Oh wow, the cornstarch thing is real and there's a science reason behind it that nobody at the potluck probably even knew. Cornstarch on wet tofu surfaces creates a thin coating that fries up crispy instead of steaming, which is why your kid got that nugget texture, and pressing first matters because water is basically the enemy of crisp. Here's the angle I bet nobody's brought up though: church potluck recipes are better than online ones on purpose, and it's not just nostalgia. Those recipes got passed around by people who had to feed a crowd on a budget with cheap ingredients, so they got tested by like fifty families over years, while food blogs need flashy photos and weird stuff like nutritional yeast to get clicks. My grandma's funeral potato recipe beats every fancy version I've tried for the same reason. The real treasure at those potlucks isn't the recipe, it's that somebody else already made all the mistakes for you. Next time bring a notebook, because those church ladies will hand you gold if you just ask.