How to distinguish between plaster tofu and pure tofu

How to identify tofu with gypsum

To avoid buying tofu containing toxic gypsum, you can identify it based on the following characteristics:

Exterior color

With quality tofu you will see a beautiful creamy white color with a slight yellow tinge, little or no odor and very soft.

Gypsum tofu is much more yellow, the more yellow the more gypsum it contains. If you observe that the edge of the tofu exposed to air hardens and turns yellow, then it is tofu containing gypsum.

Illustration photo. (Photo source: Internet)

Hardness

Unsafe production places often add a large amount of gypsum to the tofu when cooking, the tofu skin will expand extremely quickly and at the same time increase the weight of the tofu. Therefore, when you hold tofu with gypsum, it will feel quite heavy and much harder than clean tofu.

Taste

Gypsum tofu usually has a slightly bitter taste. In addition, if the tofu is too fragrant and fatty when eaten, it must have been added with additives. As for clean tofu, it usually has a natural aroma and the characteristic fatty taste of soybeans, similar to when eating hot soy milk.

In addition to how to distinguish tofu containing gypsum, you should also avoid being influenced by false rumors that lead to believing in gypsum tofu.

Many people often say that using gypsum in traditional Chinese medicine to make tofu is safe and does not affect health. However, that is not true, the pure gypsum allowed for use in food supplements is very expensive, production facilities will not use it but use industrial gypsum (commonly found in the construction industry).

How to choose delicious and safe tofu

To ensure your family's health, you should note the following when choosing to buy tofu:

- Choose tofu from reputable stores, supermarkets or sellers, avoid buying products of unknown origin.

- Prioritize handmade tofu: Handmade tofu is often softer, has a natural aroma and has a short shelf life.

- Check the softness: Good tofu will have a slight elasticity when pressed lightly, not too hard.

- Observe the color: Fresh and delicious tofu has an ivory color, not too white or dark yellow.

- Try before you buy: If possible, try a small piece. Good tofu has a light, fatty taste, without any bitterness or grittiness.

How to make tofu at home

If you are concerned about the quality of tofu on the market, you can make tofu at home. The traditional way to make tofu is to cook 1kg of soybeans to make more than 2kg of tofu, create precipitation, press the tofu into a mold, then you can use salt water, vinegar, or fermented tofu. The less additives used in traditional soft tofu, the better it is for your health.

Ingredient:

Soybeans 250g; water 3l; vinegar 4 tablespoons (abbreviated as EL); salt 1 teaspoon (abbreviated as TL);

Processing:

- Soak soybeans in cold water for 6 hours, remove the shells, rinse several times with clean water, put in a blender and puree with 3 liters of water (divide into 2-3 parts to blend faster, you can add less than 3 liters of water). Filter the soy milk several times to remove all the shells.

- Put the soy milk on the stove and cook over low heat (stir gently and continuously to avoid burning the bottom of the pot). When the milk boils, skim off the foam and simmer for about 20 minutes until the beans are fully cooked, then turn off the heat.

- If you use soy milk, scoop out some. Mix 4EL vinegar and 1TL with a little water and pour into the pot of milk, stir well and let the beans coagulate.

- Take a plastic basket (or mold), line it with a soft cloth, pour all the cooked soybeans in. Wrap it up, use a moderately heavy object to press down on the surface to drain all the water. The soft tofu will be pure white, soft, fatty, fragrant and very delicious.

How to preserve tofu for a long time

- When you buy young beans from the supermarket, you should put them in the refrigerator immediately. If you do not finish eating them, you should put the product in a sealed box, then put it in the refrigerator, paying attention to the expiration date.

- To keep the beans fresh for a long time, you need to change the water to store the beans as above, we can keep the beans for 5-7 days. If the water soaked in the beans turns yellow, it does not mean the beans are spoiled, because the thick yellow water is due to the soy milk secreted in the beans, they will decompose when exposed to water.

- Tofu is also very susceptible to fungus (due to processing and storage), from the pressing tray, the hands of the maker, and the display. Therefore, you should not buy tofu with a strange smell or sour taste.

- Gelatin is not hygienic, if you use gelatin there is a risk of infection with some infectious diseases from animals.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/cach-phan-biet-dau-phu-thach-cao-va-dau-phu-nguyen-chat.html