Tofu is a lifesaver, especially for vegans! Everyone wants to feel the real taste of tofu but barely some of them know how to press tofu!
Tofu is made by coagulating soy milk into a kind of curd. When you go through the process of making tofu, there remains a lot of water content. Keeping more than necessary water in the tofu is not good for the tasty texture you want!
So, we are going to share 5 easy steps to drain tofu fast so that you get the perfectly made tasty tofu that is well textured.
Step 1: Things You Need to Press Tofu
If you are eyeing to eat tofu regularly, we suggest you buy the best tofu press. A tofu press is the best tool to drain out the extra moisture from the tofu. These are cheap and easy to use!
If you are someone who is not so into the tofu things but want to drain out tofu once in a lifetime, here is a quick guideline for you-
- Take two plates
- two towels (paper towels are recommended, cloth towels can also be used if paper towels are not available)
- Something of moderate weight i.e. a book or a box of food can do the work!
Step 2: Drain Out the Excess Water in the Sink
Store-bought tofu packages contain a bit of water that can be drained out without squeezing or pressing the tofu. Take a knife to cut through the side of the tofu pack, and drain out the excess liquid in the sink.
When you have homemade tofu, you will see water on the side of the container. The water needs to be carefully drained out without breaking the shaped tofu.
Step 3: Pressing Tofu
Now that you have the necessary equipment to do the job, set up the tofu press if have one. Pressing tofu is easy with the tofu press.
You need to follow the user manual that comes with the product. For your convenience, here is a quick generalized overview-
The press should come in two parts, one goes above the tofu and the other rests under the tofu. You need to recognize which part goes up and which goes down. Now, place the tofu on the press and use the upper part to the press.
Some press comes with a pressing handle, and some come with tightening screws. Use that for draining out the moisture out of tofu.
If you do not have a tofu press, follow this process to drain the water from tofu-
Take a plate and lay down one paper towel on it. Now, place the tofu in the middle of the plate and lay down another paper towel on top.
The other plate will go on top of the second paper towel. As you do not have anything to create pressure on the tofu to drain out the water, you can use a book or food can to put pressure on the tofu.
Step 4: Watch Out For Perfect Drain Out
Tofu needs to be pressed for about 15 minutes to an hour depending on the moisture in it. When you have experience in pressing the tofu, you will feel how much time the tofu needs to be pressed by generally seeing the tofu surface.
But if you are not that experienced, you need to check in every 5 to 10 minutes so that you do not end up over squeezing the tofu.
Step 5: Removing the Tofu from the Press
As you have drained out the excess moisture from the tofu, you now need to carefully remove the tofu from the press for further processing. The removing process is simple but needs care.
You should carefully remove the toppings you have used to press the tofu, and place the tofu in a new container. Leaving the tofu in the press or on the plate which you used for pressing can cause the tofu surfaces to get moisture again.
Final Words
As you finish draining out the moisture from tofu, you should now consider slicing the tofu into small cubes and store in the refrigerator.
Storing the sliced tofu pieces in the refrigerator makes the tofu firmer and more absorbent. This will help to enhance the taste and texture of the tofu if you are looking for a tofu recipe where tofu is going to be baked or grilled!
If you have any questions relating to the topic, do not hesitate to leave a comment below.
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