Reheating pizza--microwave or toaster?

[Rand Rover]

My friend wants to know, and shit.

By the way, the correct answer is toaster. You microwave people are doin' it wrong.

[PSXer]

microwave is always the wrong answer


I usually eat it cold, but if I have to heat it I use the oven, but if I have to pick one of the two choices, I say toaster

[Rand Rover]

1. Eating it cold is not an option. That's just gross.

2. An oven is just a big-ass toaster.

[NinetyWt]

I have never in my life put leftover pizza in the toaster. Won't the toppings all slide off ??

Leftover pizza is good cold, straight out of the refrigerator.

[Peremensoe]

I have never in my life put leftover pizza in the toaster. Won't the toppings all slide off ??

This kind of toaster. (http://www.kitchenaidtoasterovens.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Oster-6-Slice-Black-Toaster-Oven-Red-6295.jpg)

[PSXer]

that device is a toaster oven

[campp]

That's a "toaster oven" in my book.

When someone says "toaster", I think of the old school type chrome unit with two slots.

[Peremensoe]

A toaster oven is a toaster. It is intended to toast things.

[Rushgeekgirl]

Microwave, but just to take the chill off. Putting it in an oven makes the crust too hard. Putting it in a toaster would be a fire hazard what with the toppings sliding off. I didn't know they even made toaster ovens anymore.

[Peremensoe]

This is also a toaster (http://www.shortorder.com/files/images/products/0000/3378/apw_xtrm3.jpg), though not a good one for pizza.

[NinetyWt]

A toaster oven is a toaster. It is intended to toast things.

No. A toaster oven is a toaster oven.

:p

[NinetyWt]

1. Eating it cold is not an option. That's just gross.


Are you telling me that you've never had that delicious, delicious breakfast known as cold pizza and warm beer? :dubious:

[Baal Houtham]

So you want to know whether to remove a splinter with chainsaw or a belt sander?

The proper way to reheat pizza:
Zap it for about 20 seconds to warm the topping, then heat it on the griddle with a little butter to crisp the crust.

[robardin]

The proper way to reheat pizza:
Zap it for about 20 seconds to warm the topping, then heat it on the griddle with a little butter to crisp the crust.

Wrong. You use a toaster oven or a real oven, depending on what you have and how much pizza you're reheating.

Sprinkle it with some water on top so it will rehydrate, otherwise what you get is cardboard. Or if you nuke it, cardboard that's somehow also rubbery and squishy.

Then, if it's just one slice (or 2 if that fits in your toaster oven), pop it in there for one max cycle. If you're reheating more than that or only have an actual oven, preheat to 450F and pop it in there for about 8-10 minutes, depending on how hot you like your pizza.

[Rand Rover]

So you want to know whether to remove a splinter with chainsaw or a belt sander?

The proper way to reheat pizza:
Zap it for about 20 seconds to warm the topping, then heat it on the griddle with a little butter to crisp the crust.

Fancy. But I count at least three additions to the dishwasher there (griddle, spatula, butter knife)--dirty dishes violate the whole pizza-reheating aesthetic.

[Procrustus]

Leftover pizza is good cold, straight out of the refrigerator.

Or room temperature if you've left it out over night.

[Athena]

Neither.

Put it in a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat crust-down for a couple minutes. Then flip it over, cheese side down, to melt the cheese for another minute or two. Flip back to crust side and cook til it seems hot enough.

Tastes like it's fresh from the oven. Really. It's the best way to reheat pizza, hands-down.

[Yorikke]

By "toaster," I assume you mean "toaster oven." I selected "toaster," but I usually eat it cold, and when I heat it up, I usually do it on the stove, in a covered skillet.

Joe

[Alice The Goon]

The problem with reheating it in the oven is that the bottom of the crust gets hard and develops little cracks. Get your tongue caught in one of those hard, unforgiving cracks, and... ouch!

I've never even thought of hitting it in a skillet on the stove. I'll try that next time, because microwaving it sucks, and I have no toaster oven.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

I use a toaster oven and put it on the baking tray that came with the oven. Bottom stays nice, cheese and toppings get a bit more browned and not soggy/stale.

Microwaved leftover pizza is definitely not to my taste.

[Ravenman]

Neither.

Put it in a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat crust-down for a couple minutes. Then flip it over, cheese side down, to melt the cheese for another minute or two. Flip back to crust side and cook til it seems hot enough.

Tastes like it's fresh from the oven. Really. It's the best way to reheat pizza, hands-down.

