Make friends with…Tofu.

If you have been following my blog for a while, you know that I use tofu A LOT. Yes, I am well aware that tofu is the punchline to EVERY vegetarian joke, but I think its mockery is unfair.

Tofu is extremely versatile and extremely healthy.

And as I have mentioned in the past, if you do not like tofu it is because it wasn’t prepared right.

Tofu 101:

Let’s talk about the different kinds of tofu, shall we??

First off, you can use pretty much any kind of tofu in a recipe that might call for tofu. Tofus are somewhat interchangeable, HOWEVER the results will be a bit different. Texture, creaminess. I am okay with this because I have been eating tofu for years, but to the tofu newbie? Stick with what the recipe says. If it says silken tofu, use silken tofu! You do not want to have a bad tofu experience then never touch the stuff again, right?

The Two Kinds of Tofu

Silken or Soft tofu is what you want in smoothies, puddings, salad dressings. SOFT STUFF!

Can be found refridgerated or also in the world foods section of your supermarket.

Check out the picture. A smoothie on it. SOFT STUFF. CREAMY STUFF.

Can also be found in with Asian goods. Doesn’t need to be refridgerated. Nice to have an option for road trips. Because we all bring tofu on road trips. Ha!

Extra Firm or Firm Tofu is for you meat eaters that are using your tofu in place of chicken in your stir fry. This tofu hold up better than silken because it has less moisture.

Check out the picture on this package. Kabobs. You can not do that with silken tofu, surely it would crumble before you even finished putting it on the stick.

Check out the picture on this package. Kabobs. You can’t do that with silken tofu, surely it would crumble before you even finish putting it on the stick.

Extra Firm Tofu also holds up its texture well even after being pressed. You do press your tofu, right??

Why press your tofu????

Newbies out there, listen up:

If you press your tofu, it helps remove any excess moisture (from that tub of liquid it was just sitting in).

If you press your tofu, it helps to improve texture (for all of you “tofu is too slimy” people out there).

If you press your tofu it allows sauces and marinades to be reabsorbed (making your meal super awesome and swoon worthy).

How do you press tofu?

Easy.

Grab a dinner plate.
Put two paper towels down.
Put your tofu block on the paper towels.
Put two more paper towels on top.
Add a pan or something heavy on top of the tofu/paper towel tower thing you’ve got going on.
Walk away for 30+ minutes.
Voila. Pressed tofu.

Tofu rocks.

My Foodie Call