I'm a vegetarian and I agree, yuck. The extra firm kind is good when fried or baked (Thai restaurants do it better than I've ever been able to.) Why did he recommend it? I actually try to limit my intake of soy as I've been reading some not so flattering articles about it.

Silken is good in smoothies. I like tofu but it has to be cooked a certain way. I like it baked or fried. Tofu is like a sponge and will absorb all the flavors you put into it.

It's also good crumbled up into little pieces and used in place of ricotta in Italian food.

One thing that helps the texture is to put it on a towel with another towel on it and put something heavy on top for a few hours. This forces the water out and leaves a firmer, dryer texture that a lot of people prefer.

I think soy is okay in moderation, though I usually prefer unprocessed sources like edamame, yum.

I have a question about preparation? I like tofu and do the towel thing chi83 described. I've used it in many ways including marinating and then baking in the marinade. As long as I don't overbake, it is fine. In this particular application, the texture seems to suffer if it bakes too long. It's hard for me to describe, but the overbaked tofu takes on a chalky-like texture and taste that I find unappealing. Why is that?

I know many people say to freeze, thaw, and squeeze the liquid out to create a chewy, meat-like texture. I tried that once and found the texture and taste horrid -- really chalky. Have any of you had better luck with the freeze-thaw-squeeze method? What do you think is the cause of the chalkiness I seem to run into?

My sister is vegetarian and my brother-in-law is vegan. They have successfully made "cheesecake" and chocolate pie with silken tofu. I always wanted to try and make an alfredo sauce with it but haven't tried it yet. As I understand it, silken tofu is used to give your food creamy textures. I have never played with either tofu or silken tofu yet (but they're on my "list" of this to experiment with!)

Not a fan of tofu. The texture and lack of taste doesn't do it for me. The one place I do like it is in Hot and Sour soup. It is sliced thinly and added to the mushrooms and spring onions. It takes on the flavor of the broth so it actually has a taste. NancyLouise

From More Lean and Luscious cookbook-published 1988.

Tofu Raspberry Mousse makes 4 servings

1 pkg. raspberry flavored gelatin- sugar free if desired
3/4 cup boiling water
2/3 cup non fat dry milk
6 oz. tofu, sliced, drained well between paper towels
1 tsp honey
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 1/2 cups ice cubes

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water, stirring until completely dissolved. Pour into a blender container.
Add remaining ingredients and blend until ice cubes are completely dissolved. Pour mixture into one large bowl or 4 individual serving bowls.
Chill

per serving
89 calories
8 grams protein
2 grams fat
8 grams carbohydrate
126 mg. sodium
2 mg cholesterol

This is really tasty and even the men went back for seconds.
It can also be made with orange Jello with mandarin oranges folded in before chilling.

I am not sure why you need to squeeze water out from tofu.
They sell firm, medium and silken tofu. But if you must, steaming the silken tufo will get a lot of the water out.

They also have fried tofu and seasoned tofu.

I happen to like tofu. once or twice a week at least. Inexpensive and healthy.

dcarch

There are lot of different styles of tofu. Don't have time to go into all the differences, but I think it is Chinese tofu that has the firm texture. The kind that comes in a water bath. But you can also buy that kind of tofu baked and seasoned, which firms it up even more. That is a whole other animal than silken tofu. Even the firm silken tofu is, well . . . SILKEN! To make the most of that you have to use it in the same vein as you would something like ricotta cheese, sour cream, mayonaise, etc. My favorite use for silken tofu is in spinach dip. I sub half of the sour cream and mayo in the traditional recipe with tofu. Cuts calories and fat, and isn't detectable. You can buy packets of flavoring for silken tofu to make puddings, or find your own recipes online. It makes a great non-diary pudding subsitute. Can also use in italian dishes, either completely subbing for ricotta or partially. Yes, can make vegan cream pies, pumpkin pie and "cheesecakes" sans cheese with it. I can't be bothered to do those fancy desserts, if I do use it in a dessert it is the pudding sub. I make jam tarts with it, using phyllo cups, lemon or vanilla flavored silken tofu pudding, and a dab of homade jam. Healthy and delicious, but doesn't keep. The pudding does, not the tarts, they get soggy. Could be done with a regular pie crust which doesn't get soggy but is full of fat. All depends. But I wouldn't use silken tofu for a stir fry. Maybe as part of a noodle dish. I dunno, I buy and eat the baked stuff mostly. Oh, and you can make fruit smoothies out of it. Don't overdo. The dangers of soy are for those who think if a little is good, a lot is better, and who take large supplement doses. I eat tofu all the time and it has contributed to my health a lot, IMHO.

