[ampersand]

coupla questions:

how long to press it for to drain it all ? I've been pressing it usually about 10 minutes.. sometimes I'll just let it sit for a hour with just occasionally turning the pieces over, and changing the paper towels once they become too soggy.

which leads me to my next question,

Is there anything else to use besides paper towels to press it? I usually go through a few paper towels while pressing, and it just seems like a bit of a waste. Do regular dish towels work as well (absorbancy and such)?

thanks so much

-&

 

[GhostUser]

hmmm, good question, as long as your towels are not fuzzy, I think that would work.

I am going to start making my own tofu soon.... and they use cheesecloth for doing it, so that is another option.

 

[Brake4Squirrels]

I just read a recipe that told to press it with something heavy for 30 minutes. Then you put it in the freezer for 24 hrs. You defrost and mince it before cooking.

I haven't tried it, but that's what I read.

 

[oneness]

i use a towel for draining. i also put something heavy on it while it is draining.

i also will drain, freeze, thaw and drain again. this gives the tofu a great texture. but any liquid you add to it for cooking will be absorbed, so you have to be careful to not make it mushy again. i avoid this by making sure the pan and oil are very hot before adding the tofu.

although i just got a new tofu at my HFS that is probably shipped frozen because it is completely drained when i buy it.

good luck!

 

[Dirty Martini]

I use tea towels or flour sack towels - really thin non-fuzzy towels. Fold one up 4 or 5 times, put it on a plate, then put the tofu on the towel. Then I put another tea towel on top of the tofu, another plate on top of that, then a book on the plate. (in other words: plate, towel, tofu, towel, plate, book.)

Give it an hour or so, and it seems to work pretty well.

But IMO it's easier to buy Nigari tofu which is REALLY firm and quite tasty. It doesn't require pressing.

amy

 

[dvmarie]

Be aware that freezing tofu changes the texture significantly (it comes out kind of like a spongy texture). I personally don't like the texture of previously frozen tofu, but many people do.

I have a perforated pizza pan that I use when pressing tofu. I put the pan over a large bowl - put the tofu on it - then a couple of plates on top. I turn the tofu a couple of times during the process. I usually press for an hour.

If you don't care about keeping the shape - you can put tofu in cheesecloth and squeeze the moisture from it (and this method works really good - but you end up with mashed up tofu is all)

 

[lucycat]

Does it make a huge difference when you get out as much water as you possibly can? I'm usually in a bit of a hurry and probably only spend a few minutes pressing it before I fry it.

 

[PixieMagic]

lucycat~

It depends on the texture you're going for, but I don't really worry about pressing my tofu when I'm cooking it with a bit of oil in the frying pan. Doesn't seem to make a really big difference for the simple pan fry method. On the other hand, when I want to make specific recipes that require a firmer/dry tofu, I will go to the trouble of pressing.

 

[monkeyandbunny]

I agree with the non-fuzzy dish towel. (Like a flour sack towel,) It works much better than paper towel IMHO.

Here's what I do....

I wrap the block of Tofu in a dish towel, put on a plate

Place somethinng heavy on top ( canned tomatoes, work swell!)

Place in refridgerator for 30 minutes to an hour

The cold air in the fridge drys the tofu out more.

 

[shadow-panther]

When I cook I usually use Dae-Han brand, stuck in a kinda shrinky wrapped package...does'nt seem to need much draining...I'll have to try that though.

Terry cloth is supposed to be good for pressing tofu too! Good luck .

 

[ampersand]

cool, I'll definately try the dish towels..

for heavy objects i usually use textbooks.. !

especially big science ones

 

[rainbowmoon]

if you fry tofu, does that add too much fat? I mean how much oil do you use, just enough to coat the pan or more?

 

[PixieMagic]

rainbow,

I don't literally "fry" my tofu. I use about 1 tsp. of olive oil in a non-stick pan. Just enough to brown the tofu and crisp it up a bit.

 

[jaxxis]

i just use paper towels. i wrap the tofu i will use in paper towls and just put something heavy on top of it before i start preparing everything else.