I was talking to my BFF Vicki the other day and she was telling me about how I should try tofu.
Tofu? Hmmmm.
But then she told me:
- it tastes like nothing
- it costs $3.00 for a block of it = cheap ass protein
- it absorbs soy sauce really well
Trust me, I surprised myself too when I started wandering around the aisles of Giant looking for tofu.
Not ashamed (well…maybe a little ashamed) that it took me approximately 17 minutes of wandering to find it.
I had no idea whether it was in the frozen section, the coldish section near the eggs, or sittin’ on the shelves next to the ramen. I was even too embarrassed to ask a worker where it was, since I didn’t want to look like a wide-eyed dumbass next to the ramen.
Once I finally found the tofu aisle, there were so many options to choose from. Extra lite tofu? Extra firm tofu? Wtf.
I settled for middle-of-the-road FIRM.
Lies.
It was not firm.
A little less gross than cooking raw chicken though. Speaking of chicken, I only semi-freaked out had to double check that I didn’t need to cook the tofu for a certain amount of time in order not to get salmonella. Thank god for Google.
I tried to cut it into little pieces like the kind that come in Pad Thai.
But it turned into the kind that looks like cat food.
The result:
I can’t decide whether I like it or not.
Vicki was right about the above bullet points, but I’m not so sure about the texture.
I think I need to try EXTRA EXTRA FIRM next time.
Thanks as always to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!
What is your opinion on tofu?
Love it? Hate it? What do you eat it with?
Chicken Nugget Girl 
ROFL! You want “pressed” tofu. Whole foods and Trader Joes have it, and it even comes flavored (teriyaki, smoked).
I’ll definitely get that next time instead. Unpressed tofu apparently isn’t my thing!
I’ve never tried tofu in meals, but I can say it makes your smoothies creamier 🙂
And would add lots of extra protein – I’ll have to try that!
Oh lord, you’re cracking me up! Silken tofu works better as a dairy substitute. Pressed is better when you want something with a little firmer consistency. I usually cut it into 1/2-3/4″ cubes and fry it on the stove until it’s crispy. If I’m making stir fry, I throw in a little soy sauce as well. I find it helps to dry it a bit with a paper towel when you take it out of the package to get rid of extra moisture. Come visit me and I’ll cook for you 🙂
I must visit soon! C’ville and Vicki tofu are calling…
The key to being able to eat tofu as “meat” pieces is to press all of the water out of it. My method is to layer a crap ton of towels on a plate, put the block of tofu on that, a plate on top of the tofu and heavy cookbooks on top of the plate to really press the water out. I do that for an hour at least, sometimes more.
That’s what my mom said too! Thanks for the advice! 🙂
I like it extra, extra firm, and dried off, then “fried,” not w/ oil, but in flat pieces, in soy sauce.
I think my problem must have been not getting the water out. Next time!
I love tofu. But only when prepared by others haha
I’m thinking along those same lines too, haha! I’m def that way with meat.