Saturday, April 19, 2008

[Pizza Fun] How to Reheat a Pizza

This post comes to us from our member Kelly (profile coming!). You can link back to the original article at CooksIllustrated.com by clicking here, though registration will be required. Otherwise, just read on below!

Why Is Reheated Pizza Crispier When Reheated on Parchment Paper?
Before answering questions about the relative merits of foil and parchment, we wanted to test different techniques for reheating pizza. We started by testing three methods: heating pizza on a preheated baking stone, on a baking sheet, and directly on the oven rack with a baking sheet underneath to catch drips. Although we expected the last method to deliver a crisp crust, it didn't; the crust was soft and this method was quite messy. The baking sheet did a good job, but the crust was even more crisp when slices were warmed on a hot baking stone.

Could we adjust our baking sheet method to yield better results? Brushing the crust with oil before reheating just made it tough. Lining the pan with foil made the crust less crisp, but, as you found, parchment paper made the crust more crisp. In fact, when reheated on a parchment-lined baking sheet, the pizza was just as crisp as that heated on a preheated baking stone.

Why does parchment, and not foil, promote crispness? Absorbent parchment paper likely wicks away any moisture on the crust that might otherwise cause sogginess; with foil, the moisture has nowhere to go. Our recommendation is to reheat pizza in a 400-degree oven for six minutes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

We have a "Pizza Pizzazz" machine and it reheats pizza wonderfully!

Anonymous said...

Micro-baking works perfectly! Just 30 seconds to a minute of Microwave time will warm the center & then use your Toster/Oven to melt the cheese & crisp the crust.

Anonymous said...

I've been using a Cook's Illustrated tip to reheat pizza slices in a skillet with a lid -- the crust crisps up beautifully, and the cheese melts as well.

Anonymous said...

My favorite way to reheat pizza is to microwave it for 30 seconds and then throw it into a saute pan with olive oil and slowly heat it until the crust is crispy and the cheese is melted. Yum!

Anonymous said...

Toaster oven usually does a nice job. So does a few minutes on a Breville grill (or I imagine a George Foreman grill would be fine too--though the Breville can be set so it hovers nicely above the cheese rather than getting all sticky).

dcfullest said...

One cycle in a toaster oven reheats it almost perfectly-- stays very crispy!

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