We almost never order pizza. If we’re having pizza, I’m making pizza.
Unless, of course, it’s almost 100 degrees in which case ordering pizza happens slightly more often than never. And when it does, you bet I’m ordering enough for two meals.
My husband and sons gladly eat cold leftover anything – potatoes, green beans, pork chops, chili, and definitely pizza. I don’t mind cold pizza, but I love that crunchy crust meets melted cheese thing hot pizza has going on, so I always reheat mine.
We don’t own a microwave, and from what I recall microwaves don’t do reheated pizza any justice. What I do have is my trusty cast-iron skillet, which, it turns out, turns reheated pizza into something perhaps even better than the original.
When you use a cast-iron skillet to reheat your pizza the fat in the pizza crust meets that hot, black skillet and creates a deliciously crunchy crust. The toppings heat up just enough to be melty and gooey, and it’s as though you’ve started with a fresh pizza pie.
There are two ways you can use your skillet to reheat pizza – in the oven and on the stovetop.
In the Oven
- Place your skillet in the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. When the oven is hot, carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and place your pizza in the pan, leaving space between each slice.
- If you’re heating up a lot of pizza you could use a couple of pans, or do a couple of slices at a time.
- Allow to reheat for 3-6 minutes, depending on the thickness of your crust and density of the toppings. Just keep an eye on it and check every couple of minutes.
- The pizza is ready when the toppings are hot and the crust has crisped up.
On the Stovetop
- Place your pizza in the pan, leaving space between each slice, and place over medium heat.
- Place a lid on the pan and cook 5-6 minutes, or more, depending on the thickness of your crust. Remove lid and cook a couple more minutes to crisp up.
Enjoy your crispy, hot pizza the day after it was made!
