This Can't Be Tofu!: 75 Recipes to Cook Something You Never Thought You Would--And Love Every Bite

New to tofu, not very informative. Disappointed in this book 😒

I have to respond to some of the negative criticism of Deborah Madison's tofu book. Too many ingredients? Well, let's look at "Bachelor Tofu Sandwiches": tofu, onion, mushrooms, worcestershire sauce and bread. Yes, there are elaborate recipes too, but nobody with access to oriental markets should be put off. She does use mushroom soy sauce, but she uses it often.Too much fried stuff? I hate fried food, and it's trivial to avoid it in using this book: most of her "fried" concoctions involve browning tofu in a nonstick pan filmed lightly with oil. This book is singlehandedly responsible for giving tofu a weekly place at my table, and I have two thirteen-year-olds to speak for the results. DM has one of the most wonderful palates in the USA and a graceful and eloquent way of talking about food. This book is a tiny classic.

This book is a great primer for cooking tofu. She starts with a clear and informative section on different types of tofu, as well as basic preparations that highlight techniques, not ingredients: seared, braised, broiled, grilled, etc. The rest of the book has very yummy tofu recipies for mostly main course preparations. It is the first tofu cookbook I've come across with original (as in not traditional asian dishes like ma po tofu) recipes that are both extremely tasty and, for the most part, do not try to "hide" the tofu in cheesecakes and the like. As for the comment that this book requires a lot of unusual ingredients, I think that depends on the cook. If your regular repertoire leans toward traditional american food, yes you will need many new ingredients. However, if you cook asian food with any regularity, you should already have soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, etc. on hand, and be fairly comfortable using fresh ingredients like ginger and scallions. If your tastes lean toward Southeast asian cuisine, you'll probably have things like coconut milk and curry pastes. If your tastes lean toward Indian cuisine, try the dishes that use cardamon, coriander, and turmeric. If your tastes lean toward Chinese, you won't need much beyond the basic list I mentioned above (except for fresh ingredients, of course). Regarding the comment on the preponderance of dishes that fry the tofu, I only find this to be the case in the section on appetizers. It was not prevalent in the sections on soups, salads/sandwiches, curries/braises, pasta/noodles. The sections on stir-fries/sautes does call for browing the tofu in a bit of oil at the beginning in quite a few dishes, but this is very similar to browning the meat in a regular stir-fry. Bottom line: the recipes in this book taste great. For that reason, it gets five stars in my kitchen.

Brilliant book. I was one of the people described in the introductory anecdote...I always buy tofu, feeling hopeful and virtuous. And I always have rotton tofu ready to throw away. Eat the stuff? I didn't think so. So this comes at a great time when many of us really are trying to eat more healthfully. So far I have tried the mango smoothie made with silken tofu - tastes great and gives energy for hours. I also tried the tofu and asparagus with lemongrass rub - tasty! Like all of Deborah Madison's books, the reading is delicious....I consider her books take-to-bed material. There is a lot to learn about the types and handling of tofu, and Ms. Madison explains it with clear simplicity. The book calls for a trip to the oriental market - there is an eastern slant to many of the recipes. It looks like the recipes will provide an education in Thai and Indian cooking! The next challenge will be to start serving tofu regularly to my meat and potatoes family. These recipes look so robust and flavorful - I can't wait to see if they notice that they are eating tofu.

"This can't be tofu!" were the words that jumped out of my mouth after many first-hand chomps of tofu testing. "This? This can't be tofu." I was there when Deborah built this book and the recipes therein. I'm her husband.Loved the curried dishes and the mushroom tortellini, especially. Always liked tofu but had few ideas on the variety of ways to give it flavors and textures. My approach was to burn it, i.e. grill it with a little barbeque sauce. Well, Deborah made the tofu go a little further down South. And I know, being from Little Rock.When Deborah is on the road, I can effortless empty the refrigerator of stockpiles of tofu from our local market.Also liked it that Deborah wrote a few non-vegetarian recipes such as "Tofu with Cumin Laced Spinach and Shrimp," and one of Deborah's favorites (she orders it whenever it appears on a menu) i.e. cod, as in "Stir-fried Spicy Tofu and Cod with Scallions and Peanuts."As her husband I'm probably biased, but I really like these recipes. A lot.