ok, i have read the links, and recipes, but my guestion is i have some firm tofu. which i love to eat but every time i prepare it in recipes it never comes out with the same texture that it does at a restaurant, is there some magical way to prepare it so it firms up, and doesn't get all mushy and crumbly?

Well, Heather, here's the secret. Most places deep fry their tofu to get it that texture. That lovely french toast dimpled texture that holds the most wonderful pad thai sauce is fried. Sorry.

However! There are some ways to prepare tofu that makes it better than just mush.

I pulled my recipe from another thread...

I buy extra firm tofu and press it in the fridge overnight. (set the tofu between two plates - the bottom one upside down- and set that in a bowl so you don't have tofu juice everywhere. I press it with a can of tomatoes). Then, I wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it. It changes it color and gives it a slightly different texture. Meatier.

Then, I pull it out of the freezer and thaw it, slice it into 1/4 inch slices and marinade it. I like spicy stuff so I sometimes to a chili paste, peanut butter, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, splash of lemon and sake marinade. (reserve a bit of the marinade for dipping) I marinade it for about a day. I slice the square in half (diag.) so they look like triangles. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Pour off about 1/2 cup of the marinade; it should reach about halfway up the sides of the tofu. Bake the tofu for 40 or 45 minutes or until the tofu is golden brown and most of the marinade has been absorbed.

I reserve a bit of marinade for dipping sauce.

I make this as a faboo appetizer... my meat eating friends love it.

thanks jessica sounds wonderful, am gonna have to try. i love tofu, but have just never been able to master cooking it. so the trick is to either deep fry ( bad but oh so yummy) or let press in fridge overnight then marinate sounds simple enough.

as i type my tofu is in fridge. and on the menu for dinner tonight. will let you know how it came out and families reaction to it.

Thanks Jessica - I don't know how to deal with tofu - I usually get it already prepared - i.e tofu burgers, Yves veggie cuisine products.

Good luck with that Heather! what are you making tonight?

Thanks Jessica - I don't know how to deal with tofu - I usually get it already prepared - i.e tofu burgers, Yves veggie cuisine products.

Good luck with that Heather! what are you making tonight?

all right double posting woman. i am going for a simple tofu stir fry with noodles. i got some yummy asian marinade sauce that is just divine. so i am going to marinate the tofu with a lil bit of soy sauce, ginger, and garlic then toss it with some bell peppers, onion, broc, water chestnuts, and bean sprouts, with some noodles and the asian sauce. hmm what would you call that? heather's everything but the kitchen sink stir fry?

Sounds good!

and it was.

By the way...I moved all the recipes to the Fab Food Section today...they are now all under the vegetarian/vegan recipes and the Tofu section

i have been looking. and getting hungry.

Tofu stirfry sounds yummy to me. I also like to scramble it like eggs and I make a type of cottage cheese with mine. I also use it as a meat replacer in chilli. It took me awhile to get used to the taste and texture so don't be discouraged if you don't get the hang of it right away. Judy

Thanks Judy!

It also makes fabulous puddings and cheese cakes. Judy

Yes, you must squeeze your tofu. squeeze, Squeeze, SQUEEZE!!! :lol

Seriously, you will get the tougher texture if you squeeze it for a while. Jessica does it overnight. I usually do it in the morning and then eat it for dinner. I use a bunch of paper towels on either side of the tofu block. Then I put giant phone books on top of it. (You might want to use plastic wrap, too, if you care deeply about your phone books.) In addition to the tofu leaking out its water due to the squeezing, the paper towels suck out even more water.

I also stir-fry the HECK outta my tofu. Like, 20 minutes minimum.

Hope that helps.