Defrosting Tofu
I've seen several posts and articles lately lauding the virtues of freezing tofu. So, I stuck a package of tofu in the freezer about a month ago. Now that I want to use it, I went back and realized the tofu is supposed to be drained before freezing. So, what's the best way to defrost? Just stick it in the fridge overnight, then drain as normal? Or is there some way to drain it as I defrost? Or any good way to cook it frozen, because I'm lazy?
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9 Comments:
I did this once to make tofu eggless salad and I don't recall draining it beforehand either. Not sure if I was uninformed or just too lazy, but I just put it right back in the fridge in the original packaging about a day before using it. Worked out great.
tangledgray at 7:35PM on 04/06/09
In college I had an old, old, fridge that froze anything that got pushed to the back. Many containers of undrained tofu ended up frozen. I never thawed it anymore than I had to. I just ran the frozen block of water and tofu under some cold water until I could free the tofu from the container and then cubed it while still semi-frozen and tossed it into whatever Korean stew I was making. Freezing is supposed to firm/toughen up the tofu...I don't recall if the texture seemed off or not.
wookie at 8:33PM on 04/06/09
@wookie~because you were in college...
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 11:27PM on 04/06/09
You can thaw it in the fridge in the original package, no problem. Freezing it in the water is much easier than draining it first!
producestories at 8:13AM on 04/07/09
I've never drained it before freezing. To defrost, I either do what the commenters above suggested which is to put the package in the fridge the day before or morning of the day that I plan to use. Sadly, I'm not always a great pre-planner so the other alternative is to put it in a pot of hot water to defrost or slightly defrost it in the microwave (although you have to not over heat it b/c of the whole plastic in microwave issue which gives me pause). I do this just until I can chip the ice away and then squeeze it between my hands with two papertowels over the sink to drain the water. It's almost always still frozen in the very center which I just cut right through with a big knife and pan fry, grill, etc. If you're deep frying, I would be careful to get rid of all of the ice crystals etc to prevent oil from popping.
nithya at hungrydesi at 9:41AM on 04/07/09
Thanks everyone!
Embackus at 1:07PM on 04/07/09
i put it in a shallow bowl or deep plate and put another plate on top with a little weight. pressing it as it defrosts. you have to drain it every 6 hours or so, depending on what your set up is.
dmarina at 12:15AM on 04/08/09
Yes, just thaw in the fridge and drain as normal. The texture will be much different after freezing, more spongy. Great for stir-fries!
Jackie
Devour this
jbeach at 10:59AM on 04/08/09
I like using frozen tofu in hotpot and soups because of the spongy texture Jacky mentions--basically, freezing the tofu makes the water crystals in the tofu expand as they freeze, creating tiny little pockets to hold broth and sauce once the tofu defrosts.
SavourAsia at 2:56AM on 04/14/09