Tofu by itself is incredibly bland, it really tastes like nothing. But - it absorbs flavors really really well. For me, the trick to tasty tofu is buying very very very firm tofu (I like House brand cutlet style tofu) and then marinating it for at least a few hours (preferably overnight). You can also use silken tofu and blend it with flavorings to make dips (I make a great lemon/garlic dip for steamed artichokes with silken style tofu).
If you buy a package of tofu and just add it plain to your dish, you will probably be disappointed with it!!
Tofu is like a sponge, it picks up the taste of whatever you cook it with or soak it in.
I agree with Glory87 firm tofu is best for stir fry and such. My trick that I learned on food network is to cut the tofu into slices and put them between a bunch of paper towles, set a cookie sheet on top and place a weight on the sheet to press it down on the tofu. I use a 5 pound bag of sugar.
leave it like this for about half a hour. what this does is take all the water out of the tofu so it will suck up as much flavor from the marinade as possible.
just don't eat it plan >_< it's weird, it has a slightly nutty flavor that is close to tasting like nothing.
I love tofu. I could eat it plain! I was a vegan for a little bit but I still eat it whenever I can. I would really give it a chance and put it in a recipe like chili where you can give it a fair chance
