# Do you store leftover pizza in the oven? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 28, 2017, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384 "2017-01-28T13:07:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/21 "2017-01-28T17:38:51Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Possibility of salmonella. That’s why I do not request turtle poop as a topping. 😃 Seriously. . . what is the source of _Salmonella_, and if it _is_ present, what effect does refrigeration have? ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/22 "2017-01-28T17:47:05Z")
No ,in fact I had pizza for supper last night and have the left over in my fridge . I never keep food out unless I forget to put it in the fridge which I had done . :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/23 "2017-01-28T17:53:59Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Someone I know always left leftover pizza, in its box, on the kitchen counter. Makes more sense then in the oven. (unless you have large dogs) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/24 "2017-01-28T18:01:32Z")
It goes in the fridge of course. Stay away from my oven. It’s not storage space. ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/25 "2017-01-28T18:26:32Z")
Why wouldn’t you store it in the fridge? If you don’t think it needs to be refrigerated then why not store it in the pantry or cupboard with all the other food? ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/26 "2017-01-28T19:41:33Z")
> [@gladtobeblazed](#): > > If you don’t think it needs to be refrigerated then why not store it in the pantry or cupboard with all the other food? Not that I’d ever do such a silly thing as putting carboard in the oven but, per the poll entry, it’s so the whole box fits. I’d sooner leave the pizza box on the range. I prefer room-temperature to chilled for my leftover pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/27 "2017-01-28T19:45:35Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > As **Chronos** wisely says. Nevertheless I always open the oven to look before turning it on. Ditto: two case studies were what it took for me, because I didn’t realise people outside of my family ‘stored’ stuff in the oven. 1. back home visiting my parents after I’d graduated and moved out, decided to preheat the oven to do a bit of baking. Over preheats to whatever, I open the doors to put in the baking trays and _what the fuck the oven is filled on every shelf with baking trays, pots and pans_ all of which are now 350F. Because my dad thought this was an excellent place to store the overflow of saucepans, pots, six skillets, &c &c that he was constantly bringing home from yard sales. He couldn’t understand why I was so pissed off to find myself confronted with a fuckton of blazing hot metal cookware and nowhere to put it until everything cooled back down. 1. Staying with a friend in her tiny efficiency while we were still both in grad school. Few days while I revised a dissertation chapter, and she lived near campus. She’d done all of the cooking (stovetop) so far usual student-type cooking, so hey, one night I thought I’d bake a pizza for us. Turned on the oven to pre-heat, and thank _fuck_ I thought, argh, forgot to bung the pizza stone in while the over’s preheating and _fuck me ragged, she stores BOOKS in her oven_. She gave me holy hell for not looking first. She never used her oven, it was a tiny efficiency apartment, so der hey, the oven would make a great place to store papers and books. So I make zero assumptions about what people get up to with their appliances. (For the record, leftover pizza, which does not arrive in cardboard boxes at our house anyway, goes in the fridge so that it can become Italian breakfast pastry). ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/28 "2017-01-28T19:50:27Z")
I’m not one to store things in the oven, but I can see how others might if it works for them. However, all you oven-store-ers out there, put a piece of tape or something over the control which turns the oven on. That way any guests will not burn your house down. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/29 "2017-01-28T19:53:28Z")
When were kids, my made her own pizza on Friday nights. Bisquick crust, tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni, anchovies. We put the leftovers the oven overnight and ate it cold the next morning while watching cartoons. It was left in the baking pan overnight. We didn’t have the big pizza chains with delivery. Now, when I have leftover pizza, I put it in the fridge. I reheat it in the microwave, so there’s no point in storing it in the oven. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/30 "2017-01-28T20:57:47Z")
I’m a grazer, so I’ll sometimes keep a pizza in the oven to keep it warm. But I would never store one in there. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/31 "2017-01-28T21:03:22Z")
Leftover pizza used to sit out on the counter or table. Then we got a cat. Now it goes in the oven. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/32 "2017-01-28T21:08:37Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Absolutely not. Leftover pizza (if there is any) goes in the refrigerator, because cold pizza is the best. Aye; this is proper. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/33 "2017-01-28T21:49:10Z")
How to perfectly rewarm a slice of pizza. Put a rack in the bottom of a cast iron frying pan, and get it good and hot. Put a slice of pizza on the rack, put about a tablespoon of water in the pan, and cover it. It takes about two minutes, for the pizza to heat through thoroughly, remelting the cheese, and the steam will keep it from crisping or drying. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/34 "2017-01-28T22:29:57Z")
If there are only a few slices left, they get wrapped in foil and left on the countertop. If, for some inexplicable reason, we should find ourselves with most or all of a pizza leftover, it would most likely get stored in the oven, where it would be safe from the dogs. The one place pizza never goes in our house is in the refrigerator. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/35 "2017-01-28T22:42:23Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Seriously. . . what is the source of _Salmonella_, and if it _is_ present, what effect does refrigeration have? The most likely source of Salmonella in pizza is cross-contamination from something else being served in the same meal, such as improperly washed salad greens or other fresh veggies, or on the same countertop or utensils. (It can also be found in meats and cheeses, but the original cooking of the pizza should have killed any there.) While Salmonella will survive being chilled, it does not readily reproduce at temperatures below 10 C (50 Fahrenheit), and your refrigerator is supposed to be set around 38-40 F or a little lower. At room temperature or a little warmer (such as in a cooling oven), though, the bacteria can multiply rapidly. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/36 "2017-01-28T23:00:59Z")
Yes, if the pizza became contaminated, putting in the fridge stops the bacteria from multiplying. > [@slash2k](#): > > The most likely source of Salmonella in pizza is cross-contamination… [Cross-contamination PSA, 1973](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sifJJtjlXc) ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/37 "2017-01-28T23:15:01Z")
No, it goes in the refrigerator, but sometimes it gets left on the counter. Cookie sheets go in the oven. It can be inconvenient if I forget they’re there, but worst case scenario is a hot cookie sheet, not fire. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/38 "2017-01-28T23:35:30Z")
> [@Sahirrnee](#): > > Leftover pizza used to sit out on the counter or table. > > Then we got a cat. > > Now it goes in the oven. Years ago, I went to in-laws for Thanksgiving. They were accustomed to leaving the leftover turkey carcass on the counter for nibbling. I complained about possible germs, so they put it in the fridge. Hours later, I went to the kitchen, and discovered they’d taken out the turkey again. TRADITION! The cats were on the counter, eating their fill. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2017, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/39 "2017-01-28T23:44:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Just like you never point a gun at anything you do not intend to shoot, you never put anything in the oven you do not intend to bake. > > And if it’s long enough term that the counter isn’t suitable, then obviously you’re putting it in the fridge. Well said. I voted fridge. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384/40 "2017-01-29T00:05:24Z")
I never put it in the oven but I don’t put it in the fridge either. I usually put leftovers in a plastic ziplock bag or just put an upturned plate over the plate holding the pizza. It’s so rare that we have leftovers, and they’re always going to be eaten for breakfast. If it was enough to save longer I might put it in the fridge. I’m pretty sure all the toppings on our pizza (pepperoni and cheese, sauce and crust) are okay sitting out like that for a few hours. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-store-leftover-pizza-in-the-oven/778384.md?page=3)