If you stumbled upon this browsing through the posts, you’re probably thinking, “what the heck is this??”. I completely understand. If tofu isn’t your thing, by all means, check out some of my other posts instead!! However, if you are intrigued by this concept, then join me for a little how-to!!!
If you cook with tofu, you know what a pain it can be to press without the right stuff to do it with!! I have tried it all – bricks, baskets filled with the heaviest things I can find…my feet (with a board under them of course). One of my favorites has been my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer – I put a hand towel down, then a paper towel. I place the tofu on top of that, then lay another paper towel and hand towel on top. Then I put a cutting board on top, and the mixer on top of that!! Super simple, but heavy!!!
It was at this point that I realized I needed a better system. So I took to amazon to see what I could buy – and then quickly realized I didn’t want to spend that much on something that might break. The next step was to take to the internet. After checking out a few different ideas I came up with my own, homemade tofu press!!
I happened to have 2 old plastic cutting boards that worked perfectly for this. If you don’t have any lying around (that you’re willing to drill holes in) you can pick up a couple from the dollar store, or these Farberware Cutting Boards from Amazon. You’ll need a drill for the next part – you want to drill 2, 1/4 in. hole in either side of each cutting board. (You might need to make the holes a little bigger so you can easily get the bolts in them.)
You’ll need something to hold the 2 boards together; we bought a Hex Bolt Knot Kit, which came with everything we needed – if you happen to have this stuff lying around (or something similar, USE IT!!) You can use 1/4 in. Zinc Bolts and 1/4 in. Fender Washers. Put a washer against the cutting board, then put the bolt through the washer and cutting board hole. Do this for both holes, then flip the board over and put the other cutting board on top. Place the remaining washers on the bolts.
Once you have done this, you’ll screw the knobs right onto the bolts!!
You can leave the knobs on, all the way to the top of the bolt when you put your tofu in. You can also remove the top cutting board. I typically remove it so I can arrange the tofu exactly how I want it to be. I still like use a hand towel and paper towel underneath; you could also turn the press on its side and let it rest in the sink as well. Once you have the tofu inside, screw the knobs as far down as you can (I stand on it sometimes!) After a few minutes, you should be able to screw them down a little more. I typically do this for 30 to 60 minutes then remove the tofu. I like to cut it into cubes then add my seasoning and throw it in the oven!!
I’ll save the details on that for another post!! I hope that you find this as easy as I did!! If you give it a try, let me know how it worked for you!!
