How Do You Tofu?

Im literally eating some as i type this.

I like the hard pressed varieties that you dont need to squeeze, i fry them in olive oil, and agave nectar, then i toss them in chives and lemon juice, Me, my meat loving husband, and two kids both love it.

Its a very clean slate, almost no taste at all, it has the consistency of a fresh paneer cheese (which is just like ricotta only pressed into cubes), it soaks up any flavor you want, just like meat does.

Sometimes i marinate it in garlic/tomato sauce/reduced orange juice, and honey, and slow bake it

sometimes i roll it in cornstarch and nutritional yeast and fry it like eggs

sometimes i get the soft kind and mash it into stir fry, or an apple-walnut hash brown

I grew up in Japan, and it's eaten very differently there... because it's typically the glossy smooth (aka lots of water, but still holds it's shape)... and mostly goes into soups. Cubed (little) it goes into miso soup, which is eaten by most people every day (it takes 60 seconds to make). BIG cubes get made into "agadashi tofu" (deep fried with a bonito soup/sauce poured over it), or steamed with either a savory or sweet sauce, but 'bean curd' is what's used in cooking solid food (tofu that has been pressed into thin strips and marinated, like the wrappers for inari).

Here and on Mainland (south east... not ne, like up in Russia) Asia it tends to be firmer tofu that's used and used in stirfry, non-soup noodle dishes, pan fried, marinated and broiled, crumbled into a dish, stuffed into pasta, etc. Essentially as a substitute for meat or cheese.

Personally I use jtofu in miso and occasionally make agadashi tofu. Also, when I'm making cuban sammies I'll use some slices of extrafirm tofu and marinate in sour orange, garlic, oregano, cumin, and broil so my vegetarian friends can have a smiliar sammy. My husband buys extrafirm tofu and slices it and lets it marinate and then broils to be used in various things from salads, to sammies, to pasta dishes.

I haven't eaten animals in almost 25 years and have a ton of recipes for tofu. One of my favorite for lunch is tofu salad sandwiches. Press the tofu (wrapped paper towel method works well though I like to keep it in the fridge overnight so it get's very dry change the paper towels at least once) mash up the tofu, add two small green onions diced, a teaspoon of kelp powder (or more if you want a more "fishy" taste) 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and a chopped garlic dill pickle. Salt, pepper and tabasco to taste. Mix well and serve on a roll with lettuce and tomato. YUM! You can get tofu in your regular grocery store in the produce department or Mori-Nu brand in the same isle as the asian foods. Kelp powder is a little harder to find but natural food stores like Wild Oats will have it. Good luck and good for you for trying new things, it's a great lesson to teach your children!

You can find tofu in just about any major grocery store these days without having to go to a specialty store like Whole Foods or Trader Joes. I like to by the extra firm. I squeeze the water out as best as I can, then cube it and throw it in a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic and onions...add any other veggies I want and a jar of pasta sauce and serve it over quinoa or whole wheat pasta. My husband prefers tofu made with hot sauce or peanut sauce for a more thai kind of flavor...
I'd check out allrecipes.com for more ideas in addition to the ones you'll get here.

Enjoy!

It's not disgusting at all once you try it. Even my sons will eat it.

First get all the water out of it by putting it on a plate with paper towels under and on top of it. Put some heavy cans or something on top of the top paper towels to help the towels absorb the water.

cut it up in little squares and stir fry with vegies.

Make manicotti with tofu.

There are all sorts of recipes on the net. It's a nice change once in awhile.

I get mine at Natural Nutrition type stores.

I eat it raw with soy sauce, but that's definitely an acquired taste.
Our other fav is cubed and deep fried with soy sauce.

It doesn't have much taste of it own, so you can make it anything your want!
It also comes in different consistencies, from silken to soft, medium and firm. Soft or silken tofu is best for applications that require you to blend it (add to smoothies, desserts, in place of cream cheese etc.), firm and extra firm will keep whatever shape you make them in (cubed, slice etc).
Just try a few things and see what you like!