I have been experimenting with this method lately, and I am warming to it. (ha-ha)

[Pai325]

I use a microwave. It tastes much better in a toaster oven or the big oven, but I'm lazy. And when hungry, impatient.

[gladtobeblazed]

Cold is the best way to eat left over pizza followed by the covered skillet if for some strange reason I want it warm.

[The Vorlon]

When someone says "toaster", I think of the old school type chrome unit with two slots.

...That says "By your Command"

[pulykamell]

I answered "toaster," meaning "toaster oven," but, in all honesty, it always gets eaten cold. Or room temp (leftover pizza rarely finds its way into the fridge in my house.)

[Shakes]

This kind of toaster. (http://www.kitchenaidtoasterovens.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Oster-6-Slice-Black-Toaster-Oven-Red-6295.jpg)

This (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dP_MuBsLGEQ/TOvYUE4kxmI/AAAAAAAACCw/3Mnp7d9Bskk/s1600/bsg-cylon-cent-bust.jpg&imgrefurl=http://quitch.blogspot.com/2010/11/27-year-old-battestar-virgin.html&usg=__F1zFlLLxF-QqYSJrBqGFCT9P0Ys=&h=600&w=506&sz=56&hl=en&start=0&sig2=wBcfQYlN9vzRq-wvUhvRCg&zoom=1&tbnid=oYrL_lYgUvhvrM:&tbnh=163&tbnw=115&ei=eGVTTYn0G4XGlQeUku2QCQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbsg%2Bcylon%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26rlz%3D1T4GGLL_enUS403US404%26biw%3D1345%26bih %3D555%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=124&vpy=64&dur=250&hovh=245&hovw=206&tx=137&ty=115&oei=eGVTTYn0G4XGlQeUku2QCQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0) is also a toaster. Also not good for reheating pizza.

[Dewey Finn]

I reheat leftover pizza in the oven (because I don't own a toaster oven). The microwave oven is faster, but the pizza gets soggy that way. But good pizza is good cold. Bad pizza isn't good even when it's fresh.

[sisu]

I use a sandwich press, just leave it cracked so the top is a cm off the top of the cheese.

[Lemur866]

Cast iron skillet on the stovetop is the correct answer.

[PSXer]

It's not worth it to re-heat something I will spend less than a minute eating

[Rachellelogram]

1) don't own a toaster
2) toasting shit dries it the fuck out
3) I prefer greasy warm pizza to either dry as fuck pizza or cold pizza.
You microwave people are doin' it wrong.
suck it! :P

[kenobi 65]

I've never even thought of hitting it in a skillet on the stove. I'll try that next time, because microwaving it sucks, and I have no toaster oven.

I'd always reheated pizza in the oven (400 degrees for 9-10 minutes), but I saw Tyler Florence recommend a skillet on one of his Food Network shows a few years ago. It works pretty well, as long as you're careful to make sure you don't burn the crust before the toppings get warm (I'd not thought of the "flipping" technique that Athena suggested -- I'll have to try it).

I don't like what microwaving a pizza does to the crust, so I avoid that technique.

[garygnu]

Other: Non-stick pan on low, covered. 5-6 minutes.

[Mornac]

Are you telling me that you've never had that delicious, delicious breakfast known as cold pizza and warm beer? :dubious:

--This begs the question: At what hour and moment does Friday night’s party become Saturday mornings breakfast?

[Alice The Goon]

Am I the only one that has ever gotten her tongue pinched by the crust in the reheated by oven scenario? What kind of freak am I??

[Voyager]

Toaster oven. 350 for about five minutes, makes it perfect.

I tried a little frozen pizza, which had directions for oven or microwave. Oven took too long, microwave was disgusting.

[Colophon]

Leftover pizza? You're just not trying - there's always room for that last slice. :)

[bartleby]

Toaster ovens are not made to make toast. They make rotten toast. They are made to heat sandwiches and re-heat pizza. I do not have a toaster oven. I tend to eat it cold (room temp) but will sometimes nuke it to make it warm.

one cannot make decent toast in a toaster oven, it cannot be done.

[don't ask]

The correct answer is frying pan and toaster. Works for frozen pizzas too. Heat up in dry frying pan until you smell nice toasty pizza base. Then under the grill to do the topping.

[Baal Houtham]

Other: Non-stick pan on low, covered. 5-6 minutes.

I'll do this when I'm not in a rush.
When I'm impatient I zap it before it goes in the pan, or just eat it cold.

A quarter pat of butter or a few drops of olive oil in the skillet do very nice things for the crust.

Athena's flip technique sounds interesting. Might be the wave of the future.

