tofu training

Confession: I used to be afraid of tofu.

Tofu is intimidating.  Tofu doesn’t taste right if you don’t make it correctly. Tofu looks funny when you pull it out of the package.

Water? Why is this stuff so spongy? Am I really supposed to eat this?

I don’t really remember my first experience making tofu at home, but I can assure you it wasn’t pretty. It probably resulted in tears or a tantrum, both of which I am an expert in.

However, with countless tofu experiences under my belt, I can assure you it can be done.

Repeat after me: I can make tofu tasty! I CAN make tofu tasty!

Yes, you can.

After posting my dinner from last night, I had so many people ask how I make my tofu. I’ll be honest with you – I have a few different methods. However, it always starts the same.

Generally speaking, I tend to buy Nasoya. It is one of the only brands of tofu that is sold around here, and it is by far my favorite. I can usually get it for $1.99 a block (I usually buy it when it’s on sale and freeze a few) and get two servings out of a block. Let’s face it – five servings per package? Get. Real. I’ve tried Trader Joe’s in the past and I’ll buy it in a bind, but it usually makes my stomach hurt for some reason.

Like I said, sometimes I freeze some packages of tofu if I buy in bulk when it’s on sale. The night before I want to use it, I will put it in the fridge to thaw out overnight. If you wait until the day of, you will still have an ice block of tofu that night when you go to cook dinner.

After I take the tofu out of the package, I always do the same thing. I cut the tofu block in half. Then, I cut the halves in half. Then I take the quarters and cut them in half. I always end up with eight equal sized chunks of tofu to start with.

Then I press the water out of it. Usually when I bake it in the oven, pressing a lot of water is not necessary. The heat from the oven will soak most of it up. But, I put a kitchen towel down, line it with paper towels, and place the eight slices of tofu on the paper towels. Then I use more paper towels to cover the tofu. Add one more kitchen towel to the mix and you’ve got yourself some tofu that’s ready to be pressed! I take my heaviest cook books and place them on the tofu for about 15 minutes.

When the tofu has been pressed, I then cut the eight slices into more pieces. I usually cut down the center (long ways) and then into thirds. Each tofu slab becomes six pieces. If you’re looking for some numbers here, you should have 48 pieces of tofu.

My favorite marinade for tofu is the following:

• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• pepper
• garlic
• chili powder
• basil

I just toss it all in a big bowl and line a cookie sheet with foil. Making sure I have greased the sheet, I make a single layer of tofu and pop it in a 400 degree oven. I bake it for 30 minutes, flipping once. Sometimes the oven is on 425 depending on what else I’m making, and if that’s the case, I lower the cooking time by 5 minutes.

What you’ll end up with is tofu that is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside – absolute perfection in my book!

So go to your kitchen, face your fears, and make yourself some tofu. And remember, 24 pieces = one serving because the packaging lies. If you’re looking for someone to give the other 24 pieces to, I’m always available for dinner dates… just sayin’.

Question: Are you afraid of tofu or are you a tofu master?

Tagged as: how to cook tofu, how to make baked tofu, tofu, tofu training