the basic tenets of successful baked tofu

Oh, hells yes, Dear Reader, we are now about to talk seriously and long (not THAT long) about baked tofu. Though i cannot see you, I trust you by your IP address to be a tofu lover, or at least liker. I eat that stuff raw. Fresh. Love it. Quick, satisfying. But when I need to make a sandwich, I bake it.

To prepare the tofu, squeeze some water out by wrapping it in a paper towel and squeezing until water drips out, but please, take care not to get it too far out of shape. Slice the tofu into little filets (I cut the block in thirds, then cut each of those thirds lengthwise into four pieces. But triangles or whatever are also on the table.) Then you want to get some sauce onto that stuff.

From what I can tell, to make a nice baked tofu sauce, one must mix about a tablespoon of oil with about 1/2 a cup of other things. The oil can be canola, sesame, chili, or whatever you kids are into these days. And as for the other things? The sky is the limit. Soy sauce is pretty standard, but also please take a moment to consider other speadables. I made a highly delicious batch using my classic stir-fry sauce: sesame oil, dijon mustard, maple syrup, and soy sauce. Just now I made a batch that was sort of Thai-inspired: a tiny bit of sesame oil, chili oil, peanut butter, shrimp paste, fish sauce, and soy sauce. I wish I had added some Sriracha sauce. Alas! But thus is baked tofu: even with regrets it's still pretty totally awesome. Making a baked tofu sauce is a follow-your-heart type situation. Dijon mustard is terrific. Also I think it would be good to use barbeque sauce.

Dip the filets of tofu into the sauce, thoroughly covering both sides. Finally, put it onto a baking sheet or something and pop it into the oven for a while. I recommend: an hour at 400 degrees. 425 for a crunchier exterior. And then? And then you've got some baked tofu on your hands, my friend.