As weird as people might find this statement: I personally love tofu! I know what you’re going to say, tofu has no taste, how can you love it? Although this is true and I usually shy away from tasteless, watery foods (tomatoes, anyone? Yuck.) tofu is my exception. It took me a few attempts over the years to find the perfect way to cook tofu so that it retains as much flavor as possible without all the added liquid. My favorite form of tofu is when it’s baked and crispy right out of the oven.

The trick to ensuring crispy tofu is to remove as much liquid as possible before cooking it. For me, I'll usually place the slabs of tofu between several sheets of paper towels. I'll then cover them with something really heavy such as a large baking dish (as you'll see in the photo above) filled with water or water bottles. I'll let the tofu sit this way for about 30 minutes and then discard the paper towels and start cutting the tofu slabs into small cubes.

When it comes to coating the tofu, I highly suggest investing in some large mixing bowls with fitted lids. I've found these to be immensely helpful when I need to coat delicate foods with oil and spices. You can add the oil, spices and cornstarch all to the bowl with the tofu, cover it with the lid, and shake it all up without worrying about the tofu falling apart. If you don't have these types of bowls at home, then you can also use a large ziploc bag to coat the tofu.

So after a ton of research (and spices) I truly believe this is the best way to cook tofu. I seriously couldn’t stop munching on these little cubes as soon as they came out of the oven. I had to practice major self-control in order to save some for my husband and daughter. It'll definitely make you a lover of tofu. Read my recipe below to learn my tricks on how to bake the perfect pan of crispy tofu bites, and consider checking out my Tofu and Broccoli Stir Fry recipe as well for a yummy tofu meal idea! 😋 ◻ ◻ ◻ 🍽🧂