What's the deal with Tofu!?

[alexw32]

Cleaning it is easy if you do it right away, I think I used baking soda and dish soap.
The pain is the straining, and all the okara. There are tons of things to make with okara, but if you make it often you won't want it anymore!
I really liked making Old Bay patties though. Okara, rolled oats, minced celery and onion, and Old Bay seasoning and saute. I feel like I'm leaving something out- I should do this with mashed chickpeas! I coated them in panko crumbs.

Have you found soy beverage at TJ's yet? I'm going to call and go Sat if they have it back. I struggle to use the second half of the 2 quart Westsoy carton!

Yup I can relate to this, I know very well that the soy pulp I'm throwing away is supposed to contain plenty of nutrition, especially when you're using organic soy beans, getting rid of it every time feels rather wasteful. But tbh I haven't found a way to use it that turns of tasty, while at the same time not requiring the use of a lot of oil( such as in the case of making okara meat balls or patties), by itself the texture is just too coarse and bland tasting, and the sheer amount may just be too much to consume.

On a side note, I've heard that soy pulp makes for a great face mask... never tried it though, curious to know if it really works

As to straining, I personally use a dedicated cheesecloth that's pretty easy to wash, as long as you don't let it sit dry, discolorations do occur over time but it doesn't affect usage.

 

[Urban Gardener]

Yup I can relate to this, I know very well that the soy pulp I'm throwing away is supposed to contain plenty of nutrition, especially when you're using organic soy beans, getting rid of it every time feels rather wasteful. But tbh I haven't found a way to use it that turns of tasty, while at the same time not requiring the use of a lot of oil( such as in the case of making okara meat balls or patties), by itself the texture is just too coarse and bland tasting, and the sheer amount may just be too much to consume.

On a side note, I've heard that soy pulp makes for a great face mask... never tried it though, curious to know if it really works

As to straining, I personally use a dedicated cheesecloth that's pretty easy to wash, as long as you don't let it sit dry, discolorations do occur over time but it doesn't affect usage.

It could make good compost? Or an animal might enjoy it?

 

[alexw32]

My biggest suggestion for innovation would be plastic free packaging for tofu.

I throw out a lot of plastic from buying tofu.

Buying tofu in bulk is a pain, AND it still involves plastic via a plastic bag.

Tofu is sustainable and biodegradable, or at least safely burnable containers would rock.

Beyond that there are 2 things I look for in tofu:

1. Calcium content, made with a calcium based coagulant.
2. Made from organic soy beans.

Very true, the plastic does turn people who are environmentally conscious away, it's about time someone should come up with a better solution to packaging tofu, throwing out a small plastic wrapping with every purchase is just awful, I wouldn't do it if I had time to make my own.

Where I live many of the tofu sold in grocery stores claim to be "organic", haven't paid attention to the coagulant used, I would assume that Asian brands often use lactone, while others use magnesium chloride or gypsum.

 

[alexw32]

It could make good compost? Or an animal might enjoy it?

Yes! a vegetable grower or gardener can probably find use for it, curious to know how it affects the ph value of the soil.

As to pets, perhaps there are cat and dog owners here who can share their experience with giving their pets this unique soy-snack

 

[Lou]

I wonder what the big companies do with it? maybe its sold to animal feed companies.

Even before covid I stopped buying bulk tofu. (I had safety concerns) I bet you can't buy or sell it anymore anyway.
But the Asian market that sold it put it Chinese Take out boxes. Which are waxed cardboard and I don't think those are recyclable either. But you could buy a bunch and take it home and put it in zip lock bags and freeze portions. maybe in the future I can buy it from them and provide my own container.

 

[silva]

Yup I can relate to this, I know very well that the soy pulp I'm throwing away is supposed to contain plenty of nutrition, especially when you're using organic soy beans, getting rid of it every time feels rather wasteful. But tbh I haven't found a way to use it that turns of tasty, while at the same time not requiring the use of a lot of oil( such as in the case of making okara meat balls or patties), by itself the texture is just too coarse and bland tasting, and the sheer amount may just be too much to consume.

On a side note, I've heard that soy pulp makes for a great face mask... never tried it though, curious to know if it really works

As to straining, I personally use a dedicated cheesecloth that's pretty easy to wash, as long as you don't let it sit dry, discolorations do occur over time but it doesn't affect usage.

My favorite way to use okara was in about equal ratios with oats, ground flaxseeds, Old Bay seasoning, minced celery and onion, made in patties and pressed in panko crumbs. A light spray of oil and baked or sauteed.

