A HEALTHFUL AND MEATLESS DIET

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Next, cut the front and back pieces from the remaining 1 X 6 board (ours are 12-1/2" long). These sections should fit securely into the side grooves. Thoroughly sand all the pieces and secure the back panel into place with four screws. The front panel is not screwed in, instead, it merely rests in the opposite slots so that you can slide it up and remove the pressed bean cheese with ease.

With that done, cut a base from the 1/4" plywood—ours measures 12-1/2" X 13-1/2"—sand it, and screw it onto the back and side panels, using four or five fasteners per side. Next, on the underside of the press, pencil a grid of 3/4" squares 1-1/2" in from each side and drill holes—using the 3/16" bit—at each crossing to allow for drainage. Then sand the board again, making sure to remove any loose chips in the holes.

Now measure to determine the appropriate size for the cover. The lid should slide easily down into the press to help squeeze out extra liquid, so leave about a l/8"gap on each side between the panels and the cover (our lid measures 10-3/4" X 11-3/4"). Cut the "cap" from the 1 X 12 pine board and sand it smooth.

Choose a scrap of wood to form a handle for the lid. We used a coping saw to shape an elegantly curved handle, but a simple 1" section of 1 X 6 would certainly work. Sand the handle and attach it to the center of the lid, using two screws.

All that's needed now is a quick coating of vegetable oil to protect the wood . . . and you're in (the tofu) business.

. . . AND USING IT
There are probably as many different ways to make tofu as there are varieties of this creamy soy cheese. William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi, authors of The Book of Tofu , describe visiting hundreds of Japanese tofu masters, each of whom employed his or her own particular method of making bean curd. The most widely used method in this country is what I call the "two-step tofu technique," which produces a soy cheese very high in protein. To make 5 pounds of tofu using this method, you'll need 4 cups of dried whole soybeans, 10 to 12 quarts of water, and 2 tablespoons of nigari (a sea salt derivative used to curdle the milk) dissolved in 1 cup of water. (You can use other curdling agents, as well. Nigari forms large curds and adds extra minerals to the final product, while lemon or lime juice or cider vinegar makes a softer—and more tart—cheese. When substituting the juice for the nigari, use six times the amount called for and don't dilute it with water. Epsom salts, which can be used in the same amounts as nigari, is perhaps the least desirable coagulant, as it gives a slightly salty taste to the cheese and renders the whey inedible.)

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