Tofu Press Calculator: Press Loss, Water Left, Marinade and Uptake

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Opens on the book's Stall Batch. Change any number to your own and press Calculate.

Blocks

One block g (14 oz = 397 g)

Water in the tofu %; FDC extra-firm 82.31

The press: type the loss, or weigh one block

Press loss % of the weight; the book's example, weigh yours

Or one block before g

and after pressing g

The marinade and the soak

Marinade % of the pressed tofu

Taken up % of the pressed tofu; the book's example

Or strips weighed after g, all of them, drained

Strip thickness mm

Compare with mm

Enter the tofu and press Calculate.

The formula

Solids = tofu × (1 − water %); pressed = tofu × (1 − press loss %)
Water left = (water % − loss %) ÷ (100 − loss %) × 100: the press removes water only
Marinade = pressed × marinade %; taken up = pressed × uptake % (or weighed after − pressed); left over = marinade − taken up
Soak time goes with thickness squared, about: twice as thick takes about four times as long

The book's worked example, Chapter 4. 10 blocks of 397 g = 3,970 g of tofu at 82.31 % water: 702.3 g of solids. A 12 % press loss leaves 3,493.6 g (349.4 g a block) at 79.9 % water. The marinade is 25 %: 873.4 g; the strips take up 10 %, 349.4 g, and 524 g is left in the bowl and thrown away. Wet strips: 3,843 g.

Check it. The solids don't move: pressed weight × (1 − the new water %) must equal the solids before the press. The result shows the sum.

Honest limits. The 12 % press loss and 10 % uptake are the book's worked examples; your tofu, press and time differ, so weigh your own. Marinate in the fridge. The leftover marinade held raw tofu: the book throws it away and never reuses it. The thickness rule is an approximation for planning, not a timer. Prices are illustrative US prices from October 2026, shown without a currency sign; put in your own. Everything stays in your browser: no sign-up, nothing stored.

These calculators go with Vegan Pantry Math (Craft & Studio, Book 3), where every number on this page is worked by hand.