Many people would like to try tofu, but they don’t know how to buy it or how to use it. Some folks may have had a bad first taste of tofu and continue to judge all tofu dishes by that experience. But tofu is worth giving a try or another try. There are many great tofu products on the market and many great recipes using tofu. If you are unsure about how to purchase or how to use tofu, read on.
What’s Tofu?
Tofu is a soybean product made from soymilk that has been curdled and pressed into flat cakes. A versatile food, tofu is a great protein source, one that’s low in fat, carbohydrates, and calories. It’s rather bland-tasting, but it has great potential when made into a main dish, salad, dip, or dessert. Tofu is a complete protein with all the essential amino acids, it’s easy to digest, and it’s great for those allergic to milk or eggs.
Buying Tofu
You can buy tofu in several different forms, ranging from soft silken tofu to extra-firm tofu. The firmer tofu is higher in protein and lower in water content than the softer silken tofu. Firmer varieties are better for slicing or cutting into cubes, and softer or silken tofu is better for blending. Generally, tofu comes in one pound packages equal to two cups.
You can buy fresh tofu too. When purchased fresh, tofu has almost no smell or a very slight nutty or vegetable smell. It keeps up to two weeks in the refrigerator, if you rinse it and keep it covered with fresh water daily. But if tofu begins to sour, you can still use it for making baked cheesecake, or you can toss it in the freezer for later use in a cooked product.
Using Tofu
Tofu needs no cooking; so you can use tofu for fast meal preparation or for blended shakes and dips. But tofu also makes great baked and stir-fried dishes. Plus, you can use tofu as an egg substitute in scrambled eggs and in baked dishes that call for eggs.
Freezing Tofu
Freezing tofu creates a chewy texture, a meaty consistency. You can freeze it right in the package or wrap it in foil or plastic. To use frozen tofu, thaw it and squeeze out the liquid. Thawed tofu looks like a sponge, and it soaks up sauces and marinades easier than if it were fresh. Freezing tofu changes its color from white to tan. If you want to defrost tofu quickly, you can defrost it in your microwave oven or submerge it in hot water. But if you have the time, you can defrost tofu on the counter before use or you can let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
Marinating Tofu
Marinades are used to tenderize proteins and add flavor. But with tofu, there is no need for a long marinating time, since tofu doesn’t need to be tenderized. All tofu needs is the time for flavors to blend with it. This can be accomplished in as short a time as half an hour. Cooking tofu brings out the flavors in the marinade. When you do marinade tofu, it’s best to marinate tofu in a shallow glass, enamel, or stainless steel pan. Then remember to turn the pieces, and keep the tofu slices or cubes covered in the refrigerator until needed.
Blending Tofu
Some tofu recipes tell you to use a blender for making sauces, dips, or shakes. But blenders have issues. You may need to make one recipe in several smaller batches or add extra liquids because the blender refuses to cooperated with larger batches of food. But if you use a food processor to blend ingredients, you won’t need to do all that coaxing to accomplish a nice blend. Soft tofu is not as problematic and can be blended with a mixer to make sauces, dips, shakes, dressings, puddings, and spreads.
With a little knowledge and some experimentation, you’ll become familiar with tofu. Soon, you’ll be preparing and enjoying tofu dishes as a regular part of your menu.
