The Best Way To Reheat Delivery Pizza According To A Pro

If you're convinced there's a scientific reason cold pizza is better, we get it. But if you've excitedly decided to order a pizza, carefully selected your preferred local pizza joint, and agreed on the best combination of toppings after much debate with family and friends, you're probably envisioning a delicious, piping-hot pie landing on your doorstep.

Sadly, that's rarely the case, and you're usually getting a pie that's lukewarm at best. "Pizzas were not meant to be put in boxes," says Nicole Bean, who owns and operates Pizaro's Pizza Napoletana with her family in Houston, Texas. "The longer they sit in boxes, the more limp and soggy they become," she explained while speaking exclusively to Chowhound. So when the pizza craving strikes, Bean offers her reheating recommendations so you can enjoy your pie the way it was intended.

First and foremost, she says you should start preheating your oven as soon as you place your order. That way, it has time to reach somewhere between 400 and 500 degrees Fahrenheit, which mimics a pizza oven. Pizzas don't take long, but they require a very hot oven. If possible, start preheating a pizza stone or baking pan. When the pizza arrives, try to slide it onto the pizza stone. That's easier if your pizza place sends pizzas intact rather than presliced, but either is possible if you've got a pizza peel, which is an accessible purchase thanks to Amazon. The Mooues 12-inch foldable pizza peel is under $30.

Ordering your pizza uncut is a top-tier pizza-ordering hack to avoid a soggy crust. But if you don't specify, more often than not, your pizza will be delivered presliced. That makes it challenging to move the whole pizza onto a pizza stone and back off again without losing a slice in dramatic fashion. But if you have the time, Bean says reheating delivery pizza slice by slice is just as good, if not better. "I recommend putting a flat skillet pan on the stovetop, placing the slice in the [preheated] skillet with an ice cube, and covering the skillet with a pot cover," she says. "Turn the heat onto a medium-high heat and allow the cheese to melt and the ice cube to evaporate."

Placing your pizza slice on a hot skillet helps you crisp your crust, even if a common pizza mistake has left you with soggy crust. While the skillet browns the bottom and starts warming your pizza from the bottom up, the lid works top down to make sure it's heated through. Adding a small ice cube and then covering the hot pan steam-cooks your pizza so the cheese melts evenly and gently and becomes melty and gooey. So go ahead and order from your favorite delivery location, even if it's the farthest from your house. You know what you need to do to reheat your pie like a pro.