How To Cook Tofu, Simple Tofu Recipes

Cooking Tofu, Easy Tofu Recipes, Buying & Storing Tofu

How To Cook Tofu - Tip #1: Fresh Is Best: The ideal tofu is made today by your local tofu maker - it tastes wonderful! Failing that, favor organic tofu, get tofu that isn't anywhere close to it's sell-by date, and use it quickly. Avoid the vacuum pack keep forever varieties of tofu.

How To Cook Tofu - Tip #2: Tofu Storage: If you need to use only part of a block of tofu, drain, rinse, and submerge in fresh water in a clean, sealed container. Store in the fridge for no more than a few days. Adding a couple of ice cubes to the storage container chills the tofu faster and extends storage time (thanks to Ellen Rubard for that tip!). If you change the water every two days, that will also help to extend storage time.

How To Cook Tofu - Tip #3: A Little Tofu Goes A Long Way: Tofu is a concentrated protein, and should be eaten in small quantities, combined with grains and veggies. 4 Tbsp is an adult serving. Give up the idea that tofu is a substitute for meat, i.e. big slab of meat = big slab of tofu. Vegetarian diets don't work that way!.

Soy Allergies: Soy is a common allergic food, so go easy with tofu at first until you see how you and your family tolerate it. Start with a small serving once a week, progress to twice a week, and so on. Soy can also adversely affect people with hypo-thyroidism. Here's a balanced & informative soy article.

Printable Recipe: Click the printer icon on your browser - you'll get just the recipe

Simple Ways to Cook With Tofu:

• Use firm or extra firm tofu for the following simple tofu recipes. If your tofu seems too soft, you can wrap in a dishtowel, and press it with a brick or pan of water, or something heavy to squeeze out excess water, just for 5 - 10 minutes
• Small children will eat raw tofu straight up, but since it's raw, it should at least be steamed first for 5 minutes, to kill any nasty bacteria, and prevent gas
• Safety first! When adding tofu to any uncooked recipe, such as a salad or sandwich, steam it first for 5 minutes.
• Slice the firm tofu in 1/2 x 1" pieces, marinate in soy sauce 5 minutes, then fry both sides til crispy. Kids love this, and you can toss the pieces into pasta, rice, casseroles, stir fries etc. See Fried Tofu Recipe below for more details
• For more adult tastes, add spices like ginger, cumin, etc to the marinade, OR use a spicy marinade, then stir fry with veggies OR add an Indian or Oriental spiced sauce. Serve with rice or noodles
• Cut tofu in 1/2" slices, or in 1" sticks or fingers, marinate and bake or broil. Serve with a grain and vegetables or salad.
• After marinating tofu slices, sprinkle with nutritional yeast, then fry, to give it a cheesy, crispy crust.
• Add raw sliced tofu to any cooked veggie dish, or sauce, and it'll soak up the flavors. Tofu goes well with stir fried greens, especially if you throw in a few spices, like cumin, turmeric, ginger, or garlic

More Tofu Cooking Tips - What To Do With Fried or Baked Tofu:

• Serve fried tofu with pasta and steamed veggies, with a little tomato sauce and parmesan cheese
• Serve baked tofu with rice or quinoa, baked squash and steamed veggies, or salad
• Combine fried tofu or baked tofu with roasted or sautéed veggies and salsa in a wrap
• Add fried tofu to a grain based pilaf, or veggie stew
• Fried tofu is delicious on a bun with mayo, lettuce & tomato
• Store baked tofu in a container in the fridge for sandwiches

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Easy Tofu Recipes From Savvy Vegetarian

Baked Tofu Fried Tofu Pasta, Tofu & Veggies Tofu Burgers Tofu Scramble Tofu Sloppy Joes Tofu Veggie Stir Fry

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Comments Or Questions About The Basic Tofu Recipe:

Question: I am just starting to learn to cook with tofu, I have eaten it before. My question is can you freeze tofu? - Wilhelmina S.

Answer: Yes, you can freeze tofu, and it tastes and works fine, although it makes the texture tougher, and changes the color a bit - Savvy Veg

Question: I am on thyroid medication because my thyroid levels were low, from reading through this information, are you saying that I should not eat tofu???? Or can I eat a small amount??? - Di J.

Answer: What I've heard is that the estrogen mimicing hormone in soy tends to further depress the thyroid, causing fatigue, depression and weight gain. Although you should of course consult a dietitian or doctor about this, it's my guess that you could eat a little tofu and see how you react. But not try to live on it! Here's an article with more soy info: The Truth About Soy: Is Soy safe to eat? - Savvy Veg

Question: Do you have a recipe for tofu chocolate pudding? I had one but cannot find it now. Appreciate any info you might have. Thank you - Mary S.

Answer: Here's a very simple one I found. Substitute agave or brown rice syrup for honey if you like: 2 pkgs firm Mori-Nu Silken Tofu - light or regular, 3/4 cup honey, 3 tsp vanilla, 1/2 cup cocoa powder. Blend in food processor or blender. Chill and serve. Try it and tell me how it works - Savvy Veg

Question: Can you microwave tofu? - Patricia B.

Answer: I don't see why not! But can't give you specific cooking times, as I've never done it. You wouldn't be able to brown tofu in the microwave, but a couple of minutes should cook it - Savvy Veg

Question: I'm just beginning to use tofu, and I'm curious because two statements above seem to conflict: "Small children will eat raw tofu straight up, but since it's raw, it should at least be steamed, to kill any nasty bacteria, and prevent gas" and "Add raw sliced tofu to any veggie dish, or sauce. It'll soak up the flavors. It goes well with stir fried greens. Especially if you throw in a few spices, like cumin, turmeric, ginger, garlic" Should I assume that you add the raw tofu to dishes/sauces that WILL be cooked? - J.M.

Answer: Yes, you should assume that, and I've made changes in the recipe above, so that this important point is clear. Thank you for your comment! - Savvy Veg

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