Thanks everybody for the imput. I'm just a little hesitant to experiment because it doesn't sound too enticing; however, I think the dessert end sounds better to me. I just can't imagine frying it and don't think I would want to squeeze the water out of it. I'm struggling with this because everybody sounds like it is really healthy for you. Oh well, sometimes I get weird ideas. I do appreciate the information. Barb

Think of it this way, it's not weird just not western. Asian cultures use soybeans a lot, for a lot of things. Lord knows they may think our hotdogs are weird, lol! Also, it's not weird to folks who have lactose intolerance, they eat soy substitutes all the time. If it wasn't a good idea it wouldn't be around that much. Here's a link to the pudding mixes I get, you might want to look for some in a health food section of a grocery store or order from Amazon. That's the link, to Amazon's merchandise page. Mori Nu Pudding Mix for silken tofu

We eat tofu once a week, but I usually only buy the extra firm kind.

I've had silken tofu in smoothies, and they taste just fine. Aside from that, I suppose you could use it to help make dips or dressings. I would do a quick search on foodgawker to get some inspiration.

I love tofu scramble for breakfast and it works with any kind of tofu. Saute onions and garlic, some sliced mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, black olives, spinach or broccoli - anything you'd like in a frittata...add tofu and scramble until it's crumbled and warm. I love it spiced with basil or curry spices. Sprinkle on some feta or parmesan. Salsa is good with it. It's a great vegetarian, high protein start to your day.

I like tofu, and have just recently started to cook it more often. Earlier this week we had a version of the Eggplant and Tofu. I did a combination of the following two recipes. I don't think I want it every week but once or twice a month would be okay.

Stir fried Tofu

Adapted from Torview (http://torviewtoronto.blogspot.com/)

4 tablespoons peanut oil
Cornstarch
1 container of tofu medium firm, drained
4 or 5 green onions
2 garlic cloves
Black pepper, fresh, coarsely ground
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons chicken broth
Salt or soy sauce

Cut tofu into 1 inch cubes.
Heat oil in wok. Dust tofu cubes with cornstarch and fry until
golden brown. (Fry in batches).

Remove tofu from pan. Add garlic, cook for 30 seconds. Add green
onions, oyster sauce and chicken broth. Add the tofu back into wok,
toss to coat with sauce. Add black pepper and season with salt or soy
sauce..

Eggplant and Tofu
adapted from: Food 4 Wibowo

Ingredients:
5 medium Chinese eggplants
1 package firm tofu cut into 1 inch cubes
3 tablespoons oil
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 slices ginger, finely chopped
1 stalk lemon grass (white part only), sliced in half and bruised
6 green onions, finely chopped
1.5 tablespoons chili paste (I used Sambal Oelek)
1/2 chicken broth

Sauce:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine
1 tablespoon Thai Sweet Chili sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1.5 teaspoons sesame oil

Directions:
Cut eggplants length wise and then cut each half into 2-inch pieces.
Combine all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
Stir fry garlic, ginger, lemon grass and eggplants over medium heat in a heavy bottom pan or a wok for 4 minutes until the eggplants absorb the oil and begin to soften.
Add in tofu, green onion and the chili paste and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the sauce and mix carefully to combine all the ingredients.
Add the chicken broth and cover the pan with a lid, lower the heat and simmer for 6 minutes.
Sprinkle with chopped green onion. Stir one more time and serve.

For the silken tofu, I would mix it with scrambled eggs - it would have a similar effect to adding an extra egg white. You can use Oly's recipe, but I would not omit the eggs altogether.

Normally I buy firm tofu, and I saute thin strips of it to add to tacos, burritos, or sandwiches. I tend not to like it as a main ingredient, and I often buy Dofu instead.

Lars

Mash it up with a hand potato masher, add an egg, salt, pepper, and about 1/4 c. parmesan. Use it in place of ricotta in lasagna (we usually make a vegetarian spinach lasagna).

While Ann T's stuff looks delicious and mouthwatering, I don't know if the silken tofu would hold up to stir frying. I'm wondering what kind you used Ann? Silken tofu is good in tofu scramble, but I'm like Lars, I need and egg white or two to give me the texture I need. Dofu? Is that more dried tofu? I buy the baked seasoned stuff because it is vacume sealed and ready to go. When I buy the stuff in the water bath I just don't tend to use it up fast enough, it goes bad on me.

"Dofu? Is that more dried tofu?"

dofu = tofu

It's just a slight difference in pronunciation and spelling.

Jim

Or is that just how Homer Simpson says "tofu."

I like tofu. To me it has a pleasant mild nutty flavor. I usually use medium or firm tofu and do simple stir fries with toasted sesame oil, tamari, ginger, etc. I have incorporated the silken tofu into crustless quiche.

I saw tempeh today and almost bought some but blanked about its use. Does anyone here eat tempeh?

Ann T, mouthwatering is definitely the word! I've never tried dusting the tofu with cornstarch, I will have to do that next time.