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Whether you love it or hate it, you’ve probably been seeingtofu more often.If you’d like to learn more about it, but don’t know where to start, we’ve got you covered.
This comprehensive guide will cover best practices for cooking and storing tofu as well as a bunch of cool facts and recipes to try out!
Be sure to use the table of contents below to skip to the topic you’d like to learn more about.
Want to make your tofu recipes taste better? You’ll need a tofu press for that. Check out ourBest Tofu Press Reviews (From a Real User).
Tofu Basics
What is Tofu Exactly?
Tofu is good old fashioned soy milk that’s been curdled, pressed, and formed into a block.While this may sound kind of strange, It’s actually pretty cool!
Once the soy milk has been strained of all of the pulp, a coagulant is added to it – namely nigari – which is another name for magnesium chloride which is a type of salt.
After the soy milk is coagulated, it’s molded and pressed into the block that everyone is familiar with.
The video above does a great job of outlining the entire process in a home kitchen.
This guideby Just Hungry is another excellent resource.
Read Also:What Food Group is Tofu In?/Is Tofu Different Than Bean Curd?
What’s the Best Way to Store it?
Tofu will stay for quite a while in the refrigerator and store-bought packages tend to have pretty accurate expiration dates.We’ve actually tried to eat some expired tofu and wouldn’t recommend it.It tastes really bad.
You can freeze tofu to extend its shelf life, but this will change its texture (in a positive way).
See Also: Does Tofu Go Bad?
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More details on freezing tofu to come…
How Long Does It Last?
If you’ve made fresh tofu at home and haven’t applied a proper seal to it, you’re tofu is likely going to only last a few days in the refrigerator. Probably around 3-5.
However, store bought packages tend to be dated at least 1-2 months in the future. Obviously, this will vary.
The reason for the drastic difference is in the seal. Tofu manufacturers have sealing equipment that keeps the air from getting into the block of tofu which makes a huge difference on its shelf life.
We haven’t conducted or found any long-term studies, but we think its safe to say that 3-6 months is a good estimate for how long tofu will last in the freezer.
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A proper seal is key to tofu shelf life
Freezing tofu isn’t only a means of making it last longer.When tofu is put to cold temperatures thewater crystallizes and forms holesin its structure.This gives the final product a spongier texture.
Best Preparation Practices
Here’s what you need to know to get the best outcome when cooking tofu.These aren’t necessarily hard and fast rules and youdon’t have to use any of them if you don’t wantto.
If you’re feeling lazy, simply slicing your tofu up and throwing it in the oven with some seasonings is a great way to enjoy it.
These methods also mainly apply to baking or frying.If you’re going to be throwing it into a soup or stew, these aren’t necessary.
Use Cornstarch to Make It Crispy
Whether you’re baking or frying, using cornstarch to lightly coat your tofu is a great way to make it super crispy.It’s not totally essential, and we regularly make our tofu without it.However, if you don’t use it, it’s hard to make tofu really crispy without fully dehydrating and shrinking it.
Press it To Remove Excess Water
Pressing and draining tofuis a great way to improve the texture and flavor.By removing all of the excess water from the tofu, you end up with a more condensed block and a firmer, less spongy texture.
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Our tofu press in action!
It also allows you to better infuse the tofu with flavor from marinades.As the water comes out it allows room for flavorings and seasonings to come in.
Freeze it to Make it Spongier
During a tofu freezing experiment that we did, we were delighted to learn that freezing tofu changes the texture pretty drastically.
When frozen, ice crystals form within the tofu which creates extra little spaces. This allows for sauces to get in and gives the final product a spongy bite.
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Spongy Texture of the tofu after it was frozen, marinated, and cooked
The photo above illustrates what the final product looks like.
Freezing your tofu to form these holes is great for making buffalo tofu or any sort of tofu nuggets where you want a crumbly texture.
Marinate!
Once you’ve got rid of the excess water, its a great time to marinate the tofu.You can literally use anything that you think will taste good.
Because tofu has takes on the flavor of everything, simply look up a marinade for a flavor profile you’re looking to hit and let it sit for at least an hour.
Quick Tip: You’ll want to remove as much water as humanly possible if you’re using adding oil to the marinade.It will allow for maximum flavor absorption.Water and oil don’t mix!
