The ILLINOIS CENTER FOR SOY FOODS has created recipes that allow easy inclusion of soy products into the American diet. We have put 25 great soy recipes in a our cookbook Tofu in the American Kitchen and 37 recipes in the Textured Vegetable Protein in the American Kitchen cookbook. The Center has also released Baking with Soy in the American Kitchen, which uses a variety of soy products to create 42 tasty recipes. Our latest releases are Soy for the Last Minute Chef and Around the World with Soy. To order these book fill out our online order form or call us at: (217) 244-1706.

What is Tofu?
Tofu, also known as bean curd or soy cheese, is a cheese-like food made by curdling fresh soymilk.

Types of Tofu
There two types of tofu, regular (or traditional) and silken tofu, depending on the method used to make tofu. The silken tofu has a smoother, custard-like texture. The regular type tofu has a firm texture and may be labeled as soft or firm tofu, depending on how much liquid is expelled during the pressing. In general, firm tofu is good used in the baked products, salads, or stir-fry dishes. Soft or silken tofu is good for soups, sauces, drinks, dressings or whenever you want a "creamy" consistency.

Storing Tofu
Tofu can be found in the refrigerated products section of most grocery stores. All tofu packages are marked with an expiration date. The regular type of tofu is packed in water and must be refrigerated. Silken tofu is vacuum sealed and does not need to be chilled until opened. It has a long shelf life if unopened.

Tips for Tofu

Pressing: you can make it firmer by pressing it yourself. Wrap a block of tofu in a clean cloth towel, and press it under a weight for 15 minutes. The weight should not be too heavy as it may break the tofu.

Frozen: Put regular tofu (not silken tofu) into a freezer overnight. Take out the frozen tofu and thaw it in the refrigerator or microwave. The water will be separated from the protein in tofu. Squeeze out the excess liquid. Frozen and thawed tofu has a sponge-like texture and is chewier than fresh tofu. It can be use in many dishes such as stir-fried dishes, salad and hamburger.

Baking or grill: Baking or grilling tofu on a rack also can also remove water from tofu to increase the firmness of the texture.

Fry: Fry cubed or sliced tofu in hot oil. If you soak cubed or sliced tofu in salty water or sauce, and drain before frying, it will enrich the taste of tofu.

What is Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)?
Textured Vegetable Protein is an easy to use food made from whole or defatted soy flour, less commonly , from soy concentrates or isolates , which are more highly processed. the most common method  for texturizing soy is called "extrusion," a technique used for making cereals. the removal of oil prolongs the shelf life , and the final textured product is then processed into granules or chunks of varying sizes that have a texture similar  to meat after being cooked. Consumers can buy these nutritious  nuggets under a variety of names - textured soy protein, textured vegetable protein, textured soy flour, TSPÆ, (a registered trademark of PMS foods LP), and TVPÆ, (a registered trademark of Archer Daniels Midland Company).

1/2 Cup Dry TVP Provides

126 25 14 8 0 149 4.7 2.5 0 5 69

Calories grams Protein grams Carbohydrate grams Dietary Fiber grams Fat mg Calcium mg Iron mg Zinc mg Cholesterol mg Sodium mg Isoflavones

 

Illinois Center for Soy Foods
170 NSRC
1101 W. Peabody Dr., Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 244-1706, Fax (217) 244-1707