Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with tofu

VegetarianFilter: Give me your best veg taco recipes and tips!

pghjezebel — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 10:31:40 -0800

VegetarianFilter: Give me your best veg taco recipes and tips! I've been a vegetarian for several years now and then one thing I really miss? A good taco.

I've tried meat substitutes (boca crumbles) and find the texture rather gross. They always have a gristle taste/feel to them.

I've seen recipes for lentil style tacos - but my lentils always turn out hard. What about tofu?

What else can I try? Open to any and all recipes, suggestions and tips!

Tofu Bath

shrimpsmalls — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:00:27 -0800

Give me your favorite, yet relatively simple (5 ingredients, at most) tofu marinades and cooking tips. I have scavenged the internet and a few veg cookbooks, but most marinades are too complex or just not that appetizing. I need some experiential input! I am looking for good ways to prep tofu before pan searing, but I am open to other methods as well. I love to cook but I am trying to keep the prep relatively simple due to budget restraints rather than laziness.

Thank you!

Are there any programs like Tofu for Windows?

timetoevolve — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 07:16:58 -0800

Are there any programs like Tofu for Windows? I use the wonderful reader Tofu at home, but when I'm catching up on my news reading during worktime breaks, I am sadly Tofu-less. I'm not the most savvy Windows user, but thus far my Googling for an equivalent has been fruitless. (Ideally, such a program would also be lightweight and free.)

Hope me, MeFites! My aching eyes thank you.

please help resolve my tofu troubles

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:43:59 -0800

Can I eat this expired (but frozen) tofu/tempeh/tofurky? I just moved into a new apartment and my new roommate's old roommate left behind some food in the freezer. At first I was delighted to be inheriting free food, but now that I've checked the best by dates, I'm not so sure. Details:

Tofurky: "enjoy by" 08/23/08
Yves Meatless Deli Ham: "best before" 02/13/08
White Wave Baked Tofu: 09/02/05 (date has no qualifier before it)
Sunergia Soyfoods pesto tofu: 04/22/06 (also no qualifier)
SoyBoy Tempeh: April 26 (says that it can be "sold frozen for 6 months after date" but, the date doesn't have a year after it and considering the other fake meats, I wouldn't bet on it being 2009)

I do not know for how long any of this was frozen, nor can I contact new roommate's old roommate to ask.

So...can I eat any of this? If it were anything else, I'd probably just throw it away, but I do love fancy tofu products (and very rarely buy them myself due to their fancy prices) so this would be a free food grand slam.

The portable tofu conundrum

zadcat — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:51:46 -0800

Another "safe to eat" question, this one about tofu. Supposing tonight I make a stir-fry with tofu, using sesame oil, some veg (mushrooms, onions, zucchini), soy sauce and spices. I eat it with rice, mix the leftovers together (tofu, veg and rice) and put it in the fridge overnight.

If I put this mixture in a container around 9 tomorrow and bring it to work, will it be OK to eat around 1 o'clock, without being refrigerated meantime? I don't plan to put any dairy or egg in there. (Although if I were to stir-fry an egg into it, which can be good too, would that make it much more dangerous to eat after 3-4 hours at room temp?)

(I will be walking to work and the weather tomorrow is not expected to get above 16°C.)

Mmmm...(fake) deer...

starbaby — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:51:46 -0800

Is it possible to make meat substitute taste like fried venison? I'm from the south, and deer was a winter staple in my childhood. My father would slice it about a 1/4"-1/2" thick, batter it in flour, salt, garlic salt, and pepper, and fry it in a skillet in vegetable oil.

I would like to reproduce this wonderful taste without using meat. Most people recommend that when cooking with tofu (or other meat substitutes), you simply get the fake meat the right consistency and cook it as you normally would meat; it will absorb the flavors of the seasoning and taste similar.

However, I am not looking for the taste of the seasonings; I'm looking for the taste that is inherently missing inside the tofu. Clearly battering tofu in salt, garlic salt, pepper and flour will just make it taste like those things. Someone recommended worcestershire sauce, but I do not have any without anchovies in it.

