Tofu.

[Rawr]

Do they have different name's/types?
When I tried some it felt really spongy like, but my friend said she buys some everyday and it's not really that spongey but better. I never got a chance to ask her, but does anyone else know if there is some different types of tofu? apparently you can cut it up into little squares and eat it in anything.

[mp-seventythree]

There are different types available, but I think they are generally classed as hard or soft tofu. Probably best to ask Cosmo, she knows more about these things than just about anyone.

[cosmo105]

yep. there's soft (silken), medium, firm, and extra firm. they all have different uses. the soft is more for desserts and dips, sauces, et cetera. the medium is good for making things like lasagna and such...and the firm is my favorite. it's good for stir-frying, scrambled tofu, and it's more "meaty" than the others. i always have a brick of firm tofu on hand.

it's important to drain it before use. if it's firm, you can just put it in a colander in a sink and put a weight on it (anything heavy will do, a can or something) for about 15 minutes. softer tofu should be wrapped in cheesecloth to be drained.

the beauty of tofu is its blandness. :)

it's basically a blank slate of protein matrices...and it takes on whatever flavor you wish to add to it. it's great marinated in teryaki sauce and stir-fried with veggies, it's great in any asian dish (soups, curries, etc.), it's a good thickener for a vegan pudding pie, it makes fantastic meat and egg replacements, and it's low in calories and high in protein, so i love the stuff. i don't overdo it, though...too much soy is bad for you. but that's true of anything. moderation in all things.

[beastiegirrl101]

so what do people use the extra firm for?

[zorra_chiflada]

i use extra firm in stirfrys. it's nice and chewy and absorbs all the flavours.

[cosmo105]

i meant extra firm when i said firm. i use it for scrambled tofu. it crumbles the best.

[BangkokB]

Yes, they have really thought themselves around this one.

I did an outside case study and we determined tofu sucks