obody usually thinks about the messy, industrial reality of making tofu before it lands vacuum-sealed in the supermarket produce aisle. Nuvell wants to change that with the Plantein, a dedicated countertop appliance that shrinks commercial bean curd processing into something resembling a high-end Sage espresso maker. Instead of pulling a double shot, it turns dry soybeans, water, and nigari into warm, fresh tofu in roughly forty minutes. It also brews plant milk from oats, almonds, or soy in about twenty minutes—entirely skipping the traditional overnight soak.
Pressure, Heat, and Detachable Parts
Under the hood, the mechanics rely on clean thermal physics rather than messy kitchen chemistry. You load dry beans, water, and an ocean-derived salt coagulant directly into the unit, while internal heating elements and high-pressure steam extract the soy milk and trigger curdling automatically.
The Plantein turns dry soybeans into warm, fresh tofu in about forty minutes without an overnight soak.
Firmness is controlled entirely by adjusting the automated pressing duration. As brand director Roy Chou noted during the reveal, Nuvell has already prototyped flavored dessert batches like matcha and ginger curds. The hardware features a brushed stainless fascia, a knurled dial, and a coffee-style portafilter assembly that swings out over a drip tray for quick rinsing. While the grinding phase generates an inevitable mechanical hum and demands a permanent footprint on your countertop, cleaning the detachable modular press avoids the nightmare of traditional cheesecloth scraping.
The Real Cost of Fresh Curd
Raw soybeans cost mere pennies compared to a four-dollar organic supermarket block, but amortizing a $1,000 to $1,300 price tag requires monumental tofu consumption. The pre-order window opening at CES 2027 targets genuine plant-diet enthusiasts rather than casual cooks. You are essentially paying a four-figure ransom to reclaim counter space from soaking bowls, blenders, and weighted presses. If daily fresh soymilk and warm silken tofu are dietary staples, the time saved per batch makes the steep entry ticket defensible; for everyone else, the grocery aisle remains the sane choice.