Tips on Reheating Pizza?

This may seem like a silly question but does anyone out there have any tried and true tricks for reheating pizza to get it to as close to the "out of the oven" taste as possible? I have a couple of coal oven pizzas from Lombardis waiting for me at home.Thanks!

[Motosport]

I get a cast iron skillet very hot and then place a slice or two of pizza. As soon as the cheese starts to melt it's ready. Crisp crust and nice and hot.
Microwaves turn pizza to soggy rubber.
Otherwise, a toaster oven (toast high heat setting) works pretty good. Do not use a pan and watch carefully before cheese starts to drip.

[duececity]

I prefer the gas grill. Having a three burner grill I turn all burners on, close cover and preheat to 500F. Turn off center burner and place slices on grill surface above unlit burner. Close lid and check after two minutes. You want the bottom crisp, but not burnt.

[Davwud]

My method is as such.

Preheat oven to 450* and remove pizza from fridge.
When oven <dings> I turn off the heat and place the slices on my pizza stone.
Wait 10 - 15 mins and it will be done.

DT

[chicgail]

After skimming through these responses, I think I have a totally different technique. I put the cold pizza directly on the cold oven shelf. I put a sheet of aluminum foil on the oven shelf below to catch any dripping cheese. Then I turn on the over to 425. When the oven reaches that temperature I take the pizza out. Usually the crust is crisped up and the top is warm and melted.

Disclaimer: This only works with unsliced pizza or pizza cut into large triangular pieces. Do not try this method with small, square slices of pizza. They will be difficult, if not impossible to remove from the oven shelf without the pieces or the toppings falling off onto the aluminum foil or -- worse -- the bottom of the oven.

But when it works, it's great.

[bigdave48]

Place the thin crust pizza in a preheated non-stick frypan cover with a lid turn heat on low and cook 10 minutes check it and cook further if needed. Enjoy.

[alpa chino]

Someone already mentioned this to make a pizza sandwich, but trust me when I say the george foreman grill. Place a few slices on the grill, close the top and heat for a few minutes. This sounds crazy, but I assure you that the pizza comes out crispy, warm, and almost like new. And no, the cheese doesn't melt all over the place.

[Will Owen]

I would never reheat really good pizza, as wonderfulness when cold is precisely how you tell good pizza from mediocre. However, we had about twenty slices of distinctly mediocre pizza left over from a party (someone else brought it, honest!) which we wrapped in plastic and stuffed into the freezer before going to bed. Well, when it came time to eat some I thought of the toaster oven, the griddle, any number of things - we don't have a stone, by the way - and finally I just cranked the oven to 500º or so, dropped the frozen pieces onto an old grungy cookie sheet and put'em in for about ten minutes. You know, it was much better than it had been fresh. Amazing.

[bnemes3343]

Ok,here is the definitive answer, courtesy of America's Test Kitchen. Heat a non-stick saute pan over medium high heat. Put your slice (or 2) in the pan, cover, and heat for 5 - 7 minutes. You will get crisp, hot slices.

[kirinraj]

If you have a toaster oven, then preheat it for 400 degrees. put a slice it and take it out when it is bubbling. It restores the crispiness of the pizza.

[BobB]

I'll second the toaster oven approach. Gets the crust crispy and the cheese molten, and I like to leave it in long enough to give it just a bit of char for extra flavor. Plus it's far more energy-efficient than heating an entire oven for just a slice or two.

[shermm]

Heat up leftover pizza in a covered nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza.Someone saw this on the cooking channel and I saw it on Americas test kitchen also it really works.

[Janet from Richmond]

This is how I reheat pizza also....I think the first time I reheated pizza for Dh this way was when he decided to marry me.

[kb8240]

This is the best way I've found, too.

[mshpook]

so funny that this thread was resurrected because i had originally read about reheating the pizza in a skillet, which i did for the first time last evening. it really works -- the crust was crispy and the pizza came out great.

[mcsheridan]

Glad I found this thread. This method is amazingly better than even using a toaster oven. (Would never torture a poor pizza slice in a microwave. I hate chewing soggy cardboard.) I'm a convert!

By way of 'gilding the lily', I've also used my little kitchen torch to make the cheese on top bubble, and crisp the pepperoni edges. :)

[ajs228]

I turn the oven to about 250 degrees and put the slices right on the rack for about 15-20 minutes. It heats the pizza all the way through and keeps the crust crisp. Or just eat it cold out of the fridge.

[IndyGirl]

I reheat in the oven on a stone.

[jcanncuk]

I always put my pizza on a preheated frying pan to reheat. The crust gets crusty and the rest is warm enough. I should add the caveat that I always eat thin crust pizza - deep dish might not work as well this way. Fridge to mouth in 5 min flat :-)

[hotdoglover]

I always used to reheat pizza in the oven for a few minutes at 350 degrees. Then my wife heard from a co worker that pizza tastes best reheated in a skillet. We've tried this and like it very much.

[RiJaAr]

i find it usually tastes better cold, but maybe thats just me... is that weird?

[beachmouse]

Not weird. Good pizza has a pleasant taste of its own that's different than hot & fresh. I couldn't imagine having to wait all that time to reheat a slice when you could just eat it out of the fridge directly.

[Davwud]

especially for breakfast.

DT

[jfood]

Two prong approach for jfood.

