Post by gracoman on Jun 5, 2017 9:59:03 GMT -5
We eat quite a bit of tofu here at casa gracoman. Fried, added to stir fries, as a main ingredient, marinated and grilled, sauces and desserts, the list of uses is endless. Many recipes call for the tofu to be pressed to remove much or all of the water from it. I've been pressing tofu wrapped in paper towels and weighted down with plates or by weighting 2 tofu containers.
Pressing improves the texture. Freezing tofu before pressing improves the texture even more. In my mind, pressing tofu before marinating and especially grilling is a necessity.
Press tofu too fast and it develops cracks. Not pressing it long enough is also a waste of time. Mostly I just skip the pressing part because it is time consuming, wastes a large number of paper towel and is generally a PITA.
There are simple tofu presses on the market that are basically two small plastic cutting boards attached at the ends by screws that tighten down pressing the water out. These must be tightened at various intervals during the day if you are going longer than a quick 10 to 15 minute press. They will also form cracks if you tighten them to quickly right out of the gate.
I opted for a ridiculously expensive spring loaded piece of plastic that doubles as a marination tank. Spring loaded means it is a "set it and forget it" press for as long at 24 hours or as short as 10 to 15 minutes. It can go in the fridge and the tofu remains covered in it's own water for the length of the press.
Pressing is the best way to prep tofu for marination and grilling. I'll use this press several times each week so maybe it is worth it. If it doesn't break.
The TofuXpress
The water above the block is all from the tofu after a 15 minute press. I can leave this in the fridge for a 24hr press if wanted. More water will be expelled
and the texture will continue to change.
Pressing improves the texture. Freezing tofu before pressing improves the texture even more. In my mind, pressing tofu before marinating and especially grilling is a necessity.
Press tofu too fast and it develops cracks. Not pressing it long enough is also a waste of time. Mostly I just skip the pressing part because it is time consuming, wastes a large number of paper towel and is generally a PITA.
There are simple tofu presses on the market that are basically two small plastic cutting boards attached at the ends by screws that tighten down pressing the water out. These must be tightened at various intervals during the day if you are going longer than a quick 10 to 15 minute press. They will also form cracks if you tighten them to quickly right out of the gate.
I opted for a ridiculously expensive spring loaded piece of plastic that doubles as a marination tank. Spring loaded means it is a "set it and forget it" press for as long at 24 hours or as short as 10 to 15 minutes. It can go in the fridge and the tofu remains covered in it's own water for the length of the press.
Pressing is the best way to prep tofu for marination and grilling. I'll use this press several times each week so maybe it is worth it. If it doesn't break.
The TofuXpress
The water above the block is all from the tofu after a 15 minute press. I can leave this in the fridge for a 24hr press if wanted. More water will be expelled
and the texture will continue to change.