Perhaps one of the best parts of ordering a pizza — or pie as some of us call it — other than taking the first bite is the probability of having leftovers. Maybe you like to chow down on a cold leftover slice for a last-minute breakfast or you like to spruce it up with more toppings and reheat it for another lunch or dinner. There is an array of creative ways to reuse leftover pizza, but when it comes to the simplicity of reheating and eating a few slices in their current form — it’s important to know the best method so you don’t ruin the pie. You might typically use a microwave, but an unlikely and ideal tool is your cast-iron pan.
A cast-iron pan on the stovetop might not be as quick as a turn in the microwave, but it’s the ideal technique to achieve a crispy crust rather than letting it go soggy. When done right, the pizza should be crispy at the bottom and reheated at the top so it’s nearly the same as it was fresh out of the box last night. It happens because cast iron has the ability to maintain heat, ensuring the pizza is crisped and warmed through from the toppings to the bottom of the crust after it’s preheated. Cast-iron pans are also oven safe, so you can preheat the oven and reheat the slices in the oven in addition to on the stovetop.
Satisfy your craving faster and skip preheating a cast-iron pan
There are some tips you need when cooking with a cast-iron skillet, even if you’re just reheating pizza. You won’t need to preheat the skillet since it’s about reheating here. There’s no need to use any cooking oil or spray either since the pan should be well seasoned. Place as many slices of pizza as the pan allows without overcrowding; then set the burner to medium heat. At this point, let it warm for five minutes uncovered, or cover it from the start. If you don’t cover it from the start, check the bottom after a few minutes, and if it’s crispy, add a few drops of water to the pan and then cover it for a couple of minutes. The water creates steam, which allows the cheese to melt and the crust to stay moist rather than drying out.
Now that you’re an expert on how to reheat pizza in a cast-iron pan, why not spruce it up a bit? Add a drizzle of hot honey for spice, or sprinkle some fresh Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, or red pepper flakes like you might with a fresh slice at the pizzeria. After the final bite of the reheated pizza, don’t forget to clean your cast-iron pan by wiping it with a paper towel, using warm water if needed, and then re-season it with oil. And if you don’t like this method, consider some of these other tricks to reheat pizza.
