Last week I finally got crispy tofu that actually crunches

I have been trying to make tofu in my air fryer for like 3 years now, ever since my sister in Phoenix got one and wouldn't shut up about it. Every single time it came out chewy or dry, not what I wanted at all. Last Tuesday I tried pressing the tofu for a full 30 minutes with a heavy cast iron skillet on top, then I cut it into smaller cubes, like half inch ones. I tossed them in a little cornstarch and sprayed them with oil, then cooked at 400 for 15 minutes, shaking the basket every 5. The outside was actually crunchy, like real fried tofu from a restaurant, and the inside stayed soft. My roommate said "okay that's actually good" and that's a big deal because he never compliments my cooking. Has anyone else had better luck with cornstarch vs just oiling the tofu directly?

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michaelrodriguez1d ago

Man, I gotta admit I was totally on the other side of this for years. I thought cornstarch was just some extra step that didn't really matter and the oil alone should do the trick. But you just made me realize I've been doing it wrong this whole time, I never even tried the half inch cube thing either, I was always doing big slabs. The 30 minute press sounds annoying but honestly it's probably the real secret, I always rushed that part. Now I'm kinda pissed I wasted so many blocks of tofu being stubborn about it. Definitely trying your exact method this weekend, thanks for putting in the work for all of us.