How to Press Tofu

Looks pretty "blah" right out of the package

 Tofu is amazingly versatile. It starts as a slimy, colorless, nearly tasteless block of smushed-together bean curd (which is exactly what it sounds like—the curds you get when you cause soybean milk to coagulate, much like the curds you’d get from cow’s milk). Happily, the qualities that make it so unappealing in raw form are also what make it so much fun to cook with and so handy to have around. It is pretty tasteless on its own, but it soaks up just about any flavors you care to add to it very nicely. Same with color.

Admittedly, though, tofu needs a little extra help when it comes to texture.

Different textures work well for different purposes, but my favorite thing to do with it is to press most of the moisture out of the tofu, which makes gives it a satisfyingly firm, chewy, almost meaty texture. Pressed tofu is particularly good when marinated and baked—I like to slice it thin and put it on a salad, toss it with noodles, or just snack on it when I have it around.

There are endless possibilities when it comes to pressed tofu, and here is the best pressing method I’ve found after much experimentation.

You will need:

a block of extra-firm tofu

a clean dish towel

a medium-sized cutting board

a chef’s knife

something heavy, like a stock pot or a large skillet, or both

two dinner plates

 

Here’s what you do:

Step 1: Slice the tofu width-wise (along the broad side) into five pieces.

Step 2: Wrap the slices in a clean dish towel, stacking them so that you have a piece of towel in between each slice. This is so the towel will soak up as much moisture as possible.

Step 3: Place the stack on a big plate, put another big plate on top, and set something very heavy over the whole thing—like a big skillet. Leave it to sit for at least 20 min, more if you have time.

Step 4: Prepare the tofu however you like: bake it, fry it, marinade it, sear it, etc. (See the post above for one of my favorites.)

Enjoy,

KB