I am a little slow on the tofu bandwagon and thus I only just now noticed that it's allegedly very high in calcium. I desperately need calcium but milk is icky and calcium pills make me burp in the most horrifying way.

I would be interested in giving it a shot. We're all a bunch of fantabulous and eclectic cooks on this board. Anyone have any advice for me? What kind should I buy? How long do I have to keep it? Are you really supposed to replace the water in the tub daily?

And most importantly, what different things can I do with it? I know that it basically takes on the taste of whatever you cook it in, but I'm not exactly a knowledgeable tofu master.

Help?

-- Anonymous, July 24, 2001

Answers

My favorite thing to do with tofu is to stir-fry it with vegetables. I get the extra firm tofu, squeeze out some of the water, cut it up into little chunks, and put the chunks in a frying pan with some vegetable oil. I cook the tofu chunks until they're golden-brown on all sides (or most sides, depending on how impatient and hungry I feel), then add chopped up vegetables and stir-fry for a few minutes (until vegetables are tender).

As for whether you have to change the water... I buy the kind that comes in a package, so I don't have to worry about such things. I've heard you can freeze tofu, but it does change the texture. Sometimes, I add pineapple chunks and sweet & sour sauce.

Serve over rice.

You could also try the tofu recipes section at Veggies Unite.

-- Anonymous, July 24, 2001

The brand of tofu I like best is White Wave. It's packed in water and will be refrigerated in the store. I'm cook it all at once person, but when I've only cooked half at a time, I'd change the water every two days.

I've never had any luck with the stuff that's packaged in little bricks on the shelves.

If you like your tofu super duper firm/chewy and don't want to resort to the one surefire method (frying): * Put the tofu package in the freezer. Let it freeze for a day, and then move it to the frig to thaw. * After it's thawed, remove it from its package. * Now we're going to press the water out. Put the tofu block in a pie pan -- something shallow, with a lip. Put a clean plate on top of it, and then weight the plate. You can do this on the counter before you cook. 25 minutes should do the trick.

And, if you just want a sneaky way to use more tofu to get the calcium in your diet, have you considered using it to make a mayo substitute? Then, you don't have to worry about firming it up.

-- Anonymous, July 24, 2001

My favorite thing to do with tofu is ignore it and eat actual food. I'm probably too close-minded, but I have no idea what to do with it.

-- Anonymous, July 24, 2001

I like tofu but rog doesn't and it's a pain to cook with. Try silken tofu used in smoothies with some fruit. There are also some good tofu ice creams on the market now.

Also, is it only tofu that has the calcium or all forms of soy? Because I've found that roasted soy nuts are a tasty snack treat. Trader Joe's carries milk chocolate covered soy nuts that are SO good and, if you are a Weight Watcher girl like me, you can eat like 150 of them for 3 points. No lie, 150.

-- Anonymous, July 25, 2001

Try soy milk. (My Mom asked me if there is really milk in soy beans, and I had to say that it's not really milk, it's just a white drink.) White Wave is a good brand, even comes in vanilla and chocolate flavors. I also found "Tofu-Kan", which my vgetarian friend says exists only in Ithaca, NY. Pressed and marinated in soy sauce. I cut it up and put it in couscous salad or other stuff without cooking it. As for soggy tofu, I haven't gotten that for awhile, but I did change the water nearly every day. I didn't cook it, I put it on sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, etc. I prefer the very firmest kind I can find.

-- Anonymous, July 25, 2001

If you need calcium, try those chewy carmel and chocolate squares. They're yummy!

-- Anonymous, July 25, 2001

Thanks for all the ideas so far! Stir-fried with vegetables sounds really tasty.

Susan, I tried those too - Viactiv I think they're called. I still have 90% of them sitting in the cupboard because they have the same effect as the chewable tablets.

-- Anonymous, July 25, 2001

If you like Chinese food at all, try getting a (modern) Chinese cookbook. Ignore the bit where it says to deep-fry it, which will add about a million calories, but work with the sauces--usually including some of the following: soy sauce, hoisin sauce, water, cornstarch, Red Thai Curry Paste (buy it in a little jar, it's HOT), red pepper oil (a lot of red pepper seeds soaked in oil, gets hotter the longer you have it), black bean paste, sugar. Vinegar? I forget. Then stir fry it with vegetables and pour on the sauce. Yum.

