Where do I begin?
You either already love it or you’re frightened by it but will love it by the end of this page. Tofu can be amazing. But if you don’t cook it correctly, it can leave you with a bad experience - in texture and flavor. The key to unlocking how great tofu is, is to know how and when to use it and make it flavorful. Here’s what I learned to love about tofu:
Easy to find in grocery stores
Inexpensive- $1.25-$1.99 a package
Soaks up flavor
Quick to cook
Super healthy
Versatile
Below are 3 basic steps to working with tofu:
Decide which kind to buy:
There are different kinds of tofu including silken tofu, firm, extra firm. Silken tofu is soft and can be used as a binding agent in desserts and for soups. Firm and extra firm tofu is usually used in stir fries and for mock meat dishes. It can be breaded, baked, fried, lots of possibilities.
MOST IMPORTANT STEP: Press
Press tofu. Tofu soaks up water and you need to get all of the water out of it before using it. Fancy tofu presses can help with this, or not so fancy cloths or papertowels wrapped around a tofu block with anything semi-heavy on top. Leave for about a minimum of ten minutes or until most of the water is soaked out of it.
Give it flavor:
Tofu will soak up any flavor you give it. You can season it before and after pan frying or baking it, marinade it before hand, glaze it, bread it and fry it, or stir it in a soup. Trust me it will take on the flavor of any glazes, sauces, seasonings you use on it. But you must use something!
Simple crispy air fried tofu: Press tofu. Cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Set air fryer to 400F and air fry tofu for 20 minutes. Done. (Add sauce)
Extra crispy air fried tofu: Press tofu. Cut into cubes. Sprinkle tofu with about 1 tbs of cornstarch of flour. Set air fryer to 400F and air fry tofu for 20 minutes. (Add sauce)
Simple crispy oven baked tofu: Press tofu. Cut into cubes. Sprinkle with oil, and a sprinkle cornstarch or flour over tofu. Bake at 400F for 40 minutes, flipping tofu halfway through.
Simple crispy pan fried tofu: Press tofu. Cut into cubes. Sprinkle with cornstarch or flour. Heat 2 tbs oil in a large sauté pan or sauce pan and heat on medium high heat. Once oil gets hot, add tofu and brown on all sides (about 5 minutes on each side).