The Game-Changing Tip You Need For Microwaving Pasta

Pasta is one of the easiest meals to prep ahead of time. Cooked pasta can stay good in the fridge for up to five days, as long as it's stored properly. If you make some delicious fettuccine alfredo, spaghetti, or cacio e pepe for dinner, you can grab a container and take it to the office for lunch the next day.

Microwaving your pasta might be the quickest and easiest way to reheat it, but it can be frustrating when your pasta doesn't come out evenly warmed. If you find your sauce sizzling on the outer edges, but still cold in the center of the plate, don't deem the microwave faulty just yet.

Rather than pulling the plate out of the microwave, stirring, and continuing the heat your pasta until it seems evenly warmed, there may be an easier way to achieve perfectly heated pasta every time. Much of it has to do with how the pasta is positioned on your plate.

As it turns out, there's an optimal shape for heating up pasta. According to Hill Street Grocer, when you microwave your pasta, you should be leaving the center of the plate empty — it's best to arrange your pasta in a ring shape around the edges of the plate.

The reason your food might get cold in the middle is due to the radiation heating up the food inside the microwave. Microwaves heat food from the sides, and if you have too much food piled high in the center of the plate, the waves may not be able to penetrate it.

Instead, that heat could be concentrated on the edges of the plate, leaving the center cold. By shaping your food into a ring and leaving the center empty, its surface area is expanded. As a result, it can be reached by the heat waves, allowing it to heat up nice and evenly.

While arranging your food properly on the plate, you may want to consider dryness when it comes to pasta. When you heat up pasta with sauce, Barilla states that there is an effective way to prevent your food from drying out in the microwave — reheating sauce and pasta separately is typically the way to go. If you have them pre-mixed, there may be a way to ensure the dish stays delicious.

Barilla suggests adding in a little extra sauce or some water on top of the pasta before microwaving it. This will prevent the pasta from sticking together as it heats up, and it will also prevent the texture of the noodles from becoming hard. By keeping your pasta dish moisturized and arranging it properly on the plate, you can make sure you have perfectly heated leftovers any time you're craving some pasta.