Attn: lounge tofu fans! I bought a brick o' tofu last night. I've never tried it before.

[ghostsofgiants]

What are some tasty ways to prepare it?

[arcadian]

1. You can bread it.

Pan fry it just a little, then bake it and put pasta sauce and Mozzarella cheese on top. Pretty tasty. :thumbsup:

[LeftyMom]

2. What kind of tofu?

Soft, firm, extra firm, etc? Fresh or aseptic?

[ghostsofgiants]

3. Seems soft. Not sure about the fresh or aseptic, and I'm not home right now to check.

[arcadian]

5. It should have it on the label. The different grades.

It's also good tossed with spinach. Lightly cooked.

[LeftyMom]

6. Was it packed in water or plastic, or in a little cardboard box?

Th stuff in the box is aseptic, it's very soft and is good for blending into desserts and stuff. It sounds like you have water-packed, which is generally better for entrees.

[ghostsofgiants]

9. Yeah, it's water-packed.

[LeftyMom]

11. Best thing to do is to press the water out

by wrapping it in a clean kitchen towel and setting a plate on top for weight (let it sit that way for several hours) then unwrap, cut it up into cubes and fry it in a little oil. Then you can put pretty much any sauce you want with it, stir fry with some veggies, or whatever. Personally, I cover my fried tofu in BBQ sauce, bake it until the sauce starts to caramelize, and serve it with garlic mashed potatoes and a green veggie.

[ghostsofgiants]

15. Sounds like a good approach.

That's the way I cook my chicken for quesadillas more or less. Tonight is experimentation night, haha.

[ghostsofgiants]

21. Oh, question...

If I don't use it all in one go, how should I store it?

[LeftyMom]

22. Put it in a tupperware container or something, cover it in water and refrigerate.

Change the water daily.

Or you can freeze it, but that changes the texture to something a bit crumblier.

[ghostsofgiants]

23. Okay, that's what I was thinking, but changing the water is a good tip.

Wouldn't have thought of that.

[Elidor]

27. Bake for how long at what temperature?

omg, I'm drooling here. That sounds divine.

[LeftyMom]

31. 350 or so just until your bbq sauce starts to thicken and get darker

10-15 mins ish? Depends on your sauce and the depth in the pan.

[unpossibles]

37. I do that too! Sounds really good right now

Also: I've found if you freeze the tofu (before or after squeezing the water out), it gets a better texture.

[LeftyMom]

38. A lot of people say that, I find it gets too crumbly.

:shrug:

[unpossibles]

48. it can - I do this mostly if I am either going to be pan searing it (kind of Thai style)

or crumbling it, although I slice and BBQ bake it this way too, and it works.

I freeze it with the water, thaw it, then press the water out somewhat gently with my hands or cutting boards over the sink. After squeezing it a few times, it slices well, and fries/bakes fairly well, and the texture gets somewhat spongy, which collects sauces well.

[susanna]

40. I do this too.

Pressing the water out. Then I marinate in sesame oil and sometimes a peanut sauce (for those not allergic to nuts, obviously). Then stir fry or bake off like you mention. It's yummy.

on edit: missed word

[DarkTirade]

4. Step one: open garbage can.

Step two: drop in garbage can
Step three: find something else to eat.

That's the tastiest way I can prepare tofu. :P

[ghostsofgiants]

10. Funny guy, this one.

:P

[DarkTirade]

12. Honestly, I think my hatred for tofu is just because my mom was a horrible cook.

But still... to this day I can't eat it. Too many bad childhood memories.

[kentauros]

30. Have you tried tempeh?

Or for that matter, Tofurky? Really, even meat-eaters, can't tell the difference ;)

[DarkTirade]

43. I've had some kind of fake turkey, don't know if it was tofurkey.

The taste was fine, but the texture was weird. I didn't particularly like it.

I have had some other meat substitutes that were good though. Just haven't had any luck with fake poultry. :)

[kentauros]

50. Try the Quorn brand for fake chicken.

They have it in chunks as well as "breasts" and have the right texture and taste. Plus, it's not soy; it's made from mushrooms (mycoprotein.) I often pan-simmer two 'breasts' with pineapple chunks, mixed veggies, edemame beans and a few spices. It always comes out delicious :9

[LeftyMom]

52. Try seitan.

Just substitute it in anywhere you'd use chicken.

