PDA

View Full Version : Tofu help


chrissss
05-04-2011, 02:12 PM
I recenlty decided to eat more healthy. Although i eat very healthy, my only vice is red meat, I eat red meat about 5 times a week sometimes more.

today I made a stir-fry with shrooms, red onion, few red chillies, red pepper, mange-tout ( broad beans aka snow peas... damn different words for one vege :P) and I also used "alpro soya spiced tofu stripes combined with some oil, frsh oregano, basil and thyme finished with sprinkled feta cheese on top

it was nice! although the tofu reminded me nothing of meat, the taste was great and since it is full of protein, I want to use it more.

the only downside was that this particular brand was very expensive.

Question: which tofu is good, which brands are good, what do I look for, what do I need to know?

What are easy ways to prepare tofu? with easy I mean quick in time, not easy in skill.

Any help is appreciated!

natt12321
05-04-2011, 03:56 PM
Pop into a health food shop (I don't know where you are from but here in the UK independants tend to do better ranges than the big chain Holland and Barrett) you'll find all kinds of tofu products which are in a sense 'pre-prepared' like tofu burgers, sausages, smoked tofu and marinaded tofu which are all from a variety of manufacturers who are mostly cheaper than Alpro.

With plain tofu the best thing to do is squeeze all the moisture out and marinate it in something before cooking, and if you dry fry it it works best. The squeezing bit can be a challenge, the TofuXpress is the best product I've seen for it, although unfortunatly as I don't own one I cannot really comment on whether it is in fact good, I still use the plate with lots of things on it method.

You can also combine silken tofu with eggs to create protein rich omelettes and quiches.

As far as what to look for and what to know, well it's mostly about taste to be honest. If it's for health reasons you may want to check the fat and salt content on the pre flavoured stuff cos sometimes they're added to them, but other wise try a load of things, you'll like some, you won't like others, but it's all alright cos you can keep going and trying other things.

Noemi
05-05-2011, 08:49 AM
I prefer plain tofu as you can do practically anything with it. I am not sure about brands, but plain will always work - whether it's firm or silken tofu. One of my favorite things to do with tofu is to use it as the pasta for lasagna, instead of lasagna noodles. Slice firm tofu blocks thinly and fry lightly. You can make the sauce the normal way - without meat if you wish - and then layer your tofu pasta with sauce in the middle. Yum!

Noemi
Recipe-Finder: The Smart Way to Find Recipes (http://recipe-finder.com/)
"Sleep 'til you're hungry, eat 'til you're sleepy." ~Author Unknown

natt12321
05-08-2011, 05:06 PM
@Noemi, that sounds really interesting!! I really wanna try that tofu lasagne!

Noemi
05-09-2011, 04:54 AM
@Noemi, that sounds really interesting!! I really wanna try that tofu lasagne!

Good luck - let me know how that goes for you!

Guts
05-09-2011, 09:47 AM
I just bought some extra firm tofu and I see that you can freeze it and some people preferred the texture after it has been frozen. What if any opinions you have about freezing tofu. I plan on using this it egg drop soup. And I may try frying some just to see how it comes out.

Noemi
05-10-2011, 09:47 AM
I am not sure about frozen (then thawed) tofu. I remember accidentally placing tofu in the chiller too near the freezer and it froze. I had to throw the whole block away.

chrissss
05-10-2011, 01:33 PM
I had tofu again today, I love it :)

today it was tofu with herbs, I just fried it with vegetables .great sutff!

Guts
05-10-2011, 02:02 PM
I have read this in more than one place but here's an example of what I was asking about.

"Freezing tofu is a very simple process that far too many people seem confused about. It changes the texture of the tofu and makes it absorb flavor much better."

source;

http://theflyingvegan.blogspot.com/2006/10/freezing-tofu.html

Noemi
05-16-2011, 11:07 AM
I have read this in more than one place but here's an example of what I was asking about.

"Freezing tofu is a very simple process that far too many people seem confused about. It changes the texture of the tofu and makes it absorb flavor much better."

source;

http://theflyingvegan.blogspot.com/2006/10/freezing-tofu.html

That is something new! Thanks for the link. Now I can keep tofu in my fridge for longer.