Mr. Rover: yes, using a skillet dirties a pan and spatula, but the spat doesn't need rinsing before it goes in the dishwasher. And cleaning a non-stick griddle is easier than getting spilled topping out of a toaster oven. Using oil eliminates the butter knife.

[Athena]

I don't even use oil in the pan, as long as it's non-stick you don't need it. It's barely dirty at all when you're done, a quick rinse and dry will clean it up.

The flip method is counter-intuitive, it seems like the cheese would stick to the pan, but once again, as long as it's non-stick, it's fine. You don't want it to sit cheese-down for a long time, but it does help to melt the top of the pizza without burning the crust.

[dalej42]

Usually the microwave. I prefer it in the oven, but I hate cleaning the oven so I try to use the oven as rarely as possible!

[Procrustus]

Am I the only one that has ever gotten her tongue pinched by the crust in the reheated by oven scenario? What kind of freak am I??

We were trying to politely ignore your freakness. Never heard of such a thing, and I eat a lot of pizza, including slices reheated in the oven.

[Ellen Cherry]

Moving from IMHO to Cafe Society.

[Lanzy]

That's a "toaster oven" in my book.

When someone says "toaster", I think of the old school type chrome unit with two slots.

Just turn your toaster on its side. :D

[silenus]

Cold, right out of the box where you left it on the counter the night before, after remembering to close it tightly to prevet the cats from stealing all the toppings. Cold pepperoni/pineapple pizza for breakfast is a Food of the Gods.

[Swords to Plowshares]

Toaster oven for 1 or 2 slices. Regular oven if it can't fit in there. Microwave pizza comes out all soggy and nasty.

[Intergalactic Gladiator]

I have never in my life put leftover pizza in the toaster. Won't the toppings all slide off ??

Leftover pizza is good cold, straight out of the refrigerator.

Can you turn the toaster on its side and reheat the pizza that way?

[pulykamell]

one cannot make decent toast in a toaster oven, it cannot be done.

Bwuh? Make it at my girlfriend's all the time. Comes out like regular toast. What kind of problem are you having?

[heavyarms553]

Fresh > Toaster Oven > Cold > Microwave > Toaster you need to throw out/clean because there is melted cheese in the bottom

[kenobi 65]

Am I the only one that has ever gotten her tongue pinched by the crust in the reheated by oven scenario? What kind of freak am I??

One with an easily-pinched tongue, perhaps. :)

[Darth Panda]

I've always hated reheating in the microwave, but the over-range microwave that came in my new place has a "reheat pizza" setting that actually works really well. Yay. Plus I don't have a toaster oven (may get one soon, so little counter space though) - and actual oven is a pain to warm up. If I'm reheating pizza, chances are that I'm in a hurry.

[aceplace57]

Microwave for me. I usually only have 2 slices. I can't justify heating the oven for that.

I do use the oven to reheat a whole pizza for family/friends.

[Biffy the Elephant Shrew]

Reheating pizza is just a vain attempt to make it closer to the fresh item. It don't work. Leftover pizza is always best cold.

[fiddlesticks]

I don't own a toaster oven, so microwave is the only valid option for me. Though I have had toaster oven warmed pizza before. Didn't notice a difference from microwave heating.

[aceplace57]

The skillet method sounds interesting. Do you pre-heat the skillet before putting in the pizza or put it in a cold skillet? I may give this a try one day.

I agree adding a few drops of water helps freshen the pizza when it reheats.

[BrotherCadfael]

Are you telling me that you've never had that delicious, delicious breakfast known as cold pizza and warm beer? :dubious:Cold pizza. It's not just for breakfast anymore.

[Maus Magill]

Toaster oven on a preheated pizza stone.

[astorian]

Who reheats? I don't even refrigerate. Room temperature pizza straight from the box is the way to go. (Or was, before I got married.)

[Athena]

Reheating pizza is just a vain attempt to make it closer to the fresh item. It don't work. Leftover pizza is always best cold.

Try the skillet method. Seriously, it works. It's like fresh pizza.

The skillet method sounds interesting. Do you pre-heat the skillet before putting in the pizza or put it in a cold skillet? I may give this a try one day.


I might pre-heat for a few seconds, but it doesn't really matter as long as you put the crust-side down first.

[Tom Scud]

Toaster oven. Course, I mostly eat pan pizza, which tends to get soggy when left in the fridge, so a bit of drying up by the toaster oven is a bonus.

[Son of a Rich]

I don't even use oil in the pan, as long as it's non-stick you don't need it. It's barely dirty at all when you're done, a quick rinse and dry will clean it up.