[no name no slogan]

54. tempeh is awesome, mock duck is even better

As a sworn omnivore, I prefer mock duck to regular duck.

[sunnybrook]

28. You sound like a real carnivore!

I mean that as an insult

[DarkTirade]

35. ...

:wtf:

[sunnybrook]

46. I am messing with your mind

carnivore

[DarkTirade]

53. I stand by my original

:wtf:

:P

[jpak]

7. Tofu and brewis (with scrunchin's)

:evilgrin:

[ghostsofgiants]

44. Haha, that's an interesting idea.

I could pan fry the tofu with the scruncheons. Mmmm, salty grease laden-tofu.

[Rambis]

8. Curry Tofu salad

Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons low-fat plain yogurt
* 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons prepared mango chutney
* 2 teaspoons hot curry powder, preferably Madras
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* Freshly ground pepper to taste
* 1 14-ounce package extra-firm water-packed tofu, drained, rinsed and finely crumbled (see Ingredient note)
* 2 stalks celery, diced
* 1 cup red grapes, sliced in half
* 1/2 cup sliced scallions
* 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Cooking Instructions

Whisk yogurt, mayonnaise, chutney, curry powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in tofu, celery, grapes, scallions and walnuts.

Ingredient Note: We prefer water-packed tofu from the refrigerated section of the supermarket. Crumbling it into uneven pieces creates more surface area, improving the texture and avoiding the blocky look that turns many people away

[krispos42]

13. Step 1: Unwrap tofu

Step 2: feed tofu to a pig
Step 3: slaugher pig
Step 4: Bacon!

[ghostsofgiants]

14. Bacon is tasty.

Maybe I should make bacon wrapped tofu! (I'm just trying the tofu to expand my food horizons, I still eat meat.) :P

[spinbaby]

16. Depends on what kind it is

If it's firm, cube and stir-fry it with a pile of veggies. Add a bit of black bean sauce and dump it on rice. That's what I'm making for dinner tonight, as a matter of fact--tofu, mushrooms, zucchini, and yellow squash in black bean sauce.

[AlCzervik]

17. i like to stir fry it in peanut sauce.

and then put it over rice noodles with some vegetables, it's like cheaty pad thai.

[TommyO]

18. Agedashi Dofu

One of my favorite ways to make tofu

http://www.recipezaar.com/Agedashi-Dofu-316920


Ingredients

* 2 pieces firm tofu (cubes)
* 2 tablespoons dashi stock
* 3-4 tablespoons soya sauce
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 2-3 tablespoons cornflour
* vegetable oil
* 1 daikon radish (large white radish)
* freshly grated gingerroot
* 1 spring onion

Directions

1. Drain off any excess water from the tofu and place on paper towels. Lay another sheet of paper towel on top and cover with a plate. Weight the plate to squeeze out as much water as possible from the tofu. Be careful not to squish the tofu. Leave for about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine the dashi soup stock, soya sauce and sugar in a pan and heat over a moderate heat until the sugar has melted. Remove from the heat and divide evenly into two bowls.
3. Take your tofu, cut each block in half, and coat generously in the cornflour. Pour about 1-2inches of vegetable oil into a large wok and heat - be careful here! If your oil starts to smoke it's too hot. An easy way to judge if it's hot enough is to flick a small bit of cornflour into the oil - if it sizzles and disappears your oil's about ready. Place your coated tofu pieces in the oil and, turning with wooden chopsticks/a slotted spoon, fry until done. The cornflour will harden but not necessarily go golden. This is okay.
4. Split the tofu pieces evenly between your bowls (should be two pieces each) and top with grated daikon, a small amount of ginger and chopped spring onion.
5. Eat immediately and savour the goodness.

[Bunny]

19. Fry it up with a bunch of meat.

:9

[ghostsofgiants]

20. Jokes on you...

I'm not using it as a meat replacement, so I just might do that! :P

[Critters2]

24. Tofu scramble. Press the fluid out, then scramble it in oil in a skillet, like

you would with eggs. Tasty!

