I'm going to write this as a novice, just starting to make tofu and what I wanted to know when shopping around, never having made tofu and not knowing anything. If that is where you are at, then this is for you. I have made tofu only twice with this, but even though it's a bit of work, I feel very excited to make more with this set and feel its a great investment and will give confidence to a novice.
Does this set work? Yes! Is there a bit of a learning curve? Yes. Any well-crafted food that is unlike something you've made takes some practice. But on what will be my 3rd batch of tofu, I feel confident all the work will pay off and I will be enjoying yummy tofu. Mine was not as smooth and perfect looking as store bought tofu but the taste was far superior. It is several steps but you can really taste the care, love and depth in the tofu and see why people love tofu, vegetarians and meat eaters, alike.
The tofu press is solidly built, a nice bamboo (a more hygienic and durable wood for water, I believe) and seems really well made for the price. I didn't get funky cheese cloth, so it seems they fixed that issue. It seems a bit thick, but there is probably a reason for it. The nigari seems very high quality and reliable. It has gotten a little moist in a couple spots in the humid weather, but I don't think it's a problem. If you have natural sea salts, you see that in them, too. Maybe storing it in air tight container would help. My tofu coagulated right away with this nigari, so it does what it should without even being ify about it like some products out there. It is a big bag for the amount you need so you're set for awhile.
There are various videos and recipes online. I suggest watching a few videos to get a feel for it. The process I used is from "Asian Tofu: Discover the Best, Make Your Own, and Cook It at Home by Andrea Nguyen" because she has worked hard to figure out how to make great food at home and I love her books. You can start a couple different ways with ready made soy milk but I started with dried soybeans. Andrea Nguyen suggests -and this seller has - Laura soybeans, they're non-GMO. I would love to have organic non-GMO beans from Japan, but not going to happen anytime soon. Laura sells their beans to tofu shops in Japan, so you are pretty well assured an outstanding product. I agree, as a novice, of course. You can order direct or get a 5 lb bag of Laura soybeans with your Amazon order and you have what you need to make tofu!
I am a typical American who loves everything fried or browned and the texture of uncooked tofu has never appealed to me. But with this tofu maker, I feel like I want to eat it uncooked. The taste is really so much better, so that says something. People who enjoy tofu and don't mind fussing a bit in the kitchen will adore homemade tofu. It really is a special treat.
There are lots of recipes out there but this is what I did:
soaked 1 cup of beans over night
Skinned them by hand (this is the most time consuming part so far, but you can skip it or I'm going to look for an easier way)
puree in blender or food processor with water
cooked the bean soup in boiling water
strained through cheese cloth (some other stuff I had, Amazon has that cheap, too)
recook to warm and add the nigari in 3 batches, then let it rest.
Pour in the tofu press and let sit about 15 minutes. let it rest a bit to get flavor.
There you have wonderful tofu!
My first batch was badly concave because I wasn't careful with the cheesecloth in the mold and didn't place it evenly. Remember, you're shaping it so make sure the cloth and top is even. The second batch, I didn't try to get all four sides of the thick cloth flaps under the press top. I used a can of coconut milk to press and checked it was still in there as flat as it could be.
I love age dashi (fried) tofu made with silken/soft tofu. Andrea N suggests using gypsum rather than nigari for silken, but she says you can use nigari and if you look around, you can probably find people who say it's best. Like anything, there are different ways to do it. I just ordered gypsum and this great seller also has it. I will definitely be using this set and even if you find a better way, this little set is fantastic for someone starting out and I expect to use it a lot! Thank you to the seller, previous reviewers and to everyone who posted videos and the book.
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Product Description
Premium Bamboo
We have switched from pine to 100% natural bamboo to provide our customers with a superior tofu box that is both beautiful and durable. Bamboo is strong, lightweight, water resistant, odor resistant, and nonporous, making it ideal for the kitchen. Our bamboo tofu box is an environmental, food safe choice.
Crafted to Last
Our tofu box is constructed with attractive dovetail joints for extra durability. This adds powerful tensile strength and displays the beautiful natural grain of bamboo.
All-Natural Nigari
We include a generous 0.5 pound our own all-natural nigari, which will coagulate up to 100 lbs of tofu. We source our nigari (magnesium chloride) from the remote Cha’erhan salt lake, formed millions of years ago on Tibetan highlands. Cha’erhan nigari is free of the pollutants and radiation found in modern seawater nigari, ensuring the top quality and taste for your tofu.
