So… you couldn’t finish that wonderful pizza you had for dinner last night, and there’s no way you’re throwing all that goodness away! But when most people think “reheated pizza,” the first word that comes to their mind is… soggy. Never fear: you can reheat your pizza in a away that keeps each bite as delicious as yesterday!
And in fact there are a variety of ways to reheat your pizza.
The first step, no matter what method you choose, takes place when you’ve finished eating your pizza the first time around. It’s in a lovely big pizza box from Pizzeria Locale; your job is to not allow it to languish there. When it’s clear that you’ll have leftovers, take the slices and store them in an airtight container right away to preserve the flavor: reusable Tupperware is perfect for this.
Then, the next day…
Reheating in the oven
Using the oven to reheat your pizza may be the best approach. You might have tried it in the past and not had a good result—it’s easy for the oven to dry out your moist beautiful slices. But never fear: here’s the way to do it and achieve the results you want.
First, pre-heat your oven to 420 degrees. This step is, believe it or not, critical: if your pizza is in the oven as it gradually gets warmer and warmer, you’ll likely be left with a dried-out slice. Take the time to allow the oven to reach the required temperature.
Next, line a baking sheet with foil and place it in the oven that’s been pre-heated. Getting the tray and foil nice and hot is crucial to the process; it should be hot when the pizza touches it. After a few minutes, remove the tray (um—you did remember to put on an oven mitt so you didn’t burn yourself, right?) and place your pizza on it.
Return the tray with the pizza to the oven for about five minutes—but check it frequently to make sure it doesn’t burn, as you’re working at high heat here.
This process is sure to deliver a reheated pizza that’s crisp and tasty!
Reheating in a skillet
This is a great way to keep your crust nice and crisp, and it’s especially helpful if you have only a couple of slices you want to reheat.
First, select a non-stick skillet and place it on your cooktop over medium heat.
Next, place your cold pizza slice in the skillet and heat it for a couple of minutes. At this point, you want to put a few drops of olive oil into the skillet beside (not on top of) the pizza slice.
Put a lid on the skillet and leave it on medium for a couple more minutes. This method gives you a nice crisp pizza base and lovely melted hot cheese on top. If you only have one or two slices to heat, this is the easiest way to do it.
We at Pizzeria Locale are particularly fond of the skillet method. Why? Think about it: when are you most likely to eat pizza from the night before? If you answered, “the next morning,” congratulations, you’re a real pizza lover! But “the next morning” doesn’t have to equal cold pizza: We love heating up a slice or two in the morning and then adding a sunny-side-up egg on top. The rich egg and crisp crust are perfect first thing in the morning. And it counts as breakfast!
How you shouldn’t re-heat pizza
The first and probably obvious method to avoid is using your microwave oven. Sure, it’s the fastest, but the results will be, safe to say, disappointing. While all microwaves vary, we’ve never heard of a pizza slice coming out of any microwave with anything but a terminally soggy and/or rubbery crust.
You might think that reheating on an outdoor gas grill would be the closest you can get to the high heat of our ovens, and that’s probably true; many can cook food at 500 degrees. But the problem is the heat isn’t distributed evenly, so while your crust will be far crisper than in a microwave, it also may burn in places. And too much heat can cause cheese to separate. All in all, not your best bet.
More and more households now have air fryers, and that may sound like a great alternative, second only to the microwave in terms of speed. Aficionados of this method recommend setting the temp to 320 degrees, sliding a slice into the basket (dry, with no oil), and cooking it for three to four minutes. The cheese will end up nice and gooey—but, sadly, the crust will remain limp and rubbery.
To heat, or not to heat
We’re well aware that there’s a strong contingent of folks who actually enjoy eating cold pizza the next day. We’re not against the practice (we’re happy with anyone who loves pizza in whatever way they choose to eat it!), but we do urge you to consider trying one of our recommended reheating alternatives, and see if it doesn’t change your mind.