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Can You Reheat Tofu? Yes! Learn 4 Simple Ways to Do It Right!

Can You Reheat Tofu

If you are asking yourself if can you reheat tofu, then you have likely learned to love it for all that it offers. Hopefully, you have overcome any uncertainty about tofu and how it tastes. Though there is often a bit of hesitation about eating tofu, you will often find that it’s such a wonderful addition. We talked about what does tofu taste like, here, and hopefully, that helped you to see it’s a wonderful addition.

Once you come to the realization that you really enjoy tofu and the health benefits that it offers, you likely want to consider the best way to cook it. This is all about the ingredients that you cook it with, but also the way in which you cook it. 

You may consider things like drying tofu in the microwave or if it freezes well. You may also find that if you cook up a healthy portion of tofu, you want to know the best way to reheat it. You will learn that the answer to whether you can reheat tofu is undoubtedly a yes! and there are several wonderful ways to do so. Here we dive into the 4 most effective ways to reheat tofu! Let’s dive in! Reheating foods is quite easy to do and you can learn more about reheating all sorts of foods in this blog.

The Four Best Ways You Can Reheat Tofu

Since you asked if can you reheat tofu, you want to be sure that you are tuned into the best ways to do so. There are four effective ways to reheat your tofu that will still help it to taste good and offer all the nutritional benefits. You want to follow these guidelines carefully so that you end up with the best dish. 

These give you some options and make it easy to enjoy tofu as a regular rotation in your cooking menu. So many people have been scared off by the taste of tofu or the best ways to prepare it, but now you can see that it’s much easier than you may have realized.  

Drying Tofu In Microwave

Can You Reheat Tofu or Frozen Tofu in the Microwave?

It’s by far the fastest way to cook tofu, particularly if you are trying to reheat tofu from a frozen state. The problem that we have found with microwaving tofu is that it can be chewy, could get hard and there is a chance of drying out as well

As you can see it’s all about the texture that you want to achieve in terms of cook times, and a firm type is always best.  If you are wondering if you can microwave tofu and still have it taste good, then the expert tip here is to put it in for less time than you think it may need.

Here are some simple guidelines when it comes to putting tofu in the microwave: 

  1. Empty the tofu into a microwave-safe dish, if it is in a sauce or marinade then spread out the tofu for even cooking time
  2. Cover the dish with a wet paper towel (this helps retain the moisture)
  3. For less chewy tofu, go for less time such as two minutes in the microwave. Be sure to stir halfway through
  4. For a chewier texture or for drying tofu in the microwave, do not cover it and also go for a longer time such as 5-6 minutes. Again be sure to stir halfway and keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t cook for too long. 

Can You Reheat Tofu in the Oven? 

Are you looking to reheat previously frozen tofu and want to have it for dinner tonight? I like using the oven from time to time, while it does take a lot more time when compared to the other methods – the end results definitely superseded when using a microwave or stove. Personally, in my opinion, reheating frozen tofu in the oven is one of the best ways to cook it and bring it to an ideal state. 

When reheating tofu in the oven you can achieve it is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, just be sure to follow these instructions. 

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Remove frozen tofu from the freezer and let it stand at room temperature for about 2 mins
  3. Place frozen tofu on a baking sheet so that it is spread out and each piece has room. 
  4. Bake for 15 minutes, and then turn over halfway through.
  5. Bake for an additional 15 minutes until the crispy texture is achieved on the outside.

Can You Reheat Tofu or Frozen Tofu In the Pan?

An easy and quick way to cook crispy tofu is by pan-frying it. So, once you cook it in this way then you’re probably wondering can you freeze fried tofu? Drum-roll!! You can and it will stand the test of time – that is my expert guarantee. To get it to that perfect fried state though, you want to be sure the oil in the pan has reached the correct temperature of about 370 degrees (you can use this digital thermometer to help you with reading the temperature)t. Here’s the best way to pan-fry tofu and it will make for an amazing reheating method too.

  1. Drizzle oil in a frying pan and turn to medium heat.
  2. Wait till the oil has reached about 370 degrees, (use a digital thermometer to check the temperature)
  3. Place tofu into a warmed pan in a single layer for even cooking.
  4. Cook until browned for about 2-3 minutes, then flip over and cook the other side for the same amount of time.
 

When reheating frozen tofu that is not in gravy, you can dust some corn flour on the tofu before placing it in the pan. This allows it to retain its crispness 

FAQs

Can you reheat tofu and frozen tofu in the airfryer? 

The air fryer is the newest and one of the best ways to reheat tofu especially if you are dealing with tofu that is frozen. What I like about this method is that you do not need to use any oil, it’s very fast and requires very little monitoring once the Tofu is in the air fryer. The air fryer reheats the tofu perfectly making it crispy and delicious. All it takes is 3 simple steps 

  1. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees and then place tofu in a single layer.
  2. Cook the tofu for 5 minutes and then shake the basket to mix it around.
  3. Cook for an additional 5 minutes to get the ideal crispy texture.

So if you have been wondering if you can reheat tofu, you can see that it’s very possible and can work quite well if you use the right cooking methods. 

What about freezing tofu?

Once you get into the habit of cooking tofu regularly, you may wonder, can you freeze cooked tofu? The answer is yes you can freeze tofu, and it can work quite well if prepared properly. The first thing to consider is that you want to get rid of any moisture within the tofu itself. This will help to protect the texture, which is a really important aspect of freezing it. 

If you’re looking at your latest creation and wondering if cooked tofu can be frozen, then this is another big yes. If it is in a sauce, then you may not need to worry as much about the excess moisture. You do want to protect the flavor so that reheating it is easy and effective.

Can You Freeze Fried Tofu

Can you freeze fried tofu? 

You can and the only consideration with this is that you don’t want to leave it in the freezer for too long. Ideally, freeze it for up to two months or even less, and then be sure that you utilize one of the best reheating methods as detailed below. 

Conclusion 

So if you have been wondering can you reheat tofu? You see it’s very possible and using any of the 4 different methods we have detailed above – you will have a crispy, scrumptious, and perfectly reheated meal to enjoy on busy weeknights or leisurely weekends. The key is to have fun with what you are doing! Bon Appetit! 

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