Why You Should Make Lasagna The Day Before Eating It

Some types of food are perfect for meal prepping; , and the same could be said for stew and chili. The king of the make-ahead meals, however, may well be lasagna — whether you're making our or that tucks pizza toppings between the layers. According to Joe Isidori, owner of New York's , "Lasagna is like a good story — it gets better with time.

" What, exactly, does Isodiri mean by this? As he explained to The Takeout, "When you let [lasagna] sit overnight, all that sauce, cheese, and meat soak right into the pasta." What's more, cold temperatures make the fat from the cheese and meat solidify, which has the effect of intensifying the flavor. "It's like the dish gets a chance to marry itself," said Isidori.



He also observed that since lasagna sets up in the fridge overnight, it's easier to cut the next day. Storing and reheating lasagna Joe Isidori advised letting fresh-from-the-oven lasagna cool on the counter for half an hour or so before refrigerating it. Regarding the reason for this, he noted, "You don't wanna raise the temp in your fridge and mess with everything else in there.

" Whatever you do, though, don't forget about your cooling lasagna. According to the , it will no longer be safe to eat if it's been at room temperature for over two hours, since it will have had a chance to start breeding bacteria. For reheating refrigerated lasagna, Isidori uses an oven set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

He covers the dish with foil to retain moisture and says 25 to 30 minutes should be long enough to heat the inside. But he doesn't stop cooking just yet; At this point he removes the foil and gives it another 10 minutes so the top layer gets crispy. When reheating lasagna, he pointed out, "You want it hot all the way through, but not dried out.

" Of course, you can also freeze lasagna If you're not going to consume an entire pan of lasagna within three to five days, which is the recommended amount of time for refrigerating it, your best bet will be to freeze it. While you can freeze a whole lasagna (either baked or unbaked), the most convenient way to store one that's already been cooked might be to divide it into individual portions. To take advantage of the flavor enhancement extolled by Joe Isidori, you may do this after the lasagna sits in the fridge overnight.

Once it's been cut, package each piece separately in an airtight container before freezing. (A few layers of plastic wrap, followed by a final wrap with foil will do the trick if you don't have sufficient storage tubs.) There are several different ways you can reheat frozen lasagna.

If you have all the time in the world, you can thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. If you'd rather eat it sooner than later, though, it's okay to cook it from frozen, although it may take twice as long. Following Isidori's instructions, the 40 minutes needed to reheat refrigerated lasagna could extend to an hour and 20 minutes.

Of course, if you're really hungry, it's perfectly fine to zap that frozen lasagna in the microwave. That way, you won't have to preheat the oven to cook a single serving. Your lasagna may also be done in two or three minutes as opposed to nearly an hour and a half of cooking time.

Just another bonus to baking lasagna the day before you plan to eat it. Recommended.