freezing tofu

[Guest guest]

I've heard that freezing tofu before doing anything with it changes its

structure and is useful in many dishes. i've tried it both ways and when making

chili or stir fry i find i like the consistency better if i've frozen it. i just

freeze it for a day, thaw it, and it's ready.

 

i'd be interested in anyone's knowledge of this....

 

 

Jim

 

Stephanie <sjoynsen wrote:

Hi all,

had some computer difficulties a few weeks ago. Yup we caught " the

worm " . All is better and I'm glad to be back. Now for my

question. I figure tofu must be freezable since it's in pot pies

and such. Is there anything special I need to do when freezing

straight tofu? How about thawing? Many thanks.

Stephanie

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

> YOU WROTE:

 

I figure tofu must be freezable since

> it's in pot pies

> and such. Is there anything special I need to do

> when freezing

> straight tofu? How about thawing? Many thanks.

> Stephanie

>

 

 

Buy either firm or extra firm tofu. Freeze it right

in the package. It'll be rock hard in 2-3 hours at

least. It takes forever to thaw; about 8 hours on the

counter or about three days in the fridge. I suppose

you could defrost in the mocrowave, but to me that is

sacrelige.

 

Once thawed, remove from the package and dump the

water (or use it to water house plants). Then, cut

the 1 lb. brick in half and gently squeeze out the

remaining water.

 

Cut into 3/4 - 1 " cubes (or proportionate triangles).

Saute the pices gently or bake about 20-30 minutes @

400F. In either case, be somewhat generous with the

canola oil, and try to use non-stick surfaces. Do

this sauteing or baking even if using in a stir fry

later. The rigorousd motion of the stir fry can cause

the tofu to crumble too much.

 

Hope this helps. Good luck. Anymore questions:

dwgresh

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

If you cut the tofu into chunks (like 1 inch squares) and drain the excess

water off before freezing, you will be able to thaw what you need in a short

period of time. Warm water will hasten the process.

 

The tofu can get a chewier, almost sponge like consistency from being frozen

and thawed. Seems that the freezing process forces a lot of the water out of

the tofu, kind of reminiscent of the way dough changes to gluten when the

starch is washed out.

 

 

Phil

 

" It's easy to say, 'It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my

problem'. Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those

people my heroes. " - Fred Rogers

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

As dwgresh@earthlink wrote, tofu is easy to freeze, and easy to use afterward. I

am a sacriligious person, I guess, because I thaw the tofu in a very low setting

in the microwave! It works fine for me. Then I wrap the tofu (which has

considerable water in it) in a clean kitchen towel and set it aside. I saute it

with different vegetables that are appropriate for either spaghetti or chili. It

tastes great! Good Luck!

 

> YOU WROTE:

>

> I figure tofu must be freezable since

> > it's in pot pies

> > and such. Is there anything special I need to do

> > when freezing

> > straight tofu? How about thawing? Many thanks.

> > Stephanie

> >

>

>

> Buy either firm or extra firm tofu. Freeze it right

> in the package. It'll be rock hard in 2-3 hours at

> least. It takes forever to thaw; about 8 hours on the

> counter or about three days in the fridge. I suppose

> you could defrost in the mocrowave, but to me that is

> sacrelige.

>

> Once thawed, remove from the package and dump the

> water (or use it to water house plants). Then, cut

> the 1 lb. brick in half and gently squeeze out the

> remaining water.

>

> Cut into 3/4 - 1 " cubes (or proportionate triangles).

> Saute the pices gently or bake about 20-30 minutes @

> 400F. In either case, be somewhat generous with the

> canola oil, and try to use non-stick surfaces. Do

> this sauteing or baking even if using in a stir fry

> later. The rigorousd motion of the stir fry can cause

> the tofu to crumble too much.

>

> Hope this helps. Good luck. Anymore questions:

> dwgresh

>

[Guest guest]

Tofu is totally freezable:) I've just thrown it in the freezer in the

package it comes in. It generally seems to make the tofu a little chewier

afterwards...in fact I've seen recipes recommend freezing it first to get

the chewy effect.

 

Melanie.

 

>

> Stephanie [sjoynsen]

> Tuesday, August 26, 2003 11:08 AM

>

> Freezing Tofu

>

>

> Hi all,

> had some computer difficulties a few weeks ago. Yup we caught " the

> worm " . All is better and I'm glad to be back. Now for my

> question. I figure tofu must be freezable since it's in pot pies

> and such. Is there anything special I need to do when freezing

> straight tofu? How about thawing? Many thanks.

