The Spatula You Need For Effortlessly Flipping Tofu On The Grill

Grilling is a wonderful pastime for so many Americans, and even though it's no longer summer, you can still enjoy the grill before it gets so cold your hands freeze. And the great thing about grilling is that you can cook all sorts of stuff on there: Steak, mushrooms, chicken, pork, and even tofu.

Wait, tofu? Aren't you supposed to avoid putting tofu on the grill? Typically, you don't actually want to grill tofu — at least, not the kind most people think of when they hear the word "tofu." If you're thinking of tofu, you've probably got silken tofu in your head — a slightly wet, soft white block you might find in miso soup or pad thai. But you can grill tofu as long as you know what you're doing, and a big part of that is using a fish spatula. The reason is that the extremely thin metal edge is perfect for flipping.

Silken tofu is one of the things you want to avoid grilling at all costs (along with other things you shouldn't grill, like flaky fish and brisket) because it will simply melt and slip through the grill grate, wasting both your money and a perfectly good piece of coagulated, pressed bean curd. But you can grill certain other types of tofu (sometimes called "cottony") as long as they're sturdy enough to withstand the process.

The key is to pick the firmest variety of tofu you can find and go from there. A lot of people try to skewer it, but the real pros know the best method is to cut it in wide, flat pieces (so there's no chance of it falling through), dry them very well, and slap them straight on the grill. You'll still need to flip it at some point, though, so you can get those beautiful grill marks on both sides — and because it's still delicate, this is where the fish spatula comes in.

Sure, you've got a firmer variety of tofu than you expected, and it's going well. But using any old spatula will probably still result in a mess. Even though the tofu should naturally be released from the grill when cooked, a heavier, thicker spatula will probably rip through it. What's great about a fish spatula, though, is it was designed to lift and protect more delicate foods. Obviously, given the name, this was intended to be fish, but it works just as well for tofu. Because it's so thin and light, it slides right under there and picks up the tofu with no problem.

Knowing how to grill tofu is ultimately like anything else when it comes to cooking: It's all about being smart and using the right tools for the job. Using a fish spatula goes a long way toward doing things the right way.