Get to know tofu with this guide to selecting, storing, and using tofu.
Tofu is still a mystery to most people. Most problems with flavour and texture stem from choosing the wrong variety for the dish or cooking it in an inappropriate way. A slimy texture or improper marinade can turn some off tofu forever. Start off on the right foot with selecting and purchasing the proper type of tofu for your meal.
Step 1: Choosing Tofu
- Soft, silken, medium or firm?
The rapidly expanding variety of tofu at the local supermarket is makes choosing the right type of tofu for a dish increasingly complicated.
First, assess your recipe: what type of dish are you creating?
- Desserts, smoothies, mousses, or puddings all call for soft tofu. Soft tofu is sold under the guise of “soft silken”, “silken”, or “smooth” tofu. Any of these will do for blending, as firmer tofu tends to taste gritty when blended.
- Silken dessert tofus (flavoured and sweetened) make desserts even easier; almond flavour is highly recommended.
- Main dish recipes require firm or extra-firm tofu that can be cubed, diced, or gratedFirmer tofu is less likely to crumble upon slicing and dicing and will suck up marinades like no other. Use firm firm tofu for Grilled Tofu or Buffalo Tofu.
- For a vegan paneer substitute, use firm tofu.
- Recipes where tofu is mashed or crumbled (like lasagna or scrambled tofu) likely require medium or medium-firm tofu. Medium tofu will crumble if handled too much, and does not really slice cleanly.
- To hide tofu in a recipe or make it cleverly disappear, use medium tofu as a substitute for ricotta cheese.
Specialty Tofu
These new tofus are popping up more than ever. The grocery shelves are now stocked with smoked tofu, herb tofu, pre-marinated tofu, and the aforementioned dessert tofu. Often their packages come custom-made with instructions or recipe suggestions; usually this means less work in the kitchen for you!
Nutritional Considerations
Firmer tofu ismore concentrated soy, so firmer tofus have more calcium, protein, and iron per brick or volume than the softer stuff. Soft or silken tofu doesn’t really carry much nutritional value (as its water content is higher) and shouldn’t really be relied upon as a staple protein, unless you're eating a lot!
Step 2: Storing Tofu
Tofu storage need not be a tricky matter. Like soy milk, tofu will go bad fairly quickly if not stored properly:
- Keep tofu in the fridge whether opened or not
- For tofu that comes in water, store in an air-tight container with a bit of fresh water, changed daily
- Tofu that comes in a vacuum pack does not need to be stored with water, but seal tightly
- Opened tofu is best consumed within a few days
- Tofu is bad when it develops a beany “off” smell. The edges may start to yellow or brown. Discard "off" tofu.
- Tofu packaged in a vacuum-sealed bagstends to last longer once opened than the kind packed in water.
Long-term Storage
With an open package of firm tofu and no current plans to use it, consider draining and freezing the tofu in an airtight container. To use in a recipe, simply defrost the tofu in the fridge overnight. The texture will be spongier (some say "meatier"); an attribute actually preferred by some cooks.
For more tofu recipes and how-to's, see:
- The History of Tofu: what is it and why do we care?
- Preparing Tofu
- Recipes: Vegetarian Recipes or Vegan Recipes
