[ampersand]

coupla questions:<br><br><br><br>
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.<br><br><br><br>
which leads me to my next question,<br><br><br><br>
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)?<br><br><br><br>
thanks so much<br><br><br><br>
-&

 

[GhostUser]

hmmm, good question, as long as your towels are not fuzzy, I think that would work.<br><br><br><br>
I am going to start making my own tofu soon.... and they use cheesecloth for doing it, so that is another option. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">

 

[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.<br><br><br><br>
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.<br><br><br><br>
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.<br><br><br><br>
although i just got a new tofu at my HFS that is probably shipped frozen because it is completely drained when i buy it.<br><br><br><br>
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.)<br><br><br><br>
Give it an hour or so, and it seems to work pretty well.<br><br><br><br>
But IMO it's easier to buy Nigari tofu which is REALLY firm and quite tasty. It doesn't require pressing.<br><br><br><br>
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.<br><br><br><br>
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.<br><br><br><br>
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~<br><br><br><br>
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.<br><br><br><br>
Here's what I do....<br><br><br><br>
I wrap the block of Tofu in a dish towel, put on a plate<br><br>
Place somethinng heavy on top ( canned tomatoes, work swell!)<br><br>
Place in refridgerator for 30 minutes to an hour<br><br><br><br>
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.<br><br><br><br>
Terry cloth is supposed to be good for pressing tofu too! Good luck .

 

[ampersand]

cool, I'll definately try the dish towels..<br><br>
for heavy objects i usually use textbooks.. ! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""> 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,<br><br><br><br>
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.