Tofu HELP

MrsDreamer1974 · January 2015

Please for the love of God can someone help me figure out the best way to cook Tofu lol. I have always purchased pre packaged vegan food and so I have never really had to cook vegan food. This year I am trying to lose a massive amount of weight so pre packaged food is OUT. I tried baking BBQ tofu last night and I had to chock it down y'all. So if anyone has any pointers I would forever be grateful :-)

Rhumax67 · January 2015

Well, I'm not that great a tofu cook, but here's what works for me. Drain it, wrap in paper towels & put something heavy over it for about a half hour to get as much water out as you can. Some folks say freezing it improves the texture.

I've marinated it in a little barbecue sauce & fried it in a non stick pan, just until it gets a little color. I thought that was pretty good. Usually I just use it in a stir fry, just the way you would if you were using meat. Hope this helps!

Laurend224 · January 2015

I drain mine, wrap it in a couple non Terry cloth kitchen towels and put my 16 inch cast iron pan over it. (Heavy!!!) I like my tofu on the dry side, so I let it set for an hour. Then I slice it and throw it in a marinade, usually soy and sriacha or a garlic soy sauce I let it sit for a while. I bake it low and slow 275 - 300° for an hour or so. The dryer the tofu, the more marinade it soaks.
I throw this in stir frys and eat it over rice
I have tried pressing and stir frying in a pan, but I don't have the patience to turn over each piece in a pan.

My favorite tofu is deep fried, but that's not exactly healthy.

isalo1300 · January 2015

Tofu scramble is great and versatile. Just get some firm tofu, dry it. Before cooking the tofu, cook some onions, red peppers, garlic, maybe some veggie protein. Then, crumble and sprinkle in the tofu. Add some turmeric for color. Salt and pepper to tast. I personally add ground red pepper because I love spice

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I also love putting it in stir-fry. Personally, I don't marinate it. Instead I cook the sauce and veggies together and separately slightly fry the tofu. Just coat it with a little flour or cornstarch and cook it on some sesame seed oil until the outside is crispy and the middle is soft. Toss everything together and put it on some brown rice or stir in some rice noodles.

NateMcG76 · January 2015

Best bet may be to youtube it. I love it right out of the package without anything! Lol check out the vegan zombie on youtube. He's a blast.

TrickyDisco · January 2015

Love the plain taste of this and the way it fills me up - will eat firm tofu slices with a pinch of salt and loads of coarse-ground black pepper or cube it and add to stir-fries etc. I use silken tofu a lot in home baking and also as a base for sauces, make a great pasta sauce with it using grated smoked soya 'cheese', slivers of sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil. Also makes a great cheesecake type dessert whizzed up with a little thick vanilla custard (I make it vegan using soya milk and egg-free custard powder) and frozen berries on a ginger biscuit base and chilled in fridge, difficult to make that last it's so scrummy!

vitamindesi · January 2015

I'm not that great at tofu but tofu scramble (especially Post Punk Kitchen's recipe) is AMAZING Also, sometimes I'll get extra firm tofu and tempeh "bacon" and fry them up and eat them with lettuce, tomato, and vegenaise on some hearty bread. Yum yum!

MrsDreamer1974 · January 2015

Thanks you guys for all the help. Im loving " vegan zombie " on youtube lol. I think for now im going to stick to tofu scramble stuff lol but hopefully I will get the hang of it.

vegan4lyfe2012 · January 2015

You will definitely get the hang of it. One thing that has really helped me with the texture of it is to drain and press it, then freeze it. Thaw it out and re-press. Then slice it or dice it and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. I really like to dice it and stir in a tablespoon of hot sauce and bake it up. Dee-lish!

painauxraisin · January 2015

You can get really firm tofu which is excellent for a stirfry. The children say it's like chicken !!! (but they prefer chicken!).

qxana1969 · January 2015

I just tried these last night - and although nothing will ever replace the real thing, these were quick and tasty! vegannie.com/recipes/vegan-tofu-pizza-sticks-gluten-free

danikanoodles · January 2015

When I volunteered at a meditation center in the kitchen we cut the tofu into patty size and dipped it in a bowl of aminos and then into a bowl of nutritional yeast and baked it. OMG was it amazing! Just press the tofu like others have said and lay a sheet of parchment paper down on the pan so it doesn't stick as much. You can also do this in cubes. Sometimes you have to bake it on high for a while so the outside layer is more firm but when you do this its super yum! Good luck!

holliehatesyou · January 2015

I cube mine and marinate it in a bowl with soy sauce, cider vinegar, and a splash of olive oil (I don't measure, but should be mostly soy sauce, so 2 parts ss to 1 part each vinegar and oil). Throw on a pan in an oven preheated to 400 degrees, check it after 20 minutes, flip, check it again after 15 (this really depends on how well done you like it). Then use it in stir fries, curries, etc. just how it is. It stays firm and it's good as leftovers.

jordanveg · January 2015

Always press it first. I love tofu scrambles, but if you want cubed tofu, then the best idea is to freeze, defrost, press, marinate and bake.

LifeNewandImproved · January 2015

Okay! Here's what I do. I buy extra firm, and take the whole bit out of the package. I put it on a large dinner plate, and put another plate on top. I put something heavy on that second plate (fruit bowl, book, etc) and let it sit for at least 15 min but usually longer. THEN I cut it up into pieces (your call) and bake at 400 degrees for roughly 40 min (I flip them half way through).

This gives you a nice chewy texture which is hard to find in the vegan world and it's a very gentle taste so you can dress it up however you prefer! I would use this as a meat substitute any day.

dgkt · February 2015

I like to grill mine on my open panini press & make grilled phish tacos. OMG, it's good. This is my favorite recipe so far: http://www.loveandlemons.com/2012/08/16/grilled-tofu-tacos-avocado-cream/