Tofu Cookery

by Louise Hagler

Since 1983, TOFU COOKERY has been America's premier authority on how to make tofu taste delicious. Several generations of cooks have discovered the versatility of this healthful soyfood through the range of comfort foods and gourmet dishes found between the covers of this treasured volume. In this revised 25th anniversary edition, all the recipes have been updated for today's nutritional standards, using reduced quantities of more healthful fats and less salt. Many new recipes have been added to reflect more current tastes and trends, and to complement the old favorites. Sumptuous photos with tofu on center stage will tempt you and help you envision how your finished dishes will look.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Vegan, Nonfiction, Vegetarian, Reference

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1982

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has the simple, rather cheesy look of a 70s natural foods cookbook - simply composed photographs, simple large typeset - and the recipes are fairly simple to match. And thus, I find myself coming back to this cookbook when I want simple, homey tofu-based food. The sweet and sour "meatballs" is the best recipe I've ever found for this particular dish, as the permanently stained page attests.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have the 2008 edition. My family and I have decided to increase the vegetarian content of our meals--whether through quinoa or through tofu. This cookbook is a fine addition to my kitchen library.

The book begins with a brief introduction to tofu. Then, sections on "Appetizers, dips, and sprewads," "Soups," "Salads," "Main dishers," "Side dishes," "Breads," and "Sweets."

I'm most interested in main dishes, to try to introduce more vegetarian dishes into our diet. And there are some fine looning recipes here, such as: Barnbecused tofu, Tofu loaf, Tofy paprikash, Sweet and sour tofu, Chili con tofu, Tofu and broccoli in garlic sauce, Sloppy Joes, Mushroom tofu burgers, Tofu foo yong (Egg foo yong without egg!), Pasta primavera, Lasagna, and Penne rigate.

I expect this to becaome a pretty well used cookbook as our family experiments with more tofu cooking.

[Brixton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pleasant surprise: though it doesn't say so, this cookbook is totally vegan! :o) Debated giving it four or five stars, but decided on five when I saw I can make banana pudding pie right now!! without having to go to the store for anything special-- which is also true of most recipes in the book (produce excepted, of course). You don't need to be a millionaire to cook from this book, and in fact you can be broke as hell, and still make all kinds of Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, Eastern Indian, Mexican and American comfort food. Test-read as a library book, I'm going to buy this one since it has a lot of recipes that are not duplicated/over-represented in my many other veg(etari)an books.

[Karin Bartimole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good basic knowledge about tofu, with tricks like freezing and defrosting before using tofu, to get a good firm texture. Beyond that, the recipes rely heavily on soy sauce/salt for flavor, and little on the vast array of herbs and spices available for exciting the palate.

Good BBQ sauce recipe (if you cut back on the soy sauce!) and peanut butter coating for BBQ baked tofu. Chunk up tofu and veggies and skewer them for great shish-kabobs with that recipe!

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good basic introduction to the subject. But, the over-reliance on canned beans, frozen vegetables, jarred sauces, dried herbs and soup mixes, for me anyway, takes a lot away from the health aspects of the author's intentions, and the health benefits of many of the recipes.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use this all the time. The tofu loaf is great!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favs, and because I like adapting recipes, to bring them to a greater wholesome level, (modifying cakes to a moister bundt) ...family favorite, Walnut Broccoli Stir Fry, Carrot Cake.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tofu enchiladas on the cover there are really good, and like almost every recipe in this book, it's easy to make. This book also teaches you how to make your own tofu (which is NOT easy).

[sara frances]

Sloppy Joes (page86) - ★★★★★ yummy and idiot proof!

[Allie Marini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had this book since I was a teen vegetarian and I have to say that over the years, the recipes really hold up. Mongolian Tofu forever!! No matter how many modern Tofu cookbooks come out, this is still an amazing starter book for teen vegetarians & vegans because the recipes are flavorful but simple enough for kitchen newbies (or people who just don’t care to be fiddly in the kitchen.) Very few recipes call for specialty ingredients that a basic pantry might not have on hand, and I’ve made these recipes over & over. The only thing I would definitely recommend is getting yourself an EZ Tofu press, because pressed tofu makes a HUGE difference, and if you freeze the tofu to give it a different texture, pressing out the liquid is doubly important and that gadget will make your life better. Even though this book is coming up on 50 years old (yowza!) it’s a classic, and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to eat less meat.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book recommended this and I was skeptical because it is so old but a lot of the recipes look really good. I will be trying them out.

