Crispy Tofu Recipe (2024)

No need to slice and freeze. Just pop in the freezer when you bring home from store. A couple hours before cooking--remove from freezer, slice or cube, drain on a towel and bake. Also--no need for that much oil.

Roast it on parchment paper so it will not stick.

You can also make a faux-chicken salad with frozen/thawed tofu. It has a fibrous texture like chicken when frozen and thawed. Break up the pieces and mix with your favorite chicken salad mixture!

Anyone know of a reason the tofu could not be frozen as block then sliced after thawing and proceed with recipe?

I read this with great interest as a relatively new vegetarian and someone who’s never succeeded at cooking crispy tofu in the oven despite trying.Just this weekend, I did something very similar to this (convection baked frozen then thawed tofu squares at 425F for 30 minutes on an oiled sheet pan), only to have the tofu stick and the crisp rip off when I tried to remove it once it started to char in spots.What am I doing wrong? Not enough oil? Cooking time? Cold vs. pre-heated pan? Help!

I, for at least one, am excited about this reality. Now, the question of course is the freezer space...

Though the recipe says you can freeze the tofu for "up to 24 hours," I assure you that wrapped, you can store frozen tofu for weeks.

Pre-heating the pan and the oil makes a world of difference. So does being sure to wait until the tofu is well-browned before trying to flip it. I'd urge against using a silicone mat, as direct high-heat contact is important to achieving a good crust.

Try a little soy, rice vinegar and chili/garlic; add a little dark toasted sesame oil as well! This is delicious for dumplings so...I think w/b good here.

I often freeze, defrost, and squeeze the water out of tofu to make it more spongelike. I then make it in a saucy recipe, doubling the sauce, and the tofu soaks up the sauce. Try it with Yewande Komolafe’s Glzed Tofu with Chile and Star Anise. Delicious!

You can just throw the whole package in, thaw when needed and drain as normal. If you wanted to customize what liquid it sits in while freezing, then yes, slicing and storing in a broth or marinade would work, as well.

Dredge in cornstarch before putting in the oven?

What about using the crisp tofu in recipes? Maybe tossing in a stir fry?

After years of experimenting, I've discovered how to make perfect tofu every time. Marinate cubes (not slabs) in soy sauce, sesame oil, grated garlic and ginger. Place on baking sheet with silicone or parchment, and coat with a mix of 2 T nutritional yeast and 2 T parmesan cheese. Sprinkle it on and turn it over a few times. Leave the extra clumps on the sheet. Bake at 420 for 20 minutes. Divine.

A variation: I freeze tofu as blocks, and then pressure-cook for 20 min to thaw. Then, following the Cookie + Kate blog, cut into cubes and press (10-30 min). Mix with oil, soy sauce, and cornstarch, and roast on parchment 25 min, turning once in the middle.

I followed the recipe exactly and was quite disappointed. The tofu did not stick to the pan and was a nice brown color. But it was very tough, not crispy. It was difficult to cut with a knife! Will not make this again.

This can be accomplished with simply cubing the tofu and mixing it with cornstarch and Chinese five-spice until thinly coated. Doesn’t even need freezing or pressing. Tofu does best with peanut oil when cooked.

Extremely easy and extremely crispy! I probably won’t be making cornstarch dredged tofu as much - this is delightfully simple and none of the clagginess that cornstarch can impart

OK. I just made this. Literally half an hour ago. Followed the instructions. Tofu slices did stick to the sheet pan despite all of the oil. If I had seen Melissa Clark’s tip (from another recipe) to use an offset spatula, I would have used one. Next time. But, I flipped them as best I could put them back in baked them for the remaining 15 minutes and they came out super crunchy, slightly chewy, and yummy. I happened to have spicy peanut sauce on hand, so I ate the tofu with that. It’s a keeper.

I cut my tofu into 1/2" slices, press them hard with paper towels to get the water out, then cut the slices into cubes. I sauté them in oil and they come out crispy and delicious. I get the same result as the writer states here, without having to freeze them.

I learned to freeze tofu by taking extra firm tofu, cutting it lengthwise into 6 or 8 slices, then slicing crosswise across the larger slices for narrower strips, then freeze those for at least two days. To defrost, bring some water in a pot to a strong simmer, place the frozen block into the simmering water where the tofu will defrost and separate back into strips, wring the strips out, and dry off with paper towels or a dish towel. We've used this technique for stir fries, stews, etc.

Most don't have a freezer that can accommodate a sheet pan.

Freezing tofu gives it a weird, and to me, unpleasant texture. Slice extra-firm tofu thinly and fry, it will get crispy.

Does anybody know how long it takes for the tofu slices to thaw? After spending 2+ hours on the countertop yesterday afternoon, they were still frozen. So I made a quick pasta dish for dinner, and put the tofu slices thaw into the fridge to thaw overnight. They were ready to be prepared for lunch. I sprinkled them with freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, and used Kewpie mayo for "dipping sauce." Not great, but crunchy-good!

Not a fan of oil baths, even if Kim's technique produces (and it does) crispy tofu.Instead, I coated them and placed them on a grill over the sheet pan. No turning necessary.But the science of freezing the tofu is golden!

This is my new favorite recipe. I had delicious crispy results and plan to use this in sandwiches and with some fun sauces. I had a couple of spots with sticking, but mostly it turned out perfectly...I cooked on an oiled, uncovered sheet pan (no foil, no silpat) with the recommended slice-then-freeze process, but I sliced my tofu thinner. My dog also ate half of my tofu from the counter while it was thawing, so the oil-to-tofu ratio was actually higher as a result. ANYWAY, I LOVE this recipe.

I followed the directions and I thought it was terrible. I used avocado oil because of the high smoke point, organic firm tofu, and kosher salt. It tasted like oil and salt to me and also what I imagine cardboard tastes like.

I dip my tofu in low sodium soy sauce and then roll in a mixture of cornstarch and sesame seeds and lightly saute in a hot pan. It's SO good that I never make it any other way thses days. Totally crispy outside. Try it.

This produced tofu that was maybe "too crispy," a condition I didn't know existed?! It was like over-toasted bread, all texture and very little flavor. I ended up cutting it into tiny pieces and sprinkling it over the rest of my dinner for crunch, but it was a chore to eat. Given the spongy texture after freezing, I am curious to try cutting it into thicker pieces and then marinating after thawing––aiming for a crispy exterior as a nice contrast to a soft, flavored interior.

Frozen, thawed and liquid squeezed out tofu makes a great „bolognese „ component to a tomato sauce. I crumble it, make a marinade, spread it on an oiled baking pan, let it „dry out“ in the oven. Then I add it to my tomato sauce at the end.