Apparatus and system for removing liquid from tofu

An apparatus for controllably removing at least some liquid from tofu and containing at least some of the removed liquid, comprising:

• an outer container having an interior and an open top;
• an inner container for holding the tofu,
• the inner container fitting into the interior of the outer container,
• the inner container having at least a drain in or near the bottom of the inner container, and
• the inner container having a means for raising the inner container above the inside bottom of the interior of the outer container to create a space to contain at least some of the liquid removed from the tofu;
• a lid for releasably covering the open top of the outer container;
• a horizontal rotatable element on a top of the lid;
• a collar downwardly protruding from an inside of the lid, the collar having at least one node protruding into the inside of the collar;
• and
• a means for pressing the tofu to remove the liquid from the tofu,
• the means for pressing being connected to the underside of the lid so the means for pressing extends into the interior of the inner container to a neutral, non-pressing distance,
• the means for pressing being extendable further into the interior of the inner container to press the tofu to cause removal of at least some liquid from the tofu with at least some of the removed liquid draining from the inner container into the space between the bottom of the inner container and the bottom of the outer container, and
• the means for pressing being retractable to the neutral, non-pressing distance, wherein the means for pressing comprises a turning cylinder and an encompassing cylinder having an encompassing thread on the outside of the encompassing cylinder for engaging the at least one node.

A tofu press, comprising:

• a press board;
• a container for holing a tofu;
• a lid having a central opening with a collar extending upward from the circumference of the central opening with a string rail formed around the outer surface of the collar;
• a round cap with the inside circular wall of the cap divided between a circular upper valence and a circular lower valence,
• the circular upper valence having a circular line of nodes,
• the circular lower valence having inner peripheral surface nodes;
• the round cap being attachable to the collar by the circular line of nodes interacting with the string rail of the collar allowing the round cap to freely rotate in either direction about the collar;
• a ribbed rod extending downwardly from the inside center of the cap;
• a first extender having a base and a first cylinder extending from the outer periphery of the base,
• the base having an opening to receive the ribbed rod therethrough,
• the first cylinder having a threaded outer surface,
• the threaded outer surface of the first cylinder having a pair of thread stops respectively at an upper part and a lower part of the threaded outer surface,
• the thread stops at the upper part being max-spaced from each other at the end of a chosen diameter line, and
• the thread stops at the lower part being max-spaced from each other at the opposite end of the chosen diameter line;
• a second extender having an inner peripheral surface and a threaded outer peripheral surface,
• a line of nodes formed on the inner peripheral surface of the second extender to fit in a trough of the threaded outer peripheral surface of the first extender to control threading of the first extender against the second extender and contain the threading between the thread stop pair at the upper part of the first extender and the thread stop pair at the lower part of the first extender;
• the first extender being rotatable by rotation of the round cap to threadedly lower from the base until the upper thread stops of the first extender become hooked by the nodes on the inner peripheral surface of the second extender,
• the second extender being rotatable in response to continued rotation of the round cap to threadedly lower from the base until the upper thread stops of the second extender become hooked by the nodes on the inner peripheral surface of the lower valance of the lid;
• and
• a spring having a top and a bottom,
• the top of the spring being worn over the rod and in contact with a lower surface of the lid, and
• the bottom of the spring being covered by a support attached to the press board,
• whereby the rotation of the cap moves the first extender away from the base which further moves the second extender away from the base so the top of the spring in contact with the lower surface of the lid elastically moves away from the base so the support pushes down the press board to press a tofu block.