Tofu has always been a bit hit and miss at home with the others more than myself. Over the last month or so my success rate with tofu has been flawless thanks to this handy device - the Tofu Xpress. I read about this gadget on various US blogs and although it sounded like such a helpful tool to have in the kitchen, I told myself that I didn't really need one. After contemplating purchasing other items for the kitchen that would have been used more infrequently, I decided to buy the Tofu Xpress as it seemed like it was something I would use often.
The Tofu Xpress is made up of three parts, a container to hold the block of tofu, a pressing plate which is placed on top of the tofu block and the part containing the spring. The latter clips into the grooves in the container which applies pressure to the tofu whilst holding it securely in place. It's a simple yet effective design.
It's important to place the tofu in the centre of the container particularly if the block is smaller than the container so that the weight is distributed evenly when the pressing is taking place. If the block isn't centred correctly, the tofu can turn out a bit lopsided.
After the tofu has been pressed for an hour or left overnight in the fridge, the entire container is full of liquid. Anywhere from 1/4 - 1/3 of a cup of liquid is expelled which is heaps more than I imagine would have been extracted via my previous method of pressing tofu with paper towels and heavy weights. The size of the block almost halves in size too. The tofu expands again after being placed into a marinade and it soaks up so much more flavour than tofu pressed with heavy weights.
I had been hesitant to grill up tofu steaks for my occasional tofu sceptics before I purchased the Tofu Xpress. Not long after it's arrival, the man and young man were won over with these teriyaki tofu steaks as the flavour that permeated throughout was sensational. The Tofu Xpress is an impressive tool for any tofu lover to have in their kitchen.
One of the downfalls of ordering is that the supplier is in the US and the shipping costs to Australia are quite expensive. The Tofu Xpress costs about $40 with the option to purchase a light tension spring (for pressing silken tofu) for an additional $6. The standard shipping costs were about $20 which bumps the price of the product up considerably and it took just under three weeks to arrive.
Oh this is very timely as I was emailing another blogger today about making tofu - the press looks great - we eat lots of tofu and I would love to have it fresh. What coagulent do you use? This is my current sticking point - what to use and where to get it?
ReplyDeleteOh no, I haven't actually been making tofu from scratch. I'm just using this tool to press out the moisture from blocks that I buy. I would like to try making tofu one day but it sounds like a bit of work!
DeleteOh I am a bit slap dash about pressing my tofu - I know I should do it but just often am rushing too much - but this sounds like a good idea! I helped a friend make tofu many years ago and would love to do it again
DeleteI would love a tofu press - like you previously, though, I've always been put off by the cost and hassle and figured I'd make do with books on chopping boards with paper towels. I may be re-thinking!
ReplyDeleteThey are great to have around if you are into tofu and they can also turn others into tofu lovers! It cuts down on the usage of paper towels so I guess I'll make up for the cost eventually ;)
DeleteI was going purchasing the Tofu Xpress today but after discovering the postage to Australia was going to cost close to $40, I'm hesitant to proceed with the order. Do you still think it's worth it, given the shipping cost? I've been searching online but sadly, there doesn't appear to be any similar devices available in Australia. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteYour teriyaki tofu steaks look amazing! I'll definitely be bookmarking the recipe for future reference. Thanks! :-)
Hi Elle, thanks for stopping by. I choose the standard shipping option when I ordered the TofuXpress which worked out to be be about $20. Did you select a faster option when it was calculating the shipping to be $40? It took me a while to decide on buying the unit and I even tried searching for one on eBay, the only option I could find was to purchase the unit direct from the supplier.
DeleteI do use it at least twice a week and have reduced my paper towel consumption since. I have been a lot happier with how well the tofu absorbs marinades after a good period in the press and it's really handy that you can leave it pressing in the fridge overnight too. I guess it comes down to a personal decision about the cost, I haven't regretted purchasing it. Hope this helps and that you enjoy the teriyaki marinade too!
Thanks for responding so quickly Mel! :-) I was reluctant to opt for standard shipping as the Tofu Xpress websites states that they won't be responsible for orders that don't arrive, unless you pay for registered shipping. Unfortunately I've had problems with parcels going missing in the past, so if I proceed, I'll probably just fork out the extra $20 for registered post. Did yours take long to arrive?
ReplyDeleteNo problem Elle! Under standard shipping it took about 3 weeks to arrive. From memory, Australia Post delivered it to my door (rather than letterbox) but they didn't require a signature for the receipt of the delivery. If you've had problems with missing parcels previously then I totally understand why you are hesitant to opt for the standard shipping. I'm lucky that I've never had any issues with online orders and deliveries before.
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