The First Mistake You're Making With Casserole? Eating It Right Away

Casseroles might be ubiquitous, but they're easy to get wrong. First off, there's the fact that plenty of people don't know precisely what they are. Is a casserole just something with breadcrumbs on top? Is it made with vegetables or meat? Is it square or round? The official definitions don't necessarily clear things up: MasterClass describes a casserole as "any dish prepared in a casserole dish — essentially a deep, wide baking dish — and baked in the oven." This broad definition covers a number of dishes, including macaroni and cheese, lasagna, and even deep dish pizza.

Realistically, most people think of lasagna and deep dish as their own things, and picture creamy green bean casseroles and golden squares of baked hash browns when they think of casseroles. But this vague definition keeps people from making the best casseroles possible. The culinary category's boundaries might be loose, but there are still certain rules you should follow when preparing any kind of casserole, and certain mistakes you should strive to avoid. The biggest mistake you're unknowingly making with your casseroles? Serving them up directly after they come out of the oven.

Have you ever served baked macaroni and cheese and found that it's more or less hot cheese soup with noodles floating in it? Have you tried to serve sweet potato casserole at Thanksgiving and discovered mushy orange glop instead of firm, solid squares? This isn't because you didn't make these dishes right — you just made the mistake of serving them while they were still hot.

As Viraflare co-founder and cook Casey LaClair told Martha Stewart, you should rest your casserole at least 15 minutes before serving. This accounts for the liquids that have gathered in the pan during the cooking process. "The boiling juices have time to settle," explained LaClair, "and your casserole won't be served as a drippy soup." As the casserole sits, the liquids are reabsorbed back into the food and the casserole stiffens up, allowing you to serve it in portions instead of scooping out piles of mush.

Obviously, you don't want your casserole to get cold, so it's best to check if your casserole is set as soon as possible. Try sticking a butter knife into it and seeing if it comes out clean, or give it a poke to see if the interior of the casserole feels firm.

Some casseroles come out watery, no matter how long you let them sit. What should be a delicious dish amounts to a pile of wet ingredients scraped into a baking pan. This may be because your casserole has a lot of vegetables like zucchini, squash, onions, or spinach, all of which hold plenty of moisture that gets released during the cooking process.

To fix this problem, you should par-cook the vegetables in the oven first and then finish cooking them in the casserole dish. This helps remove most of their excess water. You could also salt the vegetables beforehand and let them drain on a colander or a baking sheet. Salt helps draw out the water within vegetables by osmosis. Not only does this help the texture of casseroles, it also adds extra flavor to your dish, thanks to both the salt and the concentration of the vegetables' natural flavors.

Whether you salt or par-cook your vegetables is up to you. What's important, however, is that you make sure to allow the casserole to sit before you decide to serve it — just to be safe.