I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a tofu addict. It is so versatile and picks up flavour so easily that I find myself craving it. It wasn’t always that way. You have to learn how to use it properly to make it taste good, and also, there’s some re-conditioning of the taste buds that goes along with it.

It’s low-calorie and has no cholesterol. 8oz of tofu has as much iron as 4-5 eggs.

Chinese (water-packed) tofu, should be stored covered in water, in the refrigerator and the water should be changed daily. It can be considered fresh as long as it retains it’s milky white colour and has no scent or taste. If it smells a bit, rinse it thoroughly. If no smell remains, it can still be cooked but should not be eaten raw. If the tofu still has an odor after rinsing, throw it away.

Silken tofu is sold in tetra-packs and can be stored on the shelf until the date listed on the package. It is less ‘grainy’ than regular tofu and therefore is well suited for use in “creamy” recipes.

Medium-firm tofu is of a scrambled-egg consistancy. It works well in any recipes that call for eggs or are approximations of heavily-based egg recipes, like quiche.

Firm and Extra Firm tofus are both excellent for marinating and putting into stir fries and other dishes that call for a meaty-type textured protein food.