Simple Sleek Tofu Press

This tofu press is easy to make, works well and looks great.

Why press tofu?

• removes water and makes it so that the tofu can absorb more flavor
• it improves texture
• holds its shape better
• and fries more crisply

The only thing you'll need to buy (or scavenge) is a cutting board and two clamps.

Supplies

• cutting board (preferably wood)
• 2 very small trigger clamps
• pencil
• ruler
• bandsaw (or really any kind of saw)
• drill press
• glue
• cutting board oil (or mineral oil)

Step 1: Cut

First, cut your board into two equal sized rectangles. I made mine each 5.25" x 6.5". You want them to be larger than your tofu.

Then, cut the handle (or remaining board) into four pieces of equal height. These will be used as legs.

*Tip: Cover the wood and/or surfaces with paper so that gunk from your tools doesn't get onto the wood. You will be putting food on this.

Step 2: Drill

Use your pencil to mark a grid of dots onto ONE of your rectangles, and drill. I used a #7 (.201") drill bit, but it can really be any size.

*Tip: Make the grid larger than the size of the tofu.

The water will drain through the holes.

Step 3: Glue

Take the four legs and glue them to the bottom of the base (the rectangle with holes in it).

Let dry.

Step 4: Oil

Clean, let dry, then coat in your favorite cutting board oil or mineral oil. Leave on for 24 hours or so.

This will keep it from absorbing water and from drying or cracking.

Now you are ready to throw on a slab of tofu and clamp it!

Comments

[jeanniel1]

I was designing a cheese press and this is a truly simplified version of my cheese press! Nice job making this so easy! $30 seems a lot for a cutting board - but then, I'm a woodworker, so getting wood wouldn't be a problem. For the cheese press, we use a tray below to capture any run off - some trays have a "spout" that allows the liquid to drain into a bucket.

[Thmusby]

Looks great! Did you have any sort of slope to the press to let water drain off? And did you find that the holes were deep enough to drain the water away from the tofu? Maybe it's my brand of tofu, but I find a lot of water gets pressed out...

[xLisax]

I didn't but that is a good idea. The water goes through the holes, so I make sure to place this near the sink so the water drains into it.

[ksimolo]

The holes go all of the way through so the liquid will run through onto whatever the press is resting on

[obillo]

This seems like an enormous investment in investment in time, money, equipment and materials to solve a non-problem. I press my tofu by setting 4 squares (about 1 lb) in my sink (I always keep a clean sink--it's the extra pot that never has to be put away), cover with waxed paper, and set a stockpot full of water on top. (If you're dubious about the cleanliness of your sink, put waxed paper under the tofu as well.) Either way, the tofu is self-draining.
For those who do want to make this, I'd suggest slightly countersinking the drain holes and fastening the legs from the top side with screws (for holding power) as well as glue (for sealing). In my experience, gluing end-grain wood too often leads to failure.

[xLisax]

To each their own, however this only took about an hour to make, and if you buy everything new it costs just $30. No more wasted water or sink or waxed paper. So far it's working really well.

[antioch]

I love it! No longer do I have to occupy my busy sink with a stockpot apparition for what seems an eternity compared to this! No more wasting drinking water and wax paper!
I thought of fixing the legs with screws in addition to gluing them on but if I will I will make sure not to have any metal get in contact with the tofu's water. Like, from screwheads topside for example.

[xLisax]

I love it! Yeah, if you do use a screw try to find one that's outdoor rated, because of the water contact.