> Stephanie

>

>

>

>

> For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG

> website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful

> for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family.

>

>

[Guest guest]

I put the whole thing in the freezer.

 

gayle

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Put the plastic tub and all right in the freezer just as it.

When it thaws, slit plastic and pour off the water. The tofu will

release water as it thaws and it takes on a chewy yexture. Good for a

mock tuna recipe.

Donna

 

 

 

, " cronzen " <truepatriot@m...>

wrote:

>

> When y'all freeze tofu, do you just throw in the whole thing

> in its original plastic container of water or do you remove

> it from the package first?

>

>

> Thanks,

> -Erin

>

[Guest guest]

> When y'all freeze tofu, do you just throw in the whole thing

> in its original plastic container of water or do you remove

> it from the package first?

 

You can do either. It's chewier if you drain and freeze unwrapped (per

Book of Tofu by Shurtleff & Aoyagi). (And turning yellowish would be

normal in this case.) I try to drain first and freeze, but if I'm in

a hurry I just it in package and all.

[Guest guest]

It does come out differently, and I'd guess that silken and the water pack

kinds are very different.

I know we've only ever frozen the silken firm and extra firm - in the

aseptic packages. I know the packages say to NOT freeze in the package, but

we do. I have also taken it out and then froze it in a different container

filled with water.

 

The texture sometimes parts of it look like um, stringy white chicken meat,

but I don't think it's ever had the mouthfeel of it. If that makes sense.

It does come out chewier than usual, and it's not the same texture as it

went in, but nothing so drastic. Perhpas the more firm stuff (the water pack

kinds of tofu, or homemade) would come out differently. That kind never

lasts as long (we get the silken because of the shelf-life, and it's good to

have on hand, at least for us). We get the extra-firm and lite extra firm

silken mori-nu tofu.

 

Missie

 

On 9/3/07, SavarnaRose <savarnarose wrote:

>

>

> This is probably a dumb question to many here. I've read that freezing

> tofu

> before using it makes the texture kind of chewier or more like some meat.

>

> When freezing tofu, do you put the package - water and all - in the

> freezer,

> or do you drain off the water first?

>

> And the tofu in the aseptic packages, do you freeze those?

>

> Thanks,

>

> SavarnaRose

> " Daughter of the Sea "

>

>

>

>

 

 

 

--

 

http://mszzzi.zoomshare.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mszzzi/

