I do not know who, however way back somebody advised me by no means to freeze tofu. “Freezing tofu ruins it!” “You’ll destroy the feel!” “Burn it down!” Perhaps not the final one, however that’s how crucial it appeared—like frozen tofu was toxic. Properly, I am glad I finished listening. It’s true, the feel does change, however not solely is that this removed from being ruined, it’s truly a pleasant possibility. So why not? Go forward, fellow weirdos, freeze your tofu.
Tofu has had a tough sufficient street making it onto the typical American plate, and the supposed “incapacity” to freeze unused parts hasn’t helped. It’s unclear the place the rumor began, however I’m guessing somebody tried it and was put-off by the colour change and extra pocketed construction. They will need to have chucked it straight away as a result of if they’d ever bothered to thaw and use it, this rumor would have by no means made its strategy to me.
What occurs while you freeze tofu?
The kind of tofu packed in water soaks up loads of it. Even should you squeeze out the water earlier than utilizing it, it’s undoubtedly a moist meals. Once you freeze tofu, like every meals, these areas with water pockets increase and the tofu solids type of make means for this enlargement. When the frozen tofu is thawed afterward, the tofu solids completely maintain this new form after the ice melts. This will seem like many extra holes or pockets have fashioned, or it might tackle a flaky texture. That’s it. The flavour is identical, and although the colour turns into yellow-ish when frozen, it returns to its unique white-ish shade after thawing. However now you’ve tofu that’s extra akin to a sponge than ever. Sounds to me like pre-frozen tofu is a marinade’s finest good friend.
Tips on how to freeze tofu
After the tofu is frozen it turns into a yellow-brown shade.
Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
Technically you possibly can take an entire bundle of tofu, water and all, and simply freeze the entire thing. I’m extra of a “prep now and make your life simpler later” kind. To make freezing sooner and thawing simpler, open the bundle of tofu and drain out the pool of water. You don’t must squeeze or press out the water inside, simply shake it dry and put it on a reducing board. Minimize the tofu into cubes, planks, or sticks, no matter form you see your self needing. I reduce half of my tofu into planks, and the opposite half into cubes.
Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and lay the tofu out with some area separating the items. Pop it within the freezer to do its factor. My one-inch cubes took an hour to freeze, and the planks took about 90 minutes to 2 hours. Then you possibly can peel the items off the parchment and consolidate all of them right into a freezer bag or reusable container. Retailer them within the freezer till you want them.
Tips on how to thaw frozen tofu
After defrosting, the tofu has extra pockets and cracks.
Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
The best strategy to thaw tofu is to easily chuck the items into the frying pan with the opposite substances as they fry up. Then season it as you go alongside. If you wish to press the tofu for frying or marinading earlier than you cook dinner with it, the quickest strategy to thaw tofu is to place the frozen items into a big bowl and canopy them with sizzling water. Let it sit for 10 to fifteen minutes and provides them a squeeze. If the facilities nonetheless really feel laborious, you possibly can change the water to heat it up once more. After they really feel smooth by means of to the facilities, they’re prepared to make use of. Drain and press out the surplus water utilizing no matter methodology you want. Put together as wanted.
This air fried dice of once-frozen tofu has a pleasantly chewier and spongier consistency.
Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
I made a decision to make crunchy air fryer treats with my newly defrosted and pocketed tofu. This recipe for dietary yeast-coated tofu nuggets was improbable. Though I didn’t make the most of the marinating alternative introduced by my tofu, I discovered the marginally spongier inside texture pleasant. Plus, it solely took a couple of minutes to taste and “bread” the tofu with dietary yeast, and I can’t argue with a fast snack.
I’ve misplaced loads of tofu through the years after I’ve used half a block and “saved” the remaining in a container. Not will I foster watery tombs in my fridge. Now I’ll slice up the rest and freeze it for a vibrant and spongy future.