I am coming up short when I look for recipes. This seems to be an elusive phantom idea among vegetarians.

Do you know how to make fake meat (any kind, I'm not limited to just tofu) taste like venison?

Thanks in advance.

How can I eat more protein within a vegan diet?

jfricke — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:43:07 -0800

I was shocked how little protein my current diet consists of. How can I make sure that I get enough protein? Problem: I am almost vegan I have been a vegetarian since I am twelve and I have been almost vegan for two years now. Almost vegan means I eat vegan at home but when I am invited or eat outside I also eat cheese from time to time.

Last week I started a nutrition log at gyminee.com. I was quite shocked about the little amount of protein in my current diet. My questions are:

(1) How much protein should one eat daily? The gyminee.com suggestion of 150 to 200mg seems extremly high to me. Do you need more or less protein, when all your protein sources are non-animal?

(2) What is the best vegan food to increase my protein intake besides soya milk and tofu? If you are vegan, how do you make sure to get enough protein?

(3) Is soya protein powder a good alternative?

Eating mostly-plain cottage cheese and tofu.

lemonade — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:22:25 -0800

How many ways can I spice up plain tofu and cottage cheese...snackwise, with no cooking? I need to increase the amount of (lowfat) protein I eat, and while I can and do eat both cottage cheese and tofu plain, it gets old really quick. What I'd like to do is have a whole bunch of mix-ins or maybe sandwich-y things, so I can more or less grab-and-go. I haven't tried these yet, but I was hoping for ideas along the lines of tofu and mustard on crackers, or cinnamon in cottage cheese? Maybe something with relish? And of course I often snack on the old standby of fruit in the cottage cheese. What else can I try?

Store-bought-style baked tofu at home

acridrabbit — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:22:57 -0800

Store-bought-style baked tofu at home: how? I love tofu and cook it frequently, usually in stir-frys. I always freeze my tofu to improve the texture, then press it for long enough to get excess moisture out. I'm pretty happy with my typical methods, but I would love to be able to make baked tofu similar to the store-bought kind. My previous efforts have yielded tasty results, but nothing like the soft, yet very firm texture of a packaged baked tofu (like White Wave or SoyBoy). Those store-bought tofus are pretty expensive - can I mimic that style at home? (Note: I am interested in mimicking the texture, not necessarily the flavor) My googling is turning up nothing.

Learning more about Harikuyo

bitter-girl.com — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:17:50 -0800

Can anyone provide deeper insight into the Japanese Harikuyo festival, where broken sewing needles from throughout the year are ritually buried and given thanks? I'm searching for insight into the festival, how commonly it is celebrated (and by who? needlearts professionals only?), and for personal photos about it for an upcoming article. Have you ever been to a celebration? Are there similar festivals for any other needle arts such as knitting? Thanks!

How can I transport some tofu cream cheese across the Atlantic?

kdar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:09:42 -0800

I'm looking for some advice about transporting tofu cream cheese for long distances. Specifically, on a flight across the Atlantic. I'm going to visit a couple of friends in Germany tomorrow. To thank them for their hospitality, I wanted to bring along some NYC bagels and cream cheese for breakfast. After reading about the EU's customs regulations and seeing that they don't allow milk-based imports from non-Schengen countries, I decided to bring tofu cream cheese (which I like better anyway, although it's not quite as classic) from one of the bagel stores in Williamsburg.

Basically, I want to know:
- what, if anything, needs to be done for this tofu cream cheese so that it doesn't spoil during the flight (which has a long layover in Dulles, so I can't count on it staying cool in the hold)?
- does this need to be declared?
- bonus points for advice on how to keep bagels fresh for 24 hours.

No, I'm not saying where I'm buying the bagels, because I don't want to get into a holy war.

I wanna be a tofu queen

barrakuda — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:14:05 -0800

What are your favorite tofu recipes?