 

~~~~~(m-.-)m

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Dear Rose,

I used to Freeze " Tofu only " , which mean out of

package and water

Brgds

 

--- SavarnaRose <savarnarose wrote:

 

>

> This is probably a dumb question to many here. I've

> read that freezing tofu

> before using it makes the texture kind of chewier or

> more like some meat.

>

> When freezing tofu, do you put the package - water

> and all - in the freezer,

> or do you drain off the water first?

>

> And the tofu in the aseptic packages, do you freeze

> those?

>

> Thanks,

>

> SavarnaRose

> " Daughter of the Sea "

>

>

>

 

 

 

 

______________________________\

____

Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone who knows.

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[Guest guest]

I usually cut the tofu up into cube sized pieces and place them in

an ice tray, covered with water. The texture does change a bit. I

have frozen both tofu in water packages and those in the box such as

Mori-Nu brand.

 

 

, " SavarnaRose " <savarnarose

wrote:

>

>

> This is probably a dumb question to many here. I've read that

freezing tofu

> before using it makes the texture kind of chewier or more like

some meat.

>

> When freezing tofu, do you put the package - water and all - in

the freezer,

> or do you drain off the water first?

>

> And the tofu in the aseptic packages, do you freeze those?

>

> Thanks,

>

> SavarnaRose

> " Daughter of the Sea "

>

[Guest guest]

You take the tofu out of the pkg, rinse it, then press it under a heavy

object, you can use a 2 towels to absorb the water. Then you can slice it and

freeze it.

That is the way we use it.

Laura in MD

 

 

 

************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at

http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I completely drain the tofu and put it in a plastic bag before placing it in the

freezer.

 

 

[Guest guest]

We tend to cook more with fresh tofu or already baked tofu so I don't freeze

tofu that often.

 

But occasionally I need the texture of frozen tofu - so I just throw the

unopened package in the freezer when it comes home from the grocery store. Then

the day before I need it I leave it in the fridge to thaw. Then when I'm ready

to cook I crumble it up and squeeze out the water or slice it or do whatever the

recipe calls for.

[Guest guest]

I freeze the water packed kind in the original package - water and all.

Then you let it thaw and drain. Then squeeze out as much of the water as

possible. It does make the texture more chickenish.

 

 

 

Barb

 

 

 

_____

 

On

Behalf Of SavarnaRose

Monday, September 03, 2007 8:50 PM

 

Freezing Tofu

 

 

 

 

This is probably a dumb question to many here. I've read that freezing tofu

before using it makes the texture kind of chewier or more like some meat.

 

When freezing tofu, do you put the package - water and all - in the freezer,

or do you drain off the water first?

 

And the tofu in the aseptic packages, do you freeze those?

 

Thanks,

 

SavarnaRose

" Daughter of the Sea "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the help. It seemed to make sense to drain the water first, but I

wasn't sure.

 

I wanted to make the tofu a little chewier, my dh doesn't like the softness

of tofu. Even the extra firm.

 

I like the smaller packages of the Mori-Nu brand also, since dd and I are

the only ones who eat it. But it is a little mushy.

 

Kroger here sells a water-packed package of cubed tofu that is really nice.

It makes good " eggless " salad, and worked well in spaghetti sauce.

 

Thanks,

SavarnaRose

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone... I have a quick question about freezing tofu. Can you freeze it right in the package that you buy it in? And if so, how long will it stay good in the freezer?

From everything I hear, freezing tofu changes the texture so it's a bit "meatier", for lack of better words.... *shrug*. What are your experiences with this?

 

 

 

 

Amie

P Before you print think about the ENVIRONMENT Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to.

[Guest guest]

Hi Amie, yes I freeze tofu in the box. I can't cook tofu any other way without

it getting all smushed up and the texture's a lot better too. I don't freeze

tofu though if it's going to be used for some foods where it's supposed to

emulate cheese or dairy, like lasagna or ice cream.

 

Kate

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from U.S. Cellular

[Guest guest]

I freeze and thaw my tofu in the same packaging. Works for me!

 

 

 

AmieJPMS <amiejpms

 

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 10:21 am

freezing tofu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi everyone... I have a quick question about freezing tofu. Can you freeze it right in the package that you buy it in? And if so, how long will it stay good in the freezer?

From everything I hear, freezing tofu changes the texture so it's a bit "meatier", for lack of better words.... *shrug*. What are your experiences with this?

 

 

 

 

 

Amie

P Before you print think about the ENVIRONMENT

Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Famous, the Infamous, the Lame - in your browser. Get the TMZ Toolbar Now!

[Guest guest]

I usually leave the chinese style tofu in overnight at a minimum, package & all. It usually takes a day or so to thaw out, but if you need it sooner than that, you can speed it up a bit by running cool water over it for a while. You can cheat even more by using the thaw mode of a microwave, but don't do that too long, otherwise you will end up cooking it. Once thawed out, wrap it in paper toweling or cheesecloth and place in a colander (and place the colander in the sink or a deeper bowl). Place a bowl on top of the wrapped tofu, and then something heavy like a large can or two of veggies, a sack of flour-whatever, to press the tofu and squeeze out any excess water. By pressing the tofu, it helps it absorb any flavor you add to it (especially if it is liquid). You don't have to do this, but I find it makes for a more flavorful piece of tofu.AmieJPMS <amiejpms wrote: Hi everyone... I have a quick question about freezing tofu. Can you freeze it right in the package that you buy it in? And if so, how long will it stay good in the freezer? From everything I hear, freezing tofu changes the texture so it's a bit "meatier", for lack of better words.... *shrug*. What are your experiences with this? Amie P Before you print think about

