Crispy tofu took me 4 tries to get right

I kept ending up with dry rubbery tofu in my air fryer no matter what I did. Turns out I was skipping the pressing step and just tossing cubes in there with some oil. After the third failed batch I finally looked up a guide and realized you need to press for 20 minutes, then toss in cornstarch before the spray oil. Fourth batch at 375 for 15 minutes came out crispy on the outside and soft inside. Has anyone else had a similar struggle getting tofu texture right?

3 comments

3 Comments

blake_cooper2mo ago

Oh man, I used to think pressing tofu was some kind of overhyped Instagram chef thing and would just wing it. But after my third failed batch I finally caved and pressed it for 20 minutes like you said, and the difference was honestly night and day. The cornstarch trick was the real game changer for me too, I was just tossing them in straight oil before and wondering why they came out like erasers. Now I do exactly what you described, 375 for 15 minutes, and it's the only way I'll cook tofu now.

hernandez.brooke2mo ago

It's funny how we all resist the simple stuff until we finally try it and realize it was the whole secret the whole time.

ryanj601mo ago

The frozen and thawed method is worth trying too if you haven't messed with it yet. Freeze the block overnight, thaw it in the fridge, then press it and all that water just squeezes out like a sponge. Gives it this weird chewy texture that's closer to chicken than regular tofu. Also if you cube it before freezing the texture gets even more different, almost like seitan. Makes the cornstarch stick different too since the surface gets all porous.