Pressing Tofu - 2 saucers or plates, depending on tofu size, and something heavy, like canned good or mortal and pestel or a really big recipe book. Sandwich the tofu between plates - place heavy topper - 5 mins - drain - done.
@@rosievilla9748 I’ve never boiled it actually but I would think 10 minutes would be enough to soften it and infuse it with some of that miso flavour 👍🏼 let me know if you try it
Vegan for 8+ years and I've never pressed my tofu (except maybe a handful of times when I first went vegan). I find boiling in salt water better, and I've heard microwaving also works to remove moisture! I've been vegan long enough that I could eat tofu straight out of the package!
I totally do that too. So does Bryan. Especially if I’m throwing together a quick salad and just need a no fuss protein source… tofu straight from the package👍🏼 lol that must be a vegan milestone 🤣 glad to know you don’t tend to press yours and I’ve actually never tried boiling it in salt water. I’ll have to give that a go.
I'm not sure which level of veganism eating cold tofu out of the package is, but we're there! Boiling it in salt water also gives it a great bouncy texture that I love.@@TastyThriftyTimely
I can remember making fun of tofu for being bland with my father as a child, then years later eating our words in the same kitchen as the two of us would demolish an entire pan of lightly oiled and salted tofu right after coming out of the oven. Vegan since 2014, veg since 1996.
Haha love it. We recently toured a company who makes artisanal tofu and it was so flavourful. We were eating all the samples they gave us straight from the package 😝 it will be a video soon!
I chuck mine in the freezer. After it thaws, the texture is really nice. And you can literally just squeeze the water out with your hands at that point.
hahahaa... you said WHO MEASURES BLACK PEPPER HEY? well... when a recipe calls for it, (such as yours) I write it out in scrawks. Like the black pepper in this recipe of yours is now written in my recipe journal as "9 or 10 SKRAWKS of black pepper" (cos that's the sound my black pepper grinder makes with each grind)😁🤭 PS...im new around here, This is the first time ive seen one of your videos & ive gotta say I love you, love your style & your recipes! So I just subscribed & am now preparing for a binge watching session of a heap of your other videos! With thanks for all your efforts from an old vegan hippy lady living out bush in Australia with her tribe of rescue animals.🧘♀🐕🐶🦊🐄🦎🦎🦚🐸🐸🐢🐍🦆🦆🦘🦘🦘🦉🐴🐎🦄🐐🐴🐎❤
Hahaha I love that! I’m going to use skrawks from now on 😝 thank you so much for subscribing and saying hi! We’re so glad you’re enjoying the videos and never hesitate to ask any questions or suggest any videos that would be helpful for you. Give all your rescue animals a hello from us 👋🏼!!
Good morning! I live very close to Montreal and I just discovered your videos, I love them!! , I was looking for less fatty recipes because due to my liver disease I decided overnight to change my diet, cut out fat, salt, and sugar, I take wholewheat flours, better oils, tofu, vegetables, fruits, chickpeas, all kinds of beans, plant milk, I make a list so I don't forget anything, and it's a miracle my husband likes vegan food, I can't believe it, and with all that I lost more than 20 pounds in 2 months, the recipes will help me a lot, thank you for everything, great recipes :)
I’m glad my recipes will help! I’ve really enjoyed eating this way and discovering new foods and flavours. I’m glad your husband is open to the change too. Let me know if there are ever recipes or ingredients you’d love to see videos on and I’ll add them to my list!
Absolutely loved this video, totally engaging, entertaining, educational & inspiring. Loved this recipe with tofu, especially as I’ve just covered a cashew cream version but never tried tofu! Covered some key basic WFPB ingredients here. Your series in now turning into a real show, with real personality, which is what RU-vid is all about! Keep up the tremendous work. HHH
Thank you James! I’ll check out your cashew cream video for sure! I’ve made thinner cashew creams in the past but I’ve never tried making a thicker spread from cashews. I’ll have to give it a try. Thank you for always being b so supportive and encouraging!
Thank you so much for this easy tofu cream cheese recipe. I make my first cashew cheese recipe but wasn't too fond of it. But I LOVE tofu and it's my staple in my diet. I will make this next and see how I like it versus the cashew cheese.
How amazing is that! Yesterday I was thinking of vegan cream cheese, and when I tried to search for a recipe, my internet went out. Lo and behold, I'm recommended this video!
Hahaha the internet can be an amazing thing when it works 😜 I’m sorry it went out on you but I’m glad it eventually led you here! Let me know if you try this version and how you find it!
ha, ha. In Alaska our tofu selection is very small. I have to drive 50 miles one way to get a better selection. Oh, I made a tofu press with a couple of pieces of wood with holes drilled in them and a couple of bolts with wing nuts.
