Whatever You Do, Please Stop Reheating Your Pizza In The Microwave
As much as we love pizza, it's seldom the case that every bit of what was ordered gets eaten right away. No matter how exquisite, at some point in the feasting, stomachs can take no more, and we get leftovers. But a surefire way to spoil them is to reheat those spare slices in the microwave, turning that crispy Brooklyn-style crust into something limp in some spots and hard and rubbery in others.
While the microwave is a convenient option, it's also the quickest way to ruin a meal that has so much more potential. Reheating pizza in a microwave will cause the moisture content in the sauce and toppings to vaporize. These water vapors penetrate the crust as the microwave heats your pizza, leaving you with a waterlogged crust.
You could try microwaving for less time, but then you end up with a crispy crust with toppings that are still cold. (If you wanted cold pizza, you could have just eaten it right out of the fridge!) When reheating pizza for optimal quality, resist the temptation of the 40-second nuke, and turn your attention toward the better options sitting nearby.
Reheat pizza in a pan
When you only want one or two slices, using a skillet to reheat should be your go-to option, as it works great for returning them to their state of crispy, cheesy righteousness. You also want a lid that tightly fits the skillet because you are simultaneously cooking the pizza in two ways — with conductive heat and steam.
Heat a non-stick skillet until water drops sizzle when dripped into the pan, and place your slice(s) inside. Then, splash about eight drops of water onto the pan surface and cover. The heat from the skillet will keep the crust from retaining any excess moisture, and with the lid fitting snuggly over the pan, the drops will create steam, heating your toppings through. In about 2 minutes, you should have a crispy crust with warm, gooey cheese that will taste like you just bought it.
Once warmed through, give the crust another minute on the heat to get extra crispy. This is a great way to heat up a single serving, but if you're reheating for the masses or have a big appetite that a single slice of pizza won't satisfy, set aside the skillet and fire up the oven.
Reheat pizza in the oven
Sometimes you end up with half of an uneaten pizza that can become a good meal for another day. Adding to the fact that it's a poor option for quality, most won't be able to reheat that much at once anyway because most microwave ovens aren't big enough. Using a standard convection oven and some aluminum foil is the best way to reheat multiple slices at a time.
Start by heating your oven to a high temperature. Lay your slices out on foil and wrap it around the pizza, leaving a little room at the top for moisture to escape. Halfway through baking — about 5 minutes in — open the foil a bit more and continue cooking until the pizza is warm throughout. Because most pizza gets topped with mozzarella — a cheese that doesn't react well to exhaustive heat – you don't want your reheated pizza piping hot. Mozzarella becomes greasy when overheated, and it will lose the enticing cheese-pull effect the pizza had when you first bought it as the texture breaks down.
The microwave saves a little time when reheating pizza, but even as a snack, the results are invariably disappointing. When you're lucky enough to have some slices on hand, make the most out of them by reheating them using old-fashioned fire and electric elements — even a toaster set on its side beats the microwave for 'za.