Vegan Cooking Tips with Ann Gentry

Ann Gentry is a chef, restaurateur, food educator and visionary. She opened Real Food Daily in Los Angeles 1993, a totally vegan and organic restaurant that has since spawned another in West Hollywood. Please visit Real Food Daily to find out more about this truly unique restaurant and to learn more about Ann Gentry.

Question:

I read somewhere that tofu has to be steamed before it can be used. Is this true?

Answer:

Steaming tofu before using it in a recipe is optional. Lightly steaming tofu in a small sauce pan with water to cover for about five minutes helps those not fond of the taste of tofu. Steaming or poaching tofu (don't boil as this turns the tofu rubbery) will make it more digestible and palatable by eliminating the raw soybean flavor. It is especially good to steam tofu before using it in a recipe that calls for uncooked tofu, such as a salad, dips, dressings, spreads or puddings.

If you are using tofu in a recipe where you are baking, sauteeing, frying, broiling, then after steaming tofu, you must drain the tofu, then press it to extract the liquid from it. This is recommended so the tofu can absorb the marinade or seasonings.

Extract the excess water in the tofu by wrapping it in a paper towel, then wrap in a clean dish towel. Place a small board on top and a weight such as the base of a blender or food processor. After about an hour, remove the towels and the tofu is ready to be used.

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