How Do I Use Tofu?

I have never before used Tofu and I'm very low on money (I'm 16, what do you expect?) I'm not quiet sure what to do with it, truth be told. I've found recipes online but I'm weary of trying them because I can't go out and buy tofu all the time.

Also, some people I've asked say it tastes horrible, and other's say the it depends on how you cook it.

And there's so many different kind. The recipes I look at use Tofu in replacement of chicken.

So basically, how do I find the right kind of tofu for what I'm cooking and how should I go about the whole process. I'm sure you guys are much better at it than me.How Do I Use Tofu?
Tofu is mostly tasteless, but that's a good thing! It means you flavor it however you want! I love the stuff, could eat it 3 times a day.



THe easiest type of tofu to cook with is Extra firm. You'll find it in the refrigerated section near the PRODUCE in your supermarket. IT will be a block of tofu in a package with water, labeled extra firm.



Try this recipie. I love it.



Take the tofu out of the package, drain it well.

Mash it up with a fork until it looks like feta cheese.



Put it in a non-stick frying pan with maybe a little oil. Set the pan on medium (4-6)



Add black pepper, a couple dashes of soy sauce, some chicken flavored seasoning if you can find some made without actual chicken, and nutritional yeast flakes if you can find them. If not, try adding some garlic powder, onion powder, and tumeric. Watch the salt if you use soysauce or chicken flavor seasoning. Both those things are salty, so if you use them, you don't need to add salt!



Let it simmer in those seasonings, stirring only often enough to keep it from sticking to the pan. When all the moisture (Extra water) is gone, and the tofu doesn't look so ';raw'; anymore, then add some salsa (my favorite: original style pace picante mild) and/or some chopped diced tomatoes. Be sure to wait till tofu is almost done to add tomato products, tomatoes can make other ingredients stop cooking!



Let tofu cook with salsa and tomatoes for a couple more minutes.



Remove from heat



Eat this ';scrambled tofu'; with a spoonfull of sour cream on a warm tortilla! YUM!!



Another maybe even easier recipie.



Drain the block of tofu well, cut into cubes whichever size you want



Put the cubes of tofu in a bowl large enough to stir them in.

Add Some soysauce and ginger powder. Stir gently (you don't want to break the cubes up too much, but you want to make sure the soy sauce and ginger powder gets on all the tofu.



LEt it sit in this mixture for a few minutes (maybe 10).



';Fry'; In a non-stick pan or with a little oil, until you see hints of brown on the tofu.



It is SUPER yummy on rice with sweet and sour sauce! Or you can add it to your stir-fry vegetables, asian noodles, whatever asian food you want.How Do I Use Tofu?
it does not taste very good use a lot of seasoning
Tofu isn't the only way for you to get the protien you need in your diet.

There are plenty of books out there.

You can't really go wrong with tofu though. If you don't cook it right it won't hurt you is just might not taste the way you wanted. I usually eat it with a stir fly. If you get the extra frim tofu and cut it in to small pieces you can cook them until the ooutside is a bit crunchy. I like peanut sauce but you can put whatever you want on them.
Buy the firm stuff (go organic if you can) and cut lengthwise into 1'; strips and marinade for a couple of hours. You can use a meat marinade recipe.

Then throw them on the BBQ.

Very Tasty
Tofu can sometimes be a food that takes a little getting used to- or you might love it from the first bite.

I'm vegan, and my brother is a definite ';meat lover';. I can't stand tofu unless it's been marinated and cooked well, but my brother loves tofu so much he'll eat it straight out of the package without any seasonings.

Buy tofu from Chinatown if you can. It's always much cheaper there, for some reason. At the market down the street from where I live, tofu is over twice the price of the same tofu in Chinatown. Plus you can get a lot of great seasonings there.

Marinate your tofu first. Tofu by nature has very little flavour; that's why it's so great. Depending on the texture of the tofu (Extra firm, firm, medium, soft, silken...) and the way you prepare it, it can take on hundreds of different tastes.
Types of tofu

Firm tofu - Firm tofu is dense and can be cubed and stir-fried, grilled, scrambled, pickled, smoked, baked, barbecued or served in soups. Firm tofu is higher in protein, fats and calcium than other types of tofu.



Soft tofu - Soft tofu is more suited for recipes in which tofu needs to be blended.



Silken tofu - Silken tofu has a creamy structure and is also used in blended dishes. In Japan, silken tofu is consumed as such with some soy sauce.



Just start trying recipes you think you would like
The only time I use tofu is when I want to replace eggs. Tofu scrambles, quiches, and omelettes are some of my favorite tofu dishes. The consistency is pretty similar. Tofu has little to no taste by itself, so make sure you use plenty of seasoning or marinade. I usually buy firm tofu for my dishes, but as a meat replacement you may want extra-firm.
Damn, what did you do, lose a bet? Why would you intentionally ingest tofu? It tastes like.....tofu.
Many, many, MANY WAYS ...



too many to list here...



* try marinating the tofu and then baking it



* try putting it in stir fry with a sauce



* try adding it to a shake/smoothie



* try deep frying it



There is so much more ... but you got some ideas ... run with them ;-)



Use it like a meat, use it like a cheese, use it like a yogurt, use it like a milk ... get the point ;-)
tofu tacos are good

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