Oh yes please realize I wasn't trying to inflame a tofu/health debate. Since people are so different in their lifestyles it really does depend on alot of factors. What I'm saying is just like what rachelellen is saying, that it just depends so I wouldn't write tofu off for health reasons any more than I would embrace it as the cure all. Individual mileage may vary. There are some people who can't eat tofu or shouldn't eat tofu, no doubt about it. My brother is allergic to soy and has a histamine reaction to it. Soybean oil too for him. That's one reason he is such a picky eater, soybean oil is in so many things. Soy is one of the more common allergens. Not to mention it is a source of phyto-estrogens, which may or may not be good for you depending on which research you read. So if soy's not your thing, no problem. Now, if you want to add soy to your diet because you want to cut down on saturated fat, eat low on the food chain and help the planet a little, or just be cool, then there's a lot of advice out there. Since soy has such a bland taste, eating it plain is probably not the way to learn to love it. But it's bland taste yet relatively high protein level is the beauty of the stuff. It is very adaptable. I'm not a huge fan of frozen tofu. About the only recipe I have that calls for first freezing the tofu is one for tofu sloppy joes. Frozen then thawed tofu has the texture and somewhat taste of a sponge, IMHO. The issue for some people is that tofu doesn't have that chewy texture that they would like. Well, I can see if you're thinking tofu is a 'meat replacement' that would bug you. If you want chewy texture, you're going to want Textured Vegetable Protein, not tofu. Tofu is bound to disappoint if you want meat but eat tofu instead. Now, if you just want to eat something that has protein and tastes good, then I suggest adding tofu to highly spiced dishes, things like well seasoned stir fries or curries. Or putting it in casseroles with a lot of other flavorful ingredients. It's good in lasagne, for example. Now, for a chewier texture with tofu, that's the idea behind baking tofu. What you basically do is slather on a marinade on the tofu (it doesn't penetrate tofu like it does meat) and then bake it for about an hour, checking to see that the marinade isn't burning and turing in rebasting it about halfway through. That dries out the tofu and gives it a chewy texture. Usually I just us a bottle of some kind of commercial dressing like italian or asian to use as the marinade, but it's cheaper to make your own and you can give it the taste you like. Actually most of the time I just buy it already pre-baked and seasoned. That stuff, which they sell vacume sealed in plastic, keeps indefinately in the fridge and freezes OK, although you will have some sponginess issues. The reason tofu gets spongy in the freezer is the water in it freezes and then when it thaws it leaves holes in the tofu where the water ice crystals were. The drier the tofu is to begin with the better it will freeze. Here is a link that might be useful: Soy allergies

Since some of mine are on Zaar, I will warn you to read my page first before trying them. It is under the name house. There is a disclaimer there on the current database and the recipes located on Zaar. As to easy, look nothing could be easier as long as you know how to do tofu. Since we aren't taught by our parents it isn't easy. First There are two types. One is the Mori Nu type aka silken. It is soft like a cottage cheese or cream cheese. It is best in smoothies and desserts such as pudding Don't try to drain it by pressing unless you plan on crumbling it. The other, waterpacked is firmer. If you freeze it, it is much tougher and more meatlike but will resemble a sponge. Esp if you freeze, drain. Simply put on a slanted board and put a heavy plate or pan on top. Let sit until the water stops running. Now it is ready to marinate. Tofu has taste. However it is so bland everything else overshadows it. Use your favorite 'sauce'. At our house we sometimes just pour sundried tomato dressing or raspberry pecan dressing over it and crumble and serve on a salad. The catch is marination time. The longer it sits, the more it will taste like what you are soaking it in. For a Western Beginner I recommend at least over night. Me? well heck I nibble it as I cut it so... However when we started the wife out on it, I soaked it overnight. Now what to do? Lets see Crumble and put on salad I make a dish that uses the tofu, our favorite bread dressing and veggies mixed in for a casserole. If you are lacto add a vegetarian cheese on top and melt. I make our favorite stir fry sauce, marinate and simply pan fry with no oil [use cooking spray for this]. Bake until golden brown and serve with sides Toss cooked or uncooked in a stir fry Make Chocolate pudding or Vanilla pudding BBQ it Toss in your favorit stew Make Dumplings such as Buddah's Jewels for a fancier meal Mix with Seitan and make a loaf to replace turkey on thanksgiving After you start working with it, the net has oodles of recipes that you can pick up in a hurry. If you follow the link off my Zaar page, it will take you to where I now keep the recipes and I vouch for them as accurate. There is a long page of tofu recipe on the site under Vegetarian/Vegan on this site. Some are for advanced users and some are for beginners. The Orange Lacquered Tofu and Ricker's Tofu Roast are my favorites. The chocolate pudding ain't shabby either. Note Ricker's tofu roast uses Seitan in the mix. That is simple to make. 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten [you can find that in the bakng section usually by Hodgson Mills or Bob's Red Mill] and 1/2 cup water, mix, knead 5 minutes boil in your favorite broth for an hour then use, refrigerate in broth or freeze in broth for future use. And if you run into trouble give a yell. Humm maybe I better thaw the garlic pepper tofu for supper. Psst if you run into any smoked tofu? Give it a try. I love it.

As I'm searching for a 24" induction cooktop and finding that the ones from the reputable companies like Bosch, Wolf, Fisher Paykel are so outrageously expensive...am wondering about companies such as Gasland, Kenyon, Silken that are available at Wayfair.com, Amazon.... Do you know what is being compromised on one of those cheaper ones? Is it the mechanism? The glass? Would love to know! Thanks!

Spouse and I grew up with tofu so we love it. Our favorite is the custard tofu - soft, fresh, and extremely perishable. It can be served sweet or savory; either way, it must be used within 3 days max as it will spoil. Most large-scale commercial tofus do not taste anywhere near as good as the tofu from better quality, small-scale tofu companies. They have a bitter, chalky taste in comparison to the best tofus. When my spouse and I visit a new Japanese restaurant, the first thing we order is the agedashi tofu. It is an exquisitely simple dish and how well the restaurant does it, will show precisely how good - or bad - the kitchen and chef are. It's the same idea as a vinaigrette dressing in a French restaurant - three ingredients, very simple; where it's all about balance and quality. It was very sad a few years ago when the SF Bay Area lost one of its old time tofu makers in San Jose. It had been open almost 100 years but the third-gen owners decided to retire. For those who are interested, NPR did a short but lovely article on Ota Tofu in Portland, OR, considered the oldest tofu shop extant. You'll notice they say they thought about automating, bought a machine, tasted the tofu, and shoved the machine back in the box to remain unused! https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2020/01/26/778573244/photographing-one-of-americas-oldest-tofu-shops