An EZ lunch, courtesy of the EZ Tofu Press.
When I visited the lovely city of Portland this past summer to speak at the VVC, I had the good fortune of finding a card in my special speakers swag bag, offering an EZ Tofu Press for testing and review. Indeed, I was keen to see this culinary marvel in action. I quickly contacted Ben, inventor of the press, who promptly and generously sent one to me.
Can I just say, wow? Wow. This little mechanical wonder is exceedingly simple and elegant in it’s design and super easy to use. I mean EZ. It’s the kind of sensible idea you see that makes you think, why didn’t I think of that? And if a lazy tofu prepper like myself thinks it’s easy, you will too. Confession: I normally can’t be bothered with tofu pressing because,well, I’m a lazy cook. But boy, does it make a difference. I even first tried hand pressing the liquid out of the tofu using kitchen towels, just to see how much more the tofu press could extract. Answer: a lot more. After putting it in the tofu press, I was amazed at how much more liquid came out of that block of tofu. I even tried it with a very drippy, somewhat mushy, block of medium-firm tofu. And it worked like a charm. I’m sold.
Pressing tofu gives it a much more toothsome texture: more meaty, less mushy. Plus, if you’re into marinating your tofu (and you should be), pressing it allows for that much more space for marinade absorption. And we should all care about marinade absorption. Never again will I cook unpressed tofu. No excuses. Not with this press around. Even just a few minutes in the press makes a huge difference. Did I mention how easy and fast using this press it? So easy. And fast. And it’s nearly half the price of competing Tofu Presses. Did you know that tofu presses compete? They do. And if you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, I think this may be it. If you’re in the US, you can pick one up from Amazon (and get it shipped to you for free if you’re a Prime Member). Awesomesauce. And Canadians shan’t be left out in the cold either (it’s -25C today): you can pick one up from the good folks at Fake Meats. You can also read more about the press here.
A huge thank you to Ben who sent me this awesome press, thus improving all future tofu dishes in my household exponentially. I recommend it unreservedly and leave you with these EZ Tofu Press facts:
1) Currently $26.99 (+ free shipping for Prime Members) from Amazon (in the USA).
2) Fakemeats.com offers special shipping rates to all of Canada (listed at $22.95 at time of writing).
3) EZ Tofu Press can press virtually all sizes of firm & extra firm tofu (even medium-firm tofu improved!)
4) Pressing can be achieved in 15 minutes or less (even a few minutes does wonders)
5) Presses substantially faster than spring based tofu presses (very fast)
6) Easy to clean: small, compact, dishwasher safe, fewer parts to break.
7) Saves on paper or cloth towels (friend to the environment!)
8) EZ Tofu Press comes in a retail box with instructions and a handy measuring tool.
Stay tuned for details about an EZ Tofu Press Giveaway!
Image courtesy of EZ Tofu Press.