I have used okara in seitan but didn't like the texture

It's good in any kind of lentil loaf, but I don't like lentil loaves

I have used in bean burgers

You can add to baked goods

There is such a thing as okara tempeh

Really I didn't feel that good eating too much of it!

It is a great compost for adding nitrogen
I have used as a face scrub with sugar

You can dry it out and grind it like flour (i never did that)

Okara is sold as feed from tofu producers

Vegan Okara Protein-Rich dog treats - Organic Pet Digest

by Susan Labandibar (Boston, MA, USA) 1/2 cup okara (a product leftover from making soymilk and tofu) 1/2 cup cooked soybeans with accompanying liquid 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons oil 2 tablespoons water 3/4 cup whole wheat flour Blend all ingredients except whole wheat flour in a food...

www.organic-pet-digest.com

 

[silva]

I feel like I'm in the minority, but I don't care for tofu when it's all pressed and dense and chewy. I used to marinate and bake, even thin sliced and baked like jerky, or marinated and kinda fried like bak'n

My omnivore son loves when I cube it, drizzle on Braggs, then shake with seasoned corn starch and sautee in a little oil

I may now try it baked again just to see

The very first time I remember making tofu was when my kids were toddlers. I sliced it and sauteed in butter, then sprinkled on powdered sugar and cinnamon

 

[Urban Gardener]

I wonder what the big companies do with it? maybe its sold to animal feed companies.

Even before covid I stopped buying bulk tofu. (I had safety concerns) I bet you can't buy or sell it anymore anyway.
But the Asian market that sold it put it Chinese Take out boxes. Which are waxed cardboard and I don't think those are recyclable either. But you could buy a bunch and take it home and put it in zip lock bags and freeze portions. maybe in the future I can buy it from them and provide my own container.

It probably is sold to feed companies. I think most of the soy beans grown in the US are for feed, so there must be a market for tofu byproducts.

As for composting, if it was composted with other things, it probably wouldn’t throw off the pH too much.

I don’t think I would give it to a cat or dog, tbh. I would give it to a more herbivorous animal such as a rodent, ungulate or even a lizard.

 

[Lou]

Just stumbled upon this in my newsfeed. What a great trick!!

I squeeze out the excess water from a block of firm or extra-firm tofu (using my hands, like I’m the Hulk or something!) and shred the whole thing on the large holes of a box grater. This breaks the tofu down into coarse shreds that, once cooked, take on the texture of ground meat and easily soak up flavor. I have used this trick in veggie burgers, cooking the tofu before incorporating it into the mix in order to rid it of moisture and give it heft and bounce to mimic ground meat. I also use this approach for dumpling fillings, using raw squeezed tofu combined with chopped scallion, ginger, and garlic.​

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For Lightning-Fast, No-Planning-Ahead Tofu, Grate It

Box grater to the rescue.

www.bonappetit.com

Soy and Scallion Tofu Bowl

Grate your tofu on a box-grater (it works!) and the rest of this satisfying lunch bowl is only minutes away.

www.bonappetit.com

 

[silva]

Just stumbled upon this in my newsfeed. What a great trick!!

I squeeze out the excess water from a block of firm or extra-firm tofu (using my hands, like I’m the Hulk or something!) and shred the whole thing on the large holes of a box grater. This breaks the tofu down into coarse shreds that, once cooked, take on the texture of ground meat and easily soak up flavor. I have used this trick in veggie burgers, cooking the tofu before incorporating it into the mix in order to rid it of moisture and give it heft and bounce to mimic ground meat. I also use this approach for dumpling fillings, using raw squeezed tofu combined with chopped scallion, ginger, and garlic.​

​

For Lightning-Fast, No-Planning-Ahead Tofu, Grate It

Box grater to the rescue.

www.bonappetit.com

Soy and Scallion Tofu Bowl

Grate your tofu on a box-grater (it works!) and the rest of this satisfying lunch bowl is only minutes away.

www.bonappetit.com

Surprised it doesnt' suggest freezing it first
This isn't bad, it's like Chipoltle --whatever they call their tofu thing--Sofritos?

 

[Tom L.]

My biggest suggestion for innovation would be plastic free packaging for tofu.

I throw out a lot of plastic from buying tofu.

Buying tofu in bulk is a pain, AND it still involves plastic via a plastic bag.

Tofu is sustainable and biodegradable, or at least safely burnable containers would rock.....

I agree about the plastic containers most commercially-made tofu comes in. I buy bulk usually, and bring my own container (usually a sort of plastic tub that margarine comes in- who needs tupperware?)