January 12, 2011

How to Press Tofu: A Primer

While I was writing a post involving marinated tofu for the blog, I googled “how to press tofu” with the intent of linking to it for the recipe. During my search, I came across a TofuXpress, which I own and find useful for transforming the texture and density of tofu, but using this does not produce the same result as incorporating in some kind of absorbent material (towels) to get out virtually all of the moisture.

And although many of the links I found involved a weight and towels, I couldn’t find a “how to” that followed my method. So I thought, “Why not make my own?” Now, this isn’t rocket science, but properly pressed tofu is an essential step when marinating, as it maximizes the tofu’s ability to fully absorb the flavor of the marinade.

Step One: Grab four thick handtowels and place the block of tofu on a cutting board like so:

Step Two: Cut your tofu in half, and then the halves into halves and then those halves into halves to make eight equal-sized pieces.

Step Three: Lay the pieces out like so, using two of the four towels:

Step Four: Place the two remaining towels over the top of the tofu, like so:

Step Five: Place, one by one, large, heavy coffee table books, until you’ve added about 10 pounds of books. Let the tofu press for at least one hour before removing the weights:

Step Six: Cut the pressed tofu as desired and place in marinade, flipping over halfway through the marinade timing:

Try These Recipes That Use Pressed Tofu!

Tofu Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Tofu Banh Mi

Asian-Style Tofu

Comments

Blue says

May 9, 2017 at 4:09 pm

Hi Erin. Your photos are incredible, and I can’t wait to try some of your recipes. I just found your site.

I also just got a tofu press yesterday, first day of using it. I see that you make no mention of using an actual press. Is there any reason for that? I did find that the “dishes on tofu on plate” idea worked fine, but took longer than the press that allows me to adjust the screws ever so often.

I tried a recipe today (scallops, not yours) made of tofu, and found that it was too wet in the middle still. I’ve never read just how “dry” it’s supposed to be, and so I was concerned about mashing it too much. I thought if I screwed it super flat, the middle would bulge out so much as to burst and cause “egg” salad tofu, instead of my block. Does that realistically happen? And is it even possible to get it the correct dryness and texture without cutting it in half?

And I’m assuming it’s cool to use the tofu press with towels, so I’ll try that next time for sure. Thanks for your elaborate — and BEAUTIFUL — recipes. (We just *love* your use of color!)

Reply
- erinwyso says
  
  May 9, 2017 at 6:30 pm
  
  Hi Blue,
  
  Thanks for your kind words about the site! I don’t like using a tofu press for the reasons you list above: it always leaves the tofu wet in the middle. My thought on cutting the tofu into pieces is that is the best way to allow for maximum absorption of marinade and it’s likely going to be cut anyway.
  
  I made an additional tofu press post that may be helpful to you if you haven’t already seen it … good luck! 🙂
  
  https://olivesfordinner.com/2014/02/how-to-towel-press-tofu-for-marinating.html
  
  Reply
  - Blue says
    
    June 16, 2017 at 10:32 pm
    
    Thanks. I wrapped my tofu (cut in half, lengthwise) in a microfiber kitchen towel, then put it in the tofu press. Worked great, far better than the press alone, and no lint due to the microfiber.
    
    P. S. I *have* now tried many of your recipes, and both I and my (meat-loving) family find them simply wonderful! You’re extremely talented – and creative! Thanks for helping get these two “hard sells” eating more healthfully.