Loving Your Leftovers Series: #3 Pizza

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I had read about the covered skillet/griddle method of reheating leftover pizza on Serious Eats quite a while ago. Being a victim of inertia, I guess, I kept doing it in a preheated oven, which dries it out. Whatever you do, do not let your leftover pizza even get close to a microwave. You're better off eating it cold, than nuking it, seriously!

 

Since my oven broke, and I love pizza and wind up with leftovers, it prompted me to try the Serious Eats method of bottom heating in a small 

closed space to retain moisture. In my case, this means a thick aluminum skillet with a thick aluminum Dutch oven lid that fits it. It doesn't dry out like it does in the oven or turn to soggy mush like in the nuker. When my oven does get fixed, I am still going to use this stove top method for reheating pizza. I have used it on good purchased New York City thin crust style and good purchased upstate New York thick crust style, and both worked very well. Bonus, this method saves energy too over heating up an oven. I'm sure it will work equally well on some of the astounding homemade pizzas you all make too. Just make sure you don't crank the heat too high and burn your bottom crust.

[Lisa Shock]

I like to cut up cold pizza and use it in a frittata.

[Shelby]

I like reheated pizza with a runny egg on it for breakfast.

[lindag]

I reheat my (Papa Murphy's, usually their Hawaiian) in my CSO using the warm setting.

Way better than in the microwave.  In fact, since I have to drive into town this afternoon, I think I'll pick one up for tonight.

[Shalmanese]

I take cold pizza in my hands, open my mouth and then eat the cold pizza.

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

I'm with you, Shalmanese. It has to be cold, and it has to be for breakfast. Any other time it must be reheated, and I've had inconclusive results with the various techniques. You need to keep the heat low when using the cast iron pan method to avoid burning the crust. This is the voice of experience speaking here. And I agree that the microwave is the worst possible way to reheat pizza. Yeah, it gets hot, but the result is unsatisfactory, which is putting it mildly. And even if I put it on the heated pizza stone in the oven, which sounds like a good idea since that's how it was originally baked, it became brick-like.

 

By the way, any leftover pizza is either my own or from Costco. We don't have many choices around here for decent pizza, sorry to say. And now the best place in Pátzcuaro is closing due to losing their lease, though we rarely brought home leftovers because the pizza was so good that we ate it all.

 

So cold for breakfast it is for us. But I do appreciate all the other ideas, some of which sound pretty good. I'm open minded about food--aren't we all?--but I'm a little dubious about cutting up a perfectly good slice of pizza to make something else out of it.

 

Nancy in Pátzcuaro

[Chris Hennes]

What is this "leftover pizza" of which you speak?

 

(For the record, I use the skillet method of reheating, but have never considered trying to actually transform the pizza into something else... besides putting it in a frittata, what other things can you do with it?)

[FeChef]

I microwave for 30ish seconds to melt the cheese, then into the cast iron pan on the induction stove top to crisp up the bottom crust in less then 5 minutes flat. Best method ive ever tried and its quick.

[chromedome]

On 12/04/2017 at 1:29 AM, FeChef said:

I microwave for 30ish seconds to melt the cheese, then into the cast iron pan on the induction stove top to crisp up the bottom crust in less then 5 minutes flat. Best method ive ever tried and its quick.

That's more or less how I do it too, though I might not go a full 30 seconds depending on the thickness of the crust and toppings. Works pretty good.

[Katie Meadow]

I never did pick up the cold pizza habit; we didn't have leftover pizza when I grew up. You bought it by the slice when you were out doing whatever. My dad was very fond of the pizza over on East 86th St in NY, which is where he would often take us when we were out doing weekend things. I don't recall my parents EVER getting a whole pizza--take out or delivery--for dinner.

 

We make our own pizza now, and are very happy to have leftovers either for breakfast or lunch, but I still like mine hot and crispy. Our pizza is thin-crust, with a thin layer of tomato sauce and modest amounts of cheese and topping. I've never owned a toaster oven  and I am far too lazy to preheat the oven at breakfast. So believe it or not, we put slices in the toaster. One pass is all it takes to crisp up the crust and melt the cheese. So incredibly easy. But if you have a thick floppy pizza with massive toppings I would caution against it if you have any feelings for your toaster. Which I do.

[FeChef]

On 4/13/2017 at 7:41 AM, chromedome said:

That's more or less how I do it too, though I might not go a full 30 seconds depending on the thickness of the crust and toppings. Works pretty good.

Sometimes, its even better then when it was fresh. btw, my microwave is 1100w 30ish is about when the cheese is just about to roll off the sides. Its all about timing.