Pizza is one of the most popular foods to eat at parties. It’s easy to serve, tastes good, and can be kept warm for a long time if you know a few tricks. Whether you’re serving a vegetarian pizza or one loaded up with meat, you have a few options to keep it hot and crispy. The one you choose will depend on the equipment you have in your kitchen or wherever the party is taking place. At Pequod’s Pizza, you can buy freshly made hot pizzas to keep your guests happy throughout the evening at your pizza party or gathering.
The Best Way to Warm Up Pizza
You can choose from warming up your pizza in the oven, in a skillet or frying pan, or in the microwave. In practice, the first two options are best for a party, since microwaves are generally small and won’t be able to heat up large quantities of pizza quickly. Once you’ve warmed up your pizza, there are also a couple of options to help it stay warm for a longer period of time. These include using aluminum foil and placing the pizza on a pizza stone. Here’s a rundown of how each method works.
One of the most effective ways to keep pizza warm is to wrap each slice or the entire pizza in aluminum foil, which acts to prevent heat from escaping. Once your pizza is wrapped, put it in the oven at around 200 degrees