1 - pre-heat the broiler AND the weber
2 - when ready, throw on the weber to crisp the crust WATCH CAREFULLY SO THE BURN DOES NOT OCCUR
3 - place under the broiler to get the cheese bubbly.

you will get the original "burn the roof of ur mouth" plus the crispiness you bought

[fatesfan]

Hi. Since most answers did not involve an oven here is mine.
We had a restaurant bought large pizza that was just taken out of the fridge from last nights leftovers.
We preheated the oven to only 250 and put three slices on a thin pizza pan. It took about 17 min to heat but the cheese looked good and the crust wasn't burnt. Hope this helps people who don't have a stone. Also - if you take it out of the fridge far enough in advance i'm sure it would decrease reheat time but most people (like me) don't hink too far ahead with food. When you're hungry - you're hungry! chow!

Well, if you happen to have a George Foreman Grill...

Put two slices together, top to top (works great for thin crust pizza with the proper small amount of cheese). Grill in the GFG for about 2 minutes, or a little longer. And there you have...crispy pizza sandwich nirvana.

I think it comes out fine if you re-heat it in a toaster oven on some foil at around 400 for about 10 minutes.

We've gone to "extremes" also on this subject; once, I heated the oven to like 450 and then put the pizza directly on the middle rack for a few minutes to reheat...it JUST isn't the same, no matter what you do but I think this method came the closest.

[jenniebnyc]

Agreed

[MattInNJ]

agreed x 2

You'll get more ideas if you repost on the appropriate board (Home Cooking).

For reheating a cold slice of pizza, I use a skillet (cast iron), uncovered, over very low heat. The low heat gradually re-crisps the bottom while gently reheating the upper layer.

Link: http://meglioranza.com

Cast iron is an easy alternative to heating up a pizza stone, which takes a lot longer. And a heavy nonstick skillet (All Clad, eg) will work in a pinch, too.

But ne'er shall a microwave touch a slice of pizza. Horrors....

[FAL]

It is not safe to use a non stick pan in an oven over 400 degress.

[The Chowhound Team]

You know, you're right, Tom, Home Cooking is probably the best place to reach the folks who know the most about this topic, and we apologize to Bobby CT for directing him here rather than to the Home Cooking board (link below

Link: http://www.chowhound.com/boards/cooki...

I do it this way also. Sometimes it turns out better than the original pizza. I love the crispy brown bottome.

[debmom]

This is the best way I have found, crisp crust, melted cheese, yum!

[soypower]

I finally used the skillet tip from this thread. Usually, I'm in such a rush for my pizza in the morning that I never think to heat up a skillet. But the microwave was being used and I needed my pizza fix so I tried it with great results. I'll never microwave again!

[janmcbaker]

That's just what I've done-- I have a flat round cast iron skillet that works great for that. I also put the slice in the microwave on a low setting for a minute to take the chill off first. That seems to help the top heat up nicely before the crust turns to charcoal.

If the pizza is in the fridge, take it out and warm it up for at least 20 minutes. I don't have a pizza stone, so I put a cookie sheet in the oven and then crank it up as high as it goes while the pizza is coming to room temp. Remember, pizza oven are usually over 700 degs. Then put the slices in the hot oven/hot cookie sheet and heat until hot and the cheese is bubbling. This way should ensure a crisp crust without burning it. I've also heard stories about reheating in a skillet, but have never tried it so I can't comment on it.

I followed your advice last night and everything worked about much better than expected.I will follow the advice of you and others and invest in a pizza stone.I will also give the skillet trick a try and also the tip about placing it directly on the oven rack.The real key to your trick is heating up the tray as well as the oven at a very high temperature.Worked wonderfully and I want to thank you and all the other chowhounds!

[VeronicaP]

This was the best advice ever!!! I will never use a microwave again. My oven was set at 500 and it reheated the pizza (and breadsticks!) to perfection. I got the exact crunch I was hoping for. Thank you!

[Midknight]

I do pretty much the same, except the toaster over works just as well as the full sized oven if you're only heating up a slice or two. The higher the temp the better (not set to broil, tho). Pre-heat the cookie/pan, as well, before putting the slice on it.
I also find that if I drizzle a tiny bit of (olive) oil on the crust itself, it keeps it from getting too hard and crunchy while waiting for the rest of the slice warms up.

[njmarshall55]

I've tried skillet re-heating and you really need to watch it closely, because the bottom WILL burn before the top gets hot. I'd go with the oven...stone, tile, or tray.

[Janet from Richmond]

I have started with heating a skillet of flat grill pan when I turn on the oven. I put the pizza on the hot skillet for about a minute and let finish in the oven.

I also have heated the skillet, put the pizza on it, reduce heat to medium & cover so topping heat more quickly.

[sandylc]

Same here. I get it going in an iron skillet with a lid, then before the crust gets too dark just move it to a cold burner and let it finish on retained heat.

Do you have a pizza stone? They are the best for reheating the pizza and crisping up the crust. Also good when you have a pizza delivered and want to keep it hot. A good investment.

I honestly had never heard of it but I will have one by the end of this weekend.Thanks for the tip.

Save your money on a pizza stone and use six-inch unglazed quarry tiles as pizza stones. Cover the
entire oven rack.

[therealdoctorlew]

I have excellent results also with unglazed tiles covering the oven shelf. I use 12 inch tiles, plus half tiles (cut at Home depot) to make the right overall size. To keep the stones clean of melted cheese, I put the pizza on a sheet of aluminum foil, I find that if the foil is slightly crinkled, the edges of the pizza slices don't stick to the foil. I put the pizza into a cold oven, set to 475 degrees, and in my oven by the time the oven hits 475, the slice is crispy and the cheese is bubbling. YMMV.