Tofu is easy to break, has little water, and tastes residue, and the root cause is “excessive dehydration” and poor protein network structure.
In short, there are several main reasons:
1.Dispensing is too old (the main reason):
Excessive use of coagulants (such as gypsum and brine), or too fast and too high a temperature, can cause soy milk to oversolidify instantly. The protein network formed in this way is very thick and hard, squeezing out too much water, and the tofu made will be dry, crushed, and slaggy.
2.Pressing too heavy/too long:
When the tofu is formed, the weight of the pressing is too large, or the pressing time is too long, forcibly pressing out the water that should be locked in the tofu, resulting in too much water loss and hardening and crumbling of the tofu.
3.Raw material or process issues:
I.Poor quality of the beans: Using old or damaged beans results in low protein content and poor quality, making it difficult to form a flexible, network-like structure.
II.Insufficient cooking of the soy milk: If the soy milk is not fully boiled, the proteins do not denature properly, leading to a gel with insufficient strength that breaks easily under pressure.
III.Improper ratio of coagulant: The type of coagulant (gypsum, brine, gluconolactone) selected or used in the mixture is not suitable for the desired variety of tofu.
In summary, the core issues lie in the two critical steps of coagulation and shaping. These errors undermine the tender and delicate texture of the tofu.
