do you have to drain firm tofu

I absolutely love tofu. If you haven’t cooked with it, try this Thai Red Curry Tofu or No-Cook Spicy Tofu and report back.

Today I’m sharing my favorite method for pressing tofu. I’ve been cooking with tofu for years and this is the most effective method that I’ve discovered along the way. It requires zero waste or specialty equipment, just a handful of basic kitchen tools.

Many tofu preparations don’t require pressing, but if you are sautéing or shallow frying tofu (or looking to achieve extra crispy tofu), pressing is the best way to remove excess moisture.

Pressing also helps create firmer tofu that better holds it shape during cooking and ensures your seasonings won’t be diluted. Let’s get started!

Even firm and extra-firm tofu requires some pressing in order to be effective in most recipes. Pressing improves the texture of tofu and is essential when it will be fried. Commercial tofu presses are available, but you can do an equally good job with just a few materials you have around the house: Cutting board.

What Makes This Method Better?

• this method allows the tofu to drain effectively without sitting in liquid (key!)
• you’ll be able to press one or several blocks of tofu at once
• no tofu press required and zero paper towel waste!

But most of the time, you can skip the pressing step and get away with it. My coworkers agree: “I eat tofu often and always feel like I don’t have the time to press,” says director of culinary production Kelly Janke, who rarely presses her tofu. Staff writer Ali Francis—who owns a tofu press—says she actually uses it “maybe 40% of the time, on a good month.” Food editor Shilpa Uskokovic agrees there’s really no need to press: “I’ve always thought unpressed tofu cooks up just as crisp and golden as pressed tofu,” she says. In her recipe for Tofu and Green Pea Curry, Shilpa simply calls for you to blot the tofu dry before searing.

More often than not, I’m too hungry to bother squishing tofu beneath a stack of cookbooks until it releases a cup of water through its pores. I need dinner, stat. A thorough pat-down with a kitchen towel will suffice. And you know what? It always comes out great. Yes, even when I’m making crispy tofu. As long as the outside is dry enough, the exterior of the cubes still crisps up nicely—especially with a quick coat of flour or starch—and the interior stays moist.

And in my recipe for tofu nuggets, using unpressed tofu is crucial. Patting the tofu dry, rather than fully wringing the block, keeps the inside of the nuggets moist. Then a coating of flour and cornstarch, plus a quick toss in oil, ensures they get crispy and golden. The whole dish is ready in the time it’d have taken the tofu to press.

Sure, there are some cases when pressing tofu is beneficial. Associate food editor Kendra Vaculin presses tofu for frying or grilling, like in her recipe for Bulgogi Tofu Burgers (excess moisture can cause flame flare-ups on the grill). Five-spice doufu gan comes already pressed: This dense, chewy, and flavorful type of tofu holds up particularly well to stir-frying.

You’ll see this instruction over and over and over in tofu recipes: Press the block for at least 30 minutes, ideally an hour, before cooking. Editors at this very magazine have written on the importance of pressing your tofu, sung the praises of a tofu-pressing gadget, and suggested hacks to drain the water out. Now I am another editor telling you to do exactly the opposite.

5 ways to drain your tofu to make your tofu dishes taste better

FAQ

Do you have to squeeze water out of extra-firm tofu?

How do you make firm tofu soft?

Do you have to cook firm tofu?

What happens if you don’t rinse tofu?

How do you drain tofu?

Depending on the intended use of the tofu, there are a few ways to drain tofu. After draining the tofu, always make sure to dry it with paper towels before you marinate the tofu or add any seasonings. Here are four methods for draining tofu: 1. Crumble the tofu.

Are elderly people recommended to have tofu?

Elderly individuals do not need to eat tofu to be healthy, however, tofu offers several essential nutrients that support healthy aging. For example, firm or extra firm tofu is high in calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, protein, and healthy fats. Eating tofu can help to prevent poor nutrition in the elderly. Additionally, if cooked properly, tofu is easy to chew and easy to swallow if dental or swallowing issues are present. Silken tofu can easily be added to soups or stews for added nutrition without significantly altering the flavour of the soup or stew. In addition to tofu, soymilk and whole soy foods like miso, tempeh, and edamame are smart food choices in general, and particularly in those following strict vegetarian or vegan diets.

How often should you drain tofu?

Drain the liquid about every 30 minutes. You’ll be amazed by how much liquid comes out. Slicing the tofu before pressing will help it drain faster, but after works too, and may be better if you’re working with medium-firm tofu that can be more difficult to cut cleanly. 3. You cut it too large

Does silken tofu need to be drained?

Theoretically, the less moisture content the tofu has, the crispier it’s gonna get. But removing too much moisture can sometimes make it dry and chewy. If you’re using silken tofu for things like vegan mayonnaise or desserts, then draining is pretty much a waste of time.