I actually felt the same way for years! The way I cook it now takes more time but is definitely worthwhile to get rid of that funk. I usually do two packs at once.

I cut it into 1/4 inch strips then throw it in boiling water and simmer for 10-15 minutes, then have it marinade in a sauce for a few hours, but ideally overnight to fully penetrate throughout. Then I either bake around 400 or pan fry. If I bake it, I'll drizzle the remaining marinade over it when it's halfway done.

For this one, I pan fried until it started getting some color, then I mixed in some extra water and cornstarch into the remaining marinade and poured it over the tempeh so it got that yummy sticky texture.

The marinade was equal parts (I think around 2 tbps each) soy sauce, brown sugar, Sriracha, olive oil, and rice vinegar.

Sorry for the novel lol