New at this :-/?!
Answers: Okk. Last night i had spagetti and i was going to cut up tofu and cook it in the spagetti. i have never eated/seen/cooked tofu..but when i first opened the tofu..it smelt like playdo and it tasted gross. i was afraid to put it in my spagetti...will it taste better if i do something with the tofu or does it taste the same as when its first bought.
:) Tofu shouldn't smell bad.
When I first went veg., I had a friend over, a crazy meat lover that I was going to cook tofu for. He said that he would try it...but laughed and teased me. When it came time to cooking it, I crumbled it and threw it in the pan, well the smell was horrible, the tofu must have been rancid. It was only the second time cooking it, so I wasn't sure if I had bought the right kind of what, he laughed so hard tears were streaming down his face, he swore he would NEVER eat tofu, ever.
It hasn't happened to me since, but I picked the wrong package at the wrong time :)
Give it another chance. It doesn't have much flavor, it takes on the flavor of the sauce.
The problem with it is that most people think of chicken, and when it doesn't have the texture or taste of chicken, people are put off.
I love it, but I had to cook with it a bit to figure it out. :)
give it another chance......good luck
Tofu will absorb the flavours it is cooked with.
It takes on the flavor of what ever its cooked in. I've never heard of it in spaghetti. I wonder if you have to fry it first and add it to the sauce or it will dissolve....
Use firm tofu- cut the tofu into the sizes you want, coat with flour, and sautee in olive oil until lightly browned. You can throw in some onions, garlic or other spices with the oil- tofu absorbs the flavor of what you cook it in/with.
Or, put the sauteed tofu in with the pasta sauce while it is heating/cooking so the tofu can absorb the sauce flavor.
Tofu has no flavor , it takes flavor on from what it's cooked with . Dry block first by putting it on top of multiple layers of paper towels or a folded tea towel weight it down to accelerate drying, then marinate in marinade of you're choice. yes use firm tofu it will hold together better.Dry for about 1 hr, then cut up and marinate. if you desire Fried is good. listen to" Mintymin" I advise look up recipes in Food.com , Food Network you may (will) get better results than just opening a package and adding to a recipe.IMHO
i ALWAYS freeze my tofu overnight to give it a more "meat" like consistency...this helps with the weird texture.......or fry it up just before, like a flash fry then put into your sauce....they make great meat replacements like lightlife or smart life boca makes burger crumbles that you could use instead
www.vegweb.com
good recipes
Tofu in and of it self is nasty, but it is a "blank slate" if you will. With considering it a blank slate that leaves it open to anything. Its texture will absorb any kind of flavor that you put with it. It is not meant to be eaten plain or alone. Since it is like a sponge (so I think) the more flavor you add the better. Experiment around. Tofu can become a cheese cake or adding to a stir fry. The possibilities are limited by your imagine and or the spices you have floating around in your kitchen.
Tofu by itself tastes like nothing. It absorbs flavor from marinades and sauces. Before cooking with tofu, press all the liquid out, freeze and thaw.
Then mash the tofu and fry it in olive oil with some garlic before adding it to your spaghetti sauce.
Try the meatless crumbles from Boca. They're soy based, but they're not quite as spongy as tofu. They go well in red sauce for pasta.