Non-nonstick Pan/Tofu Question

[SheRa]

i only own one nonstick pan (other than my griddler) because i'm not a fan of teflon/chemical coated cookware. the one that i have is really tiny (for frying eggs). i use steel pots and pans otherwise, and a lot of recipes call for nonstick pans. this isn't usually a problem unless i'm cooking with tofu.

so my question is how do you cook tofu in a non-nonstick pan so that you can turn it without leaving the bottom of the piece of tofu on the pan?

TIA!

[Canice]

Sorry, SheRa, the only answer I found (before springing for a 10 buck non-stick skillet) was LOTS of oil. Yuck.

[SheRa]

eeeeeew! haha! would non-stick spray be any better? maybe i'll just have to deal with tofu that falls apart. ::shrugs::

[Canice]

I don't think spray is the answer unless you use a can or two each time. I can't say from experience with it, as I never tried. But I cook tofu at least once a week and it was precisely what you described that made me decide to buy a non-stick skillet. That pan-fried tofu recipe we talked about last week is one I would never make in my Calphalon, for example. Or the rare times I fry fish. And the pan-fried tofu looses everything if you leave that golden "skin" stuck in the pan. Sorry, I guess I should just say I don't have a work-around for you.
Is the occasional use of non-stick a real health hazard? I never paid attention.

[aggie94]

A well-seasoned wok should act like a non-stick pan for purposes of cooking tofu. My wok is VERY well-seasoned (it should be after about 10 years of regular use) and I have never had a problem cooking tofu in it, even with only small amounts of oil. It takes some time to get a wok to the point of well-seasoned, so you should start as soon as possible. ;)

[SheRa]

hmmm. good things to consider. i don't have a wok (let alone a well-seasoned one!), and we don't have much room in our kitchen for new things (which is why i named my blog "big flavors from a tiny kitchen" ha!). we could probably fit another pan, but DF has issues with teflon. i know there are other similar products too, and we wouldn't use it often, so it should be fine. such a shame to have to get a new pan though. i don't cook fish so we wouldn't use it for anything else really. hmm. i'll have to think this one over.

[Canice]

I'm pretty sure I'm using the wrong wok. It's DBF's and it's not a "proper" wok at all: it looks like it's meant to be non-stick, which I know it shouldn't be, and it's not very heavy. So it's neither well-seasoned *nor* non-stick. It kind of bugs me, actually.

Anyhow, another thing I remembered I use the non-stick for is broccoli: for some reason I don't like it steamed or sautéed raw, so I blanche it and then give it a quick pan-fry with a few drops of olive oil and garlic and pepper flakes. I don't think I'd like it in a regular pan if I had to use loads of oil or butter. It *could* turn out to be one of those things you use once you have it. Again, I don't know what the health concern is, but it might be worth weighing against using less fat. Dunno.