writingwyo's Journal, 08 May 2023

I remove if from the wrapper and let it rest in a colander for a day in the fridge. Then I wrap it in a clean tea cloth and just press on it with my hands to remove the rest of the liquid. Shift and rotate the cloth when gently pressing will do the trick.  

I'll give that a try, honeebuns. Thank you! I'm not eager to add more "stuff" to my wee little kitchen, so this is helpful. 😃 

Slice it before you drain it and hand press it. If you leave the block whole it holds on to the moisture. 

Got it. Thank you! 

They sell the super firm ones at the stores. And you could even squeeze those out by hand. 

Hey everyone my 1st day with the app - how do I add ingredients to my meals-I just used olive oil to cook my eggs and need to subtract those calories thank you 

I slip a cast iron pan into a baggie and use it. Works great. I don’t need one more gadget  

Cast iron skillet 

Maxnamillion, tap on plus sign to the left of meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack). type in name of food and it will give you choices. I check the calories and use the closest count. If you need to change the amount, tap on name of food you chose and then + or - to change their amount. Same for exercise.  

Funny your post popped up— my BFF gave me a package of tofu yesterday and I’ve been eyeing it like it’s a coiled snake every time I open the fridge door. Been vegetarian since 16 and have never cooked with it. 

Yes, love mine, definitely get one! 

Embrace the tofu, JB. 😉 One of the nice things about it is it takes on whatever flavor you want it to. You can even find WFPB recipes to turn it into a pretty decent egg-like scramble using a pinch of black salt and some other things. I can't recall if you use oil, but if you don't, you might check out the Krocks in the Kitchen website for recipe ideas. I do use oil, and found a wonderful tofu chorizo recipe off It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken. Took it to our office nacho party, and my non-vegan coworkers loved it 

The squeezing it out by hand first tip once it's sliced did help considerably. I used my typical routine of putting a kitchen towel down on a cookie sheet, putting one side of a tea towel on it, followed by the tofu slices. Then fold over the other half of the tea towel, followed by another kitchen towel, followed by another cookie sheet and topped with my cast iron Dutch oven. Works well. I'll definitely consider a tofu press to save myself a few towels down the road 😊 

The only times I’ve eaten tofu were in Chinese restaurants (broccoli with bean curd), so I figured I’d try to replicate that. Otherwise I avoid all “mock” efforts or “diet” foods. Even at 16 I was avoiding processed food! Just figured I’d find something else to eat. So this block will be a one time only thing. Thanks for the websites! 

I don't really consider tofu to be an overly processed food, but we all have our different standards and know what works for us. It has a long history of use in East Asia. My general feeling is that if someone's great grandmother would have recognized it as food, and the ingredients are recognizable and simple, I'm good with it 

I'm aware that my definition of whole foods is quite literal (one ingredient, fresh or worst case, frozen). I kind of like the challenge of it. But soybeans are always available at my local grocery store, so it never seems necessary to buy them in a processed manner when I can just eat them fresh in a curry or salad or smash them myself. (I take my coffee black so no need for soymilk, either.). They're available shelled and frozen, too. I have toasted my own for snacks, but usually just eat regular nuts.