Baked Italian Herb Tofu Recipe + How To Press Tofu Like a Champ (2024)

FAQs

Why is my baked tofu not crispy? ›

2) Squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

Water-logged tofu never gets super crispy. The key here is to slice the tofu into pieces before pressing it.

I recommend always pressing tofu before baking it, especially if you're marinating it first — removing excess liquid will make room for all that flavorful marinade.

Contrary to popular belief, pressing tofu really isn't necessary at all. In fact, it's better not to press it. Needless to say, soft tofu should never be pressed because it has the texture of a custard and will likely disintegrate if you put too much weight on it.

If you're boiling the tofu on the hob, 5-10 minutes will suffice. The longer you simmer, the more seasoned your tofu will be. If you're pouring boiling water over tofu, without an additional heat source, leave it for 15-20 minutes.

You can fry tofu without pressing it, and we recommend not pressing it before cooking. We think it's better not to press the tofu to keep it moist, soft, and silky inside and crispy on the outside. Pressed tofu can be dry, chewy, and rubbery.

Microwaving: Wrap tofu in a clean dish towel and microwave on high for 1 minute. Unwrap, rewrap with a fresh towel, and repeat. This is an easy, speedy option, though Nguyen points out that you then need to wait for the tofu to cool.

Can you over-press tofu? You don't have to worry about over-pressing tofu when you follow instructions, and only do it when the recipe calls for it. If you press tofu for recipes when you don't really have to, it can result in crumbly and even mushy tofu.

What to not serve with tofu? According to studies, a high volume consumption of tofu and spinach together can increase your risk of kidney stones. Tofu and spinach contain calcium and oxalic acid respectively and the combined can form kidney stones.

Why does tofu get rubbery? Because it was probably overcooked, it was probably exposed to too much heat. I don't know if it was roasted baked air fried or sauteed, but when it becomes, uh, overcooked, it's gonna get very, very tough.

Bake until crispy.

Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes. Then remove the baking sheet from the oven, and flip each of the tofu bites so that they can cook evenly on the other side. Return to the oven for 15 more minutes, or until the tofu reaches your desired level of crispiness. Then remove and…

How do you know if tofu is pressed enough? ›

The weight will gradually and effectively squeeze the moisture out of the block of tofu, where it will be absorbed by the paper towels. If the paper towels become fully saturated, you may need to replace them with fresh paper towels and continue pressing until the paper towels stop absorbing moisture.

Place the tofu in a baking dish, top with marinade and toss to coat. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Place cornstarch in a medium bowl. Working in batches, remove tofu from marinade (but, don't scrape it off) and toss in cornstarch; shake off excess cornstarch.

After pressing, cut the tofu into cubes or slices to bake or air fry, or follow the instructions of whatever recipe you're cooking!

First press the firm tofu between paper towels or a tofu press to release excess moisture. This is super important to get the crispy texture we are looking for in these crumbles! Then, add oil to a pan. Once it is hot, crumble the tofu directly into the pan.

You do not need to refrigerate the tofu while pressing, although you can if you have space. Just make sure your pressing and marinating time comes in under 2 hours if you're not refrigerating during that time.

The main difference between each type of tofu is the amount it has been pressed – Silken Tofu has the lowest protein content (and highest water content), while Super Firm has the highest. Each variety of tofu has a different texture, and thus is best used in different types of recipes.