Exciting news, friends! After years of casually keeping an eye out, I’ve found a (relatively) affordable stainless steel tofu press! Not only that, you don’t need separate weights for it. At least, that is the expectation. Let’s see if the actual product matches its promises.
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Unboxing Summary for the Nijsaku Stainless Steel Tofu Presser
From Amazon, the Nijsaku Stainless Steel Tofu Presser comes in a plain brown cardboard box.
Inside, the product is well packed in bubble wrap.
The stainless steel presser body, drainage plate, and presser plate are all individually bagged in thick plastic.
In a separate smaller resealable plastic bag, they’ve included a large reusable cheesecloth along with the screw and metal tab that will be used to adjust the tofu pressing pressure.
Finally, they include a shallow pink plastic tray for catching dripping liquid.
Look and feel
The metal pieces are all brushed stainless steel and feel like good quality; nice and weighty, not too light. The product description shows it is 304 stainless steel which is food grade. However the edges, while smooth and not too sharp, are minimally finished.
Everything fits together nicely. I have just one complaint about this part: when I stack the drainage plate and pressing plate into the body of the press, the sound of the edges scraping against the sides gives me the heebie-jeebies! It’s like nails-on-a-chalkboard but worse! Not everyone will get this reaction though; my partner said it didn’t bother him at all.
I’ve tested the screw and plate pressure adjusting system and it seems like it will work well. However, I’ll have to test it with real fresh curds to be sure.
Does the Nijasku Stainless Steel Tofu Presser fit the product description?
Yes! It looks exactly like the product photos and feels like good quality. I’m looking forward to actually trying it to make traditional homemade tofu and to try more soy-free tofu’s as well.
Comparing my Nijsaku Stainless Steel Tofu Presser to my Favorite Tofu Press
How does the Nijsaku compare to my old favorite Noya? I’m sure everyone knows by know how much I love my (plastic) Noya Tofu press with it’s adjustable pressing lid with vents for pouring off whey and versatile design.
For me, it’s important for my tofu mold or tofu press to:
- have the tofu supported on all sides so it doesn’t break when pressure is applied,
- have a built-in adjustable pressure system so I don’t need separate weights,
- not use elastic bands for the pressure system (they eventually weaken over time and break),
- have good drainage,
- be durable, and
- be easy to clean.
The drawbacks of plastic include
- needing to wait for hot tofu curds to cool before using
- risk of breakage (I already cracked the side of one of my Noya Tofu Presses from dropping it)
- cannot be recycled (at least, facilities do not exist for this type of plastic good yet)
Also, what makes the Noya Tofu Press great can also be a bit inconvenient. The spring is encased in a plastic column which is twisted to add more pressure to the tofu. So you don’t need to use a separate weight; very convenient! However, if you make flavored tofu or end up with a soy-free tofu experiment that leaks starchy liquid everywhere, it is a bit fussy to clean. That is less convenient.
In comparison, the Nijsaku will be easier to clean. Stainless steel is heat-proof so I won’t have to wait for curds to cool. It also feels extremely durable. Moreover, there are no nooks or crannies for food stuffs to get stuck in. It also meets all my criteria so I’m very pleased!
Concerns about the Nijsaku Stainless Steel Tofu Presser
Overall, this metal tofu presser is well made and meets expectations. The only two concerns I have are the sound of the metal pieces as they are used and the question of rust.
For the sound, I’m sure this is just to be expected. I’m not sure how the maker could get around this. I get the same “nails on a chalkboard” sensation when fitting a stainless steel lid on to a stainless steel pot. If you are particularly sensitive like me, perhaps you’ll prefer the plastic Noya.
Will the Nijsaku Stainless Steel Tofu Presser be prone to rust? The product description says it is 304 stainless steel. This kind of steel is food grade and resistant to corrosion (according to this website). So like other stainless steel cookware, it should not rust. I’ve washed it once and let it air dry and everything looks fine. Of course I will update this page if anything changes.
The price
So every so often, I go looking for plastic-free tofu presses and see if there’s any available, if the shipping is okay, and if any are in my budget (less than $40). In the past, I did see some bamboo tofu presses and metal ones as well. However, they were much more expensive than I would care to spend. Bamboo presses could range from $40 to 80 dollars. Metal ones either didn’t look up to my standard or were even more expensive.
However in January this year, that all changed! First, I noticed prices of all tofu presses were lower. Perhaps it was because of the new year. But then, I started seeing listings for metal tofu presses…
Finally, I found an affordable plastic-free tofu mold WITH a built in pressure adjustment WITH proper drainage and looked like it would be great for both making tofu and simply pressing tofu for recipes. I was so excited and ordered it on the spot!
At the time of writing, the price on the American Amazon site is $32.99 USD.
Since I am in Canada, I bought mine from the Canadian site. My purchase price in January 2024 was $39.99 (CAD) before tax. As of writing this, the current Canadian purchase price is $43.99. Looking at camelcamelcamel.ca (the price tracking site I use), it looks like it was introduced at the lower price and the price went up at the beginning of February. Since then, it has not come down.
Conclusion
After unboxing the Nijsaku Stainless Steel Tofu Presser, I am very satisfied with the design and quality! I think it’s a great value for the price I paid and I’m looking forward to making homemade tofu in it.
However as it is a bit early to make an official recommendation, I will update this review as I use it.
