The sweet, flaky and slightly crisp goodness of crabcakes is best when prepared with the freshest crabmeat possible. However, if you can't get your hands on fresh crabmeat, prepared and frozen crabcakes are a creditable alternative, as they are typically flash-frozen in their freshest state. Properly reheating the crabcakes, either in a pan or on the stove, ensures tasty crabcakes that come pretty close to the real thing.

Remove the crabcakes from the freezer and place them in the refrigerator to thaw overnight.

Coat the bottom of a saucepan with butter or olive oil and place on the stove on medium heat.

Place the thawed crabcakes in the pan and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown.

Flip the crabcakes over with a spatula and press down gently to slightly flatten. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, until they are golden brown and heated through.

Place the crabcakes on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess oil.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for thawed crabcakes. If you have not defrosted the crabcakes, preheat the oven to 425 F.

Grease a baking pan lightly with olive oil.

Place the frozen or thawed crabcakes on the baking sheet and brush the tops lightly with melted butter.

Place in the oven on the middle rack to cook. For thawed crabcakes, cook for 16 to 18 minutes. For frozen crabcakes, cook for 15 minutes, then flip over and flatten gently with the spatula. Cook for another 10 minutes, until the crabcakes are golden brown and heated through.