However, I believe you are misleading your readers about the benefit of tofu by misinterpreting the two studies you cited.
The Chinese study did not show that eating more soy "actually reduce[d] breast cancer risk." Instead, the study used a meta-analysis of prospective studies to suggest that higher soy consumption "was associated with a 3%... reduced risk of breast cancer."
We all know that meta-analysis is junk science. Also three percent association is not at all meaningful.
More importantly, the study did not control for diets and lifestyles. The women who ate more soy also ate more fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, chicken, dairy, and more calories. They had higher household income. They were more educated. And more of them lived in urban areas. In short, these women were wealthier and healthier. Yet, they didn't have lower risks of cancer!
The other study specifically said "the current evidence offers no substantial support for the hypothesis that women of Asian ethnicity experience distinct effects from soy isoflavones in breast cancer risk."
It also concluded that different ethnic groups with different lifelong diets is "the most important determinant of beneficial health effects from soy foods."
I like soy and tofu. I eat it on a regular basis. I'm not against tofu. Do I think it's a healthy food? Yes, but no more or less than other proteins.
I think with your large platform and dedicated readership, you can be more responsible with your advocacy.
Thrilled for this series! I eat and love tofu in all its forms and it’s one of my regular sources of protein. Plus, I am lucky to know my neighborhood tofu maker (Jenny Yang of Chicago’s Phoenix Bean / Jenny’s Tofu) so I can get the freshest yummiest tofu!
Nice discussion, Andrea. I lean heavily on tofu in my quest to become more plant based and always have some in my 'frig. IMO great stuff!
A question: On a few occasions I've had "sesame tofu" at Japanese restaurants. Wow, so creamy and delicious, but I don't really know what it is -- sesame "milk" mixed with coagulant? Can tofu be made from any nut plus coagulant?
Hi, I have my old and lovingly battered copy of Asian Tofu.
I just learned you have another book: Making Soy Milk and Tofu at Home.
Are there (many) other tofu making recipes in the second book or should I just stick to the Asian Tofu book?
(It's not the money that's a problem but I have limited shelf space, so I'm only really interested in books I would use a lot - like my copy of Asian Tofu.)
In your opinion, what’s a moderate amount/frequency of tofu each week? I probably have it 2-3 times any average week, but with all of these new ideas I can see myself adding it in even more frequently!
Love this series! I was watching a video Miyoku Schinner did on air frying tofu and Miyoku commented that she prefers Trader Joe’s tofu. We were just talking about their tofu in our fun Trader Joe’s get together. The recipe looked good. Sometimes I am very content to either fry regular tofu and eat it with soy sauce or have warm or cold silken tofu with soy sauce. (Japanese style-depending upon season)
Love this post! As a vegan I eat tofu all the time and although it’s gone up in popularity, it’s still so misunderstood. Many people don’t know what to do with it, but there are endless possibilities with this super-versatile ingredient.
You have really hooked me with when you started this Mediterranean /MIND /beMINE /tofu thread. Tofu specific now though, will you get to the instructions, pros & cons of air-drying tofu?
Sadly the "gift link" does not allow the recipe for the Crispy Tofu. And although I have a news subscription I still cannot access the recipe. The NYT sometimes really sucks!! Even gifts only get the reader part of the article, and a subscription is meaningless.
Congrats on PTFS being a well deserved 2X Featured Publication! It’s great to see how many people have commented on this post. Clearly there is a lot of interest! It makes me sad when I hear people say they don’t like tofu. There are so many different and delicious ways to enjoy it. Thank you for sharing Kim’s method for freezing tofu. I’ve only tried it once, but silly me froze an entire block in its liquid and it took so long to thaw I don’t think I ever even used it.
OMG I finally got around to reading this and Andrea, I am so honored to be featured in your writing, by name no less! This is going on my Wall Of Life Achievements :-D
I love love love Eric Kim and have tried his frozen crispy tofu recipe, with great success. Could you specify why you make an exception to your no-freeze rule for this specific recipe? What would happen were we to use other water removal methods and throw, say, microwaved tofu on a piping hot sheet pan? I guess I should give it a try but I have just moved to a small village in the French countryside and there is no tofu anywhere. Guess I'm going to have to make my own! They don't have soybeans either. Guess I'm going to have to grow my own soybeans!! If you need me I'll be in the garden!
I love tofu. It’s a far cry from “flavorless” so many people still tag it with. My granddaughters and son are celiacs (like myself) and were unable to eat eggs or chicken. And of course the children longed for nuggets. I made them “un-chicken” nuggets made with tofu and a vegan batter. My fryer was busy for a long while that night. I did freeze my tofu, and then soaked it in a vegan “chicken” bullion. They were almost ready to give it a pass, but I managed to get them to try one bite. They didn’t know or trust tofu. Sigh, however that is the only way I can get them to even try tofu. They are very picky eaters and live happiest in junk food land. Which shocks me as son grew up with junk food being a treat now and then, not a constant.
But this really should not surprise me as I seen so many grocery carts filled with sugary cereal, chips, cookies, frozen nuggets and soda, with small children in tow. How and when did our country’s diet go so wrong?
Hi Andrea,
Love your posts!
However, I believe you are misleading your readers about the benefit of tofu by misinterpreting the two studies you cited.
