Kitchen Tofu Tips

Ever open up the refridgerator and it stinks, but all you have in there is tofu sitting in its own water after a week? That, our friend, is the source of the problem.

Tofu won’t last in the fridge forever, but many people are unaware that tofu, like milk or meat, is a perishable food. Unfortunately, because it’s not meat, people make the mistake of letting it sit too long in the fridge or they contaminate surfaces with it, making for a dangerous cooking environment.

Don’t let your kitchen become fertile ground for bacteria. More importantly, don’t eat tofu that’s gone bad! Here are some top tofu tips to remember:

• Pay attention to the expiration date on the package when you buy tofu (look for the latest date as you would on milk)
• Keep it refrigerated at all times
• Once aseptically packaged tofu has been opened, it should be refrigerated and used within two days.
• For tofu packaged in water, you should drain off the water and replace the water with fresh water daily. This type of tofu should be used within a week of opening the package.
• Tofu can be frozen, but you should thaw in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
• Refrigerate any tofu leftovers

Remember that tofu, like meat, can host unfriendly bacteria like salmonella. Make sure you work with it on a clean surface and wash prep surfaces — and your hands — with soap and water before and after handling.

The best kitchen tofu tips are to treat it — and eat it — as if it were meat.