A Primer: how to cook tofu

Learning how to cook tofu can add variety to your vegetarian menu.

Tofu has gotten a bad rap in the past as a tasteless, good-for-you food. Not that being good for you is bad, but if it’s tasteless, it is hard to get excited about adding it to your weekly menu. The fact is tofu doesn't have a lot of taste, so it's important to learn how to cook tofu using marinades, seasonings and other flavorful foods if you want to bring taste to the meal.

While tofu can overcome its reputation as tasteless, there is a concern related to health that you should be aware of before adding tofu to your diet. Recent studies recommend limiting soy consumption to products that are whole foods. But wait! It's not a problem after all. Tofu is a whole-food product.

One concern people have when switching to a vegetarian diet is that they won't get enough protein. Tofu is a good source of protein, but it is a concentrated protein and should be consumed in small amounts that equal around four tablespoons for an adult serving. This works well with the recommendation of limiting your intake of soy products, too. Although four tablespoons doesn't seem like much, it makes sense even if you look at tofu as a meat substitute. A serving of meat is about the size of the palm of your hand. That means even for meat eaters, protein should not be eaten in large quantities. However, when compared to meat, tofu is a better source of protein. It is low in sodium and cholesterol, and is also a good source of the following nutrients:

Now that we understand why to eat tofu and how much to eat, let's take a look at how to cook tofu to make it tasty, too.

Tofu comes in three textures: 

Which texture you choose will depend on the recipe you plan to make. For example the soft tofu would be used in making a creamy dressing made in a blender. The important thing to realize is the tofu's spongy texture absorbs the taste of the seasonings and foods with which it is cooked. This spongy texture can be made firmer, if you drain the water and blot water from the tofu. If you want to remove most of the excess fluid, you can wrap the tofu in a absorbent towel (not terry cloth to avoid lint) and set a heavy book on it for about ten minutes. Removing the excess fluid is a great way to make the tofu act more like a sponge while soaking in a savory marinade and makes it more absorbent to flavors from the other foods cooked with it.

If it's been awhile since you tried tofu, consider the health benefits of adding it to your diet, and think about the various ways you may be able to include it on your menu. From salad dressings to desserts, tofu adds nutritious value to a vegetarian diet.