How does boiling impact the texture of tofu?
For years, we've been making pasta sauce that incorporates extra firm tofu. To prepare the tofu for crumbling we follow this procedure:
- cut tofu into pieces
- cover with water
- bring to boil
- drain
- mash with potato masher
- squeeze out water by wrapping in towel and twisting
- add to tomato sauce
How does boiling affect the change in the texture of the tofu?
Best Answer
Ah, so the question is "Why does boiling the tofu change its texture?". Answer: it doesn't. Try doing this recipe without boiling the tofu, I think you will find it is pretty much the same. I think if the boiling serves any purpose at all it is to remove any last remnant of taste from the tofu. I don't mash tofu often, but when I do, I never boil it and I've never had a problem.
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What does boiling do to tofu?
Just as blanching vegetables not only cooks but seasons them, too, blanching tofu brings out its best texture and flavor. And it only takes a minute to accomplish these results. The quickest dunk in salty, simmering water relaxes the protein into its happiest mood\u2014warm, supple, and creamy, like fresh mozzarella cheese.Does cooking tofu make it softer?
Shortchanging your cook time will ensure a soft, unexciting tofu. And don't be afraid to turn up the heat\u2014preheat the pan to crisp the outer layer while leaving the center tender and creamy.How can you change the texture of tofu?
Slice before pressing A simple way to alter the consistency is by slicing the tofu before pressing, as opposed to pressing the whole block. This will push a lot more water out of the tofu, making the tofu pieces considerably firmer.Does tofu have to be boiled?
Technically, tofu does not need to be cooked. It is ready to eat straight out of the package. The most common tofu to eat raw is silken tofu. It's often used in vegan desserts to achieve a creamy texture.How to prepare tofu | 5 ways to drain tofu, reduce off-flavor and improve tofu texture
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Answer 2
Boiling tofu causes the bean curd to exude moisture, so you are correct there is a structural difference between boiled and unboiled tofu. The heat tightens up the protein structure, hence affecting consistency. Boiling bean curd for braised and fried dishes is a long practised technique in Asia, partly for these reasons. Because of the structural change, boiled tofu can stand up better to more vigorous cooking methods like long simmering and frying.
The type of tofu (mainly its coagulating agents) are related to the efficacy of this method, but it absolutely applies to your typical firm supermarket brands (non-silken).
Answer 3
Firm tofu is basically just soft tofu that's been pressed and drained. If you went out and bought soft silken tofu then you could probably just mash it straight into your sauce; extra firm tofu is harder to mash simply because it has a much lower water content. But as Michael says, you could still do it, it would just be a little more "crumbly".
I'm not really sure that there's any interesting or sophisticated chemical reaction going on here; you're just getting it wet, and being wet makes it softer and easier to mash up. It's more or less the same thing that happens with pasta, except that tofu doesn't contain any starch and probably doesn't need the high temperatures, so I doubt you need boiling water for this; just soaking it would give you the same result and wouldn't hurt the flavour as much as boiling.
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