Michael Symon's Ideal Pan Size For Perfect Lasagna
Lasagna might be the king of casseroles. It's warm, rich, creamy, and tangy all at once and it's a great Sunday Supper to make for friends and family. Lasagna can be a bit cumbersome to make but it's convenient in that it saves well and it's easy to make in advance. If you're new to making lasagna, you will find many recipes out there like a Classic Lasagna Bolognese or a Sausage-Ricotta Lasagna.
Since the basics of making a lasagna include stacking lasagna noodles, sauce, cheese, and meat (if you desire,) you might think you can use any large casserole dish. After all, the majority of the ingredients are flexible and it's not hard to break lasagna noodle sheets to fit in your pan. However, chef Michael Symon has a specific size dish that he likes to use to make his mother's famous thirty-layer lasagna, which is currently served at his Atlantic City restaurant, Angeline.
The perfect pan
While it's true you can make lasagna in any size casserole dish or baking dish, Chef Michael Symon swears by one particular size pan. According to Food & Wine, Chef Symon prefers to use is a 9 x 13-inch pan. He explained that this size dish works best to keep the lasagna condensed and for it to be on the thicker side.
When you make lasagna, you want your slices to be thick enough to contain several layers of each ingredient. If you make it in too large of a dish, your servings will be wider and thinner. "It keeps the ingredients condensed so the final product is nice and thick, versus each layer being spread thinly in a larger pan," he told Food & Wine.
Kitchen Seer agrees that a 9 x 13 pan is best, saying the size allows for crispy edges while ensuring the middle of your casserole is evenly cooked.