The Chinese study did not show that eating more soy "actually reduce[d] breast cancer risk." Instead, the study used a meta-analysis of prospective studies to suggest that higher soy consumption "was associated with a 3%... reduced risk of breast cancer."
We all know that meta-analysis is junk science. Also three percent association is not at all meaningful.
More importantly, the study did not control for diets and lifestyles. The women who ate more soy also ate more fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, chicken, dairy, and more calories. They had higher household income. They were more educated. And more of them lived in urban areas. In short, these women were wealthier and healthier. Yet, they didn't have lower risks of cancer!
The other study specifically said "the current evidence offers no substantial support for the hypothesis that women of Asian ethnicity experience distinct effects from soy isoflavones in breast cancer risk."
It also concluded that different ethnic groups with different lifelong diets is "the most important determinant of beneficial health effects from soy foods."
I like soy and tofu. I eat it on a regular basis. I'm not against tofu. Do I think it's a healthy food? Yes, but no more or less than other proteins.
I think with your large platform and dedicated readership, you can be more responsible with your advocacy.
Thrilled for this series! I eat and love tofu in all its forms and it’s one of my regular sources of protein. Plus, I am lucky to know my neighborhood tofu maker (Jenny Yang of Chicago’s Phoenix Bean / Jenny’s Tofu) so I can get the freshest yummiest tofu!
Nice discussion, Andrea. I lean heavily on tofu in my quest to become more plant based and always have some in my 'frig. IMO great stuff!
A question: On a few occasions I've had "sesame tofu" at Japanese restaurants. Wow, so creamy and delicious, but I don't really know what it is -- sesame "milk" mixed with coagulant? Can tofu be made from any nut plus coagulant?
This was so interesting! I love tofu and keep some small blocks in my fridge for stir frys
Hi, I have my old and lovingly battered copy of Asian Tofu.
I just learned you have another book: Making Soy Milk and Tofu at Home.
Are there (many) other tofu making recipes in the second book or should I just stick to the Asian Tofu book?
(It's not the money that's a problem but I have limited shelf space, so I'm only really interested in books I would use a lot - like my copy of Asian Tofu.)
In your opinion, what’s a moderate amount/frequency of tofu each week? I probably have it 2-3 times any average week, but with all of these new ideas I can see myself adding it in even more frequently!
I want to learn more about tofu skins and tofu noodles please!
Thank you for your "commonsensical" post about tofu. You are such a good writer, you summarized perfectly my feelings about tofu.
Question: can you clarify how to microwave tofu? drain then microwave (how long?) or keep in its water and microwave? Thank you.
Love this series! I was watching a video Miyoku Schinner did on air frying tofu and Miyoku commented that she prefers Trader Joe’s tofu. We were just talking about their tofu in our fun Trader Joe’s get together. The recipe looked good. Sometimes I am very content to either fry regular tofu and eat it with soy sauce or have warm or cold silken tofu with soy sauce. (Japanese style-depending upon season)
Love this post! As a vegan I eat tofu all the time and although it’s gone up in popularity, it’s still so misunderstood. Many people don’t know what to do with it, but there are endless possibilities with this super-versatile ingredient.
You have really hooked me with when you started this Mediterranean /MIND /beMINE /tofu thread. Tofu specific now though, will you get to the instructions, pros & cons of air-drying tofu?
Sadly the "gift link" does not allow the recipe for the Crispy Tofu. And although I have a news subscription I still cannot access the recipe. The NYT sometimes really sucks!! Even gifts only get the reader part of the article, and a subscription is meaningless.
Congrats on PTFS being a well deserved 2X Featured Publication! It’s great to see how many people have commented on this post. Clearly there is a lot of interest! It makes me sad when I hear people say they don’t like tofu. There are so many different and delicious ways to enjoy it. Thank you for sharing Kim’s method for freezing tofu. I’ve only tried it once, but silly me froze an entire block in its liquid and it took so long to thaw I don’t think I ever even used it.
OMG I finally got around to reading this and Andrea, I am so honored to be featured in your writing, by name no less! This is going on my Wall Of Life Achievements :-D
I love love love Eric Kim and have tried his frozen crispy tofu recipe, with great success. Could you specify why you make an exception to your no-freeze rule for this specific recipe? What would happen were we to use other water removal methods and throw, say, microwaved tofu on a piping hot sheet pan? I guess I should give it a try but I have just moved to a small village in the French countryside and there is no tofu anywhere. Guess I'm going to have to make my own! They don't have soybeans either. Guess I'm going to have to grow my own soybeans!! If you need me I'll be in the garden!
I love tofu. It’s a far cry from “flavorless” so many people still tag it with. My granddaughters and son are celiacs (like myself) and were unable to eat eggs or chicken. And of course the children longed for nuggets. I made them “un-chicken” nuggets made with tofu and a vegan batter. My fryer was busy for a long while that night. I did freeze my tofu, and then soaked it in a vegan “chicken” bullion. They were almost ready to give it a pass, but I managed to get them to try one bite. They didn’t know or trust tofu. Sigh, however that is the only way I can get them to even try tofu. They are very picky eaters and live happiest in junk food land. Which shocks me as son grew up with junk food being a treat now and then, not a constant.
But this really should not surprise me as I seen so many grocery carts filled with sugary cereal, chips, cookies, frozen nuggets and soda, with small children in tow. How and when did our country’s diet go so wrong?