Yamako Tofu Maker Kit HINOKI #82597 by Tofu Kit

Very happy about this Tofu Maker! Making tofu is fun! Gorgeous taste! Nothing compared to store bought tofu! Homemade tastes sweet and nutty and fresh, reminds me of freshly made cottage cheese.I took pictures of included instructions and used electronic translator to translate the instruction to English if anyone is interested...-------------------------------------------------------------How to make delicious tofu with natural bitternExcept for soaking soybeans in water, it will be completed in about 1.5 hours ☆ You can also make tofu from soy milk from tofu shop or supermarket.Tools to prepare:MixerMuckLarge bowlCooking thermometerWooden spatulalarge pan (convenient to have 2)Measuring capLadlePreparation:2 cups of soybeans (about 300 g) are washed thoroughly, and soaked in tripled volume water for 8 to 9 hours in summer, 15 hours inspring and autumn, and 20 hours in winter season.Coagulant for tofu is made by dissolving 2 bags of coagulant with 50 ml of hot water.1. Divide pre-soaked soybeans in freshwater into 3 batches and blend them in a blender for about 2 minutes. The blender will work better with small batches.2. In a large deep pan, boil 6.5 cups of water and grinned soybeans. Stir softly and constantly with a spatula. When the foam forms on top and it starts boiling, reduce the heat and boil for 8 to 10 minutes.3. Pour boiled mixture into in a large bowl using cloth bag and squeeze it. Squeezed liquid is soy milk. The soy solids remained in the bag is Ocala. (since it is hot, squeeze it by pressing against the bowl using chopsticks or spatula). Finally wet the hand with water and squeeze well)4. Transfer the soybean milk that was squeezed out to a pan and warm it on a low heat, to about 80°C (175°F). ☆ (When the temperature is too low, it will not coagulate. If it is too high, it coagulate too quickly, so it tends to be hard tofu, so be careful). At this time, the thin film that covers the surface is called yuba5. Transfer the heated soymilk to the bowl quickly and gradually add the bittern (prepared coagulant) to the soy milk while stirring soymilk gently and gradually. Then let it cool for about 15 minutes.6. Lay the finishing cloth into the tofu maker in which tofu is solidified and scoop the mixture in. * As liquids come out, do it in a sink7. Cover the top with the edges of the finishing cloth, cover it with a lid, place some weight on top. Leave it for about 15 minutes to drain the liquids. (The weight of heavy stones should be 500g to 800g, even if putting 500 ml of water in the jar is OK)8. When the tofu is set, gently pull the tofu brick out from the box, transfer it in the finishing cloth into the water and remove the finishing cloth. After 30 minutes making tofu is done. Keep it in the refrigerator and enjoy it as soon as possible.Recipes of making tofu may differ depending on commentaries and books. Try to make it several times to grasp the trick yourself.There are nutritional elements remain in Okara (soy solids after squeezing soy milk).Let's make a healthy original dish by adding various ingredients to Ocara.Ocara preservation method: put divided batches in containers with a lids, freeze and use when necessary.Recipes with Okara:1. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a frying pan and stir in 2/3 cup of bread crumbs, chopped onion and 1/2 cup of milk. Form 300 grams of beef intoa ball, add 70 g of Okara, 1 egg, prepared onions and breadcrumbs, nutmeg, pepper, salt. Using your hands, oil it well and make 4 balls. Press it into patties and coat with flour. Heat butter and oil in a pot and bake/fry the patties. Turn over when turning light brown, put on the lid, and continue cooking on low heat.2. Wash, peel and boil 3 potatoes (yams?). Mash them. Fry chopped onion with 1 tbsp butter, stir in 250 g of minced meat and fry it. Add 100 g of Ocala and cook with salt and pepper. Mix with the mashed potatoes, let it cool well. Make a ball, divide into 8 pieces, coat in wheat flour, beaten egg. Fry in oil.◆ Hinoki wood is also used for buildings of shrines and temples. Hinoki wood has noble fragrance and attractive surface. It has antimicrobialproperties! It is also strong in water. It is said that essential oils contained in Hinoki improve elastic durability, have sterilization andinsecticidal effect and it is probably wise that people used hinoki for kitchen utensils● Before you start using! Please wash with water once before use.● Even though the tofu maker was kept and used properly, if something like dirt or sticky stuff appeared, it is the resin contained in the tree oozed out. I call this a Yani. It is natural and harmless. It is said that Hinoki wood is strong. If you are wish, please scratch Yani with sandpaper, or wipe it with ethanol (available at a pharmacy etc).● Hand wash after use!① If you don't use tofu maker for long period of time, aging of wood might deform and discolor the tofu maker earlier. Wash after use beforestorage! Please dry it quickly, wipe and dry well in the shade. Keep it in dry and dark place. Please do not store your tofu maker in a plastic bag.If fungus has occurred or wood darkened, please rub it with rice vinegar and rinse it well with water. As it may cause discoloration, please do not use synthetic detergent.② Care and storage of cloth bags and finishing cloths. After using them, please rinse off Okara or soy milkcompletely. Please sun dry after washing them, and keep them in a plastic bag after they are completely dry.

First time using and I love the press. My biggest complaint (nothing to do with the product) is that I scoured the web for recipes and they are all over the place with quantities. The challenge with this product is the instructions are only in Japanese. After reading and watching MANY recipes, here's what I did:2 cups dried beans, soaked overnight in 6 cups water (6-8 hours)Drain and blend 1 cup beans per 3 cups water and add to pot - there's a lot of foam with this way, I will try other methods in the futureBring to boil and remove from heat, skim foam, put back on heat for 10 minutes - stir CONSTANTLY the whole timePour mixture into strainer bag - I used a 2 cup Pyrex - it's hot, so work in batches and use a bowl inside a bowl to press the liquid out. Reserve the pulp for other uses (so I read - makes sense tho)Return liquid to pot, bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutesMove off heat; mix the liquid Nigari with 1/4 cup cold waterLet mixture sit for 15 minutes - skim the "skin" off and save to eat or for soup - it's like a skin of tofuGive the soy milk a quick stir and pour coagulant into pot; stir a few times and let sit for 15 minutesGently scoop into mold, cover, and weigh down - weight depends on your preference - I used an 8" cast iron until the top of the mold recessed, then used 2 quarts of liquid in jars for a total of 25 minutes; I like firmer tofu so after checking and draining, put a small jar on top of the lid with my cast iron for another 20 minutesSet in cold water for 20 minutes to remove the bitterness (this info came from various videos)Haven't tried it yet, but it smells delicious and the texture is what I was hoping forTofu looks a little yellow - maybe bc the mold is brand new?Forgot to weigh the brick but I'm guessing is maybe 18-20oz??Hope this helps!

I love this tofu maker kit. I have tried to make tofu for six years with inconsistent results. I have found the secret is the liquid Nigari that came with this kit, I always used the dried form before because it was less expensive. So far it has produced perfect results. I am so excited to at last be making professional quality tofu and it tastes Sooooo much better than store bought. It has a really sweet and delicate flavor. This is my fifth tofu press that I have bought and it is my favorite so far. The smell of the cypress (cedar?) wood smells divine when you pour the hot tofu paste into the mold. It makes my whole kitchen smell like a conifer forest. Lovely! An added plus is that it comes with a milk bag and two, not one, muslin cloths. This unit is pricey but well made and I hope will be around for a long time. You can make tofu in any kind of mold but this makes the experience a little bit special. Have patience after ordering because it takes a long time to ship from Japan. This is not a Best Buy, but it has become the first kit I grab when I go to make tofu every week.