Salad? Shoot me.

cdadog — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:34:51 -0800

This salad so incredible that I considered becoming a vegetarian. Unfortunately, I can barely remember what was in it. A few years ago I attended a cookout where a vegetarian guest brought a chilled salad with a ton of ingredients, served from a trifle dish. I remember it included:

- glassine thread noodles
- strips of tofu
- there may have been broccoli tips
- black chewy thready stuff I suspect was seaweed
- baby carrot slivers
- dressing I can only describe as sour/savory (not hot, spicy or especially sweet)

You know how sometimes a bunch of stuff in a bowl is just that, how it’s not bad but the tastes or textures don’t really compliment each other? Not this. The flavors…ohhh…the way they melded was amazing. I ate an embarrassing amount of it, intending to pin down whoever brought it. Naturally, they got away, and the hostess couldn’t remember who brought what.

This has haunted me for years. I want this salad again. I neeeeed it. But I’m not that foodie intuitive, and the results of my forays into recipe experimentation are always disappointing. If anyone out there suspects he/she has made this kickass salad with the above items, would you please share?

Why is it easier to find cocaine than tofu?

cloeburner — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 08:22:17 -0800

Where might I acquire cheap tofu/groceries in Baltimore? Where I used to live, a far smaller town, there was two [2!] different Asian markets where you could buy 4 large blocks of tofu for one dollar total. Most cities I've been to have at least one Asian market with aforementioned offerings. In Baltimore I have had no such luck, it has been weeks since I've had tofu due to it being prohibitively expensive.

So does anyone know of a potential Asian market with cheap tofu [I've been up and down Greenmount/York to the Asian markets that litter that road, but I have not found any tofu bargains]?

Insider tips on cheap groceries are much appreciated. I've already developed a literally unhealthy affinity for SAve-A-Lot.

make me an old school vegan foody for one weekend

brinkzilla — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 21:47:24 -0800

I'm having vegans over for dinner. Vegans that know how to cook. Foodie vegans. Hip, cool, foodie vegans. Did I mention that I am not a vegan, vegetarian or hip? I can cook a great porkloin, My seafood dishes come out delicious. I can even think of some great vegetarian pasta dishes, but the world of vegan cooking is very scary to me.

It seems that vegans build skills through the years in finding the perfect tofutti sour cream substitute, egg replacements non-dairy yummos.

So, how do I make a yummy meal for a wonderful couple that is a bit above serving them a plate or grilled vegetables and tofu. I'd like to give the impression that I am versatile in the kitchen, which I might be, I've just never tried before.

Extra credit for recipes that taste great, are easy, but look way beyond my ability.

Points taken away for obvious links to vegan food websites. I've done that google search already.

Make me a old school vegan foody for one weekend.

Tofu recipe?

krikany — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:56:57 -0800

Recipe for stuffed tofu at New York City deli/steamtable/buffet by the pound places. Does anyone have a recipe for those yummy tofu "sandwiches" you find at NYC delis? I think there's something like red bell pepper and green onions, but what's in there and what is the sauce?
Thanks!

What kind of tofu am I describing, and how do I make it?

JMOZ — Mon, 28 May 2007 10:37:31 -0800

What kind of dofu (tofu) did I have at a restaurant (made at our table), and how do I make it at home? Despite their claim, I don't think it was actually yose dofu. I had gone with some colleagues to a Japanese restaurant (Morimoto's in Philly, to be specific), where we ordered what they called "yose dofu."

Basically, the brought out a bowl of what looked like steaming-hot soymilk, added a liquid (the waiter said it contained magnesium salts), stirred it for a few minutes, and covered it. About 5-10 minutes later, he came back, and the result was a delicious, creamy, smooth, soft to medium firmness tofu.

I looked for recipes for yose dofu, but most of the ones I found implied that you get loose curds and need to press yose dofu. Despite that, I bought nigari (MgCl₂?) at my local Japanese market, and gave it a try: I brought some soymilk to a boil, added some nigari, stirred it, and the end result was basically exactly the same thing the online recipes said; I got tiny curds like one might expect when making paneer.