the ENVIRONMENT Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to.

[Guest guest]

awesome, thanks Kate. I am gonna try it.

 

 

 

 

Amie

P Before you print think about the ENVIRONMENT Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to.

 

 

"veganivore" <veganivore Sent: Wednesday, July 9, 2008 1:26:32 PMRe: freezing tofu

 

Hi Amie, yes I freeze tofu in the box. I can't cook tofu any other way without it getting all smushed up and the texture's a lot better too. I don't freeze tofu though if it's going to be used for some foods where it's supposed to emulate cheese or dairy, like lasagna or ice cream.KateSent from my BlackBerry wireless device from U.S. Cellular

[Guest guest]

I agree with the pressing of the tofu... I get way better results!

Thanks for the replies, but does anyone know how long tofu can stay in the freezer? 1 month? 3 months? 5 years?!?!??

 

:-D

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amie

P Before you print think about the ENVIRONMENT Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to.

 

 

Jenn <batmanusdmychina Sent: Wednesday, July 9, 2008 1:45:02 PMRe: freezing tofu

 

I usually leave the chinese style tofu in overnight at a minimum, package & all. It usually takes a day or so to thaw out, but if you need it sooner than that, you can speed it up a bit by running cool water over it for a while. You can cheat even more by using the thaw mode of a microwave, but don't do that too long, otherwise you will end up cooking it. Once thawed out, wrap it in paper toweling or cheesecloth and place in a colander (and place the colander in the sink or a deeper bowl). Place a bowl on top of the wrapped tofu, and then something heavy like a large can or two of veggies, a sack of flour-whatever, to press the tofu and squeeze out any excess water. By pressing the tofu, it helps it absorb any flavor you add to it (especially if it is liquid). You don't have to do this, but I find it makes for a more flavorful piece of tofu.AmieJPMS <amiejpms > wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

Hi everyone... I have a quick question about freezing tofu. Can you freeze it right in the package that you buy it in? And if so, how long will it stay good in the freezer?

From everything I hear, freezing tofu changes the texture so it's a bit "meatier", for lack of better words.... *shrug*. What are your experiences with this?

 

 

 

 

Amie

P Before you print think about the ENVIRONMENT Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to.

[Guest guest]

> I have a quick question about freezing tofu. Can you freeze it right

in the package that you buy it in?

 

That's how I do it. I only use NaSoya extra firm - I can't find MoriNu

anywhere locally anymore.

 

 

>And if so, how long will it stay good in the freezer?

 

Probably quite a while. I usually use mine within a month, anyway. I

would say at least 6 months would be a good guess.

 

 

>From everything I hear, freezing tofu changes the texture so it's a bit

" meatier " , for lack of better words.... *shrug*. What are your

experiences with this?

 

It's a little bit firmer, but I didn't notice *much* difference between

frozen and pressed and un-frozen pressed when it finally got to the

plate to be eaten.

 

 

Sue in NJ

[Guest guest]

It's probably good for up to 6 months, though theoretically it could be in there for longer I supposeAmieJPMS <amiejpms wrote: I agree with the pressing of the tofu... I get way better results! Thanks for the replies, but does anyone know how long tofu can stay in the freezer? 1 month? 3 months? 5 years?!?!?? :-D Amie P Before you print think about the ENVIRONMENT Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to. Jenn <batmanusdmychina > Sent: Wednesday, July 9, 2008 1:45:02 PMRe: freezing tofu I usually leave the chinese style tofu in overnight at a minimum, package & all. It usually takes a day or so to thaw out, but if you need it sooner than that, you can speed it up a bit by running cool water over it for a while. You can cheat even more by using the thaw mode of a microwave, but don't do that too long, otherwise you will end up cooking it. Once thawed out, wrap it in paper toweling or cheesecloth and place in a colander

(and place the colander in the sink or a deeper bowl). Place a bowl on top of the wrapped tofu, and then something heavy like a large can or two of veggies, a sack of flour-whatever, to press the tofu and squeeze out any excess water. By pressing the tofu, it helps it absorb any flavor you add to it (especially if it is liquid). You don't have to do this, but I find it makes for a more flavorful piece of tofu.AmieJPMS <amiejpms > wrote: Hi everyone... I have a quick question about freezing tofu. Can you freeze it right in the package that you buy it in? And if so, how long will it stay good in the freezer? From everything I hear, freezing tofu changes the texture so it's a bit "meatier", for

lack of better words.... *shrug*. What are your experiences with this? Amie P Before you print think about the ENVIRONMENT Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to.

[Guest guest]

> It's a little bit firmer, but I didn't notice *much* difference

> between

> frozen and pressed and un-frozen pressed when it finally got to the

> plate to be eaten.

 

Sue, are you freezing silken tofu or regular tofu? Because I've

always found a vast difference between frozen regular tofu and pressed

regular tofu. Frozen is very spongelike--you can actually squeeze the

water out like a sponge and it won't fall apart.

 

Susan