Choosing the Right Tofu

Choosing the right tofu is so critical to making a great tofu dish. The wrong tofu could give a lasting impression guaranteed to turn your victim's stomach at the mere thought of tofu. Don't think of this as being too much work or too difficult. Just as you carefully choose the best ripe tomato, watermelon, or pomegranate; just as you carefully choose the steak with just the right amount of marbling and outside layer of fat; choosing the right tofu is actually easier.

The first thing you need to establish is what kind of dish you're looking to make; dessert, sauce, entree etc. these all require a specific tofu. A pudding pie requires an extra firm silken tofu while a slab of tofu for an entree should require extra firm water packed tofu. Be sure that if you are new at using tofu, you should always use the exact tofu that the recipe calls for. Once you get used to cooking with tofu, you will be able to play with it more and create your own wonderful dishes.

Here are a few things to remember:

Mori Nu is an excellent tofu for these types of dishes:

Sauce = Soft silken tofu

Spread = firm silken tofu

Pudding/Custard = extra firm silken tofu

Nasoya tofu is an excellent tofu for these types of dishes:

Tofu "Steak" (shish kabob) = Extra firm water packed tofu

Tofu "scramble" = Firm water packed tofu

Smoothies = Extra soft silken tofu

A good rule of thumb is that if you are looking to make a smooth and creamy dish, you will always want a silken tofu. If your dish is smooth and creamy but you want it to be able to stand firm like a pie, you will want extra firm silken. If your dish is smooth, creamy, and liquid like an alfredo sauce; you will want an extra soft silken tofu. If you want a meaty texture, you will want the extra firm water packed tofu. Wikipedia is also an excellent source for finding the right tofu. Whatever you choose, tofu is always an excellent cholesterol free, low fat, low calorie, low carbohydrate; source of high protein, iron, and calcium option for you and your family.