This Tofu Press by TofuBud post contains affiliate links and we were given a sample. All opinions are our own.
Written By Alison Chew
For those of you who eat tofu at home, you know that in order for the tofu to hold its shape, absorb marinades, and crisp up when you cook it that you have to drain the liquid out of it. If you don’t get the liquid out your tofu will fall apart.
In addition, pressed tofu absorbs flavor better so that when you add it to a sauce it sucks up all of that yumminess and tastes better. And if you like crispy tofu, draining the liquid out is a must for those crispy edges.
You also know how hard it can be to drain the liquid from the tofu before marinating, cooking, and eating. I used to use the manual method of wrapping my tofu in a kitchen towel and then stacking cookbooks or other heavy objects on top to squeeze all of the water out.
It’s not sexy, I have to say and takes an hour or so to really get the liquid out. That’s if everything piled on top doesn’t fall over in the process 🙂
There has to be a better solution. And there is, a tofu press! A tofu press is a kitchen gadget used to squeeze the water out of a block of tofu. Using a tofu press is a much easier and faster way to drain the liquid from your tofu.
This is where the TofuBud tofu press comes in! The TofuBud tofu press allows you to drain almost all of the moisture out of a block of tofu in around 15-20 min.
In addition, the TofuBud is easy to put together, easy to clean in the dishwasher, and made from 100% food-grade, BPA- and BPS-free, recyclable materials. Shop now >>
For our TofuBud tofu press review, we received 1 TofuBud machine. Shop now >>
We removed our TofuBud from the box and rinsed all of the parts with water and let them dry. We then assembled the machine – which is really just putting the spring into the cap.
Once assembled, we were ready to add our tofu and drain. We used extra firm tofu and pressed the tofu on the second level of tension. The first level of tension is for silken tofu which is not as firm. Shop now >>
After 20 min, we drained the liquid from the tofu and were surprised by the amount of liquid that came out. I was curious if more liquid could be removed so I let it sit for another 5 min, for a total of 25 min. This didn’t help drain any more liquid so I removed the tofu and cut it into pieces to place in the teriyaki marinade that I made.
You can see in the picture below the difference between the tofu that was pressed, on the left, and the tofu that was just removed from the package.
The TofuBud really does work!
And clean up is just as simple. Take everything apart, and you can either pop the parts into the dishwasher or you could wash them by hand in warm soapy water. We opted for a quick rinse with warm soapy water and let everything dry on our drying rack. Shop now >>
Using the TofuBud couldn’t be any easier and unlike other more manual tofu presses, there is no need to tighten screws every 5 minutes. Shop now >>
To press tofu with the TofuBud simply:
The tofu press by TofuBud is $35.95 with FREE shipping to the US and the UK, free returns, a 1-year warranty, and a money-back guarantee.
We’ve found that discounts are often available on the TofuBud site. For example, TofuBud is currently running a special offer that gives you 2 tofu presses for $59.90, ($12 savings on 2) which makes this tofu press easily the most cost-effective on the market for the quality. Shop now >>
What’s Included
We haven’t used any other tofu presses but did a quick Google search to see what was out there. Like most kitchen gadgets you can find a wide variety of tofu presses at various price points. Compared to other tofu presses that use springs, the price of the TofuBud is in line with or slightly higher.
Compared to tofu presses that use screws and are require more manual work to press the tofu, the TofuBud is priced around $10 higher. Shop now >>
The TofuBud tofu press allows you to quickly and easily drain the moisture out of a block of tofu in around 20 min.
I love how easy this tofu press by TofuBud is to assemble and use. Simply pop the tofu in between the two plastic plates, press the spring down, and turn twice. Then wait 20 min and your tofu is virtually liquid-free. I will never go back to stacking books on top of my tofu for hours to get the liquid out! Plus, you can clean it in the dishwasher.
The only drawback that we see is that the cost of this press is slightly higher than other spring presses on the market, even with the free shipping, but because we haven’t tried them we don’t know what their quality is like. I am a big believer in “you get what you pay for” and would spend a couple more dollars on a quality kitchen gadget rather than buying a cheap one and having it break.
With that said, at the time of this posting TofuBud was having a great sale with 2 TofuBud tofu presses for $59.90. This saves you $12, $6 on each tofu press, and is the best price we’ve seen for quality spring-loaded tofu presses.
If you cook tofu at home, the tofu press by TofuBud is a must. It’s easy to use, works great, and is a breeze to clean up. The TofuBud also makes a great gift! Shop now >>
Looking for more meal ideas? Check out our Food and Drink Directory >>
