Dumb question -- I gave someone a lasagna-like casserole. It's frozen, in a foil pan, so it has to be oven-heated (all the ingredients were cooked prior to freezing, except the cheese). She asked me how long to bake it at what temp, and I have no clue! If it were defrosted I'd probably say 300 degrees for 30 minutes, but frozen I just don't know. Any advice?
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
You are assuming your friend does not like to eat lasagna-like casseroles in a frozen state. Why not 30 degrees for 300 minutes?
Honestly I'd let it thaw and THEN I'd put it in the oven.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
She could nuke it if it was already cooked and stop when it is not frozen any more...
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Foil pan. No nuking.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
It can't be nuked in a foil pan.
I usually bake a frozen casserole at 425 for about 1.5 hours (sometimes longer, depending on size and content.)
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: It can't be nuked in a foil pan.
I usually bake a frozen casserole at 425 for about 1.5 hours (sometimes longer, depending on size and content.)
And now you know why we all went out to a restaurant when I visited California in August. *ducks head*
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Oh boy. Poor Cathy. She was going for 350 for an hour when I first posted this, about an hour ago now. I should have checked back immediately, since kq posted about the same time I did! (thanks) I'm going to assume that she has adapted her approach by now.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Well, it depends. 350 will work for some casseroles, depending on size and content, although it will probably be more like a total of 2 or 2.5 hours.
Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
Why not pop it out of the tin pan, set it in a glass pan and then nuke it?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Usually things that are frozen in tin pans have been frozen to the sides and that doesn't work so well.
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
Obviously it's too late for this now, but if the reheating is taking longer than you thought, and you need to eat it right then, you can always cut out half-finished pieces and nuke them. Don't do this unless the casserole has been previously cooked, of course.
--Mel
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
I'll have to call my friend after a few days have gone by and I'm no longer embarrassed by having given her a dish w/ no instructions (I always defrost in the fridge first, so I had no clue how to do it frozen). She is in the middle of a sudden hectic move with three kids, and I felt bad for not being able to lend a hand w/ the packing so I thought "well, maybe this will come in handy sometime in the next week or two." She's resourceful--I'm guessing she probably went Mel's route!
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
quote:Obviously it's too late for this now, but if the reheating is taking longer than you thought, and you need to eat it right then, you can always cut out half-finished pieces and nuke them. Don't do this unless the casserole has been previously cooked, of course.
Out of curiosity, why couldn't you do this with any casserole? I understand you wouldn't necessarily get the lovely browning you would have had if it'd been cooked previously, but microwaving it enough to get it hot should be enough to kill anything scary....
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
It would depend on the type of dish. It may not cook enough while being heated quickly to taste right.
If it has already been cooked, all they are doing is heating it up, and the taste/texture isn't as likely to be affected.
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
quote:Originally posted by ludosti:
quote:Obviously it's too late for this now, but if the reheating is taking longer than you thought, and you need to eat it right then, you can always cut out half-finished pieces and nuke them. Don't do this unless the casserole has been previously cooked, of course.
Out of curiosity, why couldn't you do this with any casserole? I understand you wouldn't necessarily get the lovely browning you would have had if it'd been cooked previously, but microwaving it enough to get it hot should be enough to kill anything scary....
Except that microwaves cook unevenly, so it's hard to know if all of it has gotten hot enough. And if you get all of it hot enough, some parts will be over-cooked. Although time-savers, microwaves can be a huge pain to work with.
--Mel
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Especially for things like casseroles. That's why you don't often see a microwaved casserole.
Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
A short dip in a sinkful of hot tap water up to just below the rim of the pan will usually loosen the frozen casserole enough to pop it out, even if it was already cooked and stuck to the pan.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
*ducks head*