Product Review: Tofuture Tofu Press

I'll admit it. I'm lazy, and I never press my tofu. Sure, it improves the texture and helps tofu absorb marinades. But my old Tofu Xpress press cracked years ago, and I'm just too lazy to do the paper towel and plate trick. So I've just been living with inferior tofu for years. Until now!

Tofuture sent me a free press to review, and it's upped my tofu game 100%! This little plastic gadget does an impressive job of squeezing all the extra water out of my 'fu. If you're a newbie vegan or veg-curious reader, I should probably explain: Tofu is packed in water to preserve its freshness, but since tofu is basically a sponge, it absorbs a lot of water from the packaging. And that means fluffier tofu that isn't very firm. It also leaves less room for the tofu to absorb any tasty marinade you might want to use. A tofu press takes out the legwork (or rather arm work) of pressing the water out yourself.

Here's how it works. The Tofuture has three pieces — a top lid press, a middle basket, and a bottom piece that catches the excess water. You place the tofu into the basket and place the basket into the bottom piece. And then you clamp down the top press and leave it in your fridge for anywhere from an hour to overnight. The longer you press, the more water comes out. The bands are also adjustable so you can customize how pressed you want your tofu to be.

I also love that the press stamps this cut little logo into the tofu!

Look at all that water collected from a recent press. 

I used the press to prepare some tofu for the grill. I find that firmer, less watery tofu does better on the grill. These slabs were marinated for about two hours in a soy sauce/garlic marinade. 

They were perfect served with grilled corn, potato salad, grilled asparagus, and grilled squash.

Last night, I used my Tofuture press to prep tofu for a Kohlrabi & Tofu Stir-fry. I pressed the tofu for about 8 hours (while I was at work), and then I cubed it and air-fried for 15 minutes on 400 degrees. I didn't even use a marinade since I made my own stir-fry sauce with soy sauce, hoisin, and cornstarch.

Just look at that tofu! I air-fry tofu all the time, and it never gets this crispy. But pressing made for a much crispier tofu cube.

I love this press! My old Tofu Xpress did a good job, but it was made of a hard plastic that cracked over time. This much softer plastic on the Tofuture seems like it will hold up for years. And the stretchy bands seems sturdy. It's also BPA-free and dishwasher-safe.