Tofu is also super versatile. You can scramble it for your morning tofu scramble, use to make vegan cheeses like vegan feta, or use to make it a hearty and satisfying dinner like tofu curry.
Tips for Cooking Tofu
What type of tofu should I use in cooking?
Tofu is sold in two primary categories: silken tofu and regular “block” tofu. The firmer the tofu, the more water has been pressed out of it. Table of Contents:1. Tips for Cooking Tofu2. American & Caribbean Recipes3. East Asian Recipes 4. Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Recipes5. Mexican Recipes6. South Asian & Southeast Asian Recipes Silken tofu is usually used in pureed applications (smoothies, creamy desserts, sauces) or in East Asian cold tofu dishes. Firm tofu is my choice for tofu scramble, and can be used in many applications: pan-frying, stir-frying, deep-frying, etc. Extra-firm tofu is versatile, whether pan-frying, stir-frying, grilling, or baking. It’s a great option for getting crispy tofu. Super-firm tofu is best option for grilling, or where you need the tofu to remain very compact and dense.
How to improve the texture and taste of tofu
All three of these methods will make firm and extra-firm varieties of tofu less watery, which has two main benefits. First, it enables the tofu to better crisp up. Second, it enables the tofu to better absorb the flavors its cooked in (e.g., marinade, sauce, etc.).
American Recipes
Caribbean Recipes
East Asian Recipes
Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Recipes
Mexican Recipes
South Asian Recipes
Southeast Asian Recipe
To press tofu, you can use a tofu press. Or, press the old-fashioned way. Drain the tofu and wrap it in a thin dish towel or several paper towels. Weigh the tofu down with your heaviest cookbook, or a cast iron skillet. If needed, weigh down the book or skillet with a couple cans of beans to evenly distribute the weight. Allow to rest for a minimum of 10 minutes, or up to 30 minutes. If you can, change the towels in between. Freeze tofu. Freezing tofu makes it more porous, which lends a chewier texture and also helps the tofu absorb flavors better. You can freeze a whole unopened package of tofu (it needs about 8 hours to completely freeze). Then, defrost the tofu in the fridge (it takes a full day; you can speed it up a bit by leaving it on the counter for up to 2 hours during this time). You can also defrost in the microwave in 1-minute intervals until thawed. Boil tofu. If you don’t have frozen tofu on hand, boiling cubed tofu in a pot of generously salted water for 2 minutes also improves it texture, making it chewier and better able to absorb flavors.
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
