The Absolute Best Ways To Reheat Deep Dish Pizza

A battle rages on the streets of Chicago. It's a fight that challenges people's loyalty and can pit family members against each other. No, it's not which team is better, the White Sox or the Cubs (although they do fight about that, too), it's who has the best deep dish pizza.

While deep dish is a Chicago tradition, this version of pizza has gained popularity across the country, with chains like Uno Pizzeria and Grill, Giordano's, and independently-owned pizza spots serving up versions of the signature Chicago-style pie. There are even a number of frozen pizza brands from Red Baron to DiGiorno offering Chicago-style pizza.

While styles may differ, whether you order your pie in the Windy City or purchase it frozen in Boston, there is often a similar dilemma: How do you reheat the leftovers? 

With its layers of cheese, tomato sauce, and other toppings on top of a thick, buttery, and flaky crust, reheating a deep dish pizza can seem a bit challenging. Fortunately, unlike deciding who has the best deep dish pizza, figuring out how to reheat it is a lot easier.

Sometimes as much as you want to eat the last slice of pizza, you just get too full. Such can even be the case with delicious deep dish pizza.

If you find yourself at home with some leftover slices, Illinois-based Lou Malnati's recommends heating them in an oven and watching for the cheese to melt and the ingredients to be heated throughout the pizza, especially in the center. Deep dish pizza purveyor Giordano's states that you should preheat your oven to 450 degrees F and then cover a cooking sheet with aluminum foil sprayed with some cooking spray. Next, put your pizza slices on the sheet, but don't crowd them. Spray the slices with a little water to prevent them from drying out (per Giordano's). Finally, cover the pizza loosely with another piece of aluminum foil and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the slices are hot.

The preferred method for reheating deep dish pizza, per Giordano's, is in a skillet. The pizza maker recommends turning the burner to medium-high heat and coating the pan with a light layer of olive oil. Then, cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and then add in the pizza (per Giordano's). Finally cook the pizza for about 3 to 6 minutes before enjoying.

Placing a cover on the skillet is essential, states Pequod's Pizza, which has locations in Chicago and its suburbs. The cover guarantees that the toppings will get warm and the cheese will melt, while also making sure the pizza stays moist by stopping the moisture from escaping the skillet, the restaurant says. Like Giordano's, Pequod's Pizza recommends reheating the leftover pizza for about three to six minutes after it has been covered.

Similar to a skillet, a griddle can also be used to reheat the pizza, states Pequod's Pizza. The pizza maker recommends placing the pizza slices on top of a cold griddle and then cooking them at 200 degrees F for about 20 minutes.

An efficient way to cook and reheat foods, the toaster oven should be considered for your deep dish pizza. Pequod's Pizza states that deep dish pizza can be reheated in a toaster oven by turning the appliance on to medium power and heating the pizza inside for one or two cycles. This method of reheating the slices, according to Pequod's Pizza, will warm them up without them becoming soft. The same methods for reheating pizza in a conventional oven can be applied to a toaster oven, per Giordano's.

Lou Malnati's advises against using a microwave for reheating the deep dish pizza. The microwave method can lead to soggy pizza, and no one wants to turn that delicious deep dish pie into a hot mess. Whether you choose to reheat your deep dish pizza in a skillet, in the oven, or in the toaster oven, it's possible to enjoy your deep dish pizza as if it just came out of the restaurant.