Cooking tofu: how do I get it right?

May 8, 2004 5:54 PM

Why can't I cook tofu properly 90% of the time? [more inside]

A fair number of the stir-fry recipes I make involve the following process for the tofu:

1. Get a fair amount of the moisture out of the tofu, either by pressing between paper towels or patting dry. (I usually use the former method.)
2. Cut up the tofu into some appropriate shape.
3. Fry the tofu in the skillet until golden, set it aside, and proceed with the rest of the recipe. Add the tofu back in at the end.

The problem is that when I follow this method, the tofu almost always adheres to the skillet as soon as I add it, thereby forcing me to destroy whatever nice shapes I cut the tofu into in step 2. Every now & then, things work well and I get perfectly shaped chunks of tofu with a nice crispy outer layer, but this is the exception rather than the rule.

How do I fix this situation? There seem to be a lot of variables in play: amount of moisture left in the tofu, amount of oil in the skillet, temperature of the skillet, etc. The skillet I use is a pretty standard 12" stainless-steel job, sans Teflon and having a fairly thick base. Should I invest in a wok? Heat the pan more? Less? Use more oil? Help?

posted by Johnny Assay to Food & Drink (14 answers total)

I don't have specific experience with tofu, but lots of experience in general cookery- food that sticks almost immediately is generally food being added to a too-hot skillet. (Skinless chicken is infamous for this trick.) Try lowering the temperature just a bit and see if that helps.
posted by headspace at 6:04 PM on May 8, 2004

Heat the pan less, use more (preferably olive) oil.
posted by gramcracker at 6:04 PM on May 8, 2004

This simple guide to cooking tufu should help you out.
posted by lola at 6:07 PM on May 8, 2004

Think about why something might stick to a hot pan - The heat opens pores in the metal, food seeps into the holes, the food burns, and is then stuck in the holes.

Starting with a cold pan, using a stainless steel pan (smaller pores), or using a well seasoned pan, might all help.

Personally I never sear the tofu. So maybe none of that will help. I might marinate it, but other than that I just wam it through.
posted by y6y6y6 at 7:45 PM on May 8, 2004

Maybe buy a different brand and firmness of tofu. I only like one brand of tofu: it doesn't stick and there is no extra water. I don't think I have changed my cooking pattern.
posted by philfromhavelock at 8:26 PM on May 8, 2004

Tofu is high in protein, and as such, is very likely to stick... turn down the tempura-ture (har har). Also, consider not cooking it at all... my favorite prepartion is hiyayaku (sp?) which is firm tofu served over ice, then dipped in a sauce and rolled in grated ginger and eaten.

Mm.
posted by silusGROK at 9:21 PM on May 8, 2004

My dad's secret trick for preparing tofu might help...get extra firm tofu, freeze it solid, thaw it (still in the package) in a bowl of lukewarm water the day that you plan to make it for dinner. Follow all the other above-mentioned instructions (e.g. squeezing all the water out). The freezing gives the tofu a very firm texture so it's chewy instead of slimy...and, it holds its shape better when being cooked.
posted by gokart4xmas at 11:21 PM on May 8, 2004

Where do you get your tofu? Not all are alike - my girlfriend is Japanese and can barely stand my local Chinese market tofu. There are specific tofus for frying in a Japanese supermarket, but a lot of her recipes use tofu simply boiled in soup or lightly warmed. She tends to cut it in pretty big blocks. And she likes to use a teflon pan.
posted by zaelic at 1:07 AM on May 9, 2004

I also recommend the freezing extra-firm tofu for that "chewy" texture, but also suggest that after freezing, press the excess moisture out of the tofu by slicing it and then weighing them down (with a paper towel to take up excess moisture) for a few hours.

You could also try seitan, which has a much firmer texture.
posted by answergrape at 9:44 AM on May 9, 2004

Or tempeh, which has the whole soybeans still in it. Great in many stir-frys.
posted by gimonca at 11:00 AM on May 9, 2004

Try a smoked tofu. Firmer & no need (I find) to pre-cook. 0.5 inch cubes & bung 'em around the same time as mushrooms & the like.
posted by i_cola at 1:31 PM on May 9, 2004

Deep fry it. Use enough oil so the tofu floats. That's how I do it and my (Indonesian) grandmother taught me. Same with tempeh.
posted by prolific at 1:57 PM on May 9, 2004

y6y6y6: Think about why something might stick to a hot pan - The heat opens pores in the metal, food seeps into the holes, the food burns, and is then stuck in the holes.

This is a really interesting insight. I would never have figured that out on my own. Seriously. Thanks. I'm not being sarcastic, I'm just bad with chemistry. Or physics. Or whatever it is.
posted by bingo at 2:31 PM on May 9, 2004

Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions. My guess is that it's the heat of the pan — I'll have to try a cooler pan in the future. I don't have too much selection at the local supermarkets, but the fact that I *can* get good results from the brands that are available — just not consistently — makes me think that it's my technique, not the brand.

I'll update this thread the next time I try cooking with tofu and let you know what happens.
posted by Johnny Assay at 2:55 PM on May 9, 2004