The flip method is counter-intuitive, it seems like the cheese would stick to the pan, but once again, as long as it's non-stick, it's fine. You don't want it to sit cheese-down for a long time, but it does help to melt the top of the pizza without burning the crust.

How do you keep well laden piece of pizza from losing it's toppings in the flip?

[Gary T]

A toaster oven is a toaster. It is intended to toast things.A toaster oven can be used as a toaster, and thus is a toaster in the broad generic sense, but when kitchen appliances are being discussed the word "toaster" means this (http://ak1.ostkcdn.com/images/products/0/406/406066.jpg), and this (http://www.sz-wholesale.com/uploadFiles/TO-18S_Stainles_Steel_Toaster_Oven_812.jpg) is called a "toaster oven."

[Skammer]

Cold is my first choice, but if I must re-heat it (say, for the kids) the best method is in a skillet. Melty cheese, crisp crust.

[DCnDC]

Cast iron skillet on the stovetop is the correct answer.

This. Drop slice(s) into a skillet on low/medium-low and heat until cheese reaches desired meltiness. Sometimes I'll nuke it for 15-20 seconds beforehand so it doesn't go into the pan fridge-cold.

[ZipperJJ]

Other: Non-stick pan on low, covered. 5-6 minutes.

Wait 5-6 minutes for leftover pizza? Oh fuck no.

You people who have to re-heat your pizza are doing it wrong. Don't put leftover pizza in the fridge. If you leave it on the counter in the box, it doesn't get that coagulated cheese chill, and doesn't need to be nuked to hell in the microwave. Something like 15 seconds will do, if you need it at all.

[aruvqan]

Microwave, but just to take the chill off. Putting it in an oven makes the crust too hard. Putting it in a toaster would be a fire hazard what with the toppings sliding off. I didn't know they even made toaster ovens anymore.

I knew they made toaster ovens, but I like mine nuked to just warm it to above room temp, maybe 15 sec.

[johnpost]

what is this leftover pizza people are speaking of?

[Athena]

How do you keep well laden piece of pizza from losing it's toppings in the flip?

It can be tricky, that's for sure. Usually the pizza I get has enough cheese that it keeps all the toppings on, but sometimes you have to replace them after the flip.

Wait 5-6 minutes for leftover pizza? Oh fuck no.

You people who have to re-heat your pizza are doing it wrong. Don't put leftover pizza in the fridge. If you leave it on the counter in the box, it doesn't get that coagulated cheese chill, and doesn't need to be nuked to hell in the microwave. Something like 15 seconds will do, if you need it at all.

Really?!? You are a brave woman if you eat pizza left out overnight - I'd be scared of it, especially if it had any meat on it. Food poisoning is scary stuff.

[Bob Ducca]

I wrap the whole slice in foil and throw it in the oven to heat it through without making the crust hard. After that I might throw it under the broiler for a minute or two to get the top bubbly. Often this method makes the pizza taste better than when it was fresh.

[Drunky Smurf]

Microwave is only acceptable if you're hungry and you have to leave the house in a couple of minutes. Otherwise it's oven all the way.

[ZipperJJ]

Really?!? You are a brave woman if you eat pizza left out overnight - I'd be scared of it, especially if it had any meat on it. Food poisoning is scary stuff.

I had to to it out of necessity in college. Papa John's was like $4 for a large one topping and I only had a dorm-sized fridge. So the leftovers had to sit out. I never once died from it and I still do it now that I have an adult-sized fridge.

I only ever get mushroom, olive and/or pepperoni. Pepperoni does just fine hanging in the shop window - I don't worry about it sitting in my kitchen. I'm sure you get your pizza with roasted duck and fried pate so yeah, I would put that in the fridge ;)

We've had a few threads about leaving pizza out overnight and lots of people here do it.

[Jormungandr]

It varies on the pizza. Pizza from, say, Papa John's and many mom & pop places microwaves very well here. While pizza from other places, such as Domino's (before their re-boot last year, which I haven't tried), would get rubbery crust and was stuck in the oven to reheat.

[Myron Van Horowitzski]

Use baking parchment!

Please try this, Dopers, and let me know what you find.

I used to do the microwave thing (bleck) and then the frypan thing (too long/have to wash pan) and then I had a brainstorm: the toaster! Yes, the regular pop-up device for toasting bread. Ours has a single long slot. I tore off a square of baking parchment, folded it in half, put the pizza slice in the fold, and slipped it in the toaster slot.

Well, I thought it came out very well! It was heated through and through; the crust was crisp, the toppings were moist and gooey, and the toaster was clean. The parchment would have caught anything dripping off, but there was actually very little of that. The parchment got a little brown around the top edges, but that was no problem. Heck I didn't even have to wash a plate!

