There is always space in this world for cold pizza. In fact, sometimes there is nothing more satisfying than stiff cheese and ruby red sauce on a slightly tough crust. And while we're not going to judge you for eating cold pizza for dinner (or breakfast either, for that matter), if you want to reheat pizza, there's only one way that makes it better than just leaving your slice cold.
Good pizza deserves to be treated well. If you're going to go to the trouble of reheating pizza, you want the crust to be warm and crispy while the cheesy top is warm and gooey. And there's only one way to reheat your pizza that gets it right quickly.
How to Reheat Pizza the Best Way
There are several different reheating methods, and all of them technically get the job done. But how do you best warm up pizza up to replicate the fresh-out-of-the-oven taste that you would get at a pizza parlor?
The microwave will leave the crust soggy, and that's definitely not good for your pizza, so our recommendation is to not even go there. The oven takes a year to heat up and another year to bring the pizza up to temperature, so you should rule out that option if you want to be able to enjoy your pie any time in the near future. Plus, who wants to turn on the oven for one slice of pizza, especially if it's the middle of summer?
You can try your toaster oven to reheat your slice of pizza, but it still takes a long time. Plus, in my experience, the toaster over tends to make the melted cheese too melted and can burn your pizza crust if you don't watch it closely. There is an easier way to get your leftover slices to the perfect crispiness level at the same time the cheese is warmed through perfectly.
So what is the best way to reheat pizza? Pop that cold slice in a non-stick skillet on the stovetop.
If you have a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, you could absolutely use that instead.
Set your pizza slices lovingly into a pan on the stove, turn the fire up to medium heat or medium-high heat, depending on the kind of slice, and cover the skillet with a lid.
Reheat for about six minutes; your crust will be crisped and you'll have a delicious melty cheese pie on your hands, exactly the way pizza should be.
If you have a thin crispy crust pizza on your hands, six minutes will be right on the money, but if you have a thicker crust or a stuffed crust, check at six minutes and keep a close eye for every minute afterward.
If you prefer to reheat your pizza so that your crust is particularly charred, just crank the heat up a notch and let the magic happen.
The only potential downside to this best method is the inability to heat up an entire pizza at once. However, you're not dirtying up an entire cookie sheet, using all of your aluminum foil for the oven, or using a precious paper towel to handle the microwave.
But, you know what they say, where there's a will, there's a way. Who says you can't use several different pans on a few different burners to reheat leftover pizza?
This article was originally published on July 24, 2019.
