How to Press Tofu (For Marinades or Frying)

Submitted by Chef Joey Z.

"I use organic soy in my diet sometimes and on occasion I coat it with flour and saute it or sometimes I like to barbecue it on the grill. Whenever I do that, I find that pressing it first really helps. I always like to marinade the brick of tofu before I grill it. If it is watery inside the tofu block, the bbq. sauce wouldn't taste right. You want the flavour to be bold, not washed out. In the ingredients I used two blocks of tofu because you can't use just one ingredient as Recipezaar won't accept it. I also attached a photo of how I press my tofu. Believe me it does make a difference to your recipe whether you coat the tofu and fry it or make it in a casserole or bbq. it as I have here. I used extra firm tofu as it holds up well to being grilled. You can use whatever marinade you want. Just remember the tofu will aborb what ever flavours you introduce into it. I am going to use bbq. sauce as a marinade and then brush it on while its grilling. You can half this recipe or increase the amount you use depending on how many people you're feeding. I don't know if this method will work for tofu that has been previously frozen, I've always used fresh."

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 2
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 1 (14 ounce) package tofu (organic)
• 1 (14 ounce) package tofu (organic)

directions

1. Remove your tofu from its package and drain. Set the tofu on a flat cookie sheet. Please use Organic Tofu if you can find it. I don't use the regular kind because I do not want GMO in my meals.
2. Put a piece of wood or ceramic tile covered in tin foil on top of the tofu. Then use a heavy object to sit on top of the wood or tile. Whatever you use should be flat and fairly heavy.
3. Let the tofu press for at least 20 minutes on one side.
4. Flip the tofu and press an additional 15 minutes.
5. You should get a fair amount of liquid out of the tofu. I got slightly over 1/2 cup out of the two blocks of tofu I pressed.
6. Once this is done you can slice the tofu and marinade it or leave it whole. I am going to cut it in 4 equal pieces and poke holes in it with a wooden skewer so the marinade goes into the middle of the tofu as well.
7. You can marinade the tofu for several hours or over night. I wouldn't leave it any less then 3 hours. The longer the better!