runningwiththedogs:
Anyone have any good tips or recipes on the best ways to prepare tofu? I’ve never cooked with it before so I would love any input! Thanks!
Hello, stranger on Tumblr! I saw your post while poking around the “tofu” tag and thought I’d offer my advice, as tofu prep is near and dear to my heart (and stomach).
The EASIEST, most foolproof way to prepare tofu is to slice it and bake it in a simple marinade. At its most basic, this is just olive oil and soy sauce (I don’t measure but maybe a tbsp of each). I make this directly in the baking dish, then dredge each slice on both sides and fill the pan.
You can dress it up with whatever flavors you like – different oils (sesame is an especially good choice), vinegar, hot sauce, herbs/spices, minced garlic/ginger/lemongrass/etc. or even try a bottled marinade you might like.
Usually I just bake it at 400°F for 20 minutes, then flip and bake another 20, because I like the nice crust the high temp/baking time gives it, but you can go lower. Experiment with what you like. I probably wouldn’t go lower than 350°F/15 min per side. I use my toaster oven for this because the baking dish fits perfectly, but if you’re roasting other veggies, you can throw them all in the oven.
This method requires very little oversight and little chance of smushing the tofu, getting stuck in the pan, that kind of thing.
You might also look up tofu frittata recipes – that’s basically a baked tofu scramble, and it’s super easy and delicious.
Have fun! And don’t fear the tofu. 😉