Frequently, I am frustrated with cookbooks because the ingredients lists are too long and/or have expensive and difficult to find ingredients, but these recipes are easy to follow and doable.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhat outdated, but the enchiladas are great!

[Lantern Publishing & Media]

Green Books & Tofu!

This review is part of the Green Books campaign. Today 100 bloggers are reviewing 100 great books printed in an environmentally friendly way. Our goal is to encourage publishers to get greener and readers to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books. This campaign is organized by Eco-Libris, a company working to green up the book industry by promoting the adoption of green practices, balancing out books by planting trees, and supporting green books. A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on Eco-Libris website.

I have the honor of reviewing the classic book Tofu Cookery, by Louise Hagler.

All the books being reviewed today as a part of the Green Books Campaign are printed on recycled paper, or on paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. As you know, Lantern was the first publisher to sign on to the Green Press Initiative, and we're interested in working with other presses and printers to nudge them to be more responsible in their choices of materials. It is often more expensive to print on recycled or certified paper, but increasingly people understand that cheap goods cost us in the long run. Being low impact in terms of resources (and high impact in terms of content) has been a commitment of Lantern Books since it began ten years ago.

Our friends at the Book Publishing Company are, not surprisingly, already invested in using earth friendly materials. The new edition of Tofu Cookery notes in the front that 62 trees (among other resources) were saved because of the paper it was printed on. That's 62 trees for one reprint of one book from one small publishing company. If every edition of every book from every publisher, large or small, were printed on recycled paper, it would have an enormous impact.

Back to the book: This book is very familiar to me, and close to my heart. When I decided to stop eating animal products, I didn't know how to cook at all, my town didn't have vegan restaurants, and I didn't have much money. It was a trial by fire, literally, and Louise Hagler's Tofu Cookery gently took me by the hand and taught me how to make dishes that were affordable, familiar enough not to be scary, and let me know that I'd still be able to eat foods that are creamy and rich and flavorful. There were not a lot of vegan cookbooks back then.

I went from heating up TV dinners in a microwave to serving friends stuffed shells and pasta primavera, and my favorite brunch of all time, chilaquiles. There are multiple ways that Tofu Cookery is a book that is helping the planet: it promotes a vegan diet (which lessens one's impact hugely), and helps people understand that veganism is a way of life they can accomplish. And, for me, it was a big part of learning to cook. It helped get me out of the freezer aisle and paying attention to produce and spices. Skipping all the packaging of prepared foods has reduced the amount of trash I create by extraordinary amounts.

This 25th Anniversary Edition of Tofu Cookery is thicker than the book I remember, includes many new recipes, and updates the old recipes (like using less oil). The information in the front of the book about the different kinds of tofu, and about storing and handling tofu, are indispensable. One omission is that the book doesn't have a recipe for making tofu itself. (You needn't look very far, though, since Hagler's other classic, The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook, has step by step instructions.)

I owe Tofu Cookery a great deal, since vegan food preparation is now a huge part of my life. Though the style and content of my preps have changed enormously over time, I'm pleased to have the book in my collection once again.

Three Lantern books are part of the campaign, and reviews of them can be found via links on this page. (The Love-Powered Diet, Discernment, and An Offering of Leaves.)

If you'd like more information, go to the Eco Libris press release, or to learn more about green publishing practices, go to their green printing resources page.

[Sasa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would follow these recipes for the western meals and the desserts. There's even a directional section on how to make your own tofu at home which I enjoyed. However, the chef packed a lot of tofu meals—almost an overwhelming amount—that included recipes from many cultures. I've lived my life making, eating, and living around Asian cuisine. There are a few East Asian dishes featured in here and I'd like to say that there are many other ways to make your Korean Barbeque Tofu, Foo Young, and wantan significantly tastier other than just adding tofu and soy sauce. Like I said, I'd make western foods and some of the Mediterranean cuisines that this book offers from salads to soups, from souffles to ice cream. But I'd look elsewhere for East Asian dishes.

*vegetarian- and vegan-friendly

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of the recipes are outdated and heavy with oil and too much tofu, BUT - I learned a lot about cooking with tofu in creative ways from this book. It's the first cookbook I ever owned, and I still use it. The tofu loaf is indeed tasty, and the greek salad gets made a lot. Tofu feta!

[Johanna Haas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book will work well if you are looking for ways to add tofu to the things you already cook without making too many changes. It doesn't do much for the exploration of tofu as a unique menu item.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good cookbook. I will have to find it in my storage and try some recipes again. MMMMMMMMMmmmmmm!