Why Freezing Tofu Will Change Your Cooking Game!
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- Опубликовано: 21 мар 2024
- What happens when you freeze tofu, and why might want to do it on purpose? A happy accident led to a great culinary exploration!
RECIPES I USED:
Thai Sukiyaki (for the silken tofu): hot-thai-kitchen.com/suki-nam/
Hot Thai Chicken (the sauce for tossing tofu): hot-thai-kitchen.com/hot-thai...
Pad Prik King Red Curry Stir Fry: hot-thai-kitchen.com/gai-pad-...
5-Spice Egg & Pork Belly Stew: hot-thai-kitchen.com/kai-palo/
BLOG POST: hot-thai-kitchen.com/frozen-t...
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About Pai:
Pailin “Pai” Chongchitnant is the author of the Hot Thai Kitchen cookbook, co-host of a Canadian TV series One World Kitchen on Gusto TV, and creator and host of the RUclips channel Pailin's Kitchen.
Pai was born and raised in southern Thailand where she spent much of her "playtime" in the kitchen. She traveled to Canada to study Nutritional Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and was later trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in San Francisco.
After working in both Western and Thai professional kitchens, she decided that her passion really lies in educating and empowering others to cook at home via RUclips videos, her cookbook, and cooking classes. She currently lives in Vancouver, and goes to Thailand every year to visit her family. Visit her at hot-thai-kitchen.com 
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I grew up in northern China where frozen tofu is very common, it's very interesting to see people being so surprised by something that I never gave a second thought about.
Frozen tofu keeps way longer than fresh, so 99% of the time I freeze tofu because I'm worried it'll go bad before I have a chance to eat it. I actually cut the fresh tofu first and freeze them on a tray, then I'll put them in a bag after they freeze, this way I can toss the frozen tofu cubes in the pot directly when I'm cooking (I usually use these in soups or stews so the extra liquid doesn't bother me)
social media influencers stake claims on what is common somewhere else, or recycle an idea popular a decade ago as a "new" discovery. This is why I like this channel. Pai does her research and assigns credit where it is warranted
Yes, I learned to freeze tofu chunks about 50 years ago. It's great for getting the soup or sauce inside, and I like the texture.
Intersting. I really haven't gotten to like tofu much as an ingredient, exactly because how hard it is to get it to take flavour from the sauce/broth so i will certainly try this next time to see whether Tofu works better for me after having been frozen. i'd never before heard of frozen tofu!
We probably from the same region
Back in the mid 1970s, I got a cookbook called Tofu Goes West (I don't recall the author's names). It was all Western-style recipies (chili, spaghetti, etc.) using tofu. It discussed freezing tofu and how the texture changes. One of the things they did was take bread thick slices of tofu and toast them in a toaster!
Wow! I’m going to try toasting tofu. My fam are all meat eaters but we LOVE tofu and frozen tofu. I’m going to surprise my daughter with this trick. It must’ve been a firm touch or a frozen one? Imagine doing that with egg tofu!
Avocado toast
Agree with that range! One of my complaints with vegan/vegetarian substitutes is that they're too focused on the substitute part. Forget bacon. Forget burger patties. Just appreciate ingredients as they are and make them taste delicious. Explore and innovate. As much as we like meat in the Orient, we also have great vegetarian dishes that often aren't masquerading to be fake meat dishes.
I agree, but it will still take a while. I think that, as an American, the love of meat and potatoes, supersedes the tofu fans as a lot of us old farts see it as “hippie food“. Maybe, with inflation, we might make Palin’s dream come true. In a couple more decades. 🤷🏽♀️🤷🏻🤷🏼🤷🏽♂️
Mock duck has entered the chat ;-)
I have gotten into real arguments with vegans/vegetarians about this. There is a vast range of meatless recipes. Why spend so much time trying to make stuff taste like meat?
@@sabinal17 i guess so. asian vegetarian and the real stricter no-aromatics vegetarian cuisines of some sects took centuries to forge their own paths and identities.
