How to Press Tofu

I've been experimenting with tofu for a few years, and I've come to quite like it. I'm not a vegetarian, but I still really enjoy vegetarian dishes, and tofu is no exception. I especially love to fry it (both in chunks and chopped up in stir-fry), as well as use it in smoothies (silk tofu, that is). However, in order to be able to fry it, you have to know how to press it first.

When serving fried tofu to some friends for dinner a few days ago, they asked me how I had cooked it. I noticed that when it came to pressing the tofu before frying, nobody knew how to do it. While quickly explaining it at the dinner table, I thought that I should probably do a short tutorial on this here, too - no one should be kept away from enjoying tofu because they don't know how to prep it for cooking, it's so simple to do!

1) Buy a block of tofu. If you are going to press and fry it, choose firm tofu. Lay a cloth on a dish, and the block of tofu on top of the cloth (you can wash the cloth afterwards, don't worry).

2) Wrap the cloth over and around the tofu, so it is completely covered.

3) Lay a plastic bag over the tofu and the cloth (this is for protection, see the next step).

4) Lay heavy books on top of the plastic bag - I usually use those two cooking books you see above.

Now leave this standing like this for about an hour. The heavy books will press the excess water out of the tofu, resulting in a sturdier block of tofu. If necessary, change the cloth after about half an hour, since the pressing won't be as effective if the cloth is already soaking wet.

After this, your tofu is ready to be used and cooked as you like! If you've never tried tofu before, I encourage you to try some, it's a great addition to a healthy diet.

Love,

Miss Diorista