Tofu Confusion? Here’s a Tofu Buying Guide

Before becoming vegetarian, I did most of my cooking from neatly prepared boxes. I might have had to chop an onion, but that didn’t seem too difficult. There’s a yellow one, a white one, and a red one to choose from. Sure they each have their subtle variations in taste, but they’re still onions.

But when I first tried a recipe that called for tofu, it didn’t come with instructions on what kind to buy. So when I headed to the store I went to one of the grocery store attendants and mumbled through what to call it. I think I asked if he had any dooku (we had just recently watched Star Wars so the error was understandable). He eventually figured it out and sent me to the correct aisle. And that’s when I learned that there are different varieties of tofu. Tofu comes in all shapes and sizes…and textures from marinated, silken, firm, and extra firm. What was I to do?

I did what I always did in those days. I bought the least expensive one and decided to make do. That recipe didn’t turn out too well, but I learned over the years. And some other things changed since then. For example, I used to have to drive miles away to a health food store to find tofu. But now I can buy it at my local grocery store.

I recently took a trip to talk with Michelle Arasim Diekmann, a registered dietitian at Hy-Vee. Michelle educates customers to create healthy lifestyles so I figured she would be the best person to talk to about tofu buying tips. I could have picked a health food chain like Whole Foods, but I wanted to make sure you know that tofu is accessible even at your neighborhood grocery store. I picked Hy-Vee because I’ve been impressed with the addition of their HealthMarket departments that carry a wide variety of our favorite vegan options!

This is Michelle pointing to the tofu. She’s just as knowledgeable and nice as she is cute! We had a great discussion where she described the kinds of questions she gets from people about tofu. There are basically two types:

This is silken tofu. See? It says it right above the word tofu. This kind of tofu is more gelatinous. I use this most frequently as an egg replacer in cakes, pies, and even some breads. I also use it as a substitute for soft cheeses. For example, add this tofu to your food processor with some  garlic, fresh basil, a little bit of olive oil (possibly even a few pine nuts if you have some handy) and some salt to make a great “ricotta cheese” layer for lasagna. Or melt a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and combine that in a blender with a package of silken tofu. Add a teaspoon of vanilla or even a liqueur, throw it in a graham cracker crust and cool, and you’ve got a very refreshing (and easy to make) chocolate pie! (Now I’m starting to get hungry….)

The second kind of tofu is what I’ve heard referred to as Asian tofu. It is more firm in texture. This is the kind of tofu you’ll want to buy for things like stir-fries, eggless egg salad, or other recipes that will require a more chunky tofu presence. (Yes, tofu can have a presence). Tofu takes on the flavor of things around it so you’ll either want to marinade the tofu, or be sure to cook it with some flavorful spices. We will chop a block of tofu like this into 1″ cubes or rectangles and saute them in olive oil, add some curry and stir fry with other veggies. Serve that over rice noodles and you’ve got a very tasty meal!

Most tofu comes packed in water which means you’ll want to drain it and press some of the moisture out before cooking it. I press tofu by wrapping it in a dish towel and placing something heavy on it for a few minutes.

All tofu comes in variations of firmness. This is something that either a recipe will request or you will have to determine based on your personal preference (or what’s on sale).  All in all, a tub of tofu will cost anywhere between 2 – 3 dollars. That’s not too bad compared to the cost of meat.

And tofu has lots of health benefits. It’s loaded with protein and studies show that eating it on a regular basis can lower cholesterol by 30%. I hope you’ve found this tofu buying guide helpful. Now, I’m off to the kitchen to make something to eat! Tofu stir-fry sounds good.