8 Awesome Tofu Facts
Tofu Has Been Around for Thousands of Years
While it may seem like a recent health trend in Western countries, Tofu has actually been enjoyed for centuries in Asia. It has been estimated to have
first appeared in China over 2000 years ago!
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Tofu being enjoyed in a traditional miso soup
Even more interesting, the oldest documented reference is actually apoem titled “Ode to Tofu”.
It Was Discovered By Accident
Scholars believe that tofu was an accidental discovery and coined the term Accidental Coagulation Theory. The theory states that someone was making a soup out of pureed soybeans and decided to season it with unrefined sea salt. Because unrefined sea salt contains natural nigari (magnesium chloride) it would have formed curdles in the soup – similar to how tofu is made today!
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Tofu was likely discovered completely by accident!
This accident likely caused people to experiment with then straining out the soybean pulp and eventually even pressing the curds to make them more firm and able to be sliced.
It Doesn’t Cause “Man-Boobs”
In certain circles, people may advise you not to eat tofu because it contains phytoestrogens which can cause “gynecomastia” or enlarged breast tissue in men. This is simply not true.
While there are a select documented cases of this occurring, it was only with extremely high soy consumption to the tune of around 3 quarts per day.
As a final point, it’s worth noting that beer also contains phytoestrogens – in much greater concentrations than soy!
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Beer contains more phytoestrogens than soybeans!
We’d bet that many people telling you to avoid tofu enjoy a nice glass of beer now and again.
Check out ourarticle on soyto learn more about this topic.
Tofu is Being Enjoyed in Public Schools
Many public schools in New York are embracing a meatless Monday lunch menu. Others are going meatless all five days of the week!
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In addition to other staple plant foods such asbeans and legumes, dishes such as tofu and Chinese noodles are becoming quite popular among youngsters in public schools.
While this might seem like a huge leap for Westerners, it would likely be quite commonplace in many countries throughout Asia.
It’s VERY Unlikely to Contain GMOs
Most tofu sold in the store is organic which means its non-GMO. While we recommend staying away from GMO-soy products because of pesticides, it’s not something you generally have to worry about with tofu.
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The majority of tofu isn’t made from GMO soybeans.
Most of the GMO soybeans that are produced are used for feeding animals.
There are certainly some brands that aren’t organic, but it isn’t the norm.Additionally, they don’t run you any cheaper so there’s basically no upside to buying them.
See Also: Paneer vs. Tofu
You Can Make it With Chickpeas
If you’re allergic to soy-based tofu, don’t worry!With a few easy steps, you can make your own “Burmese Tofu” at home using chickpea flour.
Check out the video below to learn how to do it yourself – it’s quick and easy!
You can even even black bean flour to make a Southwest variety!
It’s Still Made the Traditional Way
As mentioned earlier, tofu is made from curdled soy milk.
While the word “curdled” may sound disgusting it actually just means to “congeal” or form curds.By adding a coagulant to soy milk, you’re causing a chemical reaction that causes it to form lumps and eventually be molded into a solid block.
Current practices of making tofu don’t really differ too much from the traditional way of doing it.Producers simply curdle the soy milk and then turn it into blocks!
There are Several Different Tofu Varieties
People that aren’t generally into tofu might be surprised to learn that there are several different types. Here are the three basic ones you’re going to find in stores, but we may be missing some of the niche varieties:
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Firm and Extra Firm Tofu is Ideal for Veggie Kebabs
As you might imagine, the firm and extra firm are ideal for holding up on tofu kebabs or in stir fries.
Silken tofu is ideal for smoothies and dressings, which brings us to our next section…
You Can Eat Tofu For Dessert
While its texture might be the most questionable upfront, the silken variety is great for making a wide variety of desserts.Because of its smoother texture, it won’t have the signature grit of the firm or extra firm.
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Berry pudding made from silken tofu
Here are a few of the many desserts that you can with silken tofu:
- Fillings for pies
- Popsicles
- Mousses
Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
This is the most comprehensive look on Tofu I have seen. Great job on this post. I learned so much more about Tofu. Thank you for including my southwestern breakfast tofu recipe in this collection.