The only downside to tofu is that it's flavorless.
It's not gross at all.
You can crumble it and sautee it with onions and mushrooms like scrambled eggs and add some cheese and garlic.
You can cut thick slices and marinate it then fry it like a hamburger patty and put it on a bun with lettuce, onions and pickles. Just like a burger.
My kids and I quite like it.
You can buy it at almost any store these days.

I think you should give it a try keeping in mind, like I said, it doesn't have any flavor on it's own.

Have fun!

tofu is one of the most versatile and delicious substances around! For a tofu novice try making tofu cream - buy silken tofu (You should be able to get it at the grocery store, but try Whole foods or any health food store if you have trouble) whizz it up in the blender with maple syrup and a teaspoon of vanilla. Put that on fruit for lots of protein.
Try chocolate tofu custard. Melt about 16 ounces dark chocolate and whizz it up with 1/2 cup soy milk silken tofu and a bit of maple syrup or sugar if you need it sweeter.
Tofu balls are delicious - get some firm tofu and squish it up with your fingers or a potato masher. Add a finely diced onion, some sunflower seeds and/or pumpkin seeds, add some sesame oil, about 1/2 cup of oatmeal, and soy sauce. Squish it all up until it can be easily formed into balls. Roll them up on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 10 min. Make tofu ball sandwiches, or dip in your fave sauce or serve with pasta.

Do you have a Whole Foods grocery store near you? In the deli/salad area, they sell tofu already made, like in one of the salads at the bar or in the counter where they have pasta salads and pre-made foods. And they also have some pre-packaged foods with tofu in the refrigerated section where they have portioned soups and pre-made sandwiches. You can try that route first. Me personally, never had much luck making tofu that I liked but I always liked it when I bought it from somewhere else that made it. And like another mom suggested, try it when you get Chinese. It's so good. If you want a non-meat food that is chewier, you can also try seitan. Whole foods also has salads and stuff made with it. Some people are put off from the texture of tofu, so you can always try one of the other alternatives. Oh, keep in mind too that you can make virtually ANYTHING with tofu... like mayonnaise, smoothies, scrambled tofu (instead of eggs). It's crazy the stuff you can do with it.

If you have never tried tofu before, I recommend you get it the next time you have chinese take out. (Assuming you eat that.) You can almost substitute tofu for chicken in any kind of sauteed chinese entree. If you get chinese veggies and tofu, you can have it either steamed or pan fried. Either way is good, but steamed is more healthy (obviously, right?)

I have tried cooking with it at home and didn't have too much luck. I get my tofu on "the outside" of the house. I definitly wouldn't try to make it at home until you know what its supposed to taste like. So try it at a chinese or japanese restaurant first.

I get mine at trader joes. They have 2 flavors that I really like (teryaki and savory). They are the harder kinds. There are different kinds of tofu. Some are very spongie nd need to be kind of squeezed or patted to get the liquid out. i like the kind that is hard enough that it doesnt absolrb the liquid as much and doesnt need to be dried out. If you have never had tofu I woud try the harder kind first. I think the texture of the soft tofu may turn you off. I would also try the kinds that are flavored first. Then after you get the hang of it you can venture into the kinds that are softer and unflavored which would then take on the flaver of its surroundings. I eat mine raw or cooked. When cooking mine I usually slice the piece in half length wise (through the middle and kind of filet it) then I chop it into bite size pieces. I then toss with some olive oil in a pan and lightly brown. Then I throw in some frsh veggies and make a stir fry, or thow into pasta sauce or even just brown a large piece (without chopping into pieces) and put on a wrap or in a pita with hummus, tomatoe, cucumbers, sprouts, some spinich leaves and voula! The best samwich ever!! Good Luck!!! Oh and if you have a wegmans near you they have a HUGE section as well.

It is usually in the refrigerated section of the fruit/veggie area. Around prepackaged salads and wonton wrappers. There are different types, soft or hard. You can eat it raw or cooked. You may want to go to a restaurant first to see if you like it. My favorite is in Pad Thai, but I haven't had much luck with it at home.

Make sure you get the water out of it by cuting it in half lengthwise and placing it on plapper towels and covering it with paper towels. then put a heavy skillet over it and let it sit for 5 mins. Then you can saute or grill it. I find cookinglight.com has fabulous tofu recipes.