The Finest Solution to Reheat Pizza, In accordance with Our Assessments

I like having leftover pizza within the fridge — I’ll even deliberately over-order to make sure I’ve further slices readily available. They make for a slam-dunk breakfast or lunch the following day, one thing I look ahead to virtually as a lot because the just-baked pie from the evening earlier than. And whereas chilly leftover pizza has its time and place (ahem, the morning after a late evening spent indulging), correctly reheated pizza tastes much better. When executed nicely, it may possibly carry chilly pizza again to life, restoring it to fresh-from-the-pizzeria taste and texture. Achieved poorly, although, it may possibly wring the life out of your slices and depart you chewing shoe leather-based.

To that finish, I set about testing six methods of reheating chilly leftover pizza — utilizing the microwave, oven, toaster oven, grill, air fryer, and stovetop. Learn on to find which methods actually delivered.

A phrase about my methodology

The start line for all of those strategies was day-old, refrigerated pizza. I used pepperoni pizza with New York–fashion crust (skinny and foldable) from Domino’s to check how each the crust and toppings would maintain as much as reheating. I examined two slices for every methodology and made certain to style the outer crust, center, toppings, and inside level of every slice.

Microwaving pizza

Cook dinner time: 1 minute
Complete time: 1 minute 15 seconds
Ranking: 4/10

Technique: I noticed a number of suggestions on-line for putting a microwave-safe mug or cup of water subsequent to the pizza as you warmth it within the microwave to stop the crust from getting soggy or robust, so I made a decision to provide that methodology a attempt. I positioned two slices of chilly pizza on a microwave-safe paper plate with a mug of water. I cooked on Excessive in my 1100-watt microwave in 30-second increments till the pizza was scorching (1 minute).

Outcomes: This system did no favors for the pizza. The outer crust was robust and overly chewy, and the pizza heated erratically, with some bites piping scorching and others lukewarm.

Execs: That is the best and quickest method to reheat pizza. For those who’re notably hangry and want your pizza pronto, go for it, however know you’ll be making concessions.

Cons: The pizza’s texture suffers when heated within the microwave, with the outer crust changing into arduous, robust, and unsightly to chew. For those who’re on this huge of a rush, you is perhaps higher off consuming chilly pizza.

Heating pizza in a toaster oven

Cook dinner time: 6 minutes
Complete time: 11 minutes
Ranking: 7/10

Technique: Preheat the toaster oven utilizing the Bake or Reheat setting (I went with the previous) to 350°F. Place the chilly leftover pizza on the toaster oven’s baking sheet, and prepare dinner for about 6 minutes to reheat.

Outcomes: The pizza heated evenly, and though the crust wasn’t precisely crisp, it wasn’t soggy, both. It was chewy-tender with a touch of crispiness on the periphery — not the perfect texture however removed from the worst (I’m taking a look at you, microwave).

Execs: The small scale of the toaster oven means it preheats rapidly; mine was prepared in 5 minutes. It’s an energy-efficient methodology that doesn’t use as a lot energy or gas because the oven or grill.

Cons: The toaster oven can accommodate 3 to 4 slices, max — so when you have a whole lot of pizza to reheat, it is best to use a unique methodology. The feel of the reheated pizza is ok however not notably crispy. 

Grilling pizza over flames

Cook dinner time: 5 minutes
Complete time: 25 minutes
Ranking: 7.5/10

Technique: Warmth an out of doors grill to medium-high. Prepare chilly leftover pizza on a bit of professional quality foil, then place the foil on the grill rack. Shut the lid, and grill over direct warmth till the cheese melts and the pizza feels scorching, 4 to six minutes.

Outcomes: The pizza reheated evenly, with a crispy backside crust and tender-chewy outer crust. The cheese was gooey and stretchy, and the pepperoni fats bubbled and crisped.

Execs: You’ll get evenly heated slices with nice texture. The floor space of the grill may also accommodate many pizza slices, so when you have a whole lot of leftovers, it is a helpful methodology.

Cons: It looks like a good quantity of hassle to warmth up the grill simply to reheat leftovers. I used my outside gasoline grill, and it took 20 minutes to preheat it to medium-high (450°F), a bit longer than it took my oven to warmth for my oven-reheating take a look at. I suppose in the event you needed to grill some lettuce, asparagus, or broccoli for an accompaniment, it might be value it to fireplace up the grill to reheat the pizza, too.

Warming on a pizza stone within the oven

Cook dinner time: 3 minutes
Complete time: 18 minutes
Ranking: 8/10

Technique: Place a pizza stone (or massive upside-down cast-iron skillet) within the oven and preheat to 475°F. When the oven is prepared, fastidiously prepare chilly pizza slices on the pizza stone or skillet, and prepare dinner for two to 4 minutes for thin-crust pizza.

Outcomes: This pizza was virtually nearly as good as a contemporary pie. The underside of the crust was splendidly crisp, whereas the topping heated evenly. The cheese was gooey and the pepperoni was crisp.

Execs: The oven methodology revived the leftover pizza’s texture, bringing it to just about just-baked ranges. It’s additionally versatile: You possibly can reheat as little as a single slice or as much as a complete pie this manner. 

Cons: Whereas my oven preheated to a excessive temperature in simply quarter-hour, different ovens may take longer to preheat. As I found by way of my testing, there are faster strategies that ship even higher outcomes. Additionally, you want a pizza stone (or a big cast-iron skillet) for this methodology.

Reheating in an air fryer

Cook dinner time: 2 1/2 minutes
Complete time: 2 1/2 minutes
Ranking: 9/10

Technique: Place the chilly pizza within the air fryer basket in a single layer. (I used my Phillips basket-style air fryer, not a toaster oven–fashion fryer.) Air-fry the leftover pizza at 350°F for two to 4 minutes. 

Outcomes: The reheated pizza slices had been unbelievable, with a super-crispy crust. A number of the pepperoni truly cupped up a bit, and every circle of meat was splendidly crisp across the edges. The tip of every of the slices was the teensiest bit dry, however in any other case the feel was good.

Execs: My tabletop, basket-style air fryer doesn’t have to be preheated, so this was a really quick methodology. It yielded a fully irresistible texture on the crust and meat.

Cons: I may solely match one slice into the basket at a time. Nonetheless, I discovered the feel of the pizza to be nicely value this limitation. 

Cooking in a coated skillet

Cook dinner time: 2 minutes
Complete time: 4 1/2 minutes
Ranking: 10/10

Technique: I adopted the tactic we’ve touted earlier than: Warmth a big nonstick skillet (I used an All-Clad pan) till water droplets dance on the floor. Add pizza to the pan with roughly 8 water droplets, cowl the pan, and warmth for about 2 minutes.

Outcomes: As marketed, the water vapor helped to stop the toppings from drying out. The cheese was splendidly gooey, and the crust re-crisped with out changing into robust. The outer crust maintained a number of the nice, intentional chew that it began with when freshly baked.

Execs: This methodology is fast, produces a super texture for each the toppings and crust, and may deal with a couple of slices of pizza at a time. 

Cons: There are some house limitations, relying on the dimensions of your skillet. You probably have a whole lot of pizza to reheat, you may wish to take into account one other methodology. 

Closing takeaways

A number of the quickest strategies are additionally the perfect, restoring the toppings and crust to just about just-baked freshness. The coated skillet approach finally yields the perfect texture, however air-frying is a surprisingly efficient methodology — particularly in the event you’re simply reheating a single slice.