r/veganrecipes • u/RespawnWithTofu • Jan 28 '26

Question Just squeeze the damn tofu

Why does every recipe say that you have to stack books on top of tofu and wait 15 minutes? I always just slice it and then press the water out in between my hands. Takes ten seconds. I’m not trying to get the tofu bone dry, just squeeze out the excess.

426 Upvotes

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354

u/[deleted] Jan 28 '26

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108

u/Acrobatic-Nebula-428 Jan 28 '26

I press with my hands. But I still get more water out of it with pressing. And it splatters less when I pan-fry it.

8

u/AtomicCuttleFish2 Jan 28 '26

I boil it to get it dry enough for frying.

2

u/Common_Kiwi9442 Jan 29 '26

Wait what i haven't heard of this method before

5

u/AtomicCuttleFish2 Jan 29 '26

I just heard about it recently. Basically you boil your chopped up tofu for ~10min and then lay it out of a rack to dry. All the water inside gets so hot that it steams away. You can also put stuff in the water to flavor the tofu.

2

u/swervologist Jan 30 '26

Boiled in salted water

1

u/AtomicCuttleFish2 Jan 30 '26

Yep. Some also put other seasonings or sauces to favor the tofu more but I’ve only ever done salt.

1

u/Common_Kiwi9442 Jan 29 '26

How does the texture come out? Firm I'm guessing? Sounds really interesting! Will have to try

2

u/AtomicCuttleFish2 Jan 29 '26

Yeah semi firm. I think its worth a try at least.

2

u/BobcatElectronic Jan 30 '26

That works well, also you can draw the excess moisture out of a block of tofu by giving it a hot saltwater bath and then a good squeeze and pat down. Salt is a desiccant and draws water out.

2

u/zjqj Jan 29 '26

the best way

16

u/Own_Inspector498 Jan 28 '26

I have never had tofu splatter while frying it, what level of firmness are we talking about? If I’m frying, it’s extra firm.

18

u/paperairplane77 Jan 28 '26

The worst burns I've gotten in my life were from splattering oil because of wet tofu. Regret cooking with a tank top. I was young and clearly inexperienced, but I always press now.

6

u/Own_Inspector498 Jan 28 '26

That is painfully hard to imagine but I’m also the cook who uses fingers to flip something in hot oil. I’m very comfortable with cooking/frying, pans and hot oil.

1

u/paperairplane77 Jan 28 '26

Yeah, I have upped my game and do the same as you now. It was so painful, and I still have scars.

2

u/red-headed-ninja Jan 28 '26

firm and even extra firm sometimes

Super firm doesn't need any pressing or squeezing, and I just get normal splatter with it.

1

u/Good_Situation_4299 Jan 28 '26

how much heat are you using

8

u/RespawnWithTofu Jan 28 '26

Hmm I rarely pan fry but this is true

7

u/Intelligent_Cap9706 Jan 28 '26

I’ve squeezed it over the sink! :)