This Is The Best Way To Reheat Frozen Pizza

One of the greatest culinary feats of our time is not a dish dreamed up by Michelin-starred chefs or a new flavor discovered by food scientists — it's a pizza reheated properly after being refrigerated. Fresh out of the oven, pizza is a sight to behold, a perfect architecture of crusty, risen edges and endlessly melty cheese. A day later is a different story, and returning it to the perfect meal it once was seems nearly impossible. It's why many of us eat our slices cold, not willing to risk the disappointment of a soggy crust or overcooked cheese.

Pizza makers know that a good pizza oven can manage the task of reheating a pizza to perfection — the only problem is that most home cooks don't have a powerful, 800-degree oven at their disposal. While there are a few ways to replicate a pizza oven at home, nothing really beats the air fryer. The miniature convection ovens don't get nearly as hot as a pizza oven would, but they circulate hot air in a way that quickly crisps food like pizza crust back to its original state. This works well for slices of previously cooked, now-frozen pizza, which have the added challenge of being solidified from the cold. Reheating these slices quickly is possible, but requires just one extra step to achieve perfectly melty cheese.

For this method, you'll need both a microwave and an air fryer to reheat your slices of pizza. Any microwave will work, and you'll need just 30 seconds to slightly defrost and melt the cheese before finishing in the air fryer. Though any highly-rated air fryer will do the job, the best air fryer to use for this method is the front-loading, multi-rack kind, which looks and acts similarly to a toaster oven. Not only can this type of air fryer fit several slices at a time, but its glass front also allows you to watch the pizza as it cooks — a helpful feature to avoid overcooking.

The first step in reheating a previously cooked, now-frozen leftover pizza is to microwave it first, allowing the cheese to begin softening before adding it to the high heat of the air fryer. While the air fryer preheats, microwave the slice on a paper towel in the microwave for 30 seconds, until the cheese is just barely melted. If you are reheating a pizza slice that isn't frozen, microwave for just 15 seconds.

Michelle McGlinn/Chowhound

Next, add the slice to the air fryer and heat for 1 minute at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. This small amount of time allows the crust to crisp without browning the cheese — though, if you like your cheese a little crispy, heat for 1 to 2 minutes longer. After a short blast in the microwave to defrost and a short toast in the air fryer to crisp, your pizza should be as good as it was the first time around.

While storing pizza in the refrigerator can be done in a layer of foil or even the cardboard box it came in, storing it in the freezer requires a little extra effort to avoid freezer burn, but don't worry, it's still equally as effortless. The best way to store pizza in the freezer is in a sealable, freezer-safe bag. Arrange the pieces flat, press out any air, and seal the bag closed. Store flat in the freezer for 1 to 2 months for optimum quality.