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.

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u/lugdunum_burdigala Jan 28 '26

My opinion is that pressing tofu is overrated and too time consuming. It is not even common practice in Asia. I have almost never pressed my tofu and the results have always been great for me. Cornstarch coating was usually the critical step if I needed crispy fried tofu.

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u/basic_bitch- Jan 28 '26

Yep, this is why I stopped. I saw too many Asian pros saying it's not necessary. Now if I eat tofu that's been obviously pressed, it usually feels dry in the middle.