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Way. I'm not a huge fan of silken tofu, but I love firm tofu. I know this sounds weird, but I even like the taste of it plain. I'm a meat eater, but I still enjoy baked tofu, stir-fried tofu and deep-fried tofu. It has a great texture and it's healthy (although I guess not so much when it's deep-fried).

Way...love it all ways. I love to mix some silken tofu into my pork mixture when I make dumplings.

Thank you @Perky :) And I do eat mayo, it's just not a 'daily thing' for me...

But I love tofu--of course, in the meat substitute things omnivores tend to hate like Boca sausage patties and such--but I especially like grilled tofu and broccoli with very aggressive soy sauce or American-Hunan style Chinese sauce.

Like @brooke29 said, it is a good dairy substitute-- I do eat dairy products, but to avoid going 'overboard' I also sometimes use tofu for puddings.

Like @Cass said, it is a great 'absorber' I think tofu is useful anytime you have a great sauce for a stir fry that is very sweet or spicy that you don't want to compete with the flavor.

I've never had almond tofu though, either @Cass.

Way! I love it in meat-substitute things, but also baked, grilled, stir-fried, or in things like pad thai. So...mostly I use firm. Silken is great in smoothies or tofu scramble!

Way. Tofu's so versatile - I've used it to make pies, brownies and cookies. When combined with cashews or other nuts, you can make tasty cream sauces and "ricottas" for lasagna. It's great fried, scrambled, baked, roasted and grilled.

I LOVE fresh tofu. I want to start making my own. There's this restaurant by me that serves it and it is a totally different creature that I've had elsewhere.

I'm a big fan of pressed tofu in meat stir-fries and tofu skin (yuba) is the best wrap ever for a riceball.

On a hot day, I like plain tofu, cold, with some chopped scallions, grated ginger and shoyu sprinkled across the top.

@Perky/Christel - I agree on the Carla front also.

Way. I thoroughly enjoy tofu, especially when eating out. Firm tofu is great deep fried or in stirfries. Silken is awesome in mapo tofu or soon doobu soup.

It's a bit different learning how to cook with it yourself, but I'm trying. Sliced some well drained firm tofu the other day into some kim chi soup. Delicious.

@coffeefrappe - I never thought I would have whipped cream again, and then I discovered Soyatoo. There's a can and a box, which you add sugar to and whip yourself. I'm not going to lie and say it's better than fresh whipped cream, but I think it's just as good as Reddiwhip and it's nice to have something on my pie or coconut milk icecream that won't send me running to the bathroom. If you can't find it around you, you can mail order it from cosmo's vegan shoppe or pangea.

@ KarynMC~Thanks very much for the tip. I will have to look for/try that. I miss the good stuff so much sometimes. Especially when I make it for the people around me to enjoy and I can't indulge. Is there a soy ice cream (or frozen dessert, don't know what to call it, lol) that you think is decent? I remember hearing of something called tofutti (sp?) long ago, but have no idea if it's any good.

Way, although I've only had it in soups and stir fry. I'll have to try some of these ideas.

@coffeefrappe - Yes! There are some good nondairy ice creams! I went for years without any ice cream whatsoever because I couldn't handle it, and then I discovered the wonder of nondairy icecream and my pants haven't fit since!

My favorites: So Delicious Coconut Milk ice creams (they come in a bunch of flavors, including cookie dough and mocha almond fudge. The only one I'm not crazy about is the coconut ), WholeSoy & Co. Chocolate Hazelnut Soy Frozen Yogurt (surprisingly creamy) and Trader Joe's Cherry Chocolate Chip (they also have mango creamsicle, which I haven't tried, but have heard raves about. I've heard that the chocolate and vanilla are gross though).

The TJ's brand is actually Double Rainbow, which you can get in more flavors on the West coast. I have also heard that Temptation's really good, but I can't vouch for it personally. If you live in Boston, you can get Wheeler's, but I had a bad experience with Wheeler himself so now I won't buy.

Ones to avoid: Any of the So Delicious "Fruit-Sweetened" line. Seriously nasty. I've also heard that Tofutti's not very good, except for the Tofutti Cuties (ice cream sandwiches). Apparently there's Rice Ice Cream, too, but the only good flavor is the carrot cake.

Hope that helps!

The almond tofu is sold with the other refrigerated tubs of tofu. The container is identical to regular tofu.

