Tofu - freeze or drain?

Hello all,

  I am a very beginner in the veggie dept.  I am attempting a veggie stir fry that calls for extra firm tofu~~ got it.  I read somewhere that you should squeeze the extra water out of the block of tofu before using... put something heavy on it?  Then I read somewhere that freezing it before use makes it more~~~ well, better tasting, and gives it more texture.. Any suggestions?  I just patted it dry and threw it in the freezer..... I will pull it out if necessary, but I don't want to screw it up.  I've experimented with tofu before, with NEGATIVE results...... help!

A

To drain it, you put the block of tofu in between paper towels or (preferably- they soak up more) a kitchen towel or two and then put a semi-heavy book ontop, enough to give steady squeezing pressure. Leave it for like 15 minutes and that'll press most of the water out which makes the tofu soak up flavores much better. I've never frozen tofu, though! I'd like to hear about that too :D

Freezing tofu does change the texture, making it drier and chewier ... a little more like fake meat and less like the texture of egg white.  It also increases the "nuttiness" of the flavor.  It's very good in stir-fry as it will soak up more of the flavors from the other ingredients.

To prepare frozen tofu, just thaw it out.  You can squeeze the water out of it like a sponge.  Then cut it or tear it into pieces and toss it into your stir-fry.  Works great.

My wife and I like the freeze-thaw method. It makes for very firm texture that stir-frys well. It's useful to keep it from going bad too. I'll have to try the other method of pressing the water out. Sounds interesting.

press it then freeze it in a freezer bag, don't freeze it in the water, it doesn't get as firm. 

Some of these methods will have different results depending on whether it's firm ("cotton") tofu or softer ("silken") tofu.

Incidentally I live in Japan and I can tell you that tofu is never frozen here. It is drained on cloths with something heavy-ish on top of it.

I am new to vegetarian as well and I am lazy.  I have tried to freeze the tofu and I hated it, it was NASTY.  It makes it dry and kind of scratchy when you chew on it. 

I don't even press it because like I said, I am lazy, I just take it out of the tub, dump the water, cut it to cubes, and stir frey it with seasonings and a little oil until the edges turn golden.  I do however press it while it is in the frying pan with the spatula.  This gives it a kind of chewy outside but inside is still soft, it is so good cooked like that...yum.

still sitting in my freezer.  I am going to try cooking it tomorrow....

I have found the best way to get water out of tofu is to slice it into 3 long pieces, so you have 3 slabs of tofu, then put them in a dry non stick pan and cook until much of the water is drained out and they are golden brown.  This way, they can absorb the flavor of whatever you will be using the tofu in, such as marinades, stir fry, etc.  This method works great and doesnt involve waiting for the tofu to be frozen or wating for the tofu to drain..... good luck!

I usually just throw the tofu in the freezer as is in it's package.  Thaw.  Drain.  And squeeze the excess water out with my pressure between paper towels!

It has a drier, chewier, firmer taste.  You can coat it in Nutritional Yeast (available in bulk at most health food stores) for some more flavor :)