@@cherimemacfarlane3290 I can only imagine it’s so much harder to get access to tofu there. That press sounds perfect!! They are really rudimentary so no need to buy one when you have the materials and skill to make your own 👏 I’ve just recently started freezing tofu more often so hopefully you’re able to do that when you make the trip to buy some!
Yes wrapping it definitely works well. When I started cooking with tofu a lot I eventually got the press and it does cut down on the kitchen towel laundry!
Great! I like to keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last well for up to a week and potentially longer but we usually use it up by then! I have made just a half batch before so if you’re not sure how quickly you will get through it you could start by just making half the amount to see how you like it!
This is good to know thank you! It’s a good reminder to continue including pressing the tofu as a step in my recipes if required. I’m so glad you like this recipe and thank you so much for watching!
Ahaha that opener 😂 I love everything about this video. Thank you for sharing you doing quick kitchen math and also hunting for your tofu press hahaha so good!
Haha you can always depend on me dropping something 🤪! And my little kitchen step stool is my constant companion haha. I’m glad you enjoyed the quirky bits in this one
Random but I love your hair!! I love that you wear it natural and straightened out because I do the same. Would love your hair care routine or even a reply with what products you like? I have been craving bagels so this recipe is perfect right now!
Haha great I’m glad you like the recipe and I’m always glad to swap tips with others who have curls! I feel like I’ve been struggling with my hair feeling really dry and frizzy lately so I actually just switched to a Canadian brand called AG Care. I really like leave in conditioners for my hair to control tangles and they have a product called “fast food” that I’ve been liking. I’m looking forward to trying their shampoo, conditioner, and gel. I did use devacurl products for a long time and those worked well for me. I’ve tried some shampoo/conditioner bars too because I like the low waste component. Notice Hair Co. has some curly specific options. I need to be better at protecting my hair from heat when I straighten it so let me know if there are any products you really like since you switch between straight and curly too.
Ah, thanks for all the recs! I actually have been using a Canadian brand called " Cake Beauty", specifically their hair gel and curl creme, and I like them both. When ai straighten I do like Kenra blow dry spray and Amikas leave-in conditioner with heat protectant as well. But I have been wanting to try lower-waste products too so thank you for all the recs😍
@@starbird7729 oh I hadn’t thought of a heat protectant leave-in conditioner that would be perfect for me. I’ll look into these products you’ve mentioned too. Thank you!!
Oh yay I’m so glad you love it! It will last well for a week! Sometimes if it’s getting close and I haven’t finished it I’ll toss it into a pasta or something to add some creaminess lol!
This is good to know! I didn’t know you could buy soy milk makers so I’ll look into that. I’d love to avoid all the packaging for tofu so I’m curious to try making my own 👍🏼
@@TastyThriftyTimely I have a Tribest SB-130 Soyabella and love it. Only thing you need to know is too clean the screen well with a brush. I am not a fan of the milk but the tofu is great. The gypsum and nigari can be found on the web if you can't find it locally. I was using epsom salts and it worked fine but the 2 others left a better taste. For making soy yogurt instead of soaking the beans I used Miyoko Schinner's recipe from her book "The Homemade Vegan Pantry" leaves a less beany taste. Boil the beans for one minute then let them cool for 30 minutes before rinsing and putting them in the soymilk maker. BTW you can use a blender to make soy milk but it is very messy and time consuming. I did it a couple times and the cleanup was horrible. The Tribest is probably my most used appliance other than the microwave.
@@Eartha-zl7xc ok interesting! I’ve started making oat milk because it is so easy but I was wondering if I wanted to try getting a nut milk machine. Great to know that you’ve loved the Soyabella and it’s made the process less messy and less time consuming! Thank you so much for this info. Dairy-free yogurt is something else I had been wanting to try so I’ll definitely look into this!
@@TastyThriftyTimely Fennel an easy way to make anything taste like sausage. Chickpea or split pea tofu. Make an extra stiff batch grates like mozzarella cheese for pizza, or slice and serve on crackers using your choice of favorite toppings; tomato, manzanilla olives, garlic salt, and fresh cracked pepper. Yes, I just had some on Ritz Crackers. It's nice to inspire and share. Have a nice day!
It looks really good , I have been searching for tofu cream cheese frosting , do you think I could use your recipe minus the pepper, yeast and vinegar keep the lemon juice add some icing sugar with some milk ? What do you think ? I don’t want to make a cashew cream cheese icing i want a white icing cashew is kind of beige . Thank you
Oh interesting! Yes that could work for sure. Keeping the lemon juice is a great idea and if you need to thin it out with a touch of milk and you have canned coconut milk, that could help it set even better because the fats in canned coconut milk are so sturdy. You have me wondering what an icing that is half tofu half hardened coconut cream would be like (more saturated fat with the coconut cream so I like the idea of keeping it just with the tofu too 👍🏼). Let me know if you experiment with it and how it turns out!
