vegan cheese: This vegan cheese ball recipr calls for well-drained Tofu. I'll admit,, I barely have experience working with tofu. Now, the recipe calls for firm tofu and it needs to be well-drained.The writer of the recipe recommends smashing it hard against a "strainer" which I don't really know exactly what that is. (Like, I have one of those metal pan-like things with holes in it to drain my spaghetti, is that a strainer lol?) Anyway, I'm making this recipe for Saturday and don't want to buy any extra equipment so if a strainer is not something that I already have, what's the best way that I can drain my tofu?|||Hi Firm Tofu is much like semi soft cheese (not as hard as chedder but not as soft as brea). It is packaged in water ~ hence the drain bit. Open the package and take the tofu out and press it firmly between your hands wrapped in a towel. I find using a clean lint free tea towel works well. From there you can grate, finely chop, slice, dice or whatever you want with it. Good luck with your cooking and please remember . . . . the fact you are trying to cook a meal for your vegan friend counts for heaps, believe me, heaps and heaps.|||yeah the metal pan thingy with holes in it is a strainer. Just use that for your tofu and let gravity do its trick|||To drain firm tofu I simply open a corner of the package and pour off the liquid. Then I remove the tofu and give it a good squeeze. If the tofu is going to be blended or crumbled, you can squeeze it and not worry if it breaks apart. Squeeze it over a bowl to catch the pieces that break off and then drain off the excess water. Don't worry, if the recipe calls for it to be cooked, the excess water just cooks out anyways. Since you are a tofu newbie, here's some hints. Tofu has no flavour except what you give it. Marinate it like you would marinate meat. Rubs also work well. Firm tofu is good for stir frys or anything that requires chunks of meat. Medium tofu is good for mock scrambled eggs (season with vegan chicken style seasoning and add diced peppers and onions). Soft tofu is great for blending into smoothies. Soft tofu adds texture so you don't have to worry about flavouring it. Check out www.vegetariantimes.com for vegan and veggie recipes. Best of luck with the lifestyle.