Kitchn Love Letters

I Finally Found My Go-to Tofu Brand — And It Creates Crispy, Golden-Brown Nuggets Every Single Time

Rochelle Bilow
Rochelle Bilow
Rochelle Bilow is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, and the former social media manager at Bon Appétit and Cooking Light magazines. She has also worked as a cook on a small farm in Central New York and a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City. Her first book, a food and farming memoir titled The Call of the Farm, was published in 2014. Her second book, a romance novel set in Scotland, will be published in February 2023.
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published Nov 12, 2021
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Credit: Shelly Westerhausen

I love eating tofu, but I don’t always love preparing it. Most tofu brands are packed in water, which helps keep it moist and retain its springy texture. If you like to roast or fry it — and if you’re a fan of crispy bits and golden-brown edges like I am — water-packed tofu requires some extra prep before you can start cooking. After years of wasting paper towels to blot it dry, and investing in (then discarding) a bulky tofu press, I’ve finally figured it all out: I was just buying the wrong kind of tofu.

Credit: Rochelle Bilow

Nasoya Super Firm Organic Tofu is the best on the market. In fact, now that I’ve discovered it, it’s the only tofu I’ll buy. It’s truly *super* firm, with an ultra-dense texture that has yet to crumble or fall apart on me. I love that it cuts into perfect cubes without any ragged edges. But the best part about this tofu is that it’s vacuum-packed; that means there’s hardly any water to drain. And that means the tofu is ready to rock straight out of the package.

Buy: Nasoya Organic Super Firm Tofu, $2.98 for 16 ounces at Walmart

Credit: Rochelle Bilow

I first encountered this tofu at my local Wegmans; I tossed it in my cart with a mixture of curiosity and hope. My first experiment cooking with it at home proved to be true love. Not only was it so easy to prep (just remove from the package and give it a quick blot) but it crisped up beautifully and turned an enticing shade of golden-brown. There is a very small amount of water in the package, but, because the tofu is less porous than other varieties, it doesn’t absorb the liquid. I find that it’s even neater to cook with than other styles; no matter how well I drain water-packed tofu, the water always causes the hot oil to splatter when I sauté or stir-fry. 

Nasoya Super Firm Organic Tofu has allowed me to feature tofu regularly in my rotation for easy and quick weeknight dinners. This brand also sells firm, extra-firm, and silken varieties. But because I love crispy tofu nuggets so much, I don’t think I’ll ever stray from my new favorite.

What’s your favorite brand of tofu? Tells us in the comments below!

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