The best pans for cooking tofu

Width beats material

Before any argument about metal, the useful finding: the most common reason tofu fails in a pan is that the pan was too small. Crowded pieces trap steam, the surface temperature collapses, and the batch steams instead of browning.

A twelve inch pan holds one full block in a single layer with gaps. A ten inch pan does not, and forces two batches. If you own one good ten inch pan and are considering an upgrade, buying width will improve your tofu more than buying a better metal.

The second finding: heat retention matters more than peak temperature. When cold tofu hits a pan it pulls heat out of the surface. A pan that recovers quickly browns the first side. A pan that does not gives you pale pieces and then a decent second side, which is why so many people report inconsistent results within a single batch.

The four materials

Cast iron

The best all-round choice for tofu and the cheapest good option. It holds an enormous amount of heat, so a block of cold tofu barely dents the surface temperature, and the seasoned surface releases reasonably well once a crust has formed.

It is heavy, it takes several minutes to preheat properly, and it needs drying and a light oiling after washing. None of that matters much for a pan that lives on the stove.

It also doubles as the weight for the towel pressing method, which is a genuine second use rather than a stretch.

Carbon steel

Similar performance to cast iron with roughly half the weight and faster heat response. It seasons the same way and behaves the same way once seasoned. The trade is that it holds slightly less heat, so it recovers a little more slowly under a full pan of cold tofu.

For anyone who finds cast iron too heavy to handle comfortably, this is the answer rather than a compromise.

Stainless steel

Produces an excellent crust and is the hardest to use. Tofu sticks readily to stainless, and the release that seasoned pans give you does not happen here. You need enough oil, enough preheat, and the discipline to leave the pieces completely alone until they let go on their own.

Done right it is as good as cast iron. Done impatiently it tears the crust off every piece. A tri-ply or fully clad pan holds heat far better than a thin one.

Nonstick

The easiest and the weakest. Tofu will not stick, which removes the main source of anxiety, but nonstick pans are usually light, so they lose heat when the tofu goes in and recover slowly. The crust is correspondingly shallower.

They also should not be run at the high temperatures this cooking wants. Most nonstick coatings are not rated for sustained use above roughly 400F, and pushing them shortens the pan's life. If nonstick is what you own, use medium-high rather than high and accept a lighter crust.

Side by side

Using whichever one you own

Preheat the empty pan first, then add oil, then wait for the oil to shimmer and move easily when you tilt it. Adding oil to a cold pan and heating them together works but makes the timing harder to read.

Use two to three tablespoons of oil for one block in a twelve inch pan. A thin film beads into patches and leaves parts of each piece without contact. Well-pressed tofu absorbs far less of it than people expect.

Use an oil with a high smoke point. Vegetable, canola, grapeseed, avocado and refined peanut all handle this heat. Extra virgin olive oil and toasted sesame oil both burn and turn bitter, so sesame belongs at the end as a finishing flavor.

Leave it alone for three to four minutes. Tofu sticks first and releases itself once a crust forms. A piece that will not lift is telling you it is not ready, and prying it up removes the crust you were waiting for.

The full reasoning is on the crisping guide.

Handles, weight and moving to the oven

Cast iron and carbon steel handles reach the same temperature as the pan, so both need a cloth or a silicone sleeve. Stainless handles stay cooler and are easier to manage one-handed. Nonstick pans usually have plastic or riveted handles that limit oven use, and many are not rated above roughly 350F in an oven at all.

This matters if you want to start tofu on the stove and finish it in the oven, which is a useful technique for thick slabs that need the inside heated through without burning the crust. Only the metal-handled pans can do that.

Weight is a real consideration rather than a matter of pride. A twelve inch cast iron skillet full of oil and tofu is genuinely heavy to lift and tilt, and if that means the pan stays in the cupboard, it is the wrong pan for you.

Seasoning, briefly

Cast iron and carbon steel both work better the more you cook fatty things in them. Tofu with three tablespoons of oil at high heat is exactly the kind of cooking that builds seasoning, so a pan used for tofu weekly improves noticeably over a few months.

Wash with hot water and a brush, dry on the stove over low heat, and wipe a very thin film of oil over the surface while it is still warm. That is the whole maintenance routine.

Acidic sauces are the thing to be careful with. A vinegar-heavy sauce simmered in a lightly seasoned pan strips it. Since almost every recipe here adds sauce off the heat for under a minute, this is rarely a problem in practice.

What about a wok

A wok is excellent for stir-frying tofu that is already crisp and poor at crisping it in the first place, because the sloped sides mean only a small area is in full contact with the heat. Pieces slide into a pile at the bottom, which is the crowding problem in a different shape.

The usual approach in wok cooking is to fry the tofu separately, remove it, cook everything else, and return the tofu at the end. That sequence is worth borrowing whatever pan you use, and it is exactly what the General Tso's recipe does.