We actually just made a cheesy sauce for a casserole from silken tofu. What difference does extra firm make from silken? Would it be not creamy enough / stiff enough with silken?
Yes I love using silken tofu for creamy pasta sauces & I use it for an oil-free “mayo” too! It is thinner and has a much higher water content though so I find that it is too thin for a “cream cheese” for me. The extra firm tofu does have a slightly stronger tofu taste but the firmness creates a thicker, more spreadable “cream cheese”. I do think silken tofu is a little underrated so I’m glad you liked the “cheesy” sauce you made!
@@TastyThriftyTimely I have seen lactic acid called for in some recipes and recently picked some up in Victoria at the Market Garden on Catherine Street. I went there for the first time a couple weeks ago and it is amazing. Have you ever been there? Just found your channel and love that you live on Vancouver Island. I’m in Langford. Would love it if you showed the package of the tofu brand that you use in your recipes. I have the tofu press you showed but also bought another one which I like too. I still press my extra firm tofu for most recipes as I don’t like the texture of the tofu that is firmly pressed although I can see it would be great in this recipe. Not sure which of your recipes I am going to make first as I am going to binge watch them all. They all look amazing as I eat most wfpb and as low fat as possible.
@@ckveggie6006 it’s great to know you’re on the island! I haven’t been to the market garden actually. We’ve only popped down to Victoria once since we’ve been here so we’ve been talking about going back soon. We’ll definitely add that to our places to check out! Thank you 😊 I most often use the “sunrise” brand of tofu which is from BC actually (I don’t think it’s available in the states but is the only Canadian tofu brand that sells across all of Canada). I get the firm pressed tofu from Costco “superior natural” as well. There is definitely a texture change with the pressed variety so it’s good to know that you prefer to press it yourself. I’m so glad you’re excited to watch our videos and try out some recipes! Keep me posted with what you try and send any more island gems my way!
Oh thank you ☺️ it keeps well for a week. I haven’t pushed it much beyond that but it might last a little longer. If the tofu has a lot of moisture in it and you don’t press it you may just not need to add much milk to thin the spread.
Thank you for pointing this out. I’ve actually been planning to create a little video about how not all nutritional yeast is fortified so it is important to check the label if you’re relying on it as a nutritional supplement 👍🏼
Hi, I have a few questions about the recipe. I've tried to make this cream cheese to use for the frosting in your vegan carrot cake recipe (which is very delicious! Thanks!). However, I can't seem to get the same creaminess and colour of my cream cheese. Mine was very "creme" color instead of almost white. I was wondering if there is a specific type of tofu you need. The taste was good though! I didn't use the dill and garlic powder, since it needed to be a natural flavour for the carrot cake. When I tried to make the frosting for the Carrot cake, my frosting got very grainy and soft and not white, fluffy and thick at all. Does the type of tofu and vegan butter you use also make a difference for this? I did use your advise to press the tofu 15 minutes in a towel, since here we don't have pre-pressed tofu. They always come in liquid. Thanks!
Oh interesting, I’ve never tried to use this tofu cream cheese in a frosting. When I was first developing that carrot cake recipe I tried to make my own cream cheese from cashews but I had a similar problem with a grainy texture and less firm consistency. That’s why in the end I decided to recommend a store-bought cream cheese product because they tend to have other stabilizers and thickeners added that I suspect help the cream cheese to not break down. (The acidity from the lemon juice and vinegar in the tofu cream cheese may be reacting with the other ingredients and causing that grainy texture). I have found big differences between brands so that is certainly a factor that is tough to predict. I mention a couple of butter and cream cheese brands I tested for the frosting and block butter vs a buttery spread produced much better results for me. There is typically a difference in colour between brands as you mention. My homemade tofu cream cheese is definitely not super white (the nutritional yeast added probably gives off that bit of yellow colour) but perhaps your tofu is a little darker in colour as well. Again, store bought options (I would think) are designed to be (and stay) as white as possible. I’m sorry I can’t really be of more help because there can be so many differences between brands. For the carrot cake frosting to be as stable and white as possible I definitely suggest the earth balance butter sticks and Tofutti or presidents choice brand cream cheese. Mixed at room temp with the powdered sugar I have always had consistent results.
This recipe makes a tasty dip. Naming it cream cheese I am assuming gives a hint on how it can be used. It tastes nothing like cream cheese. It can stand on its own as a tofu based dip or dressing.