Agree. I feel like people end up like fooling themselves whenever they call things like vegan meat. If they are truly and consciously vegan, there won't be any need or 'desire' of eating 'meat'. That's like contradicting themselves. 🤷🏻♂️
Wow. Game. Changer!
This solves two problems for me: if I freeze it, I don’t have to worry about it going bad before I can use it AND it will have a better texture. Thanks!
I love how you can turn a simple mistake into an entertaining and informative 15 minute video! Thanks once again!
I consume a plant-based diet due to both medical issues (I’m allergic to animal products) and have never eaten tofu in a traditionally Asian dish but eat tofu often. I’ve always understood freezing tofu to absorb flavor and result in a different texture rather than it being a meat alternative. I appreciate hearing your perspective on it all. I’m so happy I discovered your channel and plan on giving this a try!!
I always freeze tofu! I thaw and drain with a weight, slice, season, dust with cornstarch and deep fry till crispy. It's as crunchy as potato chips and you can eat as a snack or make sauce with vegetables and soak the fried tofu in it. Delicious either way!!
I have had fried tofu with that texture, and I now understand why and how. Thank you, so much. It was making me a little crazy.🤗🤗🤗I have never been able to replicate the technique that converted me to enjoying tofu. Now I can. Thank you, truly!🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💐
Yooo that's very true! I actually tried so hard to like tofu but never got great results, and that was because all the recipes were too focused on making it taste like meat, but the moment I started using it in more diverse ways and not trying to hide its flavor, that's when I started absolutely LOVING tofu.
Growing up in America, of course I first had the impression tofu was a “meat alternative”. But since actually adding it to my diet and eating it, I just love it for being tofu! I don’t know why so many people are so hung up on it being a meat substitute because I actually really like the flavor and texture on its own.
Oh my god, you read my mind. I was literally thinking about how to properly freeze and use frozen tofu last night. I love tofu in all forms, and it's so nice to have more options to experiment with (i never even thought about freezing my silken tofu!).
Also, i totally agree about tofu being so much more than a vegetarian alternative. One of my favorite dishes of all time is a Korean stew called sundubu-jjigae (silken tofu stew), and i love the combo of meat/mushrooms and the silken tofu. I will definitely try it with frozen silken tofu next time.
I was so glad to see your short go viral. I think you're doing a great job adapting to short-form content while still regularly uploading these longer recipe videos. Doesn't go unnoticed! After seeing your video, I braised some frozen tofu in a MaLa sauce and it was excellent.
Air frying tofu is a game changer - makes it brown and crispy and also dries it out, giving a great flavour to absorb sauce.
Idk why but, my day is automatically 100 times better when you posts… Anyways Great video Pailin!
Awwww, so happy to hear that!
Well put! You put into words what I was feeling.
@@PailinsKitchen 🥹💗🫶🏼
@@PailinsKitchenThai chinese.
it helps for firm tofu to cut into pieces and then freeze -- the scraggly bits get bigger bc more surface area exposed!
Freezing tofu is very common in Chinese hot pot cooking, squeezing out water gives room to the hot pot spicy soup. The Japanese Aburage that deep-frying half inch tofu sheet that creates pockets in that square sheet is more of my favorite that can be used as soup ingredient and also as the sweet and sour sushi rice pouch.
If you want to make an great comfort food with your Aburage, I can highly recommend doing a RUclips search for 'Kinugasa Don'. There's only one channel who's made an EXCELLENT tutorial for this cheap, simple and startlingly tasty dish. There's almost no washing to do afterwards and you can tweak the dish by adding already-fried wild mushrooms near the end of the cooking time (before you add the egg). His tutorial is quick, clear and to-the-point with no chit chat filler. Yum!
I heard people living in a cold climate just hang their tofu outside in the winter to freeze it (this is something I couldn't imagine as I live in Hong Kong, a tropical city. We do have winters but they're mild). I haven't had frozen tofu for a while. Thanks for inspiring me to use it to make Thai curry next week.
My husband and I live in Maine ... nights can still be below zero Celsius even now (end of April). And don't even get me started on what winter is like.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy having four seasons, but sometimes I wish they were a little bit less intense.
