The biggest thing with tofu, is its consistency.
People are going to say that tofu is basically a taste absorber, and will taste like whatever sauce you put it in. to some extent the is true, but it still has a taste of its own. You either like it or not. Getting back to the consistency, it ranges from Soft/ Silky as mentioned above to extra firm. Freezing then thawing does change the consistency. Pressing the tofu to get the extra water out also makes it firmer. Frying it in oil will give it a more chewy texture. Grilling it ( after pressing ) will kinda firm up the outside, leaving the inside relatively soft.
I've made my own ( actually just ate it last night in a tofu with string beans and broccoli dish). Kinda like the same technique in making Paneer cheese. Boild the milk ( soy milk), curdle it , strain it, press it . ( I made my own soy milk too. ).
Ive seen/ heard of people using the softer, silky tofu in smoothies to give I a creamy texture.
If you goo into an Asian Grocer, you'll see wide varieties. Different firmnesses, Spiced,fermented, strips, fried, pressed .
I sometimes slice he tofu into about 1/2 inch thick " Steaks", marinated them in a simple broth, pat dry, then press them on a panini press that I sprayed with pam. Can use that to a make a sandwich ( usually something like a Bahn Mi, with cucumber, pickled daikon/carrots, cilantro, maybe some hot peppers and a spread of mayo on a decent roll).
You can crumble it up, toss a little turmeric , salt and some diced veggies to make a tofu scramble ( I usually add a little cream sauce to it, to give its a more runny consistency. Actually having that for dinner tonight. The Turmeric adds both flavor, but also gives it that yellow egg look).
Vegans will take it too the next level, crumbling its and using it in place of ricotta cheese ( to me just tastes like crumbled tofu, soy you have to have a really good imagination with this one),but from a consistency point of view , I works. Ive also crumbled it, mixed mitt with salt, garlic powder and lemon rind ( and a few other things) and used to as a " Feta Cheese" substitute when making spanakopita . It works pretty good. Also, blending up the silken tofu along with other ingredients could make a " Vegan Cream Sauce". Just have to make sure you have enough flavoring to drown out most oof the subtle tofu flavor, but the creaminess itself definitely is comparable o a cream sauce.
In soups ( Miso, hot and sour, Chinese Vegetable )
You can even make "Tofu Croutons" to snack on. I dont remember the recipe exactly, but I think I diced up the cubed tofu, lightly oiled, then put them in a ziplock with a flour/ spice/ salt mixture ( could be Asian, Indian, Mexican influenced depending on the spices you use). Shake so all the cubes get coated, then bake for whatever the recipe calls for , forget. And you have spiced tofu cubes to snack on.
Toss it in spring rolls
those were just some ideas floating through my head at 4am.
