Tofu?

Who likes it? How do you like to prepare it? What's your weapon of choice for getting it down a mountain fastest?

I dont mind it. You just have to cook it with something flavorful, otherwise it tastes like nothing. Think of it as a meat "replacement". Nice Initial D referance. But he drove it UP the mountain didnt he?

cxhb wrote: I dont mind it. You just have to cook it with something flavorful, otherwise it tastes like nothing. Think of it as a meat "replacement". Nice Initial D referance. But he drove it UP the mountain didnt he?

Oops

Tofu is so boring that Takumi had to race home to TAKE A NAP!!!

If you're cooking with it get the firm or extra firm refrigerated tofu. The silken stuff in the shelf stable packages is for thickening up smoothies, pies, etc.

Check out VeganDiva's Blog for some recipes/ideas.

I've had tofu prepared a number of different ways. Some were tolerable, usually at nicer Japanese restaurants/sushi bars, most have made me gag. Still haven't found any tofu that tastes good enough to make it a regular part of my diet, but am always open to try new things so will be reading this thread.

Mostly I just wanted to hotlink this:

I just recently started buying herbed tofu... it tastes great in a stir fry. It's firm and easy to slice in small strips. I always considered tofu to be not-food, just something to hold your nose and choke down because it's supposed to be good for you, but this stuff changed my mind.

Any tofu is good tofu IMO. My friends think I'm odd.

Make sure to not spill any water when driving it up the mountain. This is key for some reason, although personally, I think old Bunta was just making E36 M3 up in order to be a hardass. Wax on, wax off.

Just had some a few minutes ago in fajitas. The trick is to get the refrigerated extra firm and remember that it is a base. That means it is tasteless by itself but will absorb any flavors you cook it in. Tonight we stir-fried cubes of it with bell peppers, sweet onions, fresh squash (right out of the back garden), and some rosemary. It was excellent!

It (and veg food period) can be very tasty and healthy. My family has a history of heart disease and I'm a chunky monkey, so stopping the meat intake and replacing with tofu has helped me drop 25lbs this year (and go quicker at the autocross!) not to mention improved the... uh... pre-marital relations?

if you like spicy, find a good Szechuan recipe for ma po tofu. Google is your friend.

If you don't need "tofu" specifically, seitan is another "meat replacement" vegetarian alternative that can have a better texture than tofu, but still cooks and fries up well...

You're two days late...

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/can-we-please-stop-hotlinking-pics/20411/page228/

mtn wrote: Mostly I just wanted to hotlink this:

just like carob is NOT chocolate, tofu is not meat. I had tofu "tunafish" the other day...it wasn't...

Not that it was bad, but calling it tuna fish just leads to disappointment. So, the new rule in the house is anything made of tofu can not be called whatever it supposedly is imitating. The challenge will be to create new names that are appealing, but not misleading... shes working on it...

New rule number 2, tofu will not replace actual meat.

Ive tried, and we've reduced our real meat intake drastically over the past few years. ill try just about anything, but i need me some cow at least once a week or i get real cranky... even if its just chili or hamburger. vegetable protein does not work the same as animal protein with me.

As for recipes for tofu, ill let you know when she comes up with something i think is actually good. so far its okay, but nothing ive yearned to have again made with tofu...

I like the extra firm stuff, especially when it is crispy. I usually get a block, and then cut it into thirds lengthwise (three pieces with the same length and width as the initial block). Then I crisp it up on my pannini press. Once it's crisp and golden, I toss it into a frying pan with seasonings such as sesame oil, garlic, and onion.

Don't be fooled by the "medium" and "firm" varieites -- you really want the extra-firm as a base.

I'm the sort of guy that spends 18 hours smoking pork shoulders, but I still like tofu.

Put it between two plates, weight the top plate down with 10lbs and let it sit for a few hours. The liquid gets drained off and the texture gets more meaty. Then slice it thin and fry it. Marination optional, 'cause once it's fried all it needs is salt to taste awesome. Add some veggies and you've got yourself a meal.

You can also freeze it, take it out, thaw it and then marinate. Freezing it gets the water out of it and lets it soak up marinade better. Changes the texture for the better, IMO.

Alton Brown has a pretty easy/kick-ass chocolate tofu pie made with the silken stuff. Mark Bittman at the NYT has a pretty awesome chocolate pudding made with tofu, too. I know it sounds a bit weird, but the softer tofu is pretty damn amazing as flavorless-but-substantial base for desserts.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/moo-less-chocolate-pie-recipe/index.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/201mrex.html

The other good alternative is the textured soy protein (TSP) -- it looks like ground beef, and you can use it in many different ways.

If you are reducing the amount of meat you consume, don't forget about beans.I think beans are a cheaper and better alternative than tofu. Easier on the planet, as well (although you may produce a lot of natural gas if you aren't used to a bean-rich diet ).

Ummmm. Now you've got me craving a fish-belly white slab of cold, slimy tofu!

I have eaten the stuff, but it's all about the preparation. People should think of tofu as tofu and not as a vegetarian meat alternative. That way they wouldn't be disappointed.

I've had some pretty good seitan "barbecue" and there's another soy "meat" called tempeh that has a fairly distinct flavor.

In reply to 1988RedT2:

I thnk tempeh is the same thing as textured-soy product. It does taste better than tofu that hasn't been prepared in any creative way.

ZOO wrote: If you are reducing the amount of meat you consume, don't forget about beans.I think beans are a cheaper and better alternative than tofu. Easier on the planet, as well

This statement does not compute... tofu IS beans. It's soy bean curd.

+1 to a lot of what's been said. Tofu is fine so long as it owns up to being tofu, and doesn't try to sneak in as something else. "I'm a hotdog!" "I'm turkey!" "I'm hamburger!" No you're not, skippy, now calm down and get friendly with some snap peas.

EDIT: I meant to post up the only decent meat-replacement product I know - MorningStar Farms sausage patties. Fry those things up in some olive oil, and you'd never know the difference other than you don't get that overgreased feeling after eating 'em.

ReverendDexter wrote:

ZOO wrote: If you are reducing the amount of meat you consume, don't forget about beans.I think beans are a cheaper and better alternative than tofu. Easier on the planet, as well

This statement does not compute... tofu IS beans. It's soy bean curd.

Highly-processed, soy-bean curd that needs to be refrigerated. Beans can be dried with little or no processing required. They don't need to be refrigerated, either. It's like the false advertising around hybrid cars -- the environmental impact of a Prius is much more than its fuel-mileage rating once one considers where the power for the batteries comes from.

I like tofu, but we don't have any mountains around here.

ReverendDexter wrote: This statement does not compute... tofu IS beans. It's soy bean curd. +1 to a lot of what's been said. Tofu is fine so long as it owns up to being tofu, and doesn't try to sneak in as something else. "I'm a hotdog!" "I'm turkey!" "I'm hamburger!" No you're not, skippy, now calm down and get friendly with some snap peas.

I don't know why, but this made me laugh my a$$ off.

I think of tofu as a sort of cheese or EGG alternative. Cheese, only in the sense that you don't eat a lot of cheese by itself, unless it's been aged (tho you should NOT "age" tofu). And definitely like eggs because there is/are a gazillion uses for tofu, but like eggs it tastes better with something in it/on it/added to it.

Years ago I made brownies for a company picnic that had tofu instead of eggs in the batter. No one could taste the difference.

Along the same lines, try soymilk. Actually, try FLAVORED soymilk. Something like Silk brand soymilk in vanilla flavor tastes quite a bit like a vanilla milk shake.

By the way, thanks to this thread I'm having tofu for lunch.