What do I do with Tofu?

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BarbBlue
BarbBlue Posts: 251
in Recipes
I would really like to use tofu for meals, but I don't seem successful when I cook it. It gets stuck to the pan or too watery.
How do you cook tofu and what do you use it in?

Thanks!

Replies

  • towardthefinish
    towardthefinish Posts: 4
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    In my experience, if it's getting stuck in the pan, then your pan is way to hot. Keep the pan on a low to medium setting if your not frying it.

    Oh yeah, have you tried fried tofu? Yummm! I do something similar to: http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/fried-tofu-recipe.php except you can use soy sauce, marinades, etc. The tofu will soak up pretty much anything. Fry and serve with some pasta and veggies. It's like a sponge, so just experiment...my old roommate used to use sweet and sour sauce from a fast food place as a base for the marinade.
  • Tribunal33
    Tribunal33 Posts: 1
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    There are many types of firmness to tofu and each can be utilized for different recipes. These tofu varieties may alleviate the sticking problem. However, most medium firm tofu can be flash boiled first to get that packaged water flavour out. Also, you can strain with a cloth and place a light book on top to squeeze out all the juice. I use both when time and precision allow.
  • weevil66
    weevil66 Posts: 600 Member
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    Maybe try using extra firm if you are going to cook with it. I like to cook ground chicken, mix it with sliced mushrooms, onions, powdered ginger, a bit of sesame oil and shoyu and then toss in cubed tofu. Heat that all up and pour it over rice.
  • BarbBlue
    BarbBlue Posts: 251
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    Thanks for the ideas!
  • elm2008
    elm2008 Posts: 95 Member
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    you need to soak out the moisture. either lay it out wrapped in a towel with something semi-heavy on the top and let the water drain for a few hours, or freeze it first.
    from there you can treat it like chicken and what not -- bread it, marinade it, etc
  • akim366
    akim366 Posts: 1
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    I have always loved tofu and here are some ways I eat tofu...

    I have made vegetarian lasagna and replace a lot of the cheese with crumbled tofu - if you mix it into the ricotta cheese / cottage cheese mixture you can eat less cheese and for people that may not like tofu it is a good way to hide it and get some protein as well.

    I usually just eat it cold, cut into slices with a bit of soy sauce and sesame oil on top because it takes very little time to prepare and fills you up.

    Another good way is to pan fry, but it uses quite a lot of oil and takes a while and you need to make sure to buy firm tofu and dry it on a paper towel.

    I have a friend who says she bakes it with a bit of olive oil drizzled and sauce, such as teriyaki or soy. I havent tried this yet!

    Lastly you can always put it in stirfry and enjoy
  • shawaniea
    shawaniea Posts: 25 Member
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    PUT IT IN YOUR SMOOTHIES
  • jameyjam
    jameyjam Posts: 14 Member
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    Like others said you can do a ton of different things with tofu depending on its texture. Silken is good for chocolate pudding (believe it or not it's delicious), miso soup, smoothies, etc. I personally like extra firm tofu, press the water out for about half an hour, then marinate it for as long as possible. After that I broil it for about 20 minutes turning it over half way through, and it gets perfectly crisp and delicious. Another way to get a lot of the moisture out is by pressing then dry frying in a non stick pan before you put it in the marinade, that way the tofu soaks up even more of it. Yummmmm.
  • RenovatingSuzanne
    RenovatingSuzanne Posts: 56
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    I press it under a plate and two large tins of beans for about 20 - 30 minutes. Then I slice it up and fry it in a non-stick pan, with the tiniest bit of oil. Once it is crispy I either put it in the fridge and then dip it in a little homemade peanut sauce or I'll add it to steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and bok choy) with sriracha and sometimes peanut sauce.

    This is a yummy way to do it too

    http://food.chatelaine.com/Recipes/View/Honey-ginger-tofu

    I have also pressed it and then cut into cubes and marinated it for 24 hours. Then i'll put it in a salad with lettuce, bean sprouts, green onions etc and the cold tofu. YUM
  • gibsy
    gibsy Posts: 112
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    I prefer to buy pressed or extra-firm tofu because its less watery and you can skip the time it takes to press the water out yourself. If there isn't a great selection of different types of tofu where you live, pressing it does work too though, just put it between 2 plates and put something heavy on it like a big can of beans.

    One simple way to give it flavour is to just let it marinate for an hour or so in a nice soy sauce like tamari or shoyu and a few drops of sesame oil. This is nice on the BBQ or pan fried, and stands well on it's own as the "meat" of a meal. Last time I made this, I chopped it into cubes and put it on skewers with zucchini, green pepper and mushrooms and grilled it on the BBQ. Yum.
  • halarson24
    halarson24 Posts: 23 Member
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    I like to marinate tofu with lots of flavor; tofu is a bit of a "blank slate" it doesn't really have flavor on its own, but soaks up whatever you put it in!

    Here is my favorite stir fry recipe. It has loats of veggies and you can serve it on top of brown rice.

    http://hollylarsonrd.blogspot.com/#!/2012/07/dinner-tonight-cashew-tofu-stir-fry.html

    In good health,

    Holly

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