I love this. I live in an area where it is difficult to get Asian ingredients. So when I drive 3 hours to my closest Asian market I like to stock up. Now I can stock up on tofu too!
I completely agree with you about the tofu being a "substitute". It's a great food product. Stop trying to make it "meatlike". I feel the same way about mushrooms. They are mushrooms, they are lovely, they are not a burger substitute. Going to try this because it's just me and I have a hard time eating up a whole recipe of tofu dish. I can do half and freeze half. Hello from rainy Oregon.
Love the new style of video. Would like to see more deep dives into ingredients like this!
Always honest, interesting and factual. Pailin's Kitchen is a place in reality we can all create at our home. Now, I'm going to enjoy the Thai Sukiyaki portion b/c I've had Japanese Sukiyaki a few times and it is one of my all time favorite meals and experiences.
This is a part of Chinese cuisine and is frequently used in braised dishes. Shanghai cuisine has a similar product called "core-foo".
Thank you for this video, we may see more choices when we eat out.
I’m so glad to see this episode. Pailin I love your channel. I bought some organic tofu at Costco and didn’t get around to using it. On the package it said “do not freeze”, so I discarded it. Now I know I can freeze it! Thank you!!
I love your recipes your explanations are definitely CHEF LOGIC❤
Thank you thank you for the new recipe!
100% agree with your tofu rant about this unnecessary fixation with making "veggie alternatives" taste and feel like meat!
Nothing wrong with wanting things to taste like meat. Many vegans/vegetarians like the texture of meat but give meat up due to ethical reasons. They love animals more than their love of meat. I admire their commitment.
I don’t see how these ppl are harming anyone(definitely not animals), so just let them be! Why is it wrong for them to want to taste mock meat?
@@ABC-ed8cg woosh!
Your husband is a genius. Thank you for turning this into a learning experience, and a successful one too! I love fried tofu - my mom would just serve it with hoisin sauce and Sriracha. I would definitely try a few more tofu recipes now.
Amazing job on this information and very beautiful dish. Thank you for sharing it with us. Have a great day.
"Tofu is good. But pork belly is *good*" that needs to be a on a shirt haha.
Thanks so much for this video! I love that tofu is so versatile. I agree that it can be overlooked as an ingredient in it's own right and more focused on what it can become for folks looking at substitutes so it's nice to have a few more options that highlight it in and of itself.
Pigs disagree
I mean...I get it, but for me it's the opposite. I would take tofu over pork belly any day. I still eat pork and bacon (both back rashers or belly bacon) from time to time, but i prefer tofu....
And i disagree with all the anti-vegan arguments in these comments ("if you dont want to eat meat, you aren't allowed to mimic it. stay away from OUR food and keep your hippy vegetables as they are" to paraphrase the attitude of some people here)
BUT i am fully on board with her rant about letting it be its OWN thing and not only existing in the west as a meat-sub. It's a great ingredient without pretending to be something else for sure.
Another option to get flavor inside of frozen tofu is to add the sauce to the frozen-then-thawed-then-cut up- then-pressed pieces. I.e., put sauce on the tofu before frying it so that the sauce has a little better chance to be absorbed into the tofu. Marinating it the day before cooking it also helps. Just some ideas :-).
Also, I like your rant about frozen tofu not being a substitute for chicken. Yes, it's never going to taste like chicken. However!, one can use poultry spice (a prepared spice) on tofu and get the flavor close-similar to chicken.
Thanks for this great video.
This looks absolutely delicious! I’m also not a vegetarian but tofu is one of my favourite plant source protein, especially when fried. Your video is very informative, detailed and shows a different aspect of preparing tofu. I’ll be trying it out soon. Thank you very much, Khun Pai! You just gave me an idea for today’s dinner. Big hello to Adam!
It occurs to me that if you want to increase the effect, you should freeze the tofu in the least cold part of your freezer. The door of my main freezer gets way less cold than the back of my deep freezer!
Oh dear.. Thank you so much. I can't wait to cook all these tofu dishes especially during Vegetarian Festival. Thank you so much.
