Tofu is made from soy milk and is popular in many Asian countries. its is found that anything that is made with soy has less shelf life and can go bad if not preserved correctly so we need to freeze the tofu in freezer to use it later without it getting spoiled and change taste. Some people also refer tofu as cottage cheese alternative as it looks and taste somewhat very similar to cottage cheese.
tofu contains lot of calcium and iron in them. it is termed as source of protein for vegetarian people. it helps to reduce bad cholesterol levels in body due to the presence of soy isoflavines in it. it also helps to reduce the loss of protein from body in diabetes patients due to presence of soy proteins in them rather than other types of animal proteins.
How to freeze Tofu
To freeze the tofu you need to remove all the water content from it which can be done by wrapping the tofu block in 2 -3 paper towel and then pressing it gently to remove the excess water from the tofu. once the paper towel soak all the tofu water you can then throw them in dustbin.
If you haven’t opened the package yet then you can also store it in freezer directly to freeze it for later use. the packet contains some water so upon thawing you may find some ice crystals in the package.
To freeze the tofu safely you can wrap it in aluminum foil post removing the water and then keep the tofu block in freezer bag sealed tightly after removing all the air.
you can also cut it in small pieces with pairing knife and wrap in individual aluminum wrap and keep in freezer bag to store for long term in freezer and easy to use when thawing and using in different recipes.
you can also flash freeze the tofu cubes by keeping them in freezer for couple of hours on freezer tray or baking sheet and then taking out and storing them in freezer bags with label on it for long term storage. you can easily take out cubes and toss them recipe mix when its cooking to make tasty tofu dishes anytime in your kitchen.
How to defrost Tofu
To thaw the tofu and defrost it you can keep it in fridge for few hours or on kitchen counter top when required. or you can also place tofu in hot water to defrost it at faster speed. you can run the tofu cubes under running water for 30 seconds to thaw it finely. it can be defrosted using microwave for 1 minute also. you can also heat the tofu cubes on pan for 1 minute in pan and get it thawed for further cooking.
although using frozen tofu cubes directly in recipe would also be fine and wont cause any issues. it can last for about 3-4 months ideally in freezer with good taste.
post thawing it your tofu has too much water then throw the water before using it in your dish as if you will add directly then your dish might become watery later on from the tofu water and you will have heat for few more minutes to remove water via steam from dish to get ideal consistency.
some times the color of tofu upon thawing changes and become little brown, so don’t panic as its still fine to eat but after you defrost the tofu it become little bit solid and chunky so if your dish doesn’t require solid chunky tofu cubes then don’t use it in your dish rather add it to salad with herbs and spices for best taste.
Tofu uses
- Tofu can be used in salad preparation like kale leaves, swiss chard, tofu cubes, ricotta cheese, some broccoli chunks and small tomatoes with herbs, salt, pepper and drizzle of hot butter would taste good too.
- grilled tofu panini sandwiches also taste very good with your favorite sauces and sprinkled herbs.
- Tofu curries and gravy made with tomatoes is very famous
- fried tofu nuggets with bbq sauce and tomato sauce taste good too
- you can also make scrambled tofu recipe my mixing some minced tomatoes, chopped onions and chilies with spices and salt.
- Tofu can be baked also in oven to give good crispy and crunchy texture which can be enjoyed with salt, pepper and herbs of your choices like oregano mix etc.
- marinated tofu grilled and then dipped in soy sauce would be good also with some veggies like corn cob etc.
Conclusion
now that you know how to freeze the tofu, you can keep extra tofu stock of it in the freezer always and use it in various recipes to add some extra protein filled tofu in it and make the dish more tasty and nutritious.
let us know what all dishes you like to make with tofu in comments below and share this tofu freezing post with all the tofu lovers friends to help them store the tofu in right manner for long time. you can also know about freezing mozzarella cheese on our website.
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