Pressing firm tofu

[lindrusso]

I use my cast iron skillet. I place a small, clean, plastic cutting board directly on the tofu and then top with my skillet. The weight of the skillet gets the moisture out fairly quickly - I just periodically go over and pour off the water and reposition the board and skillet. After most of the water is out I hand press a little to get any remaining liquid out.

[Peeps]

Since we're talking about tofu, I'm curious what people's favorite tofu recipes are? I only have a few and am looking for more. My favorite way to use it is as a subsitute for chicken chunks in a Thai peanut noodle type dish from CL last fall. I prefer it when its mixed in as part of dish, not the focus of the dish. (I even put it in meatballs and chili made with turkey or beef just to add a little soy to my diet!) Looking for more ways to use it...

[Leanne]

Thanks you all - very enlightening. I am trying to add more to our diet, so learning the right way to deal with it from the beginning is a good idea.

[Leanne]

OK - I'm new to tofu. I've read that you should press the water out before you cook it.
How do you do that? I tried between 2 paper towels & got some out - but it didn't seem substantial. Also - do you cut it first & then press, or press & then cut it up?

[Peeps]

I always drain my firm tofu before using it - its amazing how much water comes out of it and I think it is then better able to absorb the flavors of what you're cooking it in. I usually slice the block in half lengthwise or into slices the other way (like slicing bread) and lay the slices down on paper towels, top with more paper towels and let it stand for anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour - the paper towels will be soaked in minutes so I usally keep flipping the whole deal over and replacing the bottom paper towels (which is now the top) a couple of times until the paper towels stop being so soaked. Does this make sense? I think it improves the texture by getting all the extra liquid out.

[laughsandlaughs]

Press then cut. There are a multitude of ways to do this, but here's my recommendations. First, I prefer the texture of firm or extra-firm tofu after it's been frozen (just take the block, box and all like it comes from the grocery and dump it in the freezer overnight), thawed (I even do this in the microwave on defrost). It has a much chewier, sort of meaty texture and it's easier to get the water out too. After it's thawed I take clean dish towels and squeeze the water out. You can wrap the tofu in the towel, put a plate on top of it and then put weight (I have used big cans of tomato sauce) on top for 15 minutes or so but I think it's just as easy to wrap in the towel and then squeeze with the flat of my palms. You get a lot of water out and then you're ready to marinate. Please let me know if you have any questions.

[goldilocks]

Leanne, I do the same technique as Peeps, and you can also do it with kitchen towels, which are more absorbant. If you use paper towels, use several layers on the bottom and top, and recently I weighed down the top layer with a bowl on top to help press out the excess moisture. Getting rid of this water will help the tofu brown nicely in a small bit of oil. I also bake/roast tofu in a marinade for a snack. My advice is to buy tofu in the dairy case, not the shelf stable variety. Get a firm variety and play around with it. There are so many creative uses with tofu.

[Slygirl63]

I recently watched a show on the Food Network in which they spoke only about Tofu. They suggested you slice the Tofu into fourths (lengthwise) then place them in a couple of sheets of papertowel and let it sit for 15-30 minutes before you use it.
I hope this helps you. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif


Originally posted by Leanne:
OK - I'm new to tofu. I've read that you should press the water out before you cook it.
How do you do that? I tried between 2 paper towels & got some out - but it didn't seem substantial. Also - do you cut it first & then press, or press & then cut it up?

[Ohioan]

Peeps - There have been some terrific tofu recipes here in the past. Try doing a search and see what you come up with. In particular, try this one: http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/004758.html
It doesn't have that many recipes itself, but it has links to three other threads that do.

Good luck!
Phoebe