[AlCzervik]

26. "Press the fluid out". That's the one thing about tofu that makes me a little barfy.

oh i still eat it but it seems wrong the fluid must be expressed.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

25. It would be easier

. . . to ask what you can't do with tofu. It's extremely versatile. You can fry it, blend it, smoosh it into lasagne filling, or make ice cream with it, dunk it in hot sauce, barbecue sauce, Szechuan sauce, peanut sauce, picante, serve it on rice, noodles, bun, soup, or sushi.

For a tofu virgin, the fry/sauté route would probably be easiest. You can dunk it in corn meal and stick it in the oven until crispy and eat it like fish sticks. You can season and smoosh it into balls and deep fry to eat like nuggets. My daughter's favorite way is to just cut it into sticks and dunk it in salsa.

I actually have an automated soy milk maker and make my own tofu. You haven't lived until you've had fresh. :9

[GOPisEvil]

29. Like others have said, press it overnight to get the moisture out.

Then, slice or cube it, then stir fry it with your favorite veggies and some spicy seasonings/sauce. Serve over rice. :9

[kentauros]

32. I'm just posting this link to recipezaar to show

the 50 different ways to cook tofu that came up in an ingredient search :)

RecipeZaar - Tofu

I bought some tempeh the other day and haven't eaten yet, so I think I'll go grill it up with some veggies and hoisin sauce :9

[DU GrovelBot]

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[ghostsofgiants]

36. No, Grovelbot, I'm not giving you my tofu.

[DarkTirade]

41. He doesn't even have a mouth. What would he do with it?

... on second thought, I don't think I want to know.

[Chemical Bill]

34. Veggie stir fry

Put the basmati rice on.
cut up:
2 cloves garlic
onion
sweet potato
carrots
summer squash and zook
mushrooms
celery
snow peas
broccoli

Saute 1 clove garlic and the onion in olive oil in a wok
add veggies in the order above, waiting several minutes between the orange ingredients and 1-2 between the others
remember to stir
after everything is in, throw in some ume plum vinegar and some soy sauce and cover for another minute or two
take off the heat and throw in the remaining garlic
eat over rice
throw away tofu, it's tastless, and there is way too much emphasis on protein in this country
oh, all right, cut it into cubes and add after the last veggie, it only needs to heat.

Bill

[coyotespaw]

39. Throw out the tofu, tear out a bit of stuffing from your couch

and munch on that. Trust me, that will taste much better.

[flvegan]

47. Learn to cook.

You might think differently.

[Chan790]

42. Marinade is key...or deep-fry

Tofu has very little flavor IMO...it is happily a flavor sponge though. So...press it dry, cut it into cutlets, soak it in whatever you want it to taste like, slather a sauce on it and cook it with some awesome veggies.

Alternately if you're not into that whole healthy thing, you can press it, cut it into 1" cubes and deep-fry them. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside...like a nugget. Salt liberally. (I like a smoked French sea salt...a good salt is the key to a good kitchen. Morton's is good for making water boil and that's about it.) Typically served in Asian-fusion restaurants as a finger food with duck sauce for dipping...one could use a different sauce: BBQ, sweet and sour, soy, teriyaki, tabasco or something fruity and spicy like jerk.

[Inchworm]

45. I tried it and liked it

It is a little too pricey for me to eat regularly though. I just cut it into smallish cubes and fried it with onions, bell and anaheim peppers. Then served over garlicy egg noodles.

Was delish.

:9

[texanwitch]

49. Well, I have ate tofu fried chicken, no it didn't taste like chicken.

It didn't taste that bad either.

[RadicalTexan]

51. I only like it fried

Bread it and fry it. With lots of cajun spices, in a pan.

Or deep fry it and have it with noodles, Asian style.

I hate soft, mealy, non-fried tofu (and I'm vegan).

[Arugula Latte]

55. I love tofu.

I like to cut it into little slabs and marinate it in soy sauce, sesame oil, scallions, maybe a little garlic ... Cook it up in a pan in more sesame oil ... :9

On edit: Saute those little suckers until they're nice and golden brown, almost crispy.

Oh, if you ever order Thai food, try the pad see hew with tofu. Good stuff! :thumbsup: