How to reheat deep dish pizza? Of course, there are rarely extra pieces of pizza left if it was really tasty. But sometimes it still happens, and you want to know how to reheat deep dish pizza so that it is tasty enough, not over dried and not rubbery. With our reheating methods, you don’t even need the infamous pizza stone!
We will tell you in today’s article about what simple rules must be followed in order for the dish to please with its taste the next day. In addition, you can always order a pizza, and then try to put our advice into practice.
There are some commonly accepted rules for reheating deep dish pizza. Our methods will work for thin-crust pizzas as well, though cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the crust. But for those who recognize only thick-crust deep dish pizza as a well-known deep dish Chicago style pizza, there will be a separate section for just such a pizza.
How to Reheat Deep Dish Pizza So It’s Not Soggy
Never reheat pizza in the microwave if you can avoid it. The microwave will dry out your leftover pizza, and in some places, on the contrary, you will get your pizza soggy and completely inedible.
Most often, if there is a microwave oven at home, people will use it. This is the easiest option, however, we admit, it is not the best one. In the microwave, the pizza crust will soften and release the juice, which means that there will be no crispy crust and former freshness will be lost due to evaporation of the needed moisture.
Of course, if you are a student who lives in a dorm, for example, you have little space for a full-fledged stove or oven. A great option in this case would be a toaster oven. Toaster ovens are not larger than a conventional microwave and are perfect for heating up leftover pizza and generally cooking all kinds of dishes that require baking and to reheat foods which were not eaten in one sitting.
Rules for heating pizza in an oven
The warm-up process is the following:
- take the dish out of the fridge
- allow it to gradually warm up to room temperature,
- transfer to baking paper and place in an oven preheated to 400-450 degrees for 15 minutes. This time is enough for the crust to get brown and the topping to return the aroma lost in the refrigerator.
- The pizza turns out like it was freshly cooked.
- Before placing this pizza in the oven, you can add fresh chopped herbs, tomatoes, spices to it – they will quickly replenish the lost taste.
Recommendations on how to properly heat pizza in the oven and the rules for heating this dish in any other way are basically the same. The main thing to remember is that if you overexpose the pizza in the oven, the juiciness of the product will disappear, and dryness (even staleness) will appear. And if there was little time for warming up, then the aroma of the constituent components will not open, but will remain half frozen.
Reheating Deep Dish Pizza
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (ca. 232 °C).
Unfold the aluminum foil on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.
Place the deep dish pizza slices of pizza on the cooking sheet with some distance between them.
Drizzle with a little water to keep the dish moist.
Cover pizza loosely with another piece of aluminum foil.
Bake in the oven to the desired temperature about 10-15 minutes.
Reheating deep dish pizza on a skillet
Place the suitable skillet over medium-high heat.
Lightly oil the skillet with a light layer of olive oil.
Cover the lid.
Reduce the fire a little to medium heat.
Arrange your pizza slices.
Warm up for 3-6 minutes, or until cheese melts.
How to store leftovers
So, let’s start in order. If there are a few pieces left from yesterday’s party, and you decide to leave them for tomorrow, then the first thing to do is to let them cool in their natural environment.
It is also not recommended to store the remaining pieces of pizza in its box: it is best to place them in an airtight container, after covering the bottom with a paper towel. Place a few napkins directly on the food before putting the lid on.
Here you can find an answer to the question How long is pizza good for left out before it goes bad?
How to reheat any pizza
Of course, freshly baked pizza is more flavorful and tastier than reheated pizza. But you can return the taste and aroma of leftover pizza.
To do this, you need a regular frying pan and a few drops of water. First you need to place the cooled pizza on a dry frying pan heated over low heat, hold the pizza under a closed lid for 2 minutes.
Or maybe you have an air grill? We have a couple of tips for such a device: Learn How To Reheat Leftover Pizza in The Air Fryer in 5 Minutes.
How to Reheat Chicago Style Pizza
Chicago deep dish pizza
This is not our usual flat pizza with a thin crust and toppings, covered with a thick layer of cheese on top: it is a bulky dish that looks more like a pie.
Although the pizza itself is very thick, the dough is of the usual thickness, only with deep sides. The base is saturated with olive oil and has an unusual layered texture and excellent taste, to which it owes a combination of three oils: vegetable, olive, and butter. The addition of butter when kneading the dough gives it a layered and sandy structure unusual for pizza.
In addition, a little cornmeal is added to the dough, which gives the pie a yellowish tint and a pleasant crunch. Sides are usually made 2-3 cm high and come out a little fried due to the oil in the mold.
The filling is placed on the dough not in the usual order for pizza, as we are used to sauce + filling + cheese, but inverted. This is necessary in order to avoid burning the cheese during baking because the dish is in the oven for quite a long time.
Here, at first, a huge layer of cheese is laid, then a meat layer (classic – pepperoni) or vegetable, and finally a branded tomato sauce with herbs, oregano, and basil. Top the dish with a little grated parmesan.
Let’s talk about Chicago-style pizza or deep-dish pizza. There are two main types of pizza, it is deep dish pizza and New York-style thin-crust pizza. Both pizzas are delicious, but the thin-crust pizza is more practical as fast food and can be eaten on the go. Deep dish pizza is a hearty meal that will fill your stomach and heart with warmth.
Many pizza lovers love both of these types, depending on the mood.
Microwave
Like any pizza, Chicago deep dish pizza doesn’t taste very good if you heat it up in the microwave. You can only reheat frozen pizza from the supermarket in the microwave. As for reheating leftover deep dish pizza, the most correct option would be to choose an oven. This will preserve the original taste, aroma, and texture.
The microwave works badly enough on thin-crust pizza, but it works just catastrophically on thick-crust pizza. The beauty of this pizza is a thick, juicy but crispy crust. And with a microwave, you get a disappointing piece of sluggish, soggy pizza, that is not reheated properly.
How to reheat deep dish pizza in a toaster oven
Preheat the toaster oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (ca. 232 °C). Don’t skip this prep step, you don’t want to burn your pizza, just reheat it.
To prevent the pizza from sticking to the surface of the cooking sheet, grease it with oil or cooking spray, and use a piece of aluminum foil.
Place your deep dish pizza slices on a baking sheet with a small gap, so they don’t stick to each other.
Spray your deep dish pizza with water. The trick is to ensure that there is enough liquid in the pizza to restore its fresh taste and juiciness, but not too much to make the pizza sluggish and bland.
Cover the deep dish pizza with another piece of foil so that the evaporated liquid does not condensate on the walls of the toaster oven, but serves for our pizza. Also, the foil will help not to burn the precious deep dish pizza slices.
Reheat deep dish pizza for about half an hour over low or medium heat. Check it periodically to avoid burning.
The Best Way to Reheat Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
Of course, the described method will work as well as possible. But when it comes to such a special dish, you need to have a special way to warm it up. And this method is a frying pan.
Deep dish pizza is cooked in a pan, and it is also best to reheat it. The best way to reheat a deep pizza turns out to be to actually fry it. Personal experience and opinions may vary, but many swear that this method is the best, and deep dish pizza heated in this way is even tastier than originally.
Here is a step-by-step guide
Step 1
Buy a frying pan if you don’t have one. This is one of the basic things in the kitchen of an adult.
Step 2
Heat a frying pan over medium heat, pre-greased with olive oil. Just a little, the pizza shouldn’t float in too much oil and turn into a piece of a slippery greasy nightmare.
Step 3
Spread equal slices of your deep dish pizza on the pan and cover it with a lid to make sure the cheese melts and the pizza liquid doesn’t evaporate into the air.
Step 4
Heat for about five minutes.
Set the table and enjoy.
Reheating whole pizza or divided?
It is best to warm the deep dish pizza in a couple of slices, and refrain from reheating a large leftover pizza all at once. This allows you to achieve a delicious crispy crust, melt the cheese and evenly warm the tomato sauce and other toppings.
