Perhaps you have eaten tofu before and perhaps not; in any event you discovered this article because you have an interest in learning much more about tofu and how you can prepare it. Tofu is very useful because it's healthy and balanced, tasty and you can consume it cooked or raw. I personally do not think tofu has a great deal taste alone, thus I like to marinate it and employ it as an alternative in recipes that would normally call for meat. Tofu is an excellent alternative to meat whether you are replacing the meat simply because you are trying to eat healthier or simply because you are a vegetarian or vegan.

The main key before attempting to cook or marinate tofu is always to ensure that you drain the tofu properly. Tofu will come packed in a bag or plastic with water; the water helps to keep the tofu fresh. There are many solutions to drain and dry the tofu let's quickly take a look at the options. First you can set the tofu on paper towels and dab it down with paper towels, using this method works fine, but sometimes the paper from the paper towels can break off and stick to the tofu if they are inferior paper towels.

You can skillet fry the tofu dry without oil in a non stick skillet, this method works rather well, but certainly uses a a bit more time. Finally it is possible to strain the tofu with a tofu press, this is effective, but clearly requires you acquire a tofu press. All of the methods can be used, and over time you'll implement one which you feel will be the quickest and works the best for you.

This initial step of drying out the tofu is extremely important. If you do not properly dry your tofu ahead of using it to cook the end results will certainly be noticeable. Tofu is a mushy like substance and absorbs fluids well, therefore if you fail to eliminate the liquid it comes packed in, then your tofu will not take up your marinades very well, or the other flavors it is being cooked in. When tofu does not take up the marinade well, or other flavors inside the recipe it will end up lacking flavor.

As I discussed earlier you can utilize tofu to replace the meat you'd typically place in several of your recipes. Marinate the tofu in the same way you'd marinate the various meats you'd typically use. I like to marinade my tofu in all sorts of things from garlic to soy sauce, ginger, lemon juice, pineapple juice plus much more. One thing to bear in mind is the fact that tofu doesn't seem to marinade well in, or absorb oil based marinades as well, so they would be best avoided I really believe.

You needn't be shy, go ahead and experiment with tofu, and replace or include tofu into meals you've been creating for years. Preparing food with tofu may be an extremely pleasurable and healthy, especially if you are a new comer to creating meals using tofu.