{"id":15791,"date":"2022-07-21T22:27:14","date_gmt":"2022-07-21T22:27:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yogakitchen.be\/en\/?p=15791"},"modified":"2022-10-17T14:22:48","modified_gmt":"2022-10-17T14:22:48","slug":"silken-tofu-in-depth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogakitchen.be\/en\/2022\/07\/21\/silken-tofu-in-depth\/","title":{"rendered":"Silken Tofu in depth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yoga Kitchen – Simple, healthy, and plant-based<\/em><\/p>\n

Two tofus, yet so different<\/h1>\n

I cannot repeat it enough.<\/strong> The food industry does not have the slightest interest in or commitment to our health or well-being. It is a big >
\nmachine whose motto is to make as much money as possible. Give as little quality as possible, and make the consumer pay for it as much as possible. You may think that I am exaggerating, but the reality is often much more shocking. Sometimes I feel that words are inadequate.<\/h1>\n

The yoga of nutrition<\/h2>\n

Yoga is, among other things, about developing consciousness. And you can’t have enough consciousness. Certainly not when it comes to food.
\nIn a recent press article, plant-based milk substitutes were pretty much destroyed because, with only a few exceptions, they were judged to be of very poor nutritional value.
\nWhat is true in that story is that there are indeed many manufacturers who shamelessly put watery concoctions in tetra packs on sale for far too much money. In those cases, you can just as well drink ordinary tap water for a fraction of the price.
\nWhat is wrong with that story is that plant-based milk substitutes are by definition<\/strong> poor in nutritional value. Good soya, almond or oat milk, preferably homemade from beans, grains or nuts of organic origin, can easily withstand the comparison with animal milk. At least, if you take all the health parameters into account.<\/p>\n

A matter of business ethics<\/h2>\n

And there are indeed a handful of manufacturers in the food sector who still do efforts to offer you quality. In the context of plant-based milk substitutes, the percentage of protein is a good measure of quality. This is directly proportional to the amount of nuts, beans or grains added in the production process.
\nJust compare the different brands. Compare, for example, the percentage of protein in the organic almond milk of the Italian brand Valdibella,<\/strong> with that of the almond milk of the market leader Alpro,<\/strong> which is more often than not in the doldrums. Then price differences suddenly appear in a completely different light, and a low price is often synonymous with total delusion.<\/p>\n

Read the labels and learn how to interpret them<\/h2>\n

We have little or no means of really checking what is added to pre-packaged food. Yes, there are the labels. But even there we are never sure if the legal minimums of average composition stated on them correspond to reality.
\nThe differences in composition between manufacturers sometimes affect the recipes for home made preparations.
\nFor example, take the product known as “silken tofu”<\/strong> An example of such a recipe with silken tofu can be found here <\/a>on this blog.
\nTofu is essentially a type of vegetable cheese, which, like cheese of animal origin, is made after a process of curdling soy milk. Silken tofu is a creamier, softer and more liquid version of classic tofu. It can be used to prepare dishes with a cream or cream cheese-like texture.
\nLet us have a look at what three very respectable manufacturers of soy products are offering.
\nBoth manufacturer De Hobbit<\/strong> from Belgium, manufacturer Taifun<\/strong> from Germany, and Clearspring<\/strong> from the UK certainly belong to the world top when it comes to organic soy products that are in principle (*) free of genetically modified soy.
\nAll kinds of silken tofu are sold under the same name (silken & smooth tofu).
\nSee below for the composition as stated on the labels:<\/p>\n

Silken tofu from Clearspring, per 100 g product<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n
Energy<\/strong><\/th>\nCarbohydrates<\/th>\nSugars<\/th>\nFat<\/th>\nSat. fat<\/th>\nProtein<\/th>\nFibre<\/th>\nSalt<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
257 kJ\/61 kcal<\/td>\n2,8 g<\/td>\n1,1 g<\/td>\n2,7 g<\/td>\n0,5 g<\/td>\n6,5 g<\/strong><\/td>\nNo info<\/td>\n0 g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Silken tofu from De Hobbit, per 100 g product<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n
Energy<\/strong><\/th>\nCarbohydrates<\/th>\nSugars<\/th>\nFat<\/th>\nSat. fat<\/th>\nProtein<\/th>\nFibre<\/th>\nSalt<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
353 kJ\/85 kcal<\/td>\n2,1 g<\/td>\n0,8 g<\/td>\n4,0 g<\/td>\n0,7 g<\/td>\n7,8 g<\/strong><\/td>\nNo info<\/td>\n0 g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Taifun\u2019s silken tofu, per 100 g product<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n
Energy<\/strong><\/th>\nCarbohydrates<\/th>\nSugars<\/th>\nFat<\/th>\nSat. fat<\/th>\nProtein<\/th>\nFibre<\/th>\nSalt<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
202 kJ\/48 kcal<\/td>\n1,8 g<\/td>\n<0,5 g<\/td>\n2,1 g<\/td>\n0,5 g<\/td>\n5,3 g<\/strong><\/td>\nNo info<\/td>\n<0,01 g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The rather huge difference in protein and fat content<\/strong> explains why the Hobbit’s silken tofu has a much thicker texture than Taifun’s silken tofu. The one made by Taifun contains more water. You sometimes have to take this into account in recipes, because the creaminess and the end result can be quite different.<\/p>\n

Calcium or magnesium?<\/h2>\n

And there is another important distinction between the two. In order to make soy milk curdle, salts are usually used in the industry. These are either:<\/p>\n