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I'm currently babysitting my parents dog, a tiny Pomeranian/dachshund mix named Molly, while they're off on a cruise. She's a wonderful dog, but as it turns out, she has to go outside every morning at exactly 5:30am. I know this, because she told me, by standing on my chest while I'm asleep and whining in my face until I get up and let her out.

What is there to do at such an ungodly hour other than look for something to make a quick breakfast out of? And what better breakfast than leftover pizza? Now, I don't normally mind cold pizza, but this is bacon, mushroom and banana pepper (with extra cheese), which are absolutely the best toppings that can be placed on a pizza, ever. FACT. It deserves a chance to go back to its former glory, but we all know that once a pizza cools, it will never again be the same as it was hot, yet still I had to try.

I thought about the two main ways one goes about reheating pizza. The microwave is an option, but it leads to super soggy pizza. The sauce in the middle heats very quickly, but by the time the cheese has melted, the sauce has boiled into the crust and left it floppy and disgusting. Aha, but what about the toaster oven? Opposite problem, toaster ovens (or conventional ovens if you insist) simply don't get as hot as pizza ovens do to heat it through quickly. By the time the sauce is hot, the crust and cheese are burnt.

But then I had an epiphany. What if I microwaved it until the sauce was hot, and then finished it in the toaster oven? No, that can't be possible, can it? You can't toast something that's been microwaved, it's just not done. It's insane, and I'm pretty sure it's probably illegal. But bacon and banana peppers were calling to me, I had to know. About 40 seconds in the microwave was enough to bring the sauce of a few slices to the perfect temperature. As I carted them to the toaster oven, I began to look around, certain that any moment now police would crash through my kitchen windows and arrest me for food terrorism. Throwing caution to the wind, I slid my slices into the toaster oven, waited just over a minute until the cheese was nice and melted, and then extracted my bounty.

It was magical. The crust was nice and crisp, but not burnt. The cheese was wonderfully melty, and the sauce was just the right temperature. MY PIZZA LIVES AGAIN! My life is forever changed by this knowledge, and the world, often dark and bitter, somehow seems a little nicer today.

Pictured below is the perfect slice of reheated pizza, for the entire world to enjoy.

....


Ok, I don't have a picture, because I ate it.

I should probably go back to bed at some point.

Ravenpoe said:

Ok, I don't have a picture, because I ate it.

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You ATE the PICTURE!?

Gusto said:

You ATE the PICTURE!?

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Not before microwaving and then toasting it.

Pizzaception!

Ravenpoe said:

Not before microwaving and then toasting it.

Pizzaception!

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Diminishing returns, though.

The photograph, though tasty, was not as delicious as the pizza it portrayed!

I hate to be, you know, that guy, but my oven has a special heating setting combining low-power microwave and high-temperature heating for just this usage. It', well,s pretty nice.

Bubble181 said:

I hate to be, you know, that guy

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Well you are.

Ravenpoe said:

Well you are.

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Yes. But you can mock my lack of typing skills when hopped up on all kinds of painkillers, so I think we come out even

I put the pizza on a cookie tray/cooling rack and put that in the oven cold. I then turn on the oven to 375, and by the time it reaches 375 (or I can smell it cooking), the pizza is perfect.

Bubble181 said:

I hate to be, you know, that guy, but my oven has a special heating setting combining low-power microwave and high-temperature heating for just this usage. It', well,s pretty nice.

Click to expand...

A convection microwave oven. Not very common in the US, but they are available and very handy. We've been shopping around a bit for a good deal on one, since our over the range microwave has been broken for years, and we could use a second oven that does more than a simple microwave, but they are pretty expensive for the larger ones.

I do what drawn_inward does, except I have a number of pizza screens, which allow much better air and heat flow, so you don't get uneven cooking. Turn on the oven to 350 or 375, set the timer for five minutes, put in the pizza without prewarming the oven, and its perfect.

Pizza screens work well for cooking a wide variety of foods in the oven that typically don't cook evenly. Just make sure the food isn't a drippy food.

drawn_inward said:

I put the pizza on a cookie tray/cooling rack and put that in the oven cold. I then turn on the oven to 375, and by the time it reaches 375 (or I can smell it cooking), the pizza is perfect.

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I'm going to have to try this. I hate cold pizza usually.

