Tofu Guide

 Bean curd or Tofu?

Whatever you call it, here's a handy guide. I broke it down into 3 categories to make the varieties of this plant-based protein more approachable for those new to the soy product.


Refrigerated
When people think of tofu (in the United States), this is probably what they think of. Usually the block of tofu is sitting in some water. These are separated by softness: soft, firm, extra firm. The soft is most similar to silken tofu (scroll below for suggested usage). Firm and extra firm tofu should be drained and pressed to remove excess moisture before cooking. 

Usage for Firm and Extra Firm: They can then be cubed or sliced and pan fried. If you like it extra crispy, toss it in corn starch first. They can also be crumbled into scrambled tofu or tofu ricotta. 

Common Brands: Nasoya, House Foods, West Soy, SoyBoy, store brands 

Tofu "egg" salad made with firm (recipe here)

Scrambled tofu (recipe here)

There is also baked tofus that are ready to use and *my personal favorite Trader Joe's high protein super firm tofu*. It doesn't need to be drained or pressed, and has never fallen apart or stuck to the pan during cooking. It crisps up really well.

Baked Tofu

Super Firm

Jerk tofu made with Trader Joe's Super Firm
(recipe here)

Nashville hot tofu with Trader Joe's Super Firm
(recipe here)

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Silken
There may be other brands of silken tofu, but I am most familiar with Morinu. These tetrapaks are not refrigerated and are usually located in the International/Asian aisle of the grocery store. These tofus also come in soft, firm, and extra firm. 

Usage: I would use silken tofu in smoothies, creamy pie fillings, salad dressings, or soft tofu stews. This is very soft and will fall apart if you pan fry it. Seriously, don't try to cook with this too much, or it will all be stuck to the pan.

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Miscellaneous

• Beancurd skin (see Wikipedia except below for description). You can find this in the refrigerated section of stores like HMart or 99 Ranch. You can also find this sold in packages of sheets in the dry goods section.

Tofu skin, yuba, bean curd skin, bean curd sheet, or bean curd robes, is a food product made from soybeans. During the boiling of soy milk, in an open shallow pan, a film or skin forms on the liquid surface. The films are collected and dried into yellowish sheets known as tofu skin.^[Since tofu skin is not produced using a coagulant, it is not technically a proper tofu; however, it does have similar texture and flavor to some tofu products.

Ready-to-eat beancurd skin

Dried beancurd skin sheets

• Tofu Puffs: these are ready-to-eat or cook. These are great in soups (think sliced on top of pho) or you can stuff them.

• Soon Tofu: This is a Korean-style soft tofu used for soups and stews. Be careful as I have seen similar products with eggs as an ingredient.