Tofu is a food ingredient that many Chinese and Asian people use to make appetizers or even main dishes. A lot of vegetarians use tofu to substitute meat or protein in their meals. Therefore, the demand for tofu is quite high. Each producer will have its own method to make tofu.
Nowadays, lots of grocery stores sell tofu with good offers in the market. Therefore, we suggest you go to the store for more choices of brands and prices range.
This article is written to help you understand more about this amazing ingredient. Next, we will share with you some tips “Where to find tofu in grocery stores”.
Table of Contents
What is Tofu?
Tofu or bean curd has an origin in China for about 2,000 years. Tofu is found accidentally by mixing soybeans and salt. It is a soy milk curd made from the coagulation process, which is similar to dairy products making. After that, producers will press and cut these curds into blocks. These blocks have a soft and firm texture.
Lots of people think that tofu has only one type. However, tofu has two kinds, which is fresh tofu and processed one made from fresh tofu. Many Asian markets often sell fresh tofu that is immersed completely in water.
What is tofu used for?
Tofu taste is quite bland or flavourless so it is usually seasoned with condiments before cooking. In Asian countries, tofu is often fermented to store longer. For example, Stinky tofu is a type of fermented tofu with vegetables, which is quite popular in Taiwan. Its odor is quite strong for first time eaters but it is quite addictive when getting used to it.
Grocery stores often sell 3 types of tofu, which are Silken, firm or Extra firm tofu. For instance, extra firm will be used for your dinner because it combines well with rice or pasta. If you want to make sweets like smoothies, puddings, you can use silken tofu to replace eggs.
Nutrition of Tofu
Tofu has a huge amount of protein but it does not make you fat because it has no calories. People often use tofu in their diet to help provide sufficient energy for the body to work. It also has additional minerals, which are good for your health such as calcium or iron.
Which Aisle are Tofu In Grocery Store, Supermarket?
Nowadays, tofu is sold vastly in Trader Joe’s, Target. Buyers often ask us where to buy tofu in the grocery store. Well, there are some aisles where you can check the location before asking the staff. You can take a look at the produce section, where they place cheese, or dairy products.
If you still do not know where to find tofu in grocery stores, Asian or International aisle will be the next place for you to search for tofu. It can also be found in the refrigerated aisle in the healthy food section. Tofu is often packaged with plastic around top and bottom so you need to peel off the plastic before using.
One reminder is that when you open the package, you need to remove all the water inside. Its price is quite cheap, varying from 2 to 3 dollars a tub. Some stores also sell marinated tofu with a higher price, from 3 to 5 dollars.
What Grocery Store Sells Tofu?
In the early part, you will have an idea of where to find tofu in grocery stores. However, if you are still new to your neighborhood, then you probably are not familiar with the grocery stores where you can find tofu. Do not worry because we will give you some addresses of supermarkets.
Amazon
It is an online website where you can find tofu if you do not want to leave home. Here, you can search for keywords like silken tofu, bean curd and find the suppliers with ranges of prices. When you find the one to buy, do not hesitate to ask for manufacture and expiration date before making the decision.
Asian market:
Tofu is a food that most Asian people have in their pantry. If your house is near the Asian market, you can go and check for tofu before going to grocery stores. Here, you can bargain to get a cheaper price than grocery stores.
Walmart:
Walmart is not an online store where you can get tofu immediately. However, it has lots of branches across America so you can easily find ones to shop. Now, Walmart also has an online website where you can check for the quantity, brands or the status of the products (still in the stores or out of stock).
Target:
Target is the same as Walmart, which is a grocery store selling many products. You can visit the aisle selling cheese and dairy products or in Asian food aisle to find tofu.
Whole foods market:
If you shop in Whole Foods market, you can try a brand called 365 Organic. This brand offers fresh tofu that you can eat raw or cook with other ingredients like rice or pasta.
Meijer:
Mejier is a grocery store, similar to Walmart and Target, located in the Midwest of America. Meijer does not healthy food aisle like other grocery stores so you can go to produce (cheese and dairy products) aisle to find tofu.
Wegman:
This grocery store has big areas so there are lots of places you can check for tofu. First, you can go to the healthy food aisle, where you find vitamins or food containing no gluten. Next, you can go to the International aisle to find Asian ingredients like Kimchi or tofu.
In those grocery stores, you can find tofu brands mostly from Riasoya or Azumaya. Another brand offering tofu is Soy Boy, Morinaga. You will have lots of choices to buy based on your finances.
What is a good substitute for tofu?
Tofu is sold widely in any grocery stores near your home. If you are a vegetarian, your menu will mostly be tofu. If you are too bored of eating this every single day, you can find some of the replacements below.
In some cases, you want to eat healthy and get worried about the nutrition level using only tofu in your meal. Well, you can check the food ingredients we suggest below here.
1. Tempeh
Tempeh is made from soy, which is fermented in the food process. If you are allergic to soy, you can use beans to make tempeh. Tempeh has the shape of a long and thin stick. You can crumble, slice tempeh and use it in recipes on taco, sandwich. Tempeh is proved to have double of the protein comparing to tofu and you can find tempeh in Asian aisle of the markets.
2. Seitan
Seitan has a main ingredient, which is called wheat. The wheat flour is carefully washed under water. This way will help producers remove all the starch. The remaining gluten of wheat is called seitan. Asian people often use seitan as a meat source in Buddhist culture because it has lots of protein in it.
3. Beans
Beans are often used to make soups or cooked with protein like meats. It is a natural product, which means it is not made by the food process and has no chemicals in it. For vegetarians, it can be used as the main ingredient as it will provide 20% of the daily need. You will have lots of options to choose, for example Lentils, cannellini, or red kidney. You can switch between these types to suit your recipes.
Exciting Ways Of Using Tofu
1. Tofu scrambled in pans:
If you search this recipe, firm tofu will have the highest tofu suggestion. Other ingredients are yeast, turmeric and vegetables (spinach, broccoli, onions, bell pepper). Next, you get a pan and some oil to stir all the ingredients at medium heat.
2. Deep fry tofu
If you want something fun, crispy to eat for a side dish, you can fry the tofu. To make a crispy texture, you will need to use lots of oil.and your pan needs to be hot. Therefore, if you are not on a diet or suffer from heart diseases, you can put this dish on the menu. If your dish is quite bland, you can serve with soy sauce.
How To Make Tofu
How long does tofu last in the fridge?
If you have leftover tofu, you will need to know how to store it to avoid a bad smell from the rotten stage. Well, it depends on the time you want to store it. Before storing the tofu in the fridge, you need to cover the tofu in water.
If you plan to store tofu within one week, you can use the container or plastic wrap. However, if you plan to store tofu for more than one week, then you need to put tofu in the freezer. Then, the tofu expiration can last for three months. Later, if you want to defrost, you can take it out of the fridge and squeeze the water before cooking it.
Conclusion
If you read the whole article, we think that you have all the information needed where to find tofu in grocery stores. Tofu is easy to find in Asian Supermarket or grocery stores so it is appropriate for beginners. If you have difficulty finding new recipes to cook for dinner, then you can find some tips in this article.
Finally, if you find this article useful and want to share it with your friends and family, don’t hesitate to leave a compliment in the comment box. Thank you for reading.