Yes calling it “vegan cream cheese” makes it easier for people looking for a substitute to find and, as you say, it lends to ideas for how to use it. It is certainly different in taste and texture but it’s a close enough substitute for me since I’ve stopped eating regular cream cheese. I’m glad it’s a tasty tofu dip for you and it really just comes down to search engines recognizing and suggesting “vegan cream cheese” over “tofu dip or spread”.
You can skip the nutritional yeast. It won’t affect the texture of the recipe but the taste will definitely be a little less savoury and “cheesy”. I think you will end up with a lighter more lemony flavour and you could boost up the other seasonings if you’re finding it needs a bit more. Nutritional yeast adds a lot of savoury flavour without much sodium so you may find that you want to add a bit more salt and other spices and herbs. (If you are used to the flavour of tofu though you might not mind a more simple flavour profile). Let me know if you try it and how you find it!
I make my own non soy tofu. I use a press that Mary @Mary's Test Kitchen recommends. Ive used it to make tofu, Greek style vegan yoghurt, and vegan cheese. Ironically, I'm not vegan... Question, Can vinegar be subbed for the lemin juice?
Oh amazing! I’ve been wanting to try and make “yogurt” and that sounds perfect! I’ll look into that press. You can definitely use vinegar. The tang might be slightly more harsh so you could start with a little less and add more after tasting it but I make another tofu cheese spread with vinegar and it’s delicious so I think you’ll like that.
Oooo that sounds delicious! I think it would hold up well. It definitely won’t get runny, if anything it will get a little more firm and toasty on top but similar to what would happen to regular cream cheese. Let me know if you try it!!
You definitely can! I’ve certainly made some leftovers more saucy by adding extra plant milk and have used it as a pasta sauce 👍🏼 I also have a tofu “Alfredo” sauce that I make all the time and I have a RU-vid video for it! It’s made with silken or soft tofu so it’s similar to this recipe but even easier to blend and ready in a flash! Check out that video too if you think that sounds good but yes, you could definitely thin this out into a pasta sauce too 👍🏼 I like the way you think 😜
Hi! I’ve actually never tried to freeze it but I typically keep it in the fridge for up to a week. It should keep for a couple of months in the freezer as long as it is stored well in a freezer safe container. I’m not sure how the texture might change after being frozen. There may be some excess water after it defrosts that you have to pour off but hopefully it would stay pretty smooth for you. Let me know if you try it!
I haven’t tried that but I think you definitely could. I wonder if it would be firm enough on its own or if it would need some help from cashews or something. I’ve made mini cheesecakes from soaked cashews and coconut cream but getting tofu in there would be great. Let me know if you give it a try!
The one I most often use is called “superior natural” and I get it from Costco in Canada. “Sunrise” is another brand that I often use and although their extra firm tofu isn’t pressed it has very little water in it so I just use it straight from the package and find that I don’t need to press it. If you’re not in Canada I’m sorry if that’s no help at all!
@@YFL.111 1/4 cup milk would be about 59 ml. If you follow the recipe on my blog post you can toggle the ingredients from cups to metric! 30-59 ml is the range for the plant milk. I’m glad it looks tasty and I hope you like it when you try it!
You definitely can but you might find you want to add more lemon juice (or another clear vinegar) in its place. It does help to mask the flavour of the tofu. 👍🏼
Yes it is. It’s just easier to call it a “cream cheese” alternative so that people looking for a dairy-free option can find it even if they wouldn’t think to search “tofu spread” 👍🏼
Oh you should be able to activate subtitles on all of our videos by clicking the “CC” button in the bottom right hand corner of the video! I hope this helps and let me know if you have trouble finding that button.
I actually really like the one I have but different ones will suit different people and I do talk about how I rarely press tofu anymore. I personally consume fortified nooch but that’s also a personal choice.
YOu people can't stop yourself from pressing tofu. LOL, even when you say that it's already been pressed. No one needs to press tofu. I've been eating it my entire life and I've been a vegan chef for years. I've made a ton of tofu, and I never press it, especially if I'm buying the extra firm tofu.
I actually don’t press my tofu in this video. I demonstrate how to press it if anyone wishes to but I ask the viewers to tell me if they are still pressing tofu because I haven’t in years. You have answered my question 👍🏼
OK you had me all the way through all of the talking and all of the non-cream cheese spread discussion up until the point where you used concentrated lemon juice. Sorry I’m out.
I’m sorry to hear that. I do say in the video that fresh lemon juice is always better but I do use concentrated lemon juice when I don’t have fresh lemons on hand. Fresh lemons can also be on the pricier side for me so the concentrate comes in handy in those circumstances.