Tips
Under the lid, the product is extinguished. This allows you to make the dish even tastier than originally. That is why this method of execution is the most popular among gourmets.
If there is no suitable lid for the pan, then you can use the following technique. Cover the top of the pan with a layer of cooking foil. This ensures an even circulation of the heat flow and helps to avoid the dampness of the dough.
If you have access to a griddle, you can get similar results. Start with a cold griddle, throw the slices on, cover them, cook at about 200 degrees F for 20 minutes or so, and you’re good to go.
Reheating through this method is suitable for thin crust pizza as well, but for reheating deep dish pizza, it is really worth the extra effort rather than just throwing it in the oven.
How to Reheat Deep Dish Pizza in a Conventional Oven
This method is similar to reheating deep dish pizza in a toaster oven. In order for the product to be subjected to the desired temperature treatment, it is necessary to preheat the oven to 400 degrees. The walls of the oven will reach a sufficient temperature in about 5-10 minutes after turning on the appliance. It is recommended to use special baking paper.
The optimal baking time is 15 minutes. This period is sufficient to obtain a fragrant, crispy deep dish pizza. If your oven has a convection mode, you can shorten the cooking time.
If you send the baking sheet with the pie to the oven too quickly, the dough will turn out too soft. If the pizza is overcooked, it will burn. The top layer and rim become so hard that they are no longer suitable for consumption.
There are several secrets that are used by experienced pizza cook masters. They help make the dish juicy. To do this, you can add a few slices of fresh tomato and cheese sticks to your deep dish pie. From above, the dish is sprinkled with a few drops of vegetable oil.
Reheating deep dish pizza in a mini oven
In a mini-oven, heating occurs at temperatures up to 400 °F. You need to put one or two slices of pizza on a plate. The optimal warm-up period is 10 minutes. The dough is pulled out of the oven when its crust side is golden brown.
Reheating deep dish pizza on a grill
The grill is used by those who prefer food cooked in nature. It is a decent way to reheat deep dish pizza if you’re going to be careful. The fried dough acquires an incredible taste. You can give the dish additional notes by adding sweet peppers and cheese to it.
The grill is the winner in the Best Way to Reheat Pizza Outdoors category. The taste of the dish is simply delicious, even sweet peppers and cheese will taste exactly like a freshly cooked pizza. The only drawback is that coals cannot be used in bad weather, and not everyone has a grill in their yard.
How do you reheat pizza in a deep fryer?
Another effective way to reheat deep dish pizza is to use an air fryer. An air fryer would also work great for baking uncooked pizza that you’ve been storing in your freezer.
There is nothing easier than reheating pizza in an air fryer. Preheat your air fryer to about 300 degrees, then place a few slices in the air fryer basket and heat for about five minutes. Make sure the slices don’t overlap, or you’ll end up with a cheesy mess. If it is a deep dish pizza, make sure the tomato sauce won’t leak out in the process, reheating slices will be easier than the whole pizza at once.
How To Store Deep Dish Pizza
Do not put pizza in the refrigerator directly in the box.
Line an airtight container with a paper towel, aluminum foil, or parchment paper.
Let the deep dish pizza cool to room temperature.
Place the deep pizza in a container and close the lid.
Wrap the container with plastic wrap.
Put the container in the refrigerator and store no more than 5 days. In the freezer, you can store the product for up to six months. Thawing frozen pizza is carried out at room temperature.
Note that if you’ve left your deep dish pizza rest at room temperature for more than two hours, you should just throw it away. Deep dish pizza must be put in a fridge as soon as it’s cooled.
Take a look at the warning from FSIS about “2 Hour Rule“.
If putting pizza in a fridge is not enough and you’re going to eat the leftovers no sooner than in a week, than you should simply freeze deep dish pizza leftovers. Just divide it into equal pizza slices and wrap it with plastic film and foil. This way you can store deep dish pizza up to couple of months.
