What comes to mind when the word pizza is mentioned? A meaty, crispy, cheesy, melty delicacy, right?
We all love pizza, but their preparation can take a toll on you. In fact, most people would rather grab one at the nearest store, but preparing one at home has always been an option.
And if you have a toaster oven, there’s absolutely no reason why you should not try to make your own pizza at home.
The challenge, however, is to make leftover pizza taste as good as a newly prepared one. Of course, you will need to reheat it. But how? Gone are the days for soggy, barely hot pizza.
In this topic, we specifically detail How to Reheat Pizza in Toaster Oven.
A large number of appliances exist that reheat not only a pizza but a variety of foods. These include microwaves, stovetops, and toaster ovens. But which one of these is best? Truth is, all of these appliances have different heating results.
Guide: Best Toaster Oven for Frozen PizzaLearn about the best toaster ovens that you can use to cook or reheat your frozen pizzas.
Also Read
The Science
Like other bread products, pizza crust hardens when stored for a day. This fact is not through loss of moisture but because of the starch retrograding.
Retrogradation is a process whereby starch molecules rearrange their molecular structure, making the crust of the pizza to appear stiff and dry.
Though there is no cause for alarm, if the pizza is stored properly and well wrapped, this process can be reversed by reheating.
At certain temperatures, the starch crystal disassociates, releasing trapped moisture and, in turn, softening the crust.
In a toaster oven, the slices heats from bottom-up hence the crust crisps on the top maintaining and inside soft texture, but the toppings do not shrivel.
Also Read: Best Toaster Ovens for Reheating Food
Steps on How to Reheat Pizza in Toaster Oven
It depends on what type of pizza you want to reheat i.e a refrigerated pizza or a frozen pizza.
We detail the methods on how to reheat pizza in toaster oven for both types.
Refrigerated Pizza
A toaster oven is a good way to get back the crispy and juicy taste that the pizza had when it was delivered.
During reheating, you can choose to either place your pizza slice on the baking pan or directly on the oven rack. Though the latter can be messy, it guarantees even heating from the top and bottom.
Here are some steps you can follow.
1. Preheating the Toaster Oven
Preheat your toaster oven up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are using a baking pan, make sure it is inside the oven house during this time.
2. Placing the Pizza Slices
When the temperature reaches 450 degrees Fahrenheit, take out the baking pan being carefully not to get burned and place your pizza slices.
At this instant, to avoid cleaning up the mess later, you can place an aluminum foil on the pan before placing your slices.
If using the oven rack instead of a pan, you can align it will the foil too to avoid splatters and spillovers. The idea is to get the oven rack piping hot before it comes into contact with the pizza to produce a crispier crust.
Also Read: Best Toaster Ovens for Baking
3. Heating the Pizza Slices
Put the pan back into the oven and set the timer to 10 minutes, maintaining the 450Â degree Fahrenheit (232 C) temperature.
You should keep on checking from time to time to avoid burns and confirming its doneness. The time is not restricted to 10 minutes. It can be less or more so long as the slices result are crispy, and sizzling hot.
4. Removing the Pizza Slicing
After it is ready, remove the baking pan (do not forget to use the mittens!) and place it on the countertop or the dining table and wait for at least 5 minutes.
5. Cleaning the Oven
Make sure you thoroughly clean your toaster oven after use. If you used aluminum foil to line the rack, makes sure you remove it
Aluminum foil becomes a risk since the slime and debris accumulated on them tends to burn easily.
Also Read: Are Toaster Ovens Safe?
Frozen Pizza
Frozen pizza should be handled very carefully to avoid mushy results, which is a disappointment.
The same steps as above are followed while dealing with frozen pizza. The only thing is to let it thaw on the countertop for about 30minutes to 1 hour before putting it in a toaster oven.
If not given enough time to defrost, then the frost becomes steam in the oven house, making the slices soggy.
When the pizza reaches the room temperature, place it in a preheated toaster oven following the rest of the steps.
It is important to mention some advanced toaster oven models have both the defrosting and smart reheating programs, so the waiting thaw time might not be necessary.
Tips That Can Come in Handy
These tips will ensure a tasty, crunchy, crispy, and sizzling hot slice of pizza or even the whole pie when reheating in a toaster oven.
Ensure Proper Heat
To avoid ugly chars and burnt pizza taste, avoid using too much heat. The 450 degrees Fahrenheit (232 C) is an ideal temperature to use all the time for great results. An indicator that your pizza is ready is the melting cheese.
