Here are some of your frequently asked questions…

What is the best way to store tofu once opened?

Once a pack of tofu has been opened, the best way to store it is to place it in a container and cover with cold water. Change the water daily and store in your refrigerator.

How long can I keep tofu once I’ve opened the pack?

If the water is changed regularly the tofu will last for 4 days after opening.

Does Cauldron only use free-range eggs?

Yes, we only use free range eggs in all our products, whether organic or non organic, as we believe in promoting ethical farming methods.

Can I feed my baby tofu?

Tofu can be given to babies as part of a mixed, balanced diet, but we recommend it be thoroughly heated through first. It can be diced and added to vegetables or stewed fruit 5 minutes before the end of cooking time.

Can I eat tofu straight from the pack?

Tofu is pasteurised, so can be eaten straight from the pack without cooking, for example with a salad, or use puréed in sweet dishes.

Can tofu be frozen (either before or after cooking)?

Tofu can be frozen, either before or after cooking. If frozen before cooking it should be thoroughly thawed out, rinsed under cold water and patted dry with kitchen towel. After freezing, you will notice it has changed colour slightly, being a creamier colour, and the texture is firmer and spongier. It is then ideal to use in casseroles or grated and used in place of minced beef in lasagne or cottage pie.

Can our products be microwaved - especially the sausages?

Yes, but the appearance, texture and flavour will not be optimal. The cooking instructions provided on the pack represent the best way of preparing our products, and have been established through thorough testing.

Why is there a message on the packaging regarding Nut Allergies when the product doesn’t contain nuts?

As we manufacture products that contain nuts and also store nuts in our factory, although we take every care during production, we cannot guarantee that there will not be cross contamination. Also we use the same machinery for making our products and although the machinery is thoroughly washed after each product, again we cannot guarantee there will not be cross contamination.

What is the difference between Silken Tofu and our Tofu?

Silken tofu is very soft, creamy tofu which has a delicate, creamy mouth feel. This is predominately used in lighter flavoured dishes and sweet dishes. Our tofu is firm, more versatile and is considered to be an all-purpose product. It has a creamy mouth feel and holds its shape on cooking.

Frozen Products - if sausages, burgers, etc. are frozen how long can they be kept for?

Indefinitely, but taste and texture will change on frozen storage.

Where do your soya beans come from?

South American Rain Forests. We buy soybeans from several companies. Beans are sourced from Canada, China and various countries within South America. The Brazilian beans come from the south of Brazil. As part of our policy we expect that all our soybeans are only sourced from sustainable areas and that the beans must be grown in ways that are ecologically and ethically good. We are concerned not only about the rainforests, but also about canalisation of rivers, water pollution, desertification etc. Our suppliers must sign-up to this, and our organic soybean growers and processors are audited for compliance.

Do Cauldron products contain trans/hydrogenated fats?

No - the fat used in our sausages is not hydrogenated fat and these products do not contains any trans fat.

Can (chilled) Falafels be eaten cold without cooking?

No - they should be cooked as per the instructions on the packaging.

Is there a link between eating tofu and memory

Summary/Key Points:

Recently the media has reported on a new study titled High tofu intake is associated with worse memory in elderly Indonesian men and women that was published in the Journal of Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders.

The two main results from this study are contradictory:

1. Tofu consumption was associated with worse memory performance (only statistically significant in subjects > 68 years).
2. Tempe (a fermented soy product) consumption was associated with better memory performance.

Tempe (like tofu), is a phytoestrogen rich food. Therefore, the results of this study cannot be used to suggest that phytoestrogens or soy foods are associated with a decline in memory.

The authors speculate that the conflicting results for memory function between tofu and tempe consumption may be due to differences in the processing methods and not soy itself.

There are several limitations to this study and wide spread generalisation of the study results is not appropriate.

The type of study used – a cross sectional study – is a poor quality study that only surveys a population at a single point in time. Therefore, nothing is known about the history of the subject’s soy food consumption over time and whether the diet’s assessed are reflective of usual food intake.

The study does not include a control group (unlike high quality RCTs) and has no indication of the strength of the association (for tofu intake and memory loss) or the difference in risk (for memory loss in people that consume soy foods and those that do not consume soy foods).

Although an emerging area of research, other human clinical studies have found that high soy diets are associated with improvements in tests of recall, attention, cognitive function and verbal memory in post-menopausal women and young adults.

SPA recommends people continue to follow the Government guidelines that promote a diet based on a wide variety of foods, including plenty of fruits, vegetables and legumes (i.e. soyabeans and soa foods).

In continually reviewing research from the world’s recognised experts in soy and soy health benefits, it is clear that the weight of scientific evidence demonstrates that soya is safe and beneficial to include in the diet.