Tofu is a food product that has been used in Asian cooking for centuries. Its mild nutty taste makes it a versatile product for many dishes from desserts to dressings.    Much like mushrooms, tofu soaks up the flavor of other ingredients, which makes it work especially well with strong-tasting spices such as curries, garlic, and ginger as well as sauces like soy sauce.

Tofu is made from curdled soymilk, which is pressed into cakes.  There are two varieties of tofu:  silken and regular, both of which come in varying degrees of firmness—soft, firm, and extra-firm.

Regular tofu is packed in water and refrigerated, so it is typically found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, although, at times it can be found in the vegetable section of the store.  Silken tofu is usually sold in vacuumed packed containers that do not need to be refrigerated and can most typically be found in the Asian-food section or International-food aisle.  Although, sometimes silken tofu will be found in the refrigerated section even though it doesn't need to be refrigerated.

Soft regular tofu is best for soups and sauces while firm or extra-firm regular tofu is best for frying and grilling.  Since regular tofu is water-packed, it should be well drained before using.  (Some soup recipes will call for including the water that was used to pack the tofu in the recipe.)

Because of its custard-like texture, silken tofu works particularly well for dishes that have a puréed component, such as smoothies and puddings.  Silken tofu is also sometimes used in puréed creamy soups.

You should squeeze as much water as possible out of tofu before frying, grilling, or roasting it.  To press out the water, first cut the tofu to the desired size for your recipe (slices, cubes).  Then, line a baking sheet with paper towels.  Arrange the tofu in a single layer on the lined baking sheet.  Place another baking sheet atop the tofu and weight that baking sheet down with a heavy object, such as a skillet or canned foods.  Press the tofu for about 20 minutes.