Fresh, Delicious Tofu Made Easy
Our intuitively designed, large capacity tofu box makes tofu-making simple. Prepare to taste the freshest, most flavorful tofu made right at home!
Reviews with images
Large capacity
Having used this press for a year, I’ve bought a second so I can make two batches of tofu at a time. The press is well made and durable. Rinse after using and let air dry.My wife likes tofu for breakfast. She enjoy's a brand from Trader Joe's but frequently gets a spoiled batch. I donned my shining armor and consulted the Oracle of Youtube which taught me how to make it fresh. I don't eat it myself but my lovely wife really appreciates the effort and I enjoy making it for her.But you can only make a small batch using the plastic tofu mold I started with, about three day's worth at her rate of consumption. This bamboo mold is considerably larger and I can more than double the amount of tofu I can make in one batch, cutting the cooking sessions down from two times a week to one. (NOTE: for novices, if you try this make sure your cooking vessel is large enough to accommodate the rise of the soy bean mixture if it boils. If you watch VERY carefully and cut the heat as it begins to bubble you can keep it from over-topping your kettle.)She likes it extra firm. Settle down; this is a family website. Another problem with the smaller plastic molds and mentioned in some of their reviews is that it's difficult to get enough weight on the lid to press out enough moisture to arrive at an extra firm curd. This bamboo mold is wider at the top and will accommodate a large can of tomatoes, on top of which I invert a cast-iron frying pan. Plenty heavy, plenty compression, plenty firm tofu.As an added bonus, I purchased a set of heart-shaped quiche pans (link below) and use them to emboss a heart into the tofu. See photo.(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CJ7VEEC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2014
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2017
Having used this press for a year, I’ve bought a second so I can make two batches of tofu at a time. The press is well made and durable. Rinse after using and let air dry.
My wife likes tofu for breakfast. She enjoy's a brand from Trader Joe's but frequently gets a spoiled batch. I donned my shining armor and consulted the Oracle of Youtube which taught me how to make it fresh. I don't eat it myself but my lovely wife really appreciates the effort and I enjoy making it for her.
But you can only make a small batch using the plastic tofu mold I started with, about three day's worth at her rate of consumption. This bamboo mold is considerably larger and I can more than double the amount of tofu I can make in one batch, cutting the cooking sessions down from two times a week to one. (NOTE: for novices, if you try this make sure your cooking vessel is large enough to accommodate the rise of the soy bean mixture if it boils. If you watch VERY carefully and cut the heat as it begins to bubble you can keep it from over-topping your kettle.)
She likes it extra firm. Settle down; this is a family website. Another problem with the smaller plastic molds and mentioned in some of their reviews is that it's difficult to get enough weight on the lid to press out enough moisture to arrive at an extra firm curd. This bamboo mold is wider at the top and will accommodate a large can of tomatoes, on top of which I invert a cast-iron frying pan. Plenty heavy, plenty compression, plenty firm tofu.
As an added bonus, I purchased a set of heart-shaped quiche pans (link below) and use them to emboss a heart into the tofu. See photo.
(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CJ7VEEC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
My wife likes tofu for breakfast. She enjoy's a brand from Trader Joe's but frequently gets a spoiled batch. I donned my shining armor and consulted the Oracle of Youtube which taught me how to make it fresh. I don't eat it myself but my lovely wife really appreciates the effort and I enjoy making it for her.
But you can only make a small batch using the plastic tofu mold I started with, about three day's worth at her rate of consumption. This bamboo mold is considerably larger and I can more than double the amount of tofu I can make in one batch, cutting the cooking sessions down from two times a week to one. (NOTE: for novices, if you try this make sure your cooking vessel is large enough to accommodate the rise of the soy bean mixture if it boils. If you watch VERY carefully and cut the heat as it begins to bubble you can keep it from over-topping your kettle.)
She likes it extra firm. Settle down; this is a family website. Another problem with the smaller plastic molds and mentioned in some of their reviews is that it's difficult to get enough weight on the lid to press out enough moisture to arrive at an extra firm curd. This bamboo mold is wider at the top and will accommodate a large can of tomatoes, on top of which I invert a cast-iron frying pan. Plenty heavy, plenty compression, plenty firm tofu.
As an added bonus, I purchased a set of heart-shaped quiche pans (link below) and use them to emboss a heart into the tofu. See photo.
(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CJ7VEEC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2018
