Tell me about tofu?

Question

I'd like to learn a little about Tofu. I've heard good and bad about it and would like to get some opinions from people who've tried it.

What's the taste like?
What's the texture like?
Was anyone surprised at how well they liked it verses how bad they thought it would be? Or visa versa?
How is it best prepared?
Etc?

I'm not a vegetarian but I'm teaching myself to cook and from what I've read, tofu seems like a pretty flexible ingredient. I'm just a little hesitant to try it as I'm sure some can relate to.

Thanks all!

Ok, I'm getting great feedback but the overriding theme of "no taste of it's own" and "takes the taste of what it's cooked with" begs an additional question. Why use it? If it doesn't add any flavor to a dish, why does anyone use it? Texture? Nutritional value?

Answer 1

Yes, flexible and versatile are tofu's middle names... Because of the flavor (see "Taste" below) it can be used in stir-frys or to make soy whipped cream!

Tofu is made by processing soy beans into a "milk" and "Curdling" that milk, similar to how cheese is made by curdling cow's milk.

Taste: Tofu has no real taste of it's own.. but that's the beauty of it! It takes on/soaks up the seasonings of whatever ingredients/sauces it's cooked with..

Texture: Depends.. there are different ways of making tofu dishes and the texture can vary.. but generally its something like a soft cheese...

For me it was a bit of n aquired taste.. After enough exposure to it, it became one of my favorite foods!! At first I wasn't sure about it, though..

Best prepared: Its very good in Asian dishes. You know how to make stir fry?? Okay.. try this.. go to the grocery store, and near the produce section you'll find blocks of tofu in water.. Buy one labeled "Extra firm."

Take it home, and plan a stir-fry meal for that week

When you're stir-frying your veggies, take the tofu out of the package, drain all the water off well (squese the tofu slightly, but not until it breaks...

Slice the block up into "Cubes" or "squares" of an appetizing size..

Let these cubes sit in a bowl with soysauce and ginger powder.. A little garlic powder won't hurt either.

After The squares have marinated in the sauce and seasonings, dump it all into a pan with some oil and lightly fry for a few minutes until the tofu firms up a bit and doesn't look so "raw."

Add to your stir-fry vegetables and keep cooking until the vegetables are done!!

Eat over rice... with sweet and sour sauce, or peanut sauce, whatever..

Yes.. its good for it's nutritional value and texture.. It takes the place of meat in a dish, and while it doesn't have it's OWN flavor, if you use a couple different good seasonings... it DOES taste DELICIOUS!!

Answer 2

It's not completely tasteless. Firm tofu does have a pleasant flavor of its own, and you should make sure it hasn't expired. It's a very mild flavor. One could say the same about bread, cooked rice and egg white - rather flavorless foods but eaten by most people. Tofu tastes very good when cooked with the right spices. Unlike bread, rice and pasta, it is low in carbs and high in protein. It's also a source of iron and calcium which makes it a nutritional substitute for both meat AND cheese.
Try firm tofu first. It tastes better than soft tofu.

Answer 3

It certainly, certainly does help if you freeze it first. All water must be removed after unthawed. Tofu doesn't taste like anything, just what you put on it. I think it's a lot more tolerable not eaten alone because the flavour is so strong. Such as crumbled in fried rice. Since I personally think teriayaki is too strong for tofu, I flavour it like chicken. One can easily find pre-made seasoning. the texture? It should have around the same texture as chicken nuggets if you have extra firm tofu. Good luck, hon

Answer 4

Tofu is an acquired texture. It also takes a little practice to figure out what methods of preparation work for you. I freeze my tofu to give it a chewier texture, and then I press it to get all the liquid out. That avoids the mushiness usually associated with tofu. I usually pan-fry it with seasonings, but sometimes I'll bake it. You can also marinate and grill it.

I eat tofu because I like the melding of tofu and the seasonings. It's good for you (in moderation, of course). But I also eat other analogues made of soy that have completely different textures, and I like some of those.

Why do people eat meat when it needs seasonings to be palatable?

Answer 5

okay, I have to disagree Tofu is absolutely tasteless. Think about soy milk, they have the same ingredient from tofu, that is apparently - SOY. So, it hardly can say it is totally tasteless, but it has some hint of freshness. Tofu is highly healthy food with a huge deal of protein and other vitamins. I would describe its texture is more like something harder than yogurt, but softer than cheese. The very fresh tofu would make you feel the most tender food as if putting poplin cloth on your tongue (not as silk kind of extreme). If you can find some fresh tofu, you should try to steam it (without touching water kind of steam) and put some Virginia ham on the top. Steam them for around 15 minutes, spray some honey on the top after the steam tofu with ham is ready. If the tofu is bought from some grocery (like WalMart), I would recommend to deep fry it, serve with sweet and sour source. Oh, the outer crunchy, and the inner tender, how can you beat this mixture of texture in food~~~ =P~~~~~

Answer 6

I don't know much about tofu myself but if you do a search here you will find tons of questions/answers on it, including recipes and probably answers to all your questions.
Personally I like tofu when I've had it at restaurants... I haven't tried cooking it following a recipe yet but I think it's something worth trying. What I've heard over and over again is that it has no flavor... it will take on the flavor of whatever you are cooking it with. Good luck!

Answer 7

Your best bet is to go to a restaurant that knows how to make some good tofu dishes and try them to see how you like them. Braised tofu (soft/silken tofu sauteed in brown sauce with mushrooms and bamboo) or ma po tofu (spicy tofu), or other Chinese dishes are quite good, to me.

There are many types of tofu, it is analogous to cheese in a sense. Normally you can find "white block" tofu that is silken, soft, or firm, but you can get a few dozen different kinds of tofu (fried, baked, pressed, fermented, etc...) just like cheese comes in different types.

It is strange when people have negative comments about tofu and vegetarianism, because tofu is not specifically a vegetarian food, it is a cultural food that is normally in meat dishes.

I would say eating plain tofu is like eating plain pasta. Most people don't, but it can be something that is good tasting.

Answer 8

Tofu doesn't really taste like anything on its own but can be flavored to taste however would best compliment your dish.
The texture depends on what type you buy (eg. firm, medium or soft) and how it's cooked.
There are many different ways to prepare it. One of my favorites being to saute it with onions and veggies in a bit of olive oil and seasonings.

Answer 9

1. Tatses like nothing, bland flavor, after a while you get used to it.
2. Depends silken is really soft press down it squishes, firm more like harden jello.
3. I was suprised, at first I didnt really like it, now while I am cooking I sometimes grab a little piece off of the block and eat it plain. I guess after not eating meat for a while these things start to taste good.
4. Best prepared...I like mine crumbled up in pasta sauce, in lasagna, I like sweet and sour stir-fry tofu, and I like silken tofu in pound cake as well as in smoothies.

Answer 10

I actually think tofu is great even though i've only had a couple times as a chicken substitute. I had it in a stir-fry, and it tasted like soft chicken. I did think it would be horrible but if it is prepared right i think it is fantastic and not garbage.