So you find yourself wanting to reheat pizza in the microwave, and you would like to know how to do it to get the best results.
Honestly, we cannot blame you because while cold pizza does have a place, we get that not everyone loves it.
But that then opens up the question of how to reheat it and get the results you were hoping for.
However, we plan on focusing on just one potential solution, and it’s something pretty much everyone has—the microwave.
We know this could come across as a surprise because most people think they should automatically stay away from the microwave when heating something such as pizza.
Instead, people think you can only use the oven. So, is that the case?
Is it Possible to Reheat Pizza in the Microwave?
But first, is it even possible to reheat pizza in the microwave?
The answer is that you can indeed use a microwave, but you need to take care. You should not simply throw it in the microwave and think it will all work out well.
The biggest problem people have here is that you can easily make your pizza soggy, and who wants to eat soggy pizza?
The answer is that nobody likes that, but we will help you reduce the chances of that happening to you.
We feel that’s the thing that stops people from using the microwave.
People have an understandable fear of ruining their pizza. So, this is how you can stop it from happening, or at least make it less likely.
The Key to a Successful Reheating of Your Pizza
You only have a few simple steps to follow to reheat pizza in a microwave and stand a chance of it not turning into a soggy mess.
Also, we will provide you with a couple of options on how to get the best results when reheating your pizza in the microwave.
Step 1: The Plate
We recommend placing the pizza on either a ceramic plate or a glass plate.
However, make sure it’s something that can go in the microwave and that it lets you place the slices on the plate without piling them up on top of one another.
You don’t need to put it onto a special surface or anything else. You shouldn’t have it all enclosed in something with the lid half removed just to reheat it. It’s best to leave the pizza open to the rays of the microwave.
If you partially cover the pizza, it will not work the same. Your pizza will end up tasting pretty horrible as a result.
Step 2: Some Water
The second step is the most important, and it involves some water. We know people may feel somewhat confused about why you would add some water into the microwave at this point, but it makes sense.
All you need here is a cup or glass of tap water placed in the microwave. This turns out to be a clever trick as the water absorbs some of the rays in the microwave rather than the pizza absorbing everything.
You might wonder why you wouldn’t want the pizza to absorb everything. Well, it leads to faster heating that is also uneven. There’s also a difference between the pizza’s water content and the microwave’s heat.
This imbalance results in a soggy pizza, so that’s what you try to avoid when you place water in the microwave. It sounds strange to use this approach, but even Domino’s mentions this as a possible option of reheating your pizza in the microwave.
When you do this, it slows down the heating process. That sounds counter-productive, but it results in far more even heat since it strikes more of a balance with the water content.
Ultimately, this should then hopefully lead to you having some reheated pizza that has not managed to lose some of its crunch.
But do remember that you still need to take care of the periods when using the microwave. You will need to carry out those short blasts, or you will still run into problems and could ruin your pizza.
Step 3: The Time
You need to take some care with the time you set on your microwave. This is not about making your pizza sizzle and turn out piping hot. It’s not going to turn out like that.
You should start by setting your microwave to high power and blast the pizza for 45 seconds. After those 45 seconds, remove the pizza and check to see how it feels to the touch.
If it still feels cold, give it another blast for a maximum of 20 seconds. Don’t over those 20 seconds, or you may find the topping starts to get affected, and your overall enjoyment of your pizza will drop.
Also, it is best to have it on high power because you need that blast of rays. A slow burner approach just won’t have the same impact, and you then run into the possibility of destroying your pizza.
Extra Tips for Reheating Pizza in the Microwave
As we said, we cannot guarantee absolute success when reheating pizza in the microwave. However, one thing that we can do is try to improve the chances of it working out in your favor.
Of course, we know this could be a case of trial and error with your microwave warming up your pizza. Prepare yourself for a few mistakes, and there’s a good chance you may not enjoy the result.
Yet we don’t want you to continue making those mistakes, so these tips will hopefully make a difference when reheating your pizza.
Tip 1: The Spacing
If you plan to reheat more than one slice at a time, then one of the key things you need to do is to focus on the spacing. Don’t have the slices sitting close to one another, that’s just not going to work well for you.
Instead, make sure you have created space between the slices. If you don’t, you may find the edges of your pizza turned out colder than other parts simply because the heat cannot penetrate there in the same way.
Try to create as much space as possible when reheating. It does make a huge difference to the result. Of course, it may mean you must reheat your pizza in parts if you have several slices.
However, it does not mean you can only go ahead and heat pizza one slice at a time. As long as the rays can move between the slices, it should work well. How many you can heat will depend on your microwave.
Tip 2: Short Blasts are Better
Another key tip is only to hit your pizza with short blasts in the microwave. This not only works out better for preventing things from becoming soggy but also for the toppings.
While we mentioned blasting it for 45 seconds, you might want to go lower and do 15 or 20-second blasts and keep on checking.
There’s no doubt this will work, but as we said, don’t expect things to get piping hot. Chances of you achieving that without burning or drying out the toppings will remain low.
Tip 3: Combining with a Toaster Oven
If you have a toaster oven, you can use a method that combines both the microwave and toaster oven to get a relatively crispy pizza.
The key here is to start things off in your microwave. Set it to medium heat, and then blast the pizza for around 15 seconds. Your aim here is to warm up the pizza slightly but not make it too hot.
Once you have given your pizza this initial blast, you need to transfer it to your toaster oven.
Even here, you need to pay close attention to the time. Keep checking on your pizza as you intend to end up with a crunchy pizza slice.
However, leave it in the toaster oven for too long a period, and you will then have a pizza that is too crispy and dry.
Overall Conclusion
So you can indeed reheat pizza in the microwave, and if you follow our tips above, you shouldn’t end up with a soggy pizza at the end.
Reheating pizza like this will often prove easier than you expect. We suggest you get out there and give it a go. You may be surprised at the end results.