How To Reheat Deep Dish Pizza on a Pizza Stone
What is a pizza stone?
A pizza stone is a thin plate of refractory material on which pizza is baked while placed in the oven. Pizza stones are made not only from stone but also from other materials.
Should you preheat the stone?
How long you need to preheat the pizza stone depends on the oven and the range of temperatures available. Ideally, you should preheat the stone for at least 45 minutes to get it fully heated.
There are people who think that it is not necessary to reheat the pizza for a long time, but the correct answer is to still reheat the stone wall. In fact, some people reheat it for an hour to get a crispy crust.
Then, on a hot stone, it will be a matter of several minutes to reheat deep dish pizza.
How to Reheat Deep Dish Pizza in a Microwave
Life is impossible to predict, and sometimes we have only those means at hand that we avoid.
This warm-up option is considered the most efficient and is suitable for those people who value every free minute. The result of heat treatment of pizza in a microwave oven largely depends on the selected mode and duration.
Before sending the cake to warm up, it is recommended to moisten it slightly. This will prevent excessive dryness of the dough. A suitable duration of heat treatment in a microwave oven is 1-2 minutes.
In this case, it is recommended to choose a power in the range of 700-800 watts. If you significantly increase the heating time, then the cake will become hard as a brick. After processing, you need to leave the pizza in the switched-off microwave for 5 minutes to evaporate excess moisture.
The peculiarity of this method is that the dish slightly changes its original characteristics. The fact is that the crust becomes softer and more viscous.
If you want the pizza to keep the texture close to the original, then use a special method. Pizza is placed on a plate lined with paper towels. Warming up occurs within 1 minute at 50% power.
There is another option to keep the original structure of the cake. Put a half-full glass of water in the microwave along with the pizza. The liquid absorbs electromagnetic waves, which ensures uniform heating of the dough.
How to reheat any pizza in a pan
You can use a regular frying pan to reheat pizza. The secret is that the pan must first be thoroughly heated. And already in a well-heated pan, you need to place our dish and be sure to cover it with a lid. Just 10-15 minutes you need to hold the pizza in a pan on the fire so that the dish becomes unusually fragrant and appetizing.
Although yesterday’s pizza is quite good for food, it seems that it will not be possible to restore its crispy crust. Many people think that after being reheated in the microwave or oven, yesterday’s pizza remains tough and unappetizing. However, it is worth showing a little resourcefulness, and the reheated pizza will be in no way inferior to freshly cooked pizza!
FAQ
How do you reheat leftover deep dish pizza?
There are several ways that involve a toaster oven or skillet or air fryer or oven. You just put evenly divided slices into air fryer basket/greased pan/oiled foil and heat them up for several minutes.
Is deep dish pizza good reheated?
Any pizza is best when it’s straight out of the pizza oven. But some ways such as using a pan will help your deep dish pizza regain its original flavor and texture.
What is the best way to reheat a cooked pizza?
Using a skillet is still the best way to reheat a pizza. It is quite simple but extremely effective. It is only necessary to observe some points that we described in the article. In addition, there is a frying pan in the house of almost any person. And the pizza will turn out crispy enough to feed even unexpected guests.
What temperature do you reheat frozen deep dish pizza?
You should let your frozen deep dish pizza defrost in the fridge before you actually reheat it, when you freeze deep dish pizza you should prepare yourself so that it will have to be thawed for several hours before reheating. Then you can use normal temperature and reheat deep dish pizza at 300-350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Conclusion
We hope that our article answered your questions on how to reheat deep dish pizza.
Now, after you take advantage of the fast pizza delivery, you will know that it is not at all necessary to finish it in the evening because there are several ways to enjoy your favorite dish the next day. After cooking pizza, the smell of food often remains in the room; an air purifier will come in handy.
Thus, delicious and unique in flavor Italian pizza can be revived and reheated at home if you follow our recommendations. The pizza will be left with a crispy bottom, a moist crust, and melted cheese—and with a smell that drives you crazy. Enjoy your meal!
