Pizza is, without question, one of the greatest creations in the history of mankind. Sure, Michelangelo’s David is a stunning work of art. The wheel revolutionized mankind. The internal combustion engine advanced civilization by centuries. But none of these things could be topped with pepperoni and make you feel anywhere quite near as good as pizza does. And in this article, we’ll show you how to reheat pizza.
Pizza is the ultimate comfort food. It’s warm and gooey. It’s cheesy and greasy. And for a food that’s seemingly so easy to make, a good pan pizza simply cannot be beaten. Another fantastic thing about pizza is the fact that it can be enjoyed the following day.
Leftover pizza is like a cheesy reward. Yet the problem is that not everybody enjoys eating it cold. If you want your pizza warm, reheating pizza is an art form itself. There’s a fine line between floppy and soggy pizza, and stale and burnt pizza. Which is why you need to know how to heat it up the right way.
To ensure your warm Za tastes just as good the next day, here are several of the best ways to reheat pizza.
Reheat pizza in the microwave
Imagine you were out partying last night, and you had way too much to drink. Somehow made it to a pizzeria. You only managed a few slices of BBQ chicken pizza before you passed out. And now, you’re hungover. Questioning your life choices, and craving warm pizza. There’s one problem though, you’re impatient and you need warm pizza now! The solution is the microwave.
The microwave is one of the best ways to reheat pizza when you’re in a rush. And while it’s not the best, if you get your timings right it is perfectly edible.
The problem with microwave cooking is that the cheese and tomato tends to go sloppy and soggy. While the crust goes hard and stale. Hardly appetising, is it? Even if you are hungover.
Microwaves cook food from the inside out. So as liquid in the sauce and cheese evaporate, it steams the pizza, making it all floppy and soggy. Furthermore, the liquid in the crust evaporates, which is why it’s harder than Elden Ring on the highest difficulty setting.
To reheat pizza in the microwave, place the pizza on a safe plate, and place a mug of water next to it. The liquid will absorb some of the microwaves, so you’ll have less evaporation taking place within your pizza.
Now, heat on the highest setting for 30 – 45 seconds at a time, checking regularly. It won’t be crispy, but it’ll be edible. Plus work wonders for that hangover.
*Side note: You can enjoy pizza reheated in the microwave without being hungover.
Reheat pizza in a skillet/frying pan
Up next, depending on what you call it, we have a skillet or frying pan. Yes, we know there are fundamental differences between the two. But we’re way too busy to get into that now!
If done correctly, this is one of the best ways to reheat pizza. If done incorrectly however, it’ll be a bigger disaster than Morbius’ second stint in movie theatres.
Reheating pizza on a stovetop in a skillet over a low-medium heat is a great way to get the crust soft, yet crusty. And the toppings soft, warm, and moist, without having them go sloppy and soggy. And if you’re chowing down on a meat lovers pizza, toppings are crucial.
Simply take a lightly oiled skillet, place over a low-medium heat. Then cook gently for 2 – 3 minutes until the base of the pizza goes crispy. Congrats, that’s your base sorted. Now comes the tricky part.
Now, take a few drops of water, and throw them onto the hot pan away from the pizza to make steam. Cover the pan with a lid, and heat gently for another minute. Many consider this to be the most effective way of reheating pizza.
Reheat pizza in an air fryer
Air fryers are all the rage these days. They’re the latest must-have kitchen gadget, and for good reason. Air fryers are eco-friendly, they cook food evenly, they’re portable and easy to clean. Plus they provide impressive results. Even with mexican pizza.
Air fryers are almost as easy to use as microwaves, though they do take longer and require more cleaning. Even so, if you want a crispy, soft, gooey, bubbly slice of pizza, this is the method for you. Notice how we said slice, I.E singular, rather than the plural slices? That’s because you can only heat 1 slice at a time in most conventional air fryers.
To reheat your pizza in an air fryer, simply take a slice and place it base down on the tray. Then crank the heat up to around 380 degrees, and heat for 4 – 6 minutes.
