The half nobody tells you: plenty of tofu shouldn't be pressed at all.
Why pressing works
Firm tofu is sold packed in water and holds a lot of it. That water occupies space, and it's space that marinade can't get into. Press it out and you make room — which is why pressing matters most before marinating and least before boiling.
It also changes how the tofu browns. Wet tofu hitting a hot pan steams itself; the surface never gets above boiling point, so it never crisps. Dry tofu can actually sear.
How long, in practice
Fifteen minutes covers almost everything. Our recipes bear that out — Tofu Waffles calls for "at least 15 minutes" and says plainly that the step is essential, and BBQ Tofu Bowl asks for the same. Tofu Tikka Masala stretches to 15–30 minutes because the marinade is thick and has further to travel.
You don't need a tofu press. A heavy pan works. So do a few books, which is literally what our waffle recipe suggests.
Freezing instead of pressing
Freezing and thawing gets more water out than pressing does, and changes the texture on top of it — spongier, chewier, more absorbent. Tofu Butter Chicken offers it as the direct alternative: press it, or freeze and thaw it. Same job, different result.
Use freezing when you want chew. Use pressing when you want the tofu to stay more or less itself.
When not to press
Silken tofu, ever. It will collapse. Silken is meant to be soft — in Miso Soup with Soba Noodles it's sliced and laid on top at the end precisely so it stays intact, and in Korean-Inspired Tofu Bowl the cubes are lowered into the marinade rather than stirred, because stirring breaks them.
Anything going into liquid. Braises, soups and stews add water back immediately. Japanese Braised Tofu simmers the tofu in broth for twenty minutes and then rests it in the broth for twenty more — pressing first would be work undone in the first minute.
Vacuum-packed tofu. It arrives with far less water than water-packed. Pat it dry and move on.