We often get carried away by ramping up the temperature to the highest degree possible to quickly reheat. This is not only dangerous but does not give the best results either.
Mister Bottle
If you want the cold, dried, and stiffened pizza with congealed cheese to come back into life, then the mister bottle can help.
You can sprinkle the top and the crust of the pizza lightly before placing it in an oven. This spritz aids to lock in moisture and re-crisp it.
More Toppings!
You can recreate the taste of your pizza if you want. Either a little more source, fresh cheese, or additional toppings can do this trick.
There is a wide variety of toppings, including sautéed veggies, mushrooms, bacon, and much more.
The choice of your favorite one is yours. The dried-out slice will have additional moisture and even better a savory flavor.
Take Proper Care
You might think it is proper to reheat pizza in its box. No! You may impart some of the cardboards’ flavor and release hazardous chemicals during heating.
This might not be too tasty or friendly to your health. It can also cause fire outbreaks because the box is flammable.
Also, make sure any aluminum foil used is removed as the slime and debris collected on it is a fire hazard in itself. The slime accumulated on foil can heat up and burn easily.
Know the Limit
The type of toppings determines the amount of time the pizzas last in the refrigerator.
For example, beef, chicken, veggies, and bacon pizza have short lives compared to cheese and pepperoni pizza. This knowledge is important to avoid food-borne illnesses.
How to Store Your Leftover Pizza
Storage is an important factor when it comes to maintaining the taste of the leftover pizza.
Properly stored pizza will retain its quality for 2 to 3 days in a refrigerator and up to a month in a freezer.
While it is acceptable to shove the cardboard box with the leftover pizza in the refrigerator, it is not the ideal method. The box and free circulating air hasten the process of dehydration, and by a few minutes after storage, the crust will become stiff and harden.
There plenty other practices that you can use to store your leftover pizza so it is ripe for reheating the next day.
1. Ziplock / Resealable Bags
This is easiest method to store your leftover pizza.
Once the pizza has cooled off enough, you can stack the slices so that the cheese does not stick to the back of the stacked slice.
Since it does not let any air through, your pizza remains fresh can be stored for longer.
Airtight containers or lunch boxes can also be used for storing pizza.
2. Stack and Wrap
If you do not have Ziplock bags, the best practiced way is to stack and wrap. This is the process of lining a plate with paper towel, placing a slice of pizza, then covering with a paper towel again.
Alternatively, a layer of wax, freezer and foil paper can work in place of the paper towel.
Repeat stacking until all the slices are finished in the box then wrap in a plastic wrap.
Conclusion
You can choose to eat your leftover pizza cold from the fridge but be ready for a tough and dried crunch.
But you cannot compare that to the taste and smell of a freshly toasted slice.
That is why it is best to have the above knowledge on how to reheat pizza in toaster oven.
If you are a pizza person, which a fair number of people are, then be sure to enjoy a crispy, chewy, but not tough and scrumptious pizza leftovers if you follow the right procedure to reheat it.
FAQs:
1. How to reheat pizza in Toaster oven?
Follow these steps on how to reheat pizza in your toaster oven.
1. Preheat your toaster oven to 350 F.
2. Bake your slice on medium heat for three to four minutes depending on its thickness.
3. Look for melting cheese — this is a sign that your pizza is ready to be removed.
4. Use a spatula or tongs to remove your pizza from the toaster oven.
2. How do you reheat pizza without making it soggy?
The Trick is to simply place a microwave-safe glass of water next to your pizza in the microwave. That's it! Heat it for about 45 seconds and you're done! Your pizza should look and taste exactly like the one delivered to you last night by the pizza guy.
3. What oven setting is best for pizza?
Our response:
1. For standard pizza, select Bake Mode.
2. Use Convection Bake Mode for a crispier bottom on a single pizza.
3. To achieve a greater amount of brown cheese on a single pizza, select Convection Roast Mode.
4. Cook pizza on the bottom rack, even if the bake stone is not used.
5. For optimal results, use the pizza stone and Bake Stone Mode.
4. Is it OK to eat cold pizza?
Yes. The pizza can be eaten hot, cold, or even at room temperature if the temperature guidelines are met precisely. Indeed, some individuals prefer chilled pizza to reheated pizza. Follow the two-hour rule and consume within three to four days; after that, eating cold pizza is considered perfectly safe.
5. Can you reheat pizza on parchment paper?
Yes, you can use parchment paper to warm pizza. Warm your pizza on a baking sheet in the oven. Place the chilled pizza slices directly on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet and heat for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the crust is crispy and the cheese begins to bubble slightly.