I don’t know who, but a long time ago someone told me never to freeze tofu. “Freezing tofu ruins it!” “You ruin the texture!” “Burn it!” Maybe not the last one, but it seemed so necessary — as if frozen tofu was poisonous. Well, I’m glad I stopped listening. It’s true, the texture changes, but not only is this far from ruined, it’s actually a good option. So why not? Go ahead, fellow weirdos, freeze your tofu.

Tofu has had a hard enough time getting onto the average American plate, and the supposed “inability” to freeze unused portions hasn’t helped. It’s unclear where the rumor originated, but I’m guessing someone tried it and was turned off by the color change and sagging texture. They must have immediately thrown it out, because if they had ever bothered to thaw and use it, this rumor would never have gotten to me.

The type of tofu that is packed in water absorbs a lot of it. Even if you squeeze the water out before using it, it is still a moist food. When you freeze tofu, like any food, the areas with water pockets expand and the tofu solids make room for this expansion. When the frozen tofu is then thawed, the tofu solids will permanently hold this new shape after the ice melts. It may look like there are a lot more holes or pockets formed, or it may have a flaky texture. That’s it. The taste is the same, and although the color turns yellowish when frozen, it returns to its original whitish color after thawing. But now you have tofu that looks more like a sponge than ever. Sounds to me like pre-frozen tofu is a marinade’s best friend.

Technically, you can take an entire package of tofu, water and all, and freeze it whole. I’m more of a “prep now, make life easier later” type of person. To speed up the freezing process and make thawing easier, open the package of tofu and drain the water. You don’t need to squeeze or press the water, just shake it dry and place it on a cutting board. Cut the tofu into cubes, sticks, or sticks, whatever shape you need. I cut half of my tofu into sticks and the other half into cubes.