TOFU! What is it? How do you make it?

Tofu has been a pretty regular staple in my life for the past three to four years. I love it. I crave it. I can eat it raw, I can eat it cooked. In my book, it is very difficult to go wrong with tofu. It's versatile, riducioulsly easy to customize to any palette.

What is tofu?
Tofu is fermented soy bean paste. You start with soy milk, coagulate it and then press the curds into soft white blocks. It is a common staple in East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine.

What are the health benefits to tofu? 
Tofu is a good source of protein, and is one of the few plant based proteins that contains all eight essential amino acids. It is also a great source of calcium, iron, manganese, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, zinc and vitamin B1.

If you are attempting to lower you red meat intake, fat intake, or simply incorporate more plant based proteins into your diet, tofu is an excellent choice.

Who shouldn't eat tofu?
Tofu, as a soy product, contains phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens have been shown to potentially encourage the growth of cancer cells, particularly breast cancer cells. If you have a history of cancer, are actively dealing with cancer, or have a high risk of cancer, especially breast cancer, consuming tofu is not recommended.

Tofu also has goitrogenic compounds, which can act upon the thyroid and disrupt the thyroid function. And may contribute to the development of hypothyroidism. If you have thyroid problems, it is recommended that you do NOT consume tofu products.

Where can I find tofu?
You find tofu in most major grocery chains. It is typically refrigerated, and kept in the refrigerated portion of the produce department. It is typically incased in a white plastic container with a film over it.

How do I select the right kind of tofu?
It all depends on what you are cooking. The most common types of tofu that you will see are: silken, firm, and extra firm.  Silken tofu is very soft, and is commonly seen in miso soup (the soft white chunks in the soup).  It is not meant to give a meat like mouth feel. Silken tofu can also be used to make ice cream.
Firm and extra firm tofu are both meant to be used as meat substitutes. These are the types that I typically purchase, though normally the firm tofu is cheaper.

How do I make it?
After you have selected your tofu, and brought it home, it is quite simple to prep, and make into a delicious meal of your choice! You want to give yourself at least 24 hours of prep time, especially if you are wanting to the tofu to be a meat stand in. The longer your tofu has in the presser the more meat like it's consistency will be.

You will need:
1 block of tofu of you choice
A Super Tofu Press (This makes pressing tofu very easy without having to balance books and weights in your fridge. This is the EXACT model I use, and it's amazing.)
Cheese cloth (or paper towels, or a loose weave hand towel)
A plate large enough for your presser to sit on
Space in your fridge.

First, drain your tofu package. Cut it open and let the water drain out.  Then, take out the block of tofu and place in the center of your cheese cloth/paper towel/towel.

Then fold the cheese cloth/paper towel/towel tightly over the tofu. Keep folding until you have wrapped the entire thing around.



Place wrapped tofu into the tofu presser. Press down the top plate of the tofu presser with your hand, then tighten the screws. Tighten as much as you can. This will help to squeeze out as much water as possible out of your tofu block. The less water in it the more firm, and meaty the finished texture will end up being.


Put the tofu presser onto the plate, and place the plate in your fridge, at least overnight, or up to 48 hours if you want an extremely dense block.












Take out your tofu press (carefully or you may douse yourself with some nice tofu water), and unwind the screws. Take out your tofu package, unwrap and place on a cutting board.

This is after being pressed overnight. 

Cut vertically, then horizontally for nice even cubes. You can really cut them into whatever pieces you would like. But I normally go for the cubes.

Turn on your pan to medium high heat and toss in your tofu! The fun part with  tofu is that you can't undercook it.  You can eat it raw if you wish, most people do not prefer it however.  I like to cook my tofu with a mix of soy sauce and balsamic vinegerratte. With some rosemary and black pepper.

Tofu is very versatile so don't be afraid to try out your own seasonings. You can add cheese, thousand island dressing, Italian dressing, if you think it sounds good, it will be good.

This was with jicama, broccoli, and a little bit of soy sauce.

This is tofu with diced tomatoes, nutritional yeast and rosemary.

Now that you know the basic steps of cooking tofu you can experiment to your hearts desire! Let me know your favorite combinations by putting it in the comments below!