How To Reheat Pizza To Crispy Perfection In The Oven

Whether you order a pie from your go-to pizzeria or make a homemade deep-dish pizza for dinner, there's a good chance that there will be leftovers. For some, the leftover pizza is the best part because the flavors will enhance, giving you a delicious and effortless meal the following day. You might be quick to reheat the leftover pizza in the microwave, but there's actually an easy way to reheat the pizza in the oven to the point where it'll be nearly as fresh as it was when it was first made.

"Reheat at high temperature, in the nearest track to oven bottom as the strongest heat is going to act from the pizza bottom, giving a crunchy base to our pizza a perfect melted mozzarella," says Andrea Congiusta, executive chef at Pasta Beach, which has locations in Newport, Providence, and Boston.

If you want to follow Congiusta's advice but are concerned about the cheese and toppings reheating, there's an easy fix. After the bottom crust is crispy, simply put it under the broiler set at a high until the cheese is melted. To follow these tips, place the pizza in a cast-iron pan for a crispy crust, use a pizza stone, or a baking sheet, or put it directly on the lower rack.

You'll want a relatively high temperature to reheat pizza per Andrea Congiusta's guidance, but you can't go too high or the pizza will burn before it's heated through. The general consensus is that a temperature between 375 degrees Fahrenheit and 400 degrees Fahrenheit is just right. Now, the time the pizza needs to be in the oven depends on the type of pizza, especially if it's placed at the bottom. For a thin-crust pizza, about five minutes is likely ideal whereas you might need to increase it to nine or 10 minutes for thicker, or softer crust. But, most ovens are tricky so keep an eye on your leftover pie.

In addition to Congiusta's expertise, there are many other tips and tricks to reheat leftover pizza. For starters, you might want to place the pizza in the oven while it's cold so both the appliance and food heat together to ensure thorough cooking. Or, heat the pan in the oven while it heats up so as soon as the leftover slices hit the dish, it starts to crisp immediately. And you can't go wrong with adding a few toppings like leftover bacon from breakfast or diced peppers that are nearly past their prime before it goes into the oven for an elevated leftover pizza.