little olive oil - table spoon or so - in a skillet. Heat it up. Put your cubes in the skillet, and dash with some soy sauce. Stir around on medium heat, browning the sides. Throw some vegetables in, and stir them with it. Spice them up while your doing it with your favorite seasonings. It's simple, and hard to mess up. Also, try variations by having some rice available to mix with it. Udon noodles are good, too!

[WillParkinson]

10. We make tofu "fish" sticks

With some homemade tartar sauce. Yummmmmmmm.

[CrispyQ]

11. My sister asked me this question recently. Here's my response:

I hated tofu for many, many years. Tempeh, too. Then they started coming out with all sorts of meat analogs that are very good, but very highly processed. Also, they are getting more & more expensive every trip to the store! A one pound block of tofu is $1.59 and it freezes wonderfully! So, in an effort to return to more wholesome food, I have been experimenting with tofu & tempeh & after a few mishaps, have had some great success with both. So I will share some baked tofu basics, but first, a little anecdote:

A man was grocery shopping & saw a woman put a tub of tofu in her basket. He approached her. "Excuse me, but what are you going to do with that tofu?" She replied, "When I get home, I'll drain the tofu & put it in a plastic container with fresh water. Everyday for the next two weeks I change the water until the tofu goes bad. Then I throw it out. " He gave her a sad smile. "That's the same recipe my wife has. I hoped you had a better one."

Tofu is a great way to test out spices. Tofu has no flavor of it's own so you will really taste what you put on it. I think it's a myth that tofu soaks up whatever it is marinated in, unless you have sliced it extremely thin. Baking it, however, seems to 'set' the flavor better. Besides I like the texture of baked tofu better than grilled, steamed or fried. The key to good baked tofu is to bake it in a slow oven for a longer period of time, rather than a hotter oven for a shorter period. When you test the tofu, if you don't like the consistency, just bake it some more! The longer you bake it the chewier it gets.

BAKED TOFU

One block of White Wave tofu, drained. I used to press the water out, but not anymore - I just bake it longer. I use the green label stuff, but any kind will do.

...With the long edge horizontal, slice the block into six or seven equal slices.
...Spray a cookie sheet with oil & place the slices on the sheet.
...Season the tofu - see below for seasoning suggestions.
...Bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes.
...Flip each of the tofu slices & season this side.
...Bake for another 35-40 minutes.

Test the tofu for consistency. If it is too soft, bake it for another 5-10 minutes. Test again. Continue to bake in 5-10 minute time frames until the tofu is the consistency you like.

Here are some various seasoning combos that I've tried & like:

Bragg's Amino Acids -- Bragg's Amino's has a really nice flavor, but is on the salty side, so use sparingly. In a pestle, I mix together vegan Parmesan cheeze with Italian herbs - usually basil & marjoram. I sprinkle this cheeze/herb mixture onto the tofu slices. Pour about 1/3 of a cup of the Amino's into a saucer. Brush the amino's on the tofu. (If you put the amino's on first & then the spices, most of the spices fall off when you flip the tofu.) Bake, flip, season the other side & bake some more.

Teriyaki -- Brush your fave teriyaki sauce on the tofu. Sprinkle some of the Penzeys Northwoods or Northwoods Fire on top. Bake, flip, season the other side & bake some more.

Tamari & Hot Mustard -- In a small bowl mix together your fave hot mustard & a low sodium tamari. Mix to taste. Brush on the tofu. Sprinkle with some Chinese Five Spice. Bake, flip, season the other side & bake some more. --This would be good crumbled & baked like I describe above, & then mixed into a cabbage mixture for eggrolls.

Citrus Tamari -- In a small bowl mix together about 1/4 cup of thawed orange juice concentrate, with 1/4 cup tamari. Adjust to taste. Brush on the tofu. Bake, flip, season the other side & bake some more.

BBQ -- Brush the tofu with your fave BBQ sauce. Sprinkle with Penzey's BBQ spice. Bake, flip, season the other side & bake some more.

One time, I got a real crumbly tofu block. When I went to press the water out half the block fell apart. So, I just crumbled the whole block, spread it out on the cookie sheet, seasoned it, baked it. After half an hour, I mixed it well, re-seasoned it & baked it some more. I ended up with a really delish, low-fat, chewy vegan 'crumble.' I've used this crumble for the bottom layer of a Shepard's Pie & it was wonderful! I think it would also be good seasoned with Mexican spices to use in tacos & tostadas. Baking tofu is definitely the way to go!

White Wave makes a baked tofu that is very good, but it is about $4 for 8 ounces. Baking it yourself is so much cheaper & tastes just as good!

[Ignis]

13. Baked tofu in a salad is superb!

Great details, CrispyQGirl!

[Ignis]

12. Here's a pretty good starter approach to cooking tofu:

1. Squeeze out all the water with your hands.
2. Press out ALL the water. Try putting a paper towel above & beneath the tofu, putting the tofu in a collander, placing a heavy pot on the tofu, and letting it sit for an hour.
3. Cut the tofu. I like a single horizontal cut, then vertical cuts to make 1/2 or 1" cubes.
4. Wrap the pressed tofu in foil.
5. Place the tofu-foil package in your freezer.
6. Leave the package for 24 or 48 hours.
7. Remove package from the freezer RIGHT before cooking. Do not thaw.
8. Quick fry the tofu in a little oil on high heat. I recommend heating a pan, adding oil, adding garlic/onion/herbs/spices for 5 mins, then adding the tofu and frying for 5 mins or less. (Do not stir too often, or it will crumble.)
9. Add to veggies and serve over rice.

Once you have this basic approach down, you can experiment with how long you leave it in the freezer, whether or not you add spices/marinate before/after you freeze, etc.

:hi:

[and-justice-for-all]

14. ThankYou...nt

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[yewberry]

16. A deleted message in a recipe thread?

Wow, that's interesting.

I guess Name Removed really doesn't like tofu at all!

[peacebuzzard]

17. ha! that is funny! in a tofu recipe post is a hoot!

But, thanks for resurrecting this thread, I needed some ideas on tofu!

[flamingyouth]

18. I was glad to see it get kicked too.

I love a good tofu discussion. :D

[Ellen Forradalom]

19. The easiest marinade is soy sauce and blackstrap molasses

Maybe a bit of balsamic vinegar too.

Press out water, cut in strips, marinate for a bit, then stir fry in oil at high heat until browned. Add to stir fried or steamed vegetables and noodles or rice. Good stuff. :thumbsup:

[peacebuzzard]

20. Awesome! And I have some tofu in the fridge

I have been buying it lately and giving it to my dogs and myself (as tofu burgers). For the dogs, I slice a strip and cook it in the tofu water (is that ok?) and add oats, veggie burger mix, wheat germ, a drizzle of olive oil and on Sundays I put an organic cage free egg for each one in it. They Love the stuff.!

But I am going to try the stir fry myself after I pick up the other ingredients of balsamic vinegar, molasses and soy sauce. Sounds so so good. Thanks!