PSA: You Don't Need To Press Your Tofu
Think you need to press your tofu? Think again. While pressing tofu is one way to eliminate excess moisture, there’s another, surprisingly counterintuitive method that gives you even better results in the same amount of time—or even less!
Soaking tofu in seasoned boiling water forces the tofu to expel its excess moisture, while simultaneously seasoning it and preserving its shape. It might sound crazy (add more water to eliminate the water?!) but once you try it, you’ll never reach for the tofu press again. Here’s why it works so well.
How Soaking Tofu In Boiling Water Works
Straight out of the package, even the firmest of extra-firm tofu arrives in our kitchens full of water. It’s basically a block of soy protein threaded with tiny channels of the whey that’s left from when the tofu was made. But when boiling water hits the tofu, the temperature shock causes the proteins inside the tofu to contract, pushing out the excess liquid. Even though the tofu is now swimming in liquid, it’s actually drier on the inside—and once it’s removed from the water and patted dry, it’s primed to give us that perfectly crispy texture.
At this point, you may be wondering how this boiling water method is any better than pressing. Doesn’t it accomplish the same thing? Well, yes, but the boiling water method comes with a couple of distinct side benefits that pressing doesn’t.
Why You Should Be Soaking Tofu In Boiling Water
First, the boiling water method is gentler on the tofu’s shape and texture. Pressed tofu often comes out super dense and compact—you’ll probably notice the block is considerably thinner than it was before pressing—and while that’s not always bad, it’s certainly not the results I’m looking for when I want to cut beautiful cubes of tofu for frying. The boiling water method, on the other hand, perfectly preserves the tofu’s shape: those cubes will be the same dimensions when they come out of the water as they were before soaking. And their interior texture will be light and spongy.
Another advantage of the boiling water method is that it seasons the tofu from the inside out. Let’s face it: tofu from the package is bland beyond bland. It’s begging for flavor. Soaking it in that seasoned boiled water ensures it’s well seasoned all throughout, so no matter what sauce or stirfry it’s destined for, it already has a base layer of flavor. It might sound silly, but do a side-by-side taste test: it makes a BIG difference.
Ready to try it at home? You can find detailed, specific instructions for this boiling water method in my fried tofu and chili crisp fried tofu recipes, but here are my top tips if you’re trying it for the first time.
1. Cut the tofu first.
You can use this boiling water method with a block of whole tofu, but if you’re planning to cut the tofu into cubes at some point (for frying, perhaps?) I recommend cubing the tofu before soaking it. The tofu will be easier to cut before it’s soaked (the boiling water will make it slightly more delicate), and if the tofu cubes are smaller, the ratio of surface area to interior volume will be greater, which translates to better seasoning.
2. Use an 8”x8” baking dish.
If you’re working with a single 14 oz. block of tofu and cubing it, an 8”x8” baking dish is the perfect size to fit those cubes. Could you use a 9”x 13”? Sure. But the cubes would float around a lot more, you’d need more boiling water, and if you use the 2 tablespoons kosher salt called for in my recipes to season the water, the relative salinity (saltiness) of the water won’t be as high. Basically, your tofu won’t be as well seasoned.
3. Lift the soaked tofu out gently.
This isn’t a moment to dump the whole pan in a fine mesh sieve. Tofu is delicate, and attempting to mass-drain after soaking will result in ripped-up tofu cubes. For best results, lift one or two tofu pieces out of the water at once and pat them dry with paper towels before transferring to more paper towels to drain.
The boiling water method is ideal for preparing extra-firm tofu for stir-frying or frying. But there are so many other types of tofu out there and even more ways to prep and enjoy them.
What’s your favorite way to eat tofu? Let us know in the comments below.
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