There’s nothing more convenient than ordering delivery pizza straight to your door. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and it’s incredibly delicious. Sometimes, though, your eyes might be bigger than your stomach when ordering, or you want to save some extra slices for lunch the next day. In this situation, you might think of just placing the pizza, box and all, into the oven. After all, why dirty an extra dish, right? Well, we’re begging you not to do this, as it’s incredibly dangerous for a number of reasons.
First and perhaps foremost, cardboard pizza boxes are flammable, meaning they can easily catch fire when placed in a hot oven. Paper and cardboard can ignite at around 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and if your pizza box is sopping wet with pizza grease (which is probably is), that can create a pretty gnarly fire in your kitchen. Similarly, the inks used to decorate your pizza box start to combust at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, if your pizza box is touching the sides or top of your oven, or there are any extra metal or plastic pieces touching your box, this significantly increases the risk of fire.
Placing pizza boxes in the oven can potentially impact your health, as well. Some pizza boxes are manufactured with chemicals, such as diisobutyl phthalate and perfluorinated compounds, that can cause a range of negative health effects. In some studies, these chemicals have shown to cause liver and kidney damage, birth abnormalities, and cancer.
Here are practical and safe ways to actually heat your pizza
If you want to reheat leftover pizza slices, don’t worry, because there’s no shortage of other options. Perhaps the quickest way to do this is to use a glass of water to microwave leftover pizza. Place your pizza slices on a microwave-safe plate, and alongside it in the microwave, set a microwave-safe glass or mug that’s filled halfway up with water. Microwave the pizza and water, around 30-45 seconds at a time, until the pizza is warmed to your liking. Adding the water helps to preserve the pizza’s texture, as the water molecules will bear the brunt of the microwave’s intense heat, preventing the crust from losing too much moisture.
Here at Tasting Table, we also believe that using a cast-iron pan will revolutionize the way you reheat pizza. Cast-iron holds heat like a dream, which keeps the bottom of your pizza’s extra crispy and utterly addictive. The best part about this method? You don’t need to preheat your cast-iron skillet. Just place the skillet on the stove, and cook your pizza until it’s just right.
To reheat pizza to crispy perfection in the oven, place your pizza on a baking sheet, pizza stone, cast-iron skillet, or directly onto the bottom rack of the oven. Bake at a high temperature to ensure a crispy crust. If you’re nervous about the top of the pizza still being cold, you can always turn on your oven’s broiler to help melt and brown the cheese.