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me how to make a dofu like the one we got at Morimoto's. Or even what type of dofu it was. Is it some variant on yose dofu? If so, what did I do wrong? Many thanks!

Tofu, doofu, bean curd, huh?

found dog one eye — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:28:43 -0800

Help an American find different kinds of tofu in China. A vegan buddy from a message board I frequent is working in China. He is trying to buy firm, water-pack tofu like he gets at home so that he can stir-fry it, or freeze and crumble it. He’s not having much luck, however. When he asks for tofu or doofu, people don’t seem to know what he’s asking for, and when he asks for bean curd, he gets something like silken tofu, which has completely different uses.

Here is Brian’s question on VegPeople.

What should he be asking for?

Normally, I’d just send him here to ask himself, but this seems easier on everyone. I promise not to twist anyone’s words.

Why am I a Vegetarian?

trueluk — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 08:32:52 -0800

I recently became a vegetarian, and need help dealing with criticism from my roommates. I have recently, about a week ago, decided to drop meat from my diet. I had been contemplating whether or not to go vegetarian for a few months, and now it just kind of happened. My two roommates both eat meat, and so does my entire immediate family.

My roomates have ridiculed me everyday since I have switched. When I come home with tofu they call me "gay" and "fag." They've used plenty of other inappropriate descriptors, too. I understand that for them--midwestern corn-fed boys--this kind of thing can seem strange, but I just want them to accept it. They are my friends, despite their behaviors, and it's not as though I feel threatened at home(moving out isn't a choice and these guys may be homophobic and out of line or whatever, but i have to live with them for a few more months), but I just want to have a response ready when they ask, "Why the hell are you eating that shit? What the fuck got into you?"
I want to be able to defend my choice.

ISO noodles

hazelshade — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 07:12:36 -0800

Anyone in the D.C./northern Virginia area had luck finding stores selling the House Foods tofu shirataki noodles that blogs like Hungry Girl won't shut up about? I really don't want to resort to ordering them from Amazon.

Tofu - at what temperature does it cook?

amtho — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 06:44:04 -0800

Tofu - at what temperature does it cook? I eat a lot of tofu. I've started cooking a lot of tofu. It seems to disagree with me if it's not fully cooked. But how much cooking is enough to avoid this unfortunate effect? Is boiling sufficient/necessary? I'm interested in using a meat thermometer to figure out how much heat I need to apply, so I can innovate successfully.

I did some googling but couldn't find the answer. I also found a thread here on tofu cooking (asking about getting the center unwatery) and followed links from that thread, but no joy.

TofuFilter!!

Jon-o — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 16:58:05 -0800

CookingFilter: So anyway, Tofu! Yeah, tofu. I like to cook it and I like to eat it. But even extra firm tofu tends to remain a little soggy... Baked in the oven, deep fried, sauteed, grilled, whatever, even if I press it beforehand, it tends to stay kind of un/undercooked inside. To get tofu in the consistency that I like, I've got to buy precooked packs from a store in Chinatown that only occasionally has it. What are your favorite methods for dehydrating and preparing tofu so it gets cooked and crispy, throughout?

pad thai yum yum

melissa may — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 22:32:55 -0800

What's your best recipe for pad thai and tips for cooking it? My favorite Thai place has vegetarian pad thai with deliciously prepared crispy/tender tempeh and tofu, and is dry rather than swimming in sauce. So, if you've got good tofu/tempeh prep tricks, I'd especially like those.

How do I make tofu at home?

scrim — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 19:47:01 -0800

Inspired by this article (NYT, blah blah), I've decided that I'd like to learn to make tofu at home. I've done this very successfully with paneer (which at least looks like tofu), so I feel like this shouldn't be a problem. Anyone know anything about making tofu?

Cooking tofu: how do I get it right?

Johnny Assay — Sat, 08 May 2004 17:54:39 -0800

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:

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.)

Cut up the tofu into some appropriate shape.

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?