I might be wrong on the tofu aspect, as I have noticed there are but a few recipes out there that use tofu/soy milk to make the dessert. Most of the recipes I've run across use milk, gelatin, and agar. I'll have to check the list of ingredients the next time I'm at the grocery store!

Way! I eat tofu all the time, usually in some type of stir-fry or thai curry with veggies. I also substitute silken tofu very sucessfully for paneer in many Indian recipes. My favourite recipe is for bittersweet chocolate mousse from Molly Katzen's Vegetable heaven. Essentially it's silken tofu, banana, and melted chocolate whirred together in the blender. My nieces and nephews lap it up!

WAY!!! tofu just rocks my world in all its many shapes and forms-- i have been making "seaside cakes" (vegan version of fish stix) since the 80's as well as enjoying grilled superfirm tofu with veggies; tofu salad ( Westbrae Natural used to make a "tofu dressing" that made an awesome tofu and steamed veggie salad); miso soup; vegan cheesecake--- the list goes on. Love me some tofu!!

a japanese acquaintance took me to a restaurant in midtown and ordered us some homemade tofu topped with shaved dried smoked bonito that was so exquisite i'm still in shock.

mostly, though, i'd rather not.

No way...love hot and sour soup but mostly drink the broth and leave the solids.

Oh, with regard to the mention of Tofutti earlier in the thread, I'd just like to say that the little Tofutti ice cream sandwiches are surprisingly good. They taste just like regular ice cream sandwiches!

Way... my favorite thing about tofu is how versatile it is. I love to experiment with making different marinades for it, and it can be delicious baked, roasted, grilled, stir-fried with veggies... the possibilities are almost endless. And as previously mentioned, the silken variety can even be used in desserts and other sweet applications as well as savory ones.

Hey, thanks to all for the ideas for non dairy desserts, frozen or otherwise. I appreciate the help and am SO marking this page for later. Of course, I am really glad I didn't graphically describe what problems milk, cream and ice cream cause for me! =:-)

@PerkyMac and @coffeefrappe (or anyone else), feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions about dairy subs or how to make nondairy versions of your favorite meals! I can probably point you to products/ recipes/ sites that can help.

As a strict vegetarian, I actually feel a lot more freedom in my diet than I did as an omnivore with stomach problems! For example, tofutti also makes a nondairy cream cheese that works very well in cheesecakes.

This is why I keep on insisting that SE create a position for a vegan liason (preferably me, lol). Many cities have thriving local vegetarian/vegan communities that make seriously good food. And since vegan food proves cholesterol and dairy-free, it appeals to many omnivores with health concerns, intolerances and allergies. I wonder how many omnivores would be interested in certain vegan products and restaurants, but never learn about them? I know it boggled my mind when I learned I could have ice cream sundaes again. :-)

WAY!!!! Think I've never had it before, but love to try it. From dd

Way! My dad is buddhist vegetarian so I grew up eating various permutations of tofu. I love tofu wrapped in nori - it's a pretty common vegetarian version of fish. Nigari or Lushui tofu is yummy by itself as breakfast. Over the summer when I was traveling in China, the little countryside village guest houses would sometimes have fresh-made lushui tofu that was still warm. They served it to us coarsely mashed with scallions, sesame oil, and soy sauce alongside pickles and congee.

I eat tofu skin all the time braised in tomatoes with some ginger. Fu zhu (the stuff you have to reconstitute) is really good in winter stews because if its slightly chewy texture. I make a spinach quiche using mori nu silken tofu as an egg substitute and it sets up beautifully.

I'm Asian and I grew up with tofu just being one of the many things we ate (I think this is why I'm not a picky eater. When you've eaten so many weird things, something new isn't as big a deal).
I LOVE tofu. In all of its forms. Firm, silken, puffy and fried. But honestly, only when its cooked in an asian way. (I don't like it in salads or as scrambled eggs or...)
To me, its not "pretending" to be meat. It's just a different, healthy, protein option. :] It can take on any flavor of sauce or seasoning you add to it, so its pretty versatile.

Sometimes I mix tofu (firm tofu, that's been mashed a bit) into meatballs or a dumpling filling. This cuts back on fat, and loosens the texture a bit. It also doesn't get really dry like ground chicken does in that situation.

@bisbee ~ haha! Nice (could have found a better adjective) haikus. I believe I now know how you really feel. Another nomination for Thursday's LWT. ;-0

no way! a nomination for LWT? really???*****...blush!!***** thanks Perky!

Way!