Step 1: Get a large skillet, and heat some olive oil until it is ready, over medium-high heat. You only need enough olive oil to coat the pan, don't turn it into a deep fryer.

Step 2: Reduce heat to medium/medium-low, and put pizza in the pan.

Step 3: Cover the pan (very important or the toppings won't get warm), and let it cook for about 5 minutes.

Devour.

Essentially, you are just lightly pan-frying the pizza. This gives the crust a really amazing crunch and bite, and the toppings should be warmed and melty throughout.

eat.it.cold

sixpackshaker said:

eat.it.cold

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no.I.don't.like.it.that.way

Pepperoni, black olives, and mushrooms, deep dish, garlic crust.

Eleventy billion calories per serving, and worth every single one.

Anchovis.

One of the best set of toppings for a pizza is jalapenos and pineapple.

Hylian said:

One of the best set of toppings for a pizza is jalapenos and pineapple.

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I love ham and pineapple (most places call this a hawaiian style) with added jalapenos, or added banana peppers, just because I love banana peppers.

But there's no reason that anything that can have bacon on it, shouldn't.

No. Pineapple has no place being anywhere near a pizza. No. [DOUBLEPOST=1371146602][/DOUBLEPOST]

Dave said:

I'm going to have to try this. I hate cold pizza usually.

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It works fairly well. You probably won't have to let it get to the proper temp. depending on your oven. My oven is pretty quick to get to 350ish.

If you are going to be a purist, the only thing that belongs on a pizza is tomato, mozzarella (or what ever Naples calls its fresh cheese) and a couple of basil leaves.

Jay said:

fry it, duh

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Best way to re-crisp the crust without overheating the toppings, and my preferred way of enjoying 2nd-day pizza (so long as it is not deep-dish).

drawn_inward said:

No. Pineapple has no place being anywhere near a pizza. No.

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It's the only topping I'm not fond of. I'll eat it if I have to, but I prefer not to.

--Patrick

drawn_inward said:

No. Pineapple has no place being anywhere near a pizza. No. [DOUBLEPOST=1371146602][/DOUBLEPOST]


It works fairly well. You probably won't have to let it get to the proper temp. depending on your oven. My oven is pretty quick to get to 350ish.

Click to expand...

My method takes like two minutes. Just sayin.

Ravenpoe said:

I'm currently babysitting my parents dog, a tiny Pomeranian/dachshund mix named Molly, while they're off on a cruise. She's a wonderful dog, but as it turns out, she has to go outside every morning at exactly 5:30am. I know this, because she told me, by standing on my chest while I'm asleep and whining in my face until I get up and let her out.

What is there to do at such an ungodly hour other than look for something to make a quick breakfast out of? And what better breakfast than leftover pizza? Now, I don't normally mind cold pizza, but this is bacon, mushroom and banana pepper (with extra cheese), which are absolutely the best toppings that can be placed on a pizza, ever. FACT. It deserves a chance to go back to its former glory, but we all know that once a pizza cools, it will never again be the same as it was hot, yet still I had to try.

I thought about the two main ways one goes about reheating pizza. The microwave is an option, but it leads to super soggy pizza. The sauce in the middle heats very quickly, but by the time the cheese has melted, the sauce has boiled into the crust and left it floppy and disgusting. Aha, but what about the toaster oven? Opposite problem, toaster ovens (or conventional ovens if you insist) simply don't get as hot as pizza ovens do to heat it through quickly. By the time the sauce is hot, the crust and cheese are burnt.

But then I had an epiphany. What if I microwaved it until the sauce was hot, and then finished it in the toaster oven? No, that can't be possible, can it? You can't toast something that's been microwaved, it's just not done. It's insane, and I'm pretty sure it's probably illegal. But bacon and banana peppers were calling to me, I had to know. About 40 seconds in the microwave was enough to bring the sauce of a few slices to the perfect temperature. As I carted them to the toaster oven, I began to look around, certain that any moment now police would crash through my kitchen windows and arrest me for food terrorism. Throwing caution to the wind, I slid my slices into the toaster oven, waited just over a minute until the cheese was nice and melted, and then extracted my bounty.

It was magical. The crust was nice and crisp, but not burnt. The cheese was wonderfully melty, and the sauce was just the right temperature. MY PIZZA LIVES AGAIN! My life is forever changed by this knowledge, and the world, often dark and bitter, somehow seems a little nicer today.

