Nothing tastes quite like a delicious pizza fresh out of the oven. Its undeniable crispiness is a treat to all of our senses and not just our taste buds. Everybody likes a fresh pizza — it is a given.
However, there are times when we find ourselves struggling to down a whole pizza in one go. Such instances often result in leftovers and us having to reheat them at a later point. Unfortunately, reheated pizza leftovers can easily turn into a tasteless, sloppy mess if we do not pay attention to how we reheat them.
If the woes of a poorly reheated pizza sound all too familiar, here are some tips on how to reheat pizza in the oven and make your leftovers taste just as mouth-watering as before.
How To Make Your Leftover Pizza Go From Rusty to Crusty Within Minutes
To restore your leftover pizza’s fresh-out-of-the-oven attributes, you will need to have either aluminum foil or a sheet pan at your immediate disposal.
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF or 375ºF.
For optimal results, your oven must be preheated before placing the leftover pizza inside. To that end, you should adjust the temperature accordingly, all the while keeping your oven’s temperature range in mind.
2. Prepare to place the aluminum foil or sheet pan inside the oven.
Once your oven has reached the desired temperature, place the aluminum foil or sheet pan inside. It may take a couple of minutes for the foil or the pan to heat up.
3. Remove the heated aluminum foil or sheet pan from the oven.
Use your oven mitt or a kitchen towel to safely remove the heated aluminum foil or sheet pan from the oven. Put your leftover pizza on the hot foil or the pan, and move on to the final step.
4. Watch your oven bring the leftover pizza back to life.
Feed your preheated oven with the leftover pizza and let it bake for a couple of minutes. Depending on the oven temperature and your pizza crust preferences, you can keep the leftover pizza in the oven for up to ten minutes or more.
What to Keep in Mind When Reheating Pizza Leftovers in the Oven
With all that said, you have now discovered the secret to a crispy resurrection of your leftover pizza. But what else should you keep in mind?
5. The more space between the pizza slices, the better.
Ovens are great for reheating multiple slices of pizza at once. However, do not jumble them together. Instead, spread the slices out so that the hot oven air can permeate through them evenly. This will do wonders for the pizza’s texture.
6. A toaster oven is a viable option.
If you are looking to reheat a single pizza slice or two and have a toaster oven — all the better. The reheating process will take less time because the toaster oven utilizes infrared heat. That is to say, a toaster oven takes as little as three to four minutes to make the leftover pizza’s texture crispy again.
7. Aluminum is pizza’s friend.
Aluminum will ensure that the heat is distributed equally during the reheating process in the oven. It can also help keep your pizza extra crunchy. However, if you prefer a softer crust texture, placing the leftover pizza on an unheated aluminum surface and into a preheated oven will do the trick.
Reheating Your Pizza in the Oven Is the Way to Go
Ultimately, the oven is the most effective appliance in restoring the leftover pizza’s texture to its former glory. Reheating your pizza in the oven is not only easy and convenient, but the results are consistent as well.
Hopefully, after reading this article, you’ll know more about how to reheat pizza in the oven, and the seven reheating tips will help extend the tastiness of your leftover pizza. Stay crispy and bon appetit!