Edited to add: The first time I did this I watched carefully. I imagine if left *too* long the paper might ignite, but parchment is meant to take high temperatures. I wound up using the Dark setting anyway.

[kaylasdad99]

Are you telling me that you've never had that delicious, delicious breakfast known as cold pizza and warm beer? :dubious:Why would he? Snowmobile salesmen don't need to go to college...



ETA: How does the toaster thing work? Do you put the toaster on its side?

[antonio107]

Fresh > Cold > Toaster Oven > Microwave > Toaster you need to throw out/clean because there is melted cheese in the bottom

Fixed. Cold pizza isn't gross. Like I said in the other thread on this subject, if it's a quality pizza to begin with like I make it, it's just as good cold as hot. Little bit of provolone, tons of onions, tomaters and green and banana peppers, olives, little bit of pepperoni. If you're getting some store bought pizza with plastic cheese, though, then yeah, it's probably not going to taste that good cold. Or warm. Or room temperature. :D

[Yorikke]

The skillet method sounds interesting. Do you pre-heat the skillet before putting in the pizza or put it in a cold skillet? I may give this a try one day.

I agree adding a few drops of water helps freshen the pizza when it reheats.

Some people may, but it doesn't matter. Just pizza + skillet + cover.

Joe

[Yorikke]

Holy cow! It just occurred to me - we had pizza tonight. And I wasn't hungry, so I have like 3/4 of a pizza in the fridge ( I only bothered to refrigerate it because it has chicken) I'm almost giddy with anticipation!

Joe

[Tabby_Cat]

just turn your toaster on its side. :d



genius!

[Colophon]

The correct answer is frying pan and toaster. Works for frozen pizzas too. Heat up in dry frying pan until you smell nice toasty pizza base. Then under the grill to do the topping.
Jamie Oliver's latest book has a recipe for pizza which is cooked from fresh this way (make dough, put in large hot frying pan for 4 or 5 mins while you make the tomato sauce, then add topping and stick the whole lot, pan and all, under the grill).

It works really well, and gives a proper "stonebaked" flavour to the base without having to have a fancy mega-hot pizza oven.

[BigT]

I have never reheated anything in the oven and not have it come out all dried out.

But the real reason I chose microwave is that, if I'm reheating leftovers, it's because I found it not good enough to eat cold. It's never a preplanned thing, so I'm going to want the food pretty quickly.

And, really, I've never experienced this soggy pizza y'all talk about. It's no more soggy than when fresh.

[pulykamell]

Jamie Oliver's latest book has a recipe for pizza which is cooked from fresh this way (make dough, put in large hot frying pan for 4 or 5 mins while you make the tomato sauce, then add topping and stick the whole lot, pan and all, under the grill).

It works really well, and gives a proper "stonebaked" flavour to the base without having to have a fancy mega-hot pizza oven.

I stumbled across this technique in my experimentation, and it's great. Works much better than a pizza stone, IMHO. I have a cast-iron pan which I heat up to scorching hot temps (remember, a wood fired pizza oven is in the neighborhood of 800-1000+F.) Once heated through, I put the dough on, assemble the pizza, and throw it under a broiler, in the pan itself. The dough spends no more than two minutes on the stovetop (more like a minute and a half), and then quickly goes under the broiler until the top is browned (another five minutes or so.) You get the lovely flecks of black char underneath, and a nice crispness, too.

I've done pizza stone preheated for an hour in a 500F oven, I've done pizza stone on the grill with the highest possible fire I could make, and nothing can get me that nice little bit of char that's characteristic of a wood- or coal-fired pizza that the cast iron method can.

Here's two (http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs164.snc4/37560_473662753776_503153776_4616289_2238601_n.jpg) sample photos. (http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs164.snc4/37560_473662763776_503153776_4616291_2439502_n.jpg) That pizza's a little thicker than I usually like them, but great crust flavor using that method.

[NinetyWt]

I have never reheated anything in the oven and not have it come out all dried out.

Not even soup ??

:P

And, really, I've never experienced this soggy pizza y'all talk about. It's no more soggy than when fresh.

I'm thinking this matters only if you like the thin, crisp crust. That's impossible to recreate in the microwave. If you eat the thick, chewy-crust kind then I agree with you, it's very close to the same as fresh from the box.

[chela]

Sa-ay the skillet works well for reheating, very well indeed. I used a nonstick pan on the big burner, med high. Toasted up the crust first, flipped and toasted the cheese next. It took about five minutes to reheat it hot and melty.