Pressed/Extra Firm.
(I don’t like pressing my tofu. I just wanna open the packet and dump it in the pan.)
Silken for smoothie, tempeh for a sandwich, regular/firm for air fryer.
I like cooking Seiten, jackfruit, or mushrooms as my meat replacers in recipes.
I hear a lot of people say “yeah, get the extra firm tofu and then press it overnight in the fridge so that you can get it even firmer” and I’m like “am I the only one who actually likes a soft tofu?” I think the extra firm people are trying to get a meat-like texture so they do everything they can to squeeze out the water, but I really appreciate a medium or even soft tofu. The texture is really nice, like fresh mozzarella.
l find pressing to be a waste of time anyway, it’s a very marginal gain and you can usually find super firm (vacuum sealed packs instead of water packs) or switch to tempeh/seitan for lower moisture content.
tofu shouldn't replace meat. it's its own thing and it's great as it is. all types of tofu are good in the dish that's right for them.
except japanese egg tofu, that stuff is crap
It really depends what you're doing with it, all tofu is valid.
Pressed / Very firm, which is sadly almost unfindable in :france-cool:
All they sell is fucking silken
I like the five spice marinated tofu you might find at Asian groceries. They're extremely firm and flavorful, almost like a smoked Gouda cheese.
Also at home I like to keep firm tofu cubes marinating in a soy sauce seasoned broth to keep handy for making stir fries or nuggets.
baojiang/shipin/jiangshui doufu. creamy on the inside and a mild fermenty flavour and amazing dipped in chili powder.
guizhou stinky tofu a close second
Mapu Tofu, it’s chopped, coated in potato starch, then deep fried and coated in a gochujang/honey/tomato sauce
Here’s the recipe I used, pretty sure I actually got it on hexbear https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/dubu-gangjeong