DO NOT pretend it's meat. Seriously. If you cook a meat dish with tofu it will be a terrible disappointment. You have to use it for itself. I have seen someone crumble it and cook it like scrambled eggs with a lot of veggies and it looked good, but she didn't offer me any. :)

Also, find out what texture you like. I always get the extra-firm, I find soft tofu very nasty. Some people feel the opposite way.

-- Anonymous, July 25, 2001

Make pudding! Get the soft tofu that comes all vacuum packed at the grocery store - it keeps forever in case you want to procrastinate. Chop the tofu up in blocks. They don't have to be attractive blocks, or all that small. Put the tofu in a blender or food processor. Blend it all up. Melt an equal amount of chocolate chips (that wasn't very clear, but if you have 8 oz of tofu melt 8 oz of chocolate chips) on the stove. Add the chips to the blender/food proc and blend some more. When it's all an even color and puddingly looking, pour into cups and chill for an hour.

-- Anonymous, July 25, 2001

Not all tofu has beaucoup calcium -- check the label. (Only tofu processed with calcim chloride or calcium sulfate has the extra calcium.)

If there's an Asian market in your area, try to find yam flour noodles (noodles made from yam flour). These have over 50% of the rda for calcium, and are great in stir frys, etc. (they look & taste like large glass noodles).

Soy beans (in the pod like edamame, or shelled) have about the same amount of calcium as tofu processed without calcium, and have more fiber and tastiness. You can use them in stir-frys or just eat them steamed or microwaved as snack.

Some seaweed, such as hijiki, is a great source of easily digestible calcuim, as are dark leafy greens.

-- Anonymous, July 25, 2001

My very favorite way of cooking tofu (before I discovered I am allergic to it) was to take 1/2 inch slices of the thick kind, sprinkle it with spices (and salt) and saute it quickly on both sides in very hot oil. I used olive oil, because I like the flavor. Let it cool. Brown and spicy/chewy on the outside, creamy white and bland on the inside. Yummm.

-- Anonymous, July 25, 2001

Tofu works well in soups or with sauced dishes. I dice (1/2") the firm kind and add it to pasta dishes, ramen soup, stir fry, etc. It definitely needs something with flavor as it has only a flat bland presence. Sometimes I steam veggies (mushrooms, zucchini, etc.) and add tofu and season with just soy sauce and rice vineagar. It feels like spa food, but I really like it.

I also found a brand of soy yogurt that I liked... But can't remember which one now, sorry.

A friend of mine likes tofu and mayonnaise sandwiches on white bread. I can't explain that.

-- Anonymous, July 25, 2001

I have to jump in on the soybeans bandwagon. half a frozen package of edamame (whole soybeans in the pod), boiled in water for 10 minutes or until tender, salted (prabably i salt too lavishly, but hey, it's snack food), then squeeze the beans out of the pods, or scrape'em out with your teeth. there's a partof the pod that's inedible, but the rest is delish, and it's fun finger food.

-- Anonymous, July 26, 2001

Sherry, my grandmother makes the most fabulous of tofu dishes. My favorite one is with firmed tofu (not rock hard, but not crumbly either), fresh from the local Asian grocery, cut into tiny cubes, with a bit of soy sauce and sesame oil drizzled atop, eating it raw. We also put black duck eggs (don't know the proper english name for it, but they're located in Asian groceries as well), chopped up, but that taste isn't for everyone.

Gran also cuts it up and cooks it along side meat and veggies. I'll pump her for more info the next time I visit.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2001

I am fond of this recipe: http://www.foodtv.com/recipes/re- c1/0,1724,15274,00.html, or at least the idea of it (I haven't actually tried that marinade, just spicy terriyaki and jerk sauce).

As a variation, I've tried freezing the slices of tofu overnight, then thawing & pressing the water out. It changes the texture a lot, makes it fairly chewy. I also tried marinating the slices and then just baking them. Still quite tasty. Also good cold the next day.

I also like cubes of it in salads, and i like the taste, so take that as you will.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2001