Why You Really Need to Start Marinating Your Tofu (2024)

FAQs

Why You Really Need to Start Marinating Your Tofu? ›

Why should you marinate tofu? On its own, tofu has a very neutral, bland flavor—but this isn't actually a bad thing. Its lack of strong flavor means that tofu is the perfect blank canvas. Its soft, spongy texture means that it soaks up the flavor of whatever spices or sauces you're marinating it in beautifully.

Tofu has very little flavour itself but soaks up almost every flavour you add to it. When you put tofu in a stew or simmer it in a broth, you don't need to marinade it beforehand, as it absorbs all of the flavours during cooking. But for all other types of preparations, it's better to marinate the tofu first of all.

In her book Asian Tofu, Andrea Nguyen recommends pouring boiling, salted water over cut tofu and letting it sit for 15 minutes before going on to fry it, and on Instagram, the Omsom account highlights a technique for brining slices tofu in salt water before pan frying them to get the crispiest pieces.

Cold, raw tofu rejects marinades because of its high water content and low porosity. It will eventually suck up a marinade, but mostly on the surface, and only after a long, long time (think a couple of days). Par-cooking it speeds up the process by driving out some of that water, leaving more room for seasonings.

If using firm or extra firm tofu, it is recommended to press and drain the tofu for at least 30 minutes to remove excess water. This will help the marinade penetrate the tofu better and improve the texture.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, half a cup of firm tofu offers 21.8 grams of protein with 181 calories and 11 grams of fat. Most of that fat is of the healthy polyunsaturated kind. The high level of protein makes tofu a good alternative to animal-derived meat.

And if tofu is vacuumed packed or firm already, you definitely don't need to press it. Here's why: moisture in tofu is a good thing. Tofu is over 80% water, and that moisture is what makes it such a succulent, juicy source of protein. Pressing it can make the tofu unnecessarily dry and strip it of its intended texture.

I recommend always pressing tofu before baking it, especially if you're marinating it first — removing excess liquid will make room for all that flavorful marinade. Pan-frying and frying.

You can leave the tofu in the bag with the marinade for as little as 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours. Can I marinate tofu overnight? Technically, yes, but in our tests, the tofu that marinated for longer than 4 hours absorbed too much of the marinade and ended up less flavorful and crispy.

How to safely eat raw tofu. While tofu comes in a variety of textures — silken, firm, and extra firm — technically any of them can be eaten raw. Before enjoying raw tofu, drain off any excess liquid from the packaging. It's also important to store tofu properly to prevent germs from growing on any unused portions.

What not to mix with tofu? ›

What to not serve with tofu? According to studies, a high volume consumption of tofu and spinach together can increase your risk of kidney stones. Tofu and spinach contain calcium and oxalic acid respectively and the combined can form kidney stones.

Plain tofu has no specific flavor and is honestly, quite bland. This might be why people tend to hate it but the fact that it's bland is exactly why we should LOVE it. The texture of tofu is more important than the taste- all the different types of tofu have different textures.

Simply press firm tofu and use your hands to break it up by smashing it between your fingers until it mimics the texture of scrambled eggs. Then season with turmeric, black pepper, garlic powder, black salt (for an “eggy” flavor, or use sea salt or Tamari instead), and add in your favorite cooked veggies.

When it comes to tofu, a good, flavorful marinade is your best friend. In fact, the right combination of seasoning and sauce takes a dull ingredient and transforms it into a food you will want to eat over and over again. Trust us, it's a game changer.

Marinated tofu cubes: For extra flavor, toss the sliced tofu in a mixture of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil and let stand for a few minutes before coating with cornstarch and frying.

But when you press tofu, you remove the excess moisture. It takes on a chewier, firmer texture, which makes it super satisfying to eat and less likely to fall apart. Pressed tofu guzzles up flavor from a sauce or marinade, and it gets SO much crispier in the air fryer or oven!

Spice.

There's a reason that tofu gets flak for being bland, and that's because it is! Make sure you season it well.

On its own, tofu is bland. Letting it sit in a marinade for as little as 15 minutes makes all the difference in the world. Cornstarch. I tested this air fryer tofu both with and without cornstarch.

Raw tofu is tofu that has not been cooked since it was pressed and packaged. You can eat raw tofu without cooking directly from the pack, but make sure that you drain off the excess water first because it does not add anything to the experience.

Why does the brine work? Both the heat and the salinity of the water draw moisture out of the surface of the tofu, helping it crisp and brown. The hot water also gradually tightens the proteins at the surface of the tofu, helping keep any remaining moisture inside.