How to Reheat Pizza in Toaster Oven?

Pizza is the favorite food for people of all ages globally. It is the fastest and the yummiest way to get all your calories in one place. However, most people find it difficult to finish a whole pizza in one sitting. So, the leftover pizza is kept in the refrigerator to enjoy at a later time.

However, it is recommended to only use the perfect way to reheat your leftover pizza to prevent it from becoming rubbery or soaked.

Experts insist on reheating pizza only in convention or pizza ovens. However, it is not reasonable to light up the oven just to reheat a few leftover pieces of pizza. Therefore, your second best option is to reheat pizza in a toaster oven. This article will explain the proper way of reheating pizza in toaster oven at home to make it fresh again.

Why use a Toaster Oven?

Although regular ovens and pizza stones are more preferable for cooking and reheating pizza, they are not reasonable all the time. For instance, suppose you just need to reheat only a few slices of leftover pizza, or simply you just don’t have enough time to light up the regular oven. Your only options are to either reheat pizza in toaster oven or use a microwave (not recommended).

If you try to microwave your pizza, you will end up with an inedible, soaked pizza slice. It is because the microwave radiations make the slice moist and soft while the crust becomes rubbery or hard. Therefore, the only suitable option you have is to use a conventional toaster oven.

Moreover, the toaster oven reheats the food using the same principle as a regular oven but faster. It is because the fans inside the toaster oven regulate the heat throughout the chamber to make the temperature more desirable. Overall, the best way to reheat pizza at home is to use a toaster oven.

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Step by Step Procedure for Reheating Pizza in the Toaster Oven:

Now that you have decided to use your toaster oven to reheat pizza. The next step is to find the best way to reheat pizza in toaster oven. It is because there is always a chance of ruining your food if you are not careful enough with the temperature, timing as well as handling your pizza slices. Here is the real way of how to reheat pizza in a toaster oven:

1. Like a regular oven, the first step is to preheat your toaster oven properly. Start with preheating the oven on high settings to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. It is found to be the optimum toaster oven pizza temperature.
2. Take a baking sheet or pan and grease it lightly with butter, olive oil or spray some non-stick. This prevents your pizza crust from sticking to the bottom of the dish. 
3. Lower the heat to medium settings once the preheating is complete. This helps to prevent overcooking the pizza from the top while leaving it cold from the inside.
4. Place the pizza slices in the dish in such a way that the dish is not overcrowded. Also, never stack your slices to avoid making an unnecessary mess.
5. It is recommended to reheat your pizza in batches of four. Otherwise, the cheese will melt all at once and create a mess in the baking dish.
6. Cook your pizza for 5 to 7 minutes, depending on the thickness of the crust. However, you should keep checking every 3 minutes to prevent overcooking.
7. Signs: When you notice that the crust has become brownish and the cheese is completely melted means that the reheating or cooking is complete.
8. Take out the pizza from the dish using spatula or baking gloves to avoid burning your hands.

Never serve your pizza bubbling hot, or you may burn your mouth. Always set it aside for 2-3 minutes after reheating to cool down to an edible temperature. This method is not limited to pizza only; you can use a toaster oven to reheat the fried chicken, lasagna, and other meals as well.

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The Professional way to Reheat Pizza

Gordon Ramsay, the global master chef, recommends only reheat the pizza in the same gadget it was cooked. Typically, conventional ovens are used for cooking pizza, so reheating should also be done the same way. Moreover, the oven method ensures that your food gets evenly heated by slow cooking.

Thus, the pizza slices become refreshed without losing the original in the oven. Therefore, Gordon and other experts around the world from Papa john’s, Dominos, or Pizza hut prefer to use a standard oven when reheating the pizza.

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Why are Microwaves not an Option?

Microwaves use the principle of blasting hot waves on the visible portion of the food. These waves heat up the fats and moisture inside the food, which ultimately heats the whole dish. That’s why you need to splash extra moisture on your food when reheating it in the microwave to prevent it from becoming dry.

However, this is not the case when reheating pizza in the microwave. The hot waves heat up the fats faster than anything else. Therefore, the cheese melts quickly while the other ingredients remain cold. Furthermore, the little moisture preserved inside the crush quickly rises to the surface and makes the pizza soaked.

Now, if you heat the pizza any further to heat the other ingredients, your cheese will get burnt. In short, when reheating pizza in the microwave, the end results will always be a soaked crust, cold toppings, and melted cheese. 

Therefore, microwaves are the least preferred gadgets when it comes to reheating leftover pizza. If you have access to other equipment such as an oven or a toaster oven, it would be best to reheat your pizza in it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Conclusion

The oven is one of the traditional ways to reheat leftover food. However, it is not reasonable to ready an oven just to reheat a few slices of pizza. Therefore, it is suitable to use a toaster oven to reheat your leftover pizza. Microwaves make the pizza soggy while the toaster oven slowly heats the pizza and prevents loss of moisture and taste.