Recently while out for a jog with a friend we were talking about tofu (like you do) and she suggested that I confess to you a few of my major tofu mistakes. Since this is tofu week here at Rooted Vegan I thought this would be the perfect place to confess my mistakes and to tell you what I should have done instead. Hopefully you will learn something or at least get a good laugh. Please feel free to share your best tofu mistakes.
1) The Story: I had some random hippie cookbook that suggesetd 1/4 c of tofu would be a perfect replacement for an egg in baked goods. Great! I tried it out on a birthday cake for a friend! I used a blender to liquefy that 1/4 c of tofu and followed the recipe. I put it into the oven, confident that all would be well. When the timer rang out I took a look, toothpick ready to insert into the center as recommended, and I came upon a chocolate soup. I baked it for hours. I was 20, let's use that as an explanation. Anyway. We ended up with a goopy chocolate nightmare. My friend was so sweet and spooned it into her mouth, but come on!
What I should have done: I should have bought Ener G Egg Replacer or looked into a baking substitution guide online! I also should have burned that cookbook instead of inflicting it on a thrift store.
2) The Story: A casual acquaintance told me about scrambled tofu. She said she just crumbled extra firm tofu into a skillet and treated it exactly like scrambled eggs, a little oil, a little salt and pepper. I tried it and the result was so bland.
What I should have done: I should have added veggies, garlic, salsa, nutritional yeast, turmeric, soy cheese, anything! Stay tuned for a recipe this week!
3)When I first went vegan I had never ever EVER tried tofu. I didn't know
what it looked like, how it tasted, or what it was made from. In spite
of that fact I took myself to the grocery store and bought my very first
block of tofu. I chose poorly. I grabbed a block of soft silken tofu. I
had intended to do some kind of marinating/baking thing. For those of
you that are new to tofu, silken tofu is different that regular tofu.
Silken tofu, as it's name suggests, has a silky smooth texture. Silken
and soft tofu does not hold a shape. It is good for things like
smoothies and baking---definitely not marinating/baking. So, things did
not go well for me there. Not at all. It was too gross to even eat.
What I should have done: I should have used extra firm regular tofu, pressed the tofu, marinated and baked.
4) The first time I tried to make sweet and sour tofu I cubed my tofu before draining and I plopped those cubes into a skillet with oil. I let them cook for about 10 minutes and then called it good. It was not good. The tofu was flavorless, goopy and nasty.
What I should have done: I should have pressed the tofu before cubing, cooked the tofu in a smidge of olive or sesame oil and flavored it with a sprinkle of garlic powder, onions, or almost anything. I should have let that tofu sit until it was golden.
5) OK, this one is bad. For the first Thanksgiving as a married woman I was dead set on making my own tofu turkey. I used some random internet recipe that involve shaping tofu with cheesecloth. It did not work. It was so gross and I hadn't even given it a trial run so we were stuck eating sides (thank goodness those were OK) for our first Thanksgiving. To add insult to injury we were without a kitchen table at the time so my husband of 5 months sat one one end of our coffee table, cross legged on the floor, while I was at the other.
What I should have done: I should have purchased a tofurkey or made a stuffed butternut squash. There was no saving that crazy recipe
