The Secret to Thicker Restaurant-Style Lasagna
Growing up, homemade lasagna was one of the most popular dishes my mom would make to feed the three bottomless pits that were her children. But when I finally tried the lasagna at a restaurant, I noticed some distinct differences—for one thing, it was taller than my mom’s and had noticeable layers that didn’t move apart—and water didn’t pool around it. my plate.
Feel free to my mom or anyone else who likes their lasagna to be pudding-like, but if you want to make restaurant-style lasagna at home, here are some tips to help you do it.
Use a loaf pan to some height.
Restaurants serve majestic slices of lasagna, and part of achieving that look is growth. If you don’t need a large baking dish to make 12-16 servings of lasagna, try making it in a loaf pan. They are typically three-quarters to a full inch taller than many casserole dishes. Using a loaf pan also eliminates the “middle slice”, which is a slice without crispy edges. This piece is almost always the swampiest and saddest because there are no crunchy bits in it.
This is because a loaf pan is easier to fill because it’s almost exactly two lasagna strips wide, which means there’s a little overlap but a lot less tangling of pieces together. I think this improves the overall structure. If you’re worried about cutting and scooping out the loaf pan, line the inside tightly with buttered foil before assembling. Allow the foil to rise on top as a handle for later. Once the lasagna is ready and cooled, you can remove it and cut it into slices.
Be careful with the sauce
To ensure neat layering and easier slicing, avoid adding watery sauce to the dish. This is what causes the layers to move apart, causing the pasta noodles to hydroplane every time you go to take a bite. Instead, make a “dry” sauce for layering. If using meat, break it into small pieces, brown and season. Then add enough tomato sauce to completely cover the meat, but not enough to create a soup. (We’ll make lasagna soup another time.) Spread the sauce in a thin but continuous layer before adding the next set of noodles. Not only will the texture be more stable, but the sauce will also be meatier. If you love tomato gravy and are wondering where the rest will go, there’s a trick for that too.
A tricky restaurant serving technique is to apply sauce underneath . Heat the crumbly tomato sauce (no need to make it “dry” anymore) in a small saucepan. When you are ready to serve the lasagna, pour some sauce onto the plate. Place a tall, firm slice of lasagne directly on top.
Reduce humidity
For the sauce, try to reduce the moisture overall. When cooked over high heat and baked for a long time, fresh cheeses and vegetables release water. This water moves freely and is not emulsified or captured by any other components, so when you serve it, the water pools on your plate or baking dish.
Instead of fresh mozzarella, try using a low-moisture variety. Skip the ricotta cheese. If you think you’re missing the creaminess, try adding a layer of béchamel sauce. Or, if you can’t live without it, pat the ricotta dry with paper towels first to remove excess water. Any vegetables you want to add will need to be quickly sautéed on the stove to cook them, and this will require quite a bit of extra water. This is also a valuable opportunity to season vegetables that should never be underestimated.
Cool before slicing
Not only is this step critical to getting clean slices, but a bite of hot lasagna is always followed by three or four days of deep regret. If you let the lasagna cool to about room temperature, the fats in the cheese and meat will solidify again. This is especially helpful if you are using foil to remove the entire loaf of lasagna from the pan. When you slice it to serve, it will squish much less and the slices will be cleaner and sharper edged. (While there’s no need to wait until the next day to make the lasagna, leftovers frozen in the refrigerator will be even easier to cut, and you can reheat it in the microwave after you’ve cut it.)
If you want the tops of your lasagna portions to be molten after slicing, you can line the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet and quickly fry them. Just a minute or two to warm up the top before serving. The cheese will brown and the rest of the lasagna will remain pleasantly warm. Heaven will thank you.