Reheat pizza in an oven
Considering a conventional oven is most people’s idea of the ultimate way of reheating cold pizza, we couldn’t leave it off our list now, could we? This will merit the best pizza results.
This is most people’s go-to method of reheating cold pizza, and we’re not surprised. It helps give a crispy base that isn’t squidgy or stodgy. And the cheese itself is nicely melted and soft, without turning to liquid. This is about as close to freshly baked pizza as you can get. And if you’re reheating deep dish pizza, the oven is a must.
Simply take an oven tray, place it into your oven. Then crank the heat up to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C) , until the oven reaches temperature.
Now, carefully remove the hot tray, place your slices on it base-first. Then place back into the oven and leave it to cook for 4 – 5 minutes. If you like your pizza a little softer, turn the heat down to 450 instead.
Reheat pizza in a microwave and oven
So, we know that microwaving pizza causes it to become soggy. And we know that oven baking pizza causes it to become crispy. But what do you do if you like your pizza base crisp, and your toppings soft and squidgy? Easy, you go with the infamous microwave and oven combo.
Cooking in a microwave and then finishing off in an oven is the perfect way to get soft pizza with a hint crispness. This method works very well for peri peri chicken pizza.
Simply microwave your pizza on a plate for 30 seconds. Then put it on a tray in a cold oven. Turn the heat up to 350. As soon as the oven has reached the target pre-heat temperature, take that cheesy bad boy out because it’s done.
Preheating pizza in a very hot pan
Some ideas are just bad ideas. It was a bad idea for Will Smith to jump on stage to confront Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. It was a bad idea for the dude in Alien to look directly inside an oversized, slimy, extra-terrestrial egg. And it’s certainly a bad idea to reheat your Hawaiian pizza in a screaming hot pan.
As some of you will completely ignore this advice and do it anyways, we’d rather you did it safely. So here’s how to reheat pizza in a very hot skillet/pan.
Heat the pan over a high heat until it’s smoking hot. Next, turn the heat to medium and place your pizza slices base down into the pan. Then heat for around 2 minutes, or until the cheese begins to bubble. That’s it, now go sit in a corner and think about why you’ve just desecrated a creation as wonderful as pizza!
The problem with this method is that the base will cook and turn crispy before the cheese has chance to melt. By the time the cheese has melted, the base will be severely overdone, and likely burnt.
Fun Pizza Facts
So, we’ve looked at the best ways to reheat pizza. But before we leave you to go reheat your cheesy slices of goodness, we thought we’d finish off with a few fun, and hopefully interesting pizza facts you might not have known.
The world’s most expensive pizza is in Italy
While pizza is generally an affordable food, if you visit Salerno, Italy, and order the Louis XIII pizza, you’d better have a deep bank account.
The Louis XIII pizza is the most expensive in the world and costs $12,000. This pizza is prepared by chefs in your own home or accommodation. And it contains lavish and expensive ingredients, including lobster, 3 types of caviar, and pink Australian sea salt. A little more extravagant than the simple Margherita pizza.
People love pepperoni on their Za
Pepperoni on pizza is nearly almost a stereotype at this point. When you think of pizza, you think pepperoni, and vice versa. A New York style pizza would be naked without it. So it should come as no surprise to learn then, that pepperoni is the most popular pizza topping on the planet.
It’s the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ favorite food
Everybody knows the Ninja Turtles, right? Not only are these sewer-dwelling reptiles big fans of fighting crime, they’re also big fans of pizza.
The crime-fighting green ninjas love pizza because while working on the original comics, writers Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman would often chow down on pizza for lunch. Cowabunga, dudes!
In space, nobody can hear you cheese!
Astronauts generally don’t get to enjoy tasty food in space, but in 2001 one lucky Russian Cosmonaut became the exception.
In 2001, the Russian Space Agency received over $1 Million to send a six-inch pizza to the ISS (International Space Station). Yuri Usachov made history by becoming the first person in space to ever receive and eat pizza.
