Growing up, homemade lasagna was one of many enormous meals my mother made to feed the three bottomless pits that were her children. But when I finally tried lasagna at a restaurant, I noticed some distinct differences: It was taller than my mother’s, for starters, and had distinct layers that didn’t slide apart. And there was no water pooling around it on my plate.

I don't want to criticize my mother or anyone else who likes their lasagna to taste a bit like pudding. But if you want to make a lasagna at home that's more like a restaurant-style lasagna, here are a few tips.

Restaurants serve stately slabs of lasagna, and part of achieving that look is height. Unless you need a large baking dish to make 12 to 16 servings of lasagna, try building it in a loaf pan. These are typically three-quarters to a full inch taller than many baking dishes. Using a loaf pan also eliminates the “middle,” that slab without crispy edges. That slab is almost always the swampiest and saddest, because there are no crispy bits.

That’s because the loaf pan is easier to fill because the width is almost exactly two lasagna sheets wide, meaning there’s some overlap, but far fewer confusing pieces stuck together. I find that this improves the overall structure. If you’re worried about cutting and scooping out of a loaf pan, line the inside well with buttered foil before assembling. Let the foil drape over the top to act as a handle for later. Once the lasagna is done and cooled, you can lift it all out for slicing.