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Allrecipes / Abbey Littlejohn
Leftover pizza is one of life’s simple pleasures. Whether you whipped up a homemade pie or ordered delivery from your local parlor or favorite chain, a second round of slices is such a treat.
“I’m more than happy to grab a slice right out of the box and into my mouth cold, with the fridge still open, if I’m being honest,” admits George Formaro, chef-partner of Orchestrate Hospitality restaurants in Des Moines, Iowa.
Same, chef, same. Still, it can be nice to bite into a warm slice again, “and it’s worth the effort to properly reheat a slice (or a few), for those who missed out the first time or for others who just want to relive a great pie,” Formaro adds.
Curious about the best way to reheat pizza? We polled four culinary pros, and the answer was unanimous.
Our Panel of Pizza Pros
- Jeanette Donnarumma, recipe developer and Emmy Award-winning producer
- George Formaro, chef-partner of Orchestrate Hospitality restaurants in Des Moines, Iowa
- Mary Payne Moran, chef and owner of The Silver Lake Kitchen cooking school in Los Angeles
- Dax Schaefer, corporate chef of Palermo’s Pizza in Milwaukee
The Biggest Pizza Reheating Mistakes to Avoid
If our culinary pros were forced to select the worst way to reheat pizza, it would undoubtedly be in the microwave. “Straight-up microwaving a slice should be illegal, and punishable by suffering through a solid week of eating only pineapple pizza,” Formaro jokes. Microwaves can make the bottom soggy and soft, and the cheese overly melty, explains Mary Payne Moran.
The oven isn’t your best option, either, since air can’t circulate well around the pizza. “It limits airflow and keeps the pizza from getting crispy—it stays kind of soggy instead,” Formaro notes.
One final word of warning: “Be careful trying that pizza reheating trick that went viral a few years ago, where people were putting pizza in a standard toaster,” says Jeanette Donnarumma. “I once ruined a toaster trying this (cut to lots of burnt cheese…).”
The Best Way to Reheat Pizza, According to Chefs
Even poorly reheated pizza isn’t really a problem, according to Dax Schaefer: “As long as you’re enjoying your pizza, life is good.” Still, we think you shouldn’t be subject to anything shy of top tier.
So what’s the best way to reheat pizza? Our pros had a unanimous answer: in a skillet on the stovetop. In fact, relying on this simple strategy means that “pizza can taste better than the first time. It results in a crisp pizza bottom from the pan with soft gooey cheese from the steam,” Schaefer says.
First, and for only a short shift, place the slices you’d like to reheat on a paper towel-lined plate and pop them into the microwave. (Yes, we know we’re partially breaking one of the “rules” we mentioned above!)
“Take the chill off the slice by microwaving it for 15 to 30 seconds,” Formaro recommends. “Thick pizzas run the risk of drying out, and a short time in the microwave does not harm the integrity of the crust—especially since you are reestablishing its integrity with another method. If you were to go cold, you run the risk of drying out the pizza in my opinion. Not bad, but we are shooting for the best way to reheat, and good enough is not our mission here.”
After that brief warm-up, preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. (Alternatively, use a standard skillet or cast iron skillet and use a paper towel to rub on a thin layer of oil.) Add your slices to the pan and cook for about 7 minutes, or until the cheese appears melted and the crust has crisped up again.
“In some instances, these methods recreate or even improve the original crust. Think of a New York slice. It’s often cooked twice, and there’s a reason for that,” Formaro says.
There’s one more expert-approved way to reheat pizza: in a convection oven or air fryer (which is basically a mini convection oven).
Preheat either appliance to 400 degrees F. Place the slices in the air fryer basket or on a wire rack-lined baking sheet “so air can circulate all the way around the slice(s),” Donnarumma says. Reheat until the cheese is melted, which should take about 3 to 4 minutes.
Now that you know about the best ways to reheat pizza, the only thing standing between you and your best round two yet is some surplus slices.
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