Pizza is one of the most popular takeouts in the world, but the dilemma always remains when it comes to any leftover pizza from the night before. Do you eat it cold, or start the debate of the best way to reheat it?
At Fryer Consumer we might be a little biased, but we believe the best way is to reheat pizza in air fryer.
Keep reading and we’ll let you know why this is such a great option and how to reheat pizza in air fryers.
Why Use an Air Fryer for Reheating Pizza?
The other ways that people reheat leftover pizza is by using the oven, a pan, or their microwave. Here, we’ll outline the ways in which an air fryer beats these other methods.
Quick cooking time
Rather than waiting for an oven to preheat, an air fryer can do so in much less time than a conventional oven. This means you get the perfect pizza in just a few minutes!
Even cooking
Because air fryers circulate hot air in order to cook food, this means it helps to not only heat food quickly but evenly. This ensures that the toppings and cheese and cooked but not dried out, and the crust remains crispy without the rest of the pizza base drying out.
This differs from a microwave, in which food is heated from the inside out, meaning that the center of the pizza will be more cooked and potentially drier than the rest of the pie.
A healthy choice
Choosing to reheat pizza in an air fryer also makes for a much healthier choice, as little to no oil is needed for the cooking process. In fact, the air fryer can use the residual oil from the pizza slice itself in order to reheat it!
How to Reheat Pizza in Air Fryer
To reheat pizza in your air fryer, follow our easy instructions.
- Preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees for a few minutes.
- While the air fryer is preheating, take your leftover pizza out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. This will prevent the crust from becoming too soggy during reheating.
- Once the air fryer is preheated, place the pizza slices in the basket or on the rack, leaving some space between them.
- Cook the pizza for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the crust is crispy.
- Check the pizza frequently to make sure it doesn’t burn.
- Once the pizza is heated through, use tongs or a spatula to remove the slices from the air fryer basket.
- Serve and enjoy!
Top Tips When Reheating Pizza in an Air Fryer
Make a test slice first
Some pizza slices might cook quicker than others, due to factors such as the size of the slice or the level and type of toppings on them. If you are unsure how long your pizza needs to reheat or are worried it might burn, consider just putting in one slice to start.
This way, you can make sure you have the right temperature and timings for all of the other slices without wasting or burning them all in one go.
Dealing with deep dish pizza
Deep-dish pizza is generally thicker than other varieties, and as a result, you may need to up the cooking time for it in order to get the best results. An extra 1-2 minutes is a good rule of thumb, however, if in doubt, follow our tip above and designate a test slice to perfect your cooking times and temperatures.
Use air fryer parchment paper
Pizza can be greasy by nature, thanks to the cheese and some of the other toppings. By lining the basket or rack with parchment paper, cleanup is infinitely easier and any grease will stay on the paper.
Don’t overcrowd the rack or basket
As with many other foods, putting too many items into the basket at once, or layering items in the air fryer can affect the cooking process. Make sure that each pizza slice has a gap between it and the next one, and don’t be tempted to stack the pizza one on top of the other.
Some pizza slices might be larger than others, so might not sit flat on the bottom of the air fryer basket. It is suggested to cut these pieces to fit, perhaps into two different slices.
Room temperature rules
If you have stored the leftover pizza in the fridge, take it out between 10-15 minutes before reheating it in the air fryer. This allows it to start to reach room temperature, which helps to increase the quality of the cooking process.
It helps to prevent a soggy crust and base by making sure any moisture from refrigeration is easily cooked away within the reheating time.
Ideas for Smaller Pizza Leftovers
If you only have smaller slices of pizza, or have ended up with offcuts from where you have needed to cut larger slices to fit the basket, we have a great recipe idea for you: pizza dunkers!
To make them, either cut your pizza into finger-sized strips or if you have had to cut the ends off of some of the slices, you should have small triangles.
Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees, and place in the small pizza pieces. Cook for 3 minutes or until crispy.
It’s OK for these to get crunchier than the regular reheated pizza, so don’t worry if they are a little drier. Just make sure to monitor the toppings to make sure they don’t burn, although larger toppings like pepperoni can be taken off before cooking and then added back on halfway through the cooking time.
Grab your favorite dips, such as ranch, BBQ sauce, or mayo, dunk, and enjoy a crispy pizza snack!
Conclusion
So, when it comes to this popular takeout food, the best option really is to reheat pizza in air fryer. Not only does it cook quickly, but it gives you amazing results each and every time.
We hope this article inspires you to use your air fryer to reheat more items, such as garlic bread or even tater tots, helping you to up your air fryer game.