Pictured below is the perfect slice of reheated pizza, for the entire world to enjoy.

....


Ok, I don't have a picture, because I ate it.

I should probably go back to bed at some point.

Click to expand...

This is pretty much my preferred reheating method, except I use the oven to crisp the crust after microwaving.

Ravenpoe said:

My method takes like two minutes. Just sayin.

Click to expand...

Good things come to those who wait.

sixpackshaker said:

If you are going to be a purist, the only thing that belongs on a pizza is tomato, mozzarella (or what ever Naples calls its fresh cheese) and a couple of basil leaves.

Click to expand...

A fundamental purist, maybe, but I think worldwide more people associate american style pizza with the word "pizza" than italian style.

stienman said:

A fundamental purist, maybe, but I think worldwide more people associate american style pizza with the word "pizza" than italian style.

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I'm not so sure. Besides, you're leaving out other pizza styles (Croatian, Turkish,...). I assure you, we have Pizza Hut aroudn here, but any belgian you ask will think of an Italian style pizza before an American style pizza, and the same's true in France or Germany. haven'tl ived in other countries long enough to speculate, but that seems like projection to me.

Bubble181 said:

I'm not so sure. Besides, you're leaving out other pizza styles (Croatian, Turkish,...). I assure you, we have Pizza Hut aroudn here, but any belgian you ask will think of an Italian style pizza before an American style pizza, and the same's true in France or Germany. haven'tl ived in other countries long enough to speculate, but that seems like projection to me.

Click to expand...

Fine, let me fix that for you.

Steinman should have said:

A fundamental purist, maybe, but I think anyplace that matters more people associate american style pizza with the word "pizza" than italian style.

Click to expand...

Ravenpoe said:

Fine, let me fix that for you.

Click to expand...

Well, yes, Americans will probably think of American pizza first

Living in Europe kinda broadened my scope on matters Pizza. First time I had crab on pizza, and tuna... Sicilians were kinda big on corn too, which was a little odd to me, but whatever.

Had a good one in Rome when I was there for the Jubilee in 2000, classic Margherita.

While as a rule, I prefer American-style pizza, I enjoy the HELL out of a brick-fired European-style pizza. Mmmmm.....

Brick oven wood fired pizza is superior to any other form. If I had infinite money and time, I'd have a brick pizza oven in the back yard.

I don't think there's even a pizza restaurant nearby that has a wood fired oven. At least one italian place with a brick oven...

I'd go for fresh tuna on pizza. Canned tuna would seem strange...

I need to find the daub and wattle pizza oven plans for you. It is fired with a rocket stove so it will take 4 one inch in diameter sticks to bake many pizzas.

sixpackshaker said:

I need to find the daub and wattle pizza oven plans for you. It is fired with a rocket stove so it will take 4 one inch in diameter sticks to bake many pizzas.

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Ooh, I'd like that!

I've just gone over the free plans from http://www.fornobravo.com/store/eBooks-and-CD-ROMs/ which have a bunch of name your own price (down to free) books, including the pompei oven building guide.

Fun stuff...

These guys...

Was just going to say reheat on the stovetop in a covered pan/ skillet for best results but Jay beat me to it.

stienman said:

Brick oven wood fired pizza is superior to any other form. If I had infinite money and time, I'd have a brick pizza oven in the back yard.

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We cook homemade pizzas on the grill now. I'd say it is probably the next best thing.

MindDetective said:

We cook homemade pizzas on the grill now. I'd say it is probably the next best thing.

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I haven't tried that, but now that we have a larger grill I'll have to try that out. Do you use a pizza stone or heat bricks, or just put it on a screen on the grill?

stienman said:

I haven't tried that, but now that we have a larger grill I'll have to try that out. Do you use a pizza stone or heat bricks, or just put it on a screen on the grill?

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A screen on the grill. I wish I had a pizza stone, though!

Try finding some quarry tile. 1/10th the price. I just keep forgetting to look for it when I'm in Home Depot.

I've messed around with a skillet method as outlined here (#5). Pizza in 5 minutes with minimal prep.

Lot of other interesting tips there, too. The ghetto sous-vide is ingenious in its simplicity.

drifter said:

The ghetto sous-vide is ingenious in its simplicity.

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I've seen plenty of rigs that basically use an aquarium-style pump and a crock pot to turn out some pretty awesome ribs.

--Patrick