I have never bought or cooked tofu..clueless???help??!
Answers: I really want to go totally Vegetarian...right now I am still eating chicken...I have cut out the red meats. I will continue dairy products like milk, sour cream, and must have my cheeses. I don't eat eggs unless it's in a cake or something baked with it. I have heard that tofu is a staple Vegetarian food. I have never bought it or for that matter even eaten it. I hear that it takes on whatever you cook it in or flavor it with. Many questions here...What kind should I buy? How do I prepare it to have consistency of meat? Is it good? My plans with it will probably be sautee/stirfry, grilling, sometimes baking. I hear it's got a lot of water in it, how do you get all that out to be able to cook properly with it? Any suggestions you have please let me know. Can I just cook like I normally would with meat, but just add the tofu instead? I'm totally clueless..please help. Thanks.
Well, welcome to the land of vegetarianism! First know that tofu is great, but it's not for everyone. I, personally, love tofu - but it was something that took a while, so if you hate it the first time you have it don't write if off just yet.
Other alternatives to tofu are soy based products like Gardenburger or Boca, and then there are products like Quorn that are made from microprotiens (eggs). All three companies have a variety of meat substitutes from Italian Sausages (Boca's my favorite) to Chicken Cutlets (Quorn is moist) and the original Garden Burger (from gardenburger).
Depending on where you live will determine the availability of these products. I live in the Midwest, but am lucky enough to live within 10 miles of one regular grocery store and two health food stores that sell organic and vegetarian foods.
As for your tofu questions. If you are planning on using the tofu to replace meat in all of your meals you will want to buy Extra Firm tofu. This is important because the softer it is the better chance of it falling apart.
To get a more meat like texture, when you get the tofu home put it in your freezer over night. The water in the tofu will expand and change the texture of the tofu all together.
Let it defrost over night and about an hour before you are going to prepare your meal remove the tofu from it's packaging and gently squeeze it over the sink. Wrap it in a few layers of paper towel (or a cheese cloth if you have one) and then place the wrapped tofu on a plate, cover with a second plate and then place something heavy on top. Let the tofu sit for a half hour or longer to remove most of the moisture.
After that is said and done you can cut it up in to cubes or patties and marinated it in your favorite flavors. You can fry it up in a pan and add a favorite BBQ sauce, add it to a stir-fry, etc. I DON'T recommend adding it to pasta - that that's just a personal preference. (Plus there are a lot of great veggie meatless meatballs out there worth trying)
I hope this helps! And I wish you luck. It's really easy to get tempted when first giving up meat, but just try to remember why you decided to do it in the first place.
alright.. i LOVE tofu.. it's the greatest thing in the world to me.. i buy the "Low cal" kind in walmart.. or whatever is on sale.. i personally buy the "Firm.. or extra Firm" tofu.. i just know more stuff to do with it.. how i make it.. is i take it out, press all the "water" out of it then freeze it for a few days.. take it out the freezer then i use it like anything else.. i put it in Pasta.. i make enchiladas out of them.. i just use it as i would meat.. HOWEVER.. my comfort food with tofu is getting out of the freezer, slice it, bread it with bread crumbs, salt and pepper, then fry it like a fish sandwich.. put tarter sauce, tomato, and lettuce on it.. PERFECTION in my book.. I get the water out by putting paper towels on both sides then i put a bowl on top of it with some wight on it.. leave it for about 5 min. then all the water gets out..
Just experiment with it.. if you don't like it then i always keep a few "Amy's organic" in the freezer if i screw something up.. LOL..
Tofu is something I don't buy often but you are right. It is a bland tasteless thing that takes on the taste of anything you season it with. As to what kind to buy it depends on what you are trying to make. Perhaps at like a local hospital or heath food store you can find a cook book with some good recipes with tofu in it. You will need a different texture if you want scrambled eggs for example vs a smoothie. Oh I have only bought the firm and extra firm.
I have found that, for people who don't already LIKE tofu, the most palatable way to serve it is to slice a brick of it about 1/2" to 1" thick (I usually use firm tofu) and marinate it for a few hours in a vinaigrette-type marinade. It can then be fried in a little oil, or baked until the edges are crispy. It will not taste like meat, but most people (including me) seem to enjoy it.
Another good-tasting way to prepare it is to slather your tofu slices with BBQ sauce and grill or bake, just be prepared for it to be dryer than BBQ'd meat because it contains less fat.
For the purposes you want, you'll want firm or extra firm. To get the excess water out, press your tofu before you cook. Layer it between paper towels or clean dishtowels and stack a couple of heavy books and maybe a can or two on top. Let it press for an hour or so and your tofu will be able to absorb the flavors you cook it with without getting mushy. Tofu really doesn't have the consistency of meat; if that's what you're looking for, try something like a boca burger instead. Tofu is tofu, not a meat replacement. It's good as what it is, but it's really not going to make you think you're eating chicken. Just experiment with a couple of recipes that you think sound good and take it from there. You can be a vegetarian without embracing tofu at all. I was skeptical of it and ate probably a total of a pound of it the first 18 years that I was veg. Now I love it and eat probably a pound a week.
For sautee, stir fry, and grilling, i use extra firm tofu...I dont like the soft ones, they just disintegrate when cooked or used in stirfry.
I usually leave it our on a paper towl to drain while i prep and thats good enough if u buy the extra firm kind... the soft ones i dont know.....
Just cook as normally as u would.. I use it mostly in my veggie chinese noodles, fried rice and soups. I also grill it.
hope this helps!
LMAO. Yeah you sound pretty clueless. Not all vegetarians eat only vegetables. I thought everybody knew that
I am a former chef and a lacto-ovo vegetarian now, and I would recommend trying all of the products, tofu (silken, firm and extra firm) these are good for stir frys and brasied dishes, the silken can be added to desserts for a added flavour componant, tempeh and seiten are other forms, TVP and soay chunks these are by product of the tofu making process and are great for stews, chilis, spaghetti sauces as a ground beef or stew meat replacement. I make all kind of dishes both western, carribean and asian, there are no real limits, your imagination is your guide.
The best thing is buy a few of these and use them were you would be using meat, marinate the firm tofu and either stir fry it or even bake or grill it, the other things are good for the same dishes, let me know how you make out my e-mail is available at my profile.