If you've never made seitan before

I make my own seitan. I figure it's cheaper than the premade stuff. Plus, the premade is all in small chunks, and there are many times when I want chops, such as my Molasses-Marinated Seitan. Furthermore, the packaged stuff is pre-marinated, and that just doesn't do, as it could clash with the flavoring of my recipe. Yes, it's time-consuming, but you can cook something else, play on the computer, read a book, or do whatever while the seitan is simmering. Heat the broth while you knead the seitan, and that saves even more time.

On a message board where I frequently post, someone was a bit freaked out about how seitan changes when it's simmered. A before picture:


And after it's done simmering, in the contaners for storage:



The stuff blows up quite a bit, you know.

I typically use an entire box of Arrowhead Vital Wheat Gluten and double the flavoring recipe from La Dolce Vegan!. I usually make the faux beef, as it's my favorite flavor, but I may try to faux turkey broth for simmering seitan next time. One box of vital wheat gluten makes about two one-pound or so hunks of seitan that you can use in almost any recipe. I freeze one hunk for later use and put the other in the refrigerator to use during the week. If I had more containers and more freezer storage space (I have lots of frozen fruit to make desserts and I usually have vegan ice cream), I would make even more seitan, but such is life in a tiny apartment with a tiny kitchen and what probably is a three-quarter-size fridge.

And remember to store your seitan with the cooking broth, but discard the broth before using the seitan in a recipe, as it will dilute the flavor. If you find a recipe that calls for boneless meat recipes, try it with seitan instead.