thawing tofu emergency!
Posted by xxLExx on Aug 28, 2007 · Member since Sep 2005 · 83 posts
First of all, I am very new with this whole freezing tofu thing....
So I tried it, and it has been in the fridge defrosting all day, then when i got to it tonight I took it out of its package and tried to use it but it still feels sort of frosty. But I sliced it up anyway, its just still in that partially thawed phase. Can I just leave it cut up in a bowl in the fridge until it is ready to use? Or does it still have to be stored in water? HELP!
i think TECHNICALLY you should put it in water, but in the past, i have just wrapped it tight and rinsed it before i used it. i had only left it like that for a day though, any longer and it WILL get funky.
and for the future, i have also speedily thawed out tofu by putting the tofu (in the pack) in a bowl of hot water, and occasionally put the open tofu through a few cycles of 45 secs or so in the microwave. just be sure to cut th etofu in half, and flip and turn, once its almost thawed...that way, you dont cook the outside and leave the inside still icy. squeeze out the water as you need to.
Hmmm. I would at least seal it up in a container or ziplock bag. I've done this before (generally just until the next day sometime) with no ill effects. They (whoever they is) say to store tofu in water, but if I've already pressed it and so forth, I just seal it up overnight in the refrigerator. FYI, for defrosting the frozen tofu, you can also put the tofu in a sealed ziplock and place in a bowl of hot water. Keep adding hot water, so the water stays hot. This works well, particularly if your tofu is already partially thawed, and you're just looking to speed up the defrosting process.
Edited to Add: I see Lucidanne got to this right before me. It looks like we have the same ideas.
so is it ok as long as it's stored in a bowl with a lid?
Yes, I think that should be fine overnight. I've done this in the past.
I usually wrap my tofu in plastic wrap before throwing it in the freezer. Then I leave it wrapped and let it thaw in the fridge. I never have any issues with funky tofu. ;)
Now that it is pretty much defrosted, I tried squeezing the water out, but it is getting all crumbly so it's not really ideal for marinating/baking anymore. =( It's just a bunch of crumbliness. Any advice? I dont really know what to do with it now and I don't want to waste it...
Gotta be gentle when squeezing out tofu :) Ive also learned the hard way... if you happen to have soy cream cheese on hand you can make a rocking fake ricotta for lasagna/shells, and also various loaves use crumbled tofu .. tofu scramble.. lots more stuff too.
Now that it is pretty much defrosted, I tried squeezing the water out, but it is getting all crumbly so it's not really ideal for marinating/baking anymore. =( It's just a bunch of crumbliness. Any advice? I dont really know what to do with it now and I don't want to waste it...
I press mine between 2 plates with something heavy on top. But now that it's crumbled you can make a scramble, tofu sloppy joe (my fav!), tofu salad sandwich, "meat"loaf, etc.
Now that it is pretty much defrosted, I tried squeezing the water out, but it is getting all crumbly so it's not really ideal for marinating/baking anymore. =( It's just a bunch of crumbliness. Any advice? I dont really know what to do with it now and I don't want to waste it...
Crumble it up, sprinkle it with garlic poweder, onion powder and Italian seasoning to taste. After that... put it on a salad, mix it in some spaghetti sauce, just snack on it...
Tofu balls :D :D :D
....with red sauce of course.