I've been trying out Textured Vegetable Protein in these "burrito bowls" I do (literally just rice + beans + protein and some seasoning/sauce) and I don't think it's for me. Sawdusty vibes tbh.
Out of the three other meat alternatives I put in the title what would you recommend? I'm leaning towards tofu because it's somewhat familiar but the whole "pressing" situation seems annoying
TVP really demands a lot of liquid to make it tolerable. If you soak it for a while in your seasoning+water/sauce (at least 15 minutes, an hour if you can swing it), it'll be much more pleasant.
Seitan is my favorite for the variety of textures and flavors you can impose on it, but tofu's much easier to work with. There's at least one tofu brand in my local grocery store that's firmer than extra firm, so there's practically no liquid to press.
I generally stick on the extra firm so I get a bit more liquid for spices to get worked in with, but again it's the kind of thing where ideally you're gonna marinate for an hour if possible. It's also quite nice baked, and then you can often get away with a dry seasoning and nothing else.
I like tempeh but I'd say it's an acquired taste, and the texture can be quite offputting for some people unless you put some work in.
i've probably been underdoing it with the water for fear of making it soggy. maybe it needs to be even more heisendrated