What's up with lasagna pans?

[bakechef]

OK weird dilemma here.

I want a ceramic or stoneware lasagna pan (not glass or metal).

Most lasagna pans that I have found are 9x13 or larger, but lasagna noodles are only around 10 inches long (yes I've measured a noodle, don't judge me!)

I like to make my lasagna tall rather than thin, so my ideal pan would be only 10.5 to 11 inches long and about 8-9 inches wide, 3 inches deep.

Is this too much to ask ?

I have found a couple pans that would work, but I don't like the idea of spending $50 plus dollars for a ceramic or stoneware pan.

Ok rant over. Just had to vent.

[Silversage]

The noodles may be 10 inches when they're hard and dry, but they swell in every direction when they're cooked. Once cooked, they are about 12-14 inches long, hence the 9x13 pan that most folks have works out well.

[CharlieD]

Box of Barilla lasagna noodles specifically says to use 9 X 13 pan.

[Andy M.]

What you should look for is a lasagna pan that 10.5 inches wide by 14-15 inches long. Lay the 20" noodles across the length rather than along the length.

[babetoo]

makes sense to me , andy.

[bakechef]

good info here. I have a pan that the cooked noodles seem to fit in, but it is too shallow causing the lasagna to bubble over.

could a cooked noodle really gain up to 4 inches?

Andy, that method goes against my OCD I'll have to try a 9x13 I think anything bigger would be too big for my current recipe. If I were a freestyle lasagna maker, the larger pan would probably work. I am not a freestyler anymore, I could never get the same results twice, and I am all about consistency!

[Silversage]

OK, I'm nuts. I just went and boiled one lasagne noodle.

Before I started, it was 2 1/8 inches by 10 inches. After cooking it completely, it was 3 1/8 inches by 13 1/4 inches.

So use a 9x13 pan - it will be perfect!

[taxlady]

Originally Posted by Silversage

OK, I'm nuts. I just went and boiled one lasagne noodle.

Before I started, it was 2 1/8 inches by 10 inches. After cooking it completely, it was 3 1/8 inches by 13 1/4 inches.

So use a 9x13 pan - it will be perfect!

Wow, that's a lot of getting bigger. I don't think my home made ones do that, or at least not as much.

[PrincessFiona60]

Originally Posted by Silversage

OK, I'm nuts. I just went and boiled one lasagne noodle.

Before I started, it was 2 1/8 inches by 10 inches. After cooking it completely, it was 3 1/8 inches by 13 1/4 inches.

So use a 9x13 pan - it will be perfect!

That's not nuts, curious minds want to know, but since I was out of lasagne noodles and it's cold enough to freeze a polar bear, I didn't go to the store!

[bakechef]

Originally Posted by Silversage

OK, I'm nuts. I just went and boiled one lasagne noodle.

Before I started, it was 2 1/8 inches by 10 inches. After cooking it completely, it was 3 1/8 inches by 13 1/4 inches.

So use a 9x13 pan - it will be perfect!

Now see I never would have thought that it would grow that much. I just assumed that the pan that I have used was smaller than a standard 9x13 (it is a ceramic without markings on it).

Thank you for the experiment! I was going to do this myself, just hadn't gotten around to it yet!

This is going to make things a whole lot easier. All I need to look for is a 9x13 ceramic or stoneware dish that is good and deep. I now have options, and I thought for sure that I would find the perfect size and it would be covered in a Christmas pattern or really gaudy flowers, !