My late wife and I both L❤VED tofu. She had vegan leanings (but ate bacon every so often). I am a confirmed meatavore. Deep fried tofu with sweet chili sauce was a shared favorite. We often would get a second order as we squabbled over the last piece! However my favorite is mapo tofu. I know of a number of different places locally that make it, but it is often a sort of bland dish. There was a restaurant I loved (it died during COVID 😢) that served it with all its spicy mouth numbing glory. Funny thing about that place, they had a slightly hidden whiteboard with dishes not for the American patron. I’d often order off it as they were always delicious. I once asked for a chicken dish marked with three peppers. The waitress tried to talk me out of it, I’m assuming from that they had had problems with people asking for their money back. I gave the waitress my credit card and told her I’d pay for it in advance. The manager came over with the receipt so sign and warned me again that it would be hot. When it came, the waitress hovered around as I took my first few bites. I waived her over and told her how good it was and if I could get one of their pitchers of ice water. As I ate I saw staff peeking out from the back watching me eat. I finished it to everyone’s surprise. The waitress and manager came out when I was done eating and asked how it was. “Spicy”, I said, “but delicious!”
Thank you for this wonderful recipe👍
Was watching this on the tv app and had to come and leave a comment after the tofu rant- thank you!!! #respectthetofu I was always wondering why I felt a certain type of way about recipes using tofu as a meat substitute and you hit the nail right on the head! I may not be the biggest tofu eater but when I do I like the tofu to be its own star! Gotta try this now!
I’m not vegan but tofu is regularly on my menu
I’ll definitely try your technique 😊
Thank you for the rant! I eat meat but I love tofu. I even like its subtle flavour and the texture when plain. Gonna try this frozen tofu method in a laksa.
I love how you use Tofu as an adjunct or addition to, rather than a replacement for, meat.
I have been pressing tofu on towels to dry it, then marinating it and giving it a quick coat of seasoned cornstarch before deep frying--I find it's really tasty and has some wonderful textures in that fashion. A complete makeover for soy protein, if you will, going from bland and soft to crunchy and craveable.
I have a package of fresh firm tofu in the fridge right now, and will put it in the freezer to see how your freezing suggestion pairs with my technique. Thank you!
Pai's TED tofu talk 💫 and 100 percent agree.
Thanks for shearing. Useful tip for those who learns Asian cooking. Yes, there are things familiar for some and totally new for others.
Thank you, this was super helpful. I was definitely wondering through the video if it could be used as a DIY no-deep-fryer substitute for fried tofu so thank you for answering that question specifically!
Oh my gosh I love your videos…from East Texas. Buying your cook book soon. We finally have two small Asian stores in Tyler ,Tx . I live about 40 min away. Can’t wait to try your pork belly and frozen tofu fried
Finally. So, glad to see someone else that wonders, why do we measure everything by meat?!😮You really miss out on the world this way.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for posting this! I have been freezing my tofu for years and everyone tells me I'm crazy! Everything you say about freezing tofu and respecting the tofu is 100% true! ❤ #respectthetofu
What a fascinating experiment! Even though I can access things like fried tofu puffs, this is wonderfull to know if I ever don’t have my first choice ingredients on hand. Thanks again for your amazing videos they are so appreciated ❤❤❤If you know you know, and I’m sure many people have never frozen tofu to find out.
Frozen tofu has got to be one of my Top 5 hot pot items.
This was one of the funnest cooking videos I have seen in a very long time.
Omg!! Tofu puffs are one of my very favorite forms to eat. Ive not been able to find locally, nor is fresh tofu which is recommended to make tofu puffs. Im excited to try thawed Silken tofu!!!
Thank you for showing and explaining the 'meaning'of ingredients here tofu😃🤩
What a great idea!!! Thank you for sharing this!! I love that the tofu is a different texture!! Fun Tofu hack!😍
This was fascinating!
Thank you for the rant. I am still learning how to use tofu in my cooking. Truly appreciate your comment that we should try it as an ingredient with its own personality not as a substitute
You explain so well!! Yummy! TQ❤
I can't wait to try this. Thank you very much for such a simple idea. I'm very fussy with tofu and in England's supermarkets our basic tofu options are frustratingly limited. I tend to seek out tofu puffs for my Thai food, Aburage tofu for my Japanese and Korean medium firm tofu for everything else-- the Korean stuff is far superior to the UK tofu, with a creamier mouthfeel yet an ability to hold it's shape at the same time. Always looking to up my tofu game, thanks SO MUCH for all your great ideas, pro-tips and shared knowledge about authentic, traditional dishes and cooking methods which we can all tweak a little without compromising the end product too much. Wonderful.😋
Thank you for sharing this video of tofu. A valued lesson of Food Science. ❤
Pailin, nobody on RUclips has done more to improve the quality of my cooking than you have. I am vegan and I strongly agree with everything you said about tofu! It doesn't need to taste like chicken, it is great for what it is. (If you want a meat substitute that has the texture of chicken, I recommend seitan, which is sold in Asian markets as "vegan chicken.")
I have only eaten tofu once at a restaurant and thought was good, however now with your recipes I think I will try it again! Looks delicious.!
👍I'll try this out today, thank you!
YES to your rant! Tofu needs to be appreciated on its own, I hate so much that it's viewed as a meat substitute because it's usually gross when served this way
Oh man that soup has all my favorites in it. Yum.
I've been freezing tofu for years. I use a colander with weights on top to press out the water. Thanks for the recipes! I want to try them all.
Thank you, Pai!
Soooo funny. Enjoyed watching you. I could almost taste those amazing dishes 😋
This is a special tip. I will try this, I like the idea.
One of my favourite breakfasts is a tofu scramble, and it’s even better with frozen tofu. I use a homemade seasoning mix based on nutritional yeast, but I often add salsa or another sauce. Yum!
This is an absolute game changer!!! I am finally able to make crispy tofu on my air fryer. I love these bite-sized flavorful crispy snacks that I first tasted in a Vietnamese restaurant. I’ve tried making it, but no matter how long I try to drain the tofu, the block doesn’t really dry that much. But with Pailin’s hubby’s serendipitous discovery, I now have a tofu block that’s practically dry and with very little effort. Thank you Pailin for turning an error into a genius technique.
I support your rant. Tofu is amazing all on its own and doesn’t need to be meat like.
This video is why I've been a Patreon supporter for years. Along with solid Thai cooking, the actual culinary expertise, and innovation keep me coming back.
What a great video ❤
Thank you so much for this idea to freeze tofu, did not know about this.
Thanks for this video! I now understand how they achieve this amazing texture for the deep fried tofu used in many of the flavourful soups (laksa, pho, etc). Will definitely try this 😊 btw if anything, tofu resembles cheese more than meat. I use mashed up tofu to make malai kofta (instead of the paneer which I can't find where I live).
frozen firm tofu has always seemed to be a "fancy soaked bread" texture. Wet, sure, but holds together, has a "crumb", etc.
Thank you for the video for me I don't eat tofu anymore but I'm glad you're making recipes for people that do
Frozen tofu has been popular in the vegan community for at lest 5 years.
Good job!
Interesting
Diversity allway a plus thanks for sharing Take Care Enjoy
First time visiting your channel. Love your style of presentation! Definitely not Vegan or Vegetarian and not well versed in using tofu on a daily basis. I will say that my favorite dishes with tofu (that made me even KNOW tofu existed) are curries with meat and Kimchi Jjigae (a stew with kimchi, tofu and a fatty pork or canned tuna - have yet to try the tuna version). Next time I make either of these dishes, I will try freezing the tofu first.
The rant immediately got you a like. And I don't like much (because it created a stupid Playlist ages ago, so I started using likes to save my favorites for later use. But I digress). As an Indian, it's a shame that lentils are always a ground beef substitute because HOT DANG is it delicious when it's cooked to highlight the lentil and not mask it as meat.
I totally agree with you. tofu is such a great ingredient, and deep fried tofu is my atf. also speaking of deep frying I don't see much recipes for แฮ่กึ๊น. I was wondering if you have had it. I would love to see your take on it.
I routinely freeze tofu just for preservation purposes. After it thaws and I press it well to remove moisture, it deep fries up with a really cool open sponge texture. It soaks up sauce really well (my SO loves lots of "gravy" with his stir fry dishes).
Thank you for the tip on the air fried tofu! Now I can finally make a dish I was wanting to make for awhile now! ^_^
“That was not the rant.”
Ah, thank you. You saved me from a misidentification error.
What a fascinating video! I really learned a lot. I think I’ll the sukiyaki first. Just want to add, one of my Thai vegan cookbooks, by Sangdad Books, uses frozen and thawed silken tofu as a fish substitute- when it’s thawed and pressed to remove the water it gets kind of flaky.
Good analogy
I have been freezing my tofu for years since using that process for hot pot. I freeze cubes of tofu on a sheet and throw them in freezer bags so they are ready to just throw in soup,hot pot, or stir-fry. I love the texture.
Verey interesting video! Never thaught we could freeze tofu. May I ask you something? Do you eat egg with eggshell?
I was intriguide. :) Keep up the good work!! 👍
I had given up on cooking tofu because it was so bland. I now have the fix- what a fantastic video!
Another way I love it is torn, not cut, and tossed with oil and really bold seasonings, roasted in a hot oven, like 425 hot. It gets craggy and very textural and there’s a ton of flavor to be had. Use plenty of oil and seasonings!
if you want a more porous texture in firm tofu, cut it first, and freeze it in a container that isn't filled with water. the frozen water outside of the tofu freezes and prevents the water inside the tofu from fully expanding.
Totally agree with you. I love tofu. One of my favourite Thai soups is Kaeng Jued Tao Hoo Moosub with woon sen. Clean, healthy and delicious. I made cashew nut tofu. It was delicious.
I made braised pork and frozen tofu in tomato sauce today, game changer!!! I disliked silken tofu so much because it's so easy to break, but with this method, silken tofu just absorbs all the heavenly liquid and becomes much more enjoyable. I don't know if you've tried Chinese hotpot a lot Pai (probably you have) but there's a sponge-like tofu included in the hotpot. I didn't know how they made it so spongy, now I know. Gonna try freezing firm tofu tomorrow.
Thank you
I live in the U.S. I first used tofu when I was in college in the early 1970’s. I agree that it makes a bit-very-good meat substitute, but it is a wonderful ingredient for its own qualities. I crave it when I haven’t had any for a while. I will try your recipes.
I heard about freezing tofu a while back but i have not tried it until 2 weeks ago. I saw a recipe on pinterest about making bulgogi tofu by freezing tofu first. So I made it (3 times so far) and it was very good. My adult boys loved it. And I also realized that frozen tofu absorbs flavor much much faster because of those tiny holes. I usually marinated tofu overnight before cooking to decrease cooking time. But now i dont need too with frozen tofu.
Beautiful!❤❤
Hi Paillin, just wondered if you have done a video on how to make pong gari powder? Thai curry powder is amazing, what a great smell. I'm trying at mo to blend spices to recreate it but I'm missing something I think. In UK it's impossible to find would love to see your take on it. Love your vids keep up good work ❤️
I discovered the texture change accidentally too. And like what you did, I also press out the water and use the tofu in strong tasting liquids. A recent one is in a mala pot of vegetables. I broke the defrosted firm tofu up by hand for a more rustic look and greater surface area to soak up the sauce.
Goes well with curry too for a vegetable-forward version with less or no meat.
Yes! Thanks for saying that. Tofu is great on its own! It doesn't have to be known as just 'substitute' for meat. My favorite tofu fish is braised tofu and pork!
I hope you didn't forget to thank your hubby for his accidental invention 😂.
BTW, what's the paste you used to make your soup, please? Can we find it in asian groceries? Thanks, Pailin. Always lovely videos ❤❤❤ .
Frozen Tofu (“koori-dofu” in Japanese) is a typical preservation food of the Suwa area, prepared by laying thick slices of tofu outside during the night when the temperature drops to minus 15~20 degrees. The tofu obtained this way does not only last longer but has a dense, springy texture and a rich flavor.