Which Tofu!?

[mandee]

Okay... i will be buying tofu for the very first time EVER this next week. I tried to find if this was already a topic... but didn't fine it. If it is... sorry.

Anyways my question is what kind of tofu do you recommend. I am kind of limited to where i can get it. I know they sale tofu at wal-mart... but is it bad tofu?

help.

[DancingWillow]

i don't know what you mean by "bad tofu"...

if you're asking about the flavor of the tofu depending on the brand, so far i personally can't tell the difference between various brands.

most grocery stores and virtually all health food stores sell tofu, so that you don't have to go to wal-mart to get tofu.

also, what are you planning to do with it? you need to know what you'll use it for, so that you know whether to get firm or soft/silken tofu. if you're frying the tofu or making a tofu scramble, i'd suggest the firm tofu, but if you're using it for some kind of dessert, usually silken tofu is best.

for silken tofu, i like the mori-nu brand. i'm not even sure what brand of firm tofu i usually get, since i don't buy tofu that often.

[tipsy]

i agree with willow.

most tofus dont have many noticeable differences... i prefer to buy organic... and i actually tont buy tofu all that often either, its usually for baking when i do.

most regular grocery stores now carry tofu, you just have to look for it

the recipe you are using will usually say soft, firm, extrafirm, silken...

if you are just buying some to make with vegetables or a stir fry type meal, get firm!

i recommend saute'ing it for a few miniutes with garlic and onions and then adding your fav veggies!

good luck!

wow... i just repeated what you said, willow... im a dork

[snaffler]

I must admit I have tried some tofus in my vegan years and thats lots but nothing has ever beat Oasis Tofu it rocks and to me beats all others hands down.

http://www.naturemade.co.uk/organic/tofu.html

The Smoked one makes lovely scrambled tofu add a little soya milk and pure marg, salt n pepper and yummmy oh ye a slice of toast or two as well.

[Marrers]

I've hesitated to comment as I'm in the UK and brands will differ - but I am a huge fan of Braised Tofu (in a tin). Can you get that in the US?
It is similar to Mock Duck which we can also get (tinned) here. It is almost like a different food. It has great flavour and a stringy/meaty texture.

We can also get various flavoured, marinated and smoked tofu. As people have said it depends what you plant to use it for.

[BlackCats]

I didn't know you could get braised tofu in a tin and mock duck.
Does it taste like when you have it in a chinese restaurant?

The only tofu I have tried has been the cauldron one from Holland and Barret and it has been totally tasteless so I never have it anymore.

Marrers - where do you find that tinned stuff?

[Marrers]

As well as plain firm tofu Cauldren do a smoked beech tofu and marinaded tofu pieces.
I don't know how the braised tofu or mock duck compares to the chinese dish as I went veggie before discovering chinese food! (I think it is used at some of the veggie chinese buffets though.)

Everything mentioned is stocked by health food shops and some supermarkets.

[Guacamole Gal]

Hmm, sounds like an interesting alternative, I've never seen it my local healthfood shops or H&B either..Marrers, do you happen to know the brand/s who make it(the ones you buy)? Many thanks, then I might try to track it down

[cobweb]

I hated Tofu when I first bought it - i now eat it several times a week, it's great! . I like it soaked in soy sauce for a while before cooking so it has plenty of colour and flavour, or scrambled with sweetcorn, onions and peas.

Those marinaded pieces are absolutely gorgeous. I eat a whole tub for a snack .

[Guacamole Gal]

Don't worry cobweb, I do that too! In fact, i seem to do that with a lot of foodstuff...

I'm just greedy!!

[Hemlock]

I find tofu pretty much tasteless, you have to add flavour. Now I've given up salt I can taste it more and appreciate the texture.

Beech smoked or marinated tofu is great but I'm not sure if the coating contains MSG's so I no longer buy it.

http://www.newstarget.com/009379.html

[RachelJune]

I love smoked tofu - I'm not great at cooking the plain stuff, so this easy and tasty tofu I'm not sure what brand it is (not Cauldron or any of the popular ones) but I get it from our local health food store. It's very firm and has a strong smoked flavour. Great to eat straight out of the pack, chopped up in a salad or sliced in a chunky wholemeal sandwich.

[Marrers]

Marigold make the braised tofu (tins are wider and shorter than normal - like tuna tins) and I think Granose make the mock duck, but I couldn''t swear to it.

[mandee]

Sorry... i forgot to check this message :S

Haha... no, i don't have any set recipe to follow. I will def. be trying a stir fry though.


On a side note:
My mom is being really anal about my new shopping list.

'You probably won't even eat half of it... blah blah blah'

[Helen_Edwards]

Granose do make a mock duck (in a sort of pale brown tin). Mong Lee Shang do one too, which I've seen in lots of different Asian grocers (in a blue tin). They also do a mock cuttlefish (made from yam, I think) and mock abalone.

[BlackCats]

I'm going to have to look out for these lovely tofu things they sound yummers.

I have to start wandering further afield than H & B. I might go and look at health food shops in Central London the nearest one to me is Apple Jack in Stratford which I also have never been to.

[Guacamole Gal]

Thanks Marrers and Helen E for the help with sourcing these delights!

[pavotrouge]

Can you get tofu rosso in the UK? It's a version with tomatoes and Italian herbs... best ever!

[DancingWillow]

smoked tofu! have never tried that but it sounds yummy.

although if you count the smoked tofurkey slices, then i've had smoked tofu and really liked it.

[sponge]

Like most of the above posts, I don't notice a whole lot of difference between brands, but I try to stick to organic. If I buy a bunch of tofu at once, I do like to press it, cut it in cubes and freeze it. Then when I'm feeling hungry,(but lazy) I can grab out a half cup or so of the frozen cubes and toss them into a pan with a tad of oil and some soy sauce-or other sauce/spice. After a few minutes add some leftover veggies, rice or noodles and cook until your kitchen smells yummy!

Oops, I'm probably repeating what everyone else said. But the freezing does make it ultra convenient!

[Roxy]

Smoked tofu is really lovely. I like to slice it and lay it on crackers and top with cherry salsa!

[pavotrouge]

Where can you get cherry salsa ?!

[Greenboy]

You can get the braized tofu from sainsburys unless they have stopped stocking it recently, they seem on a backwards curve regarding vegan produce, when really they should have pushed on from other supermarkets, they treated it like a fad.

[mandee]

Hey everybody. Today was grocery shopping day... I got some tofu... i don't have it with me at the moment... but i will let you all know how i like it... i plan on using it for different things... being how my mom won't buy more until she know's ill eat it.

[mandee]

I made a tofu stir fry... i was a bit excessive with the soy sauce and the pepper... but all in all it's pretty good. Got a bit of an odd goonahavetogetusedtoit (all one word) texture. Not going to lie... that is the only set back... just the texture. Firm... yet soft and gooey. But it doesnt taste bad.

So, maybe i will go with extra-firm for this kind of a thing. Can anyone tell me how that texture is compared to plain old firm? And what about silken?

[Roxy]

Where can you get cherry salsa ?!

Here!

[cobweb]

Mandee if you freeze it and then defrost, and gently but firmly squeeze all the liquid out of it with a clean kitchen cloth it takes on a firmer but slightly more crumbly texture .

[pavotrouge]

thx roxy

[mandee]

thanks cobweb... i tried it in a different way and about gagged myself to death. its the texture.

[Roxy]

thx roxy

You're welcome! I notice they ship overseas - but it could work out to be rather expensive. If you go on holiday and visit Tigerlily, you can drive to the preserve factory and pick it up personally

[pavotrouge]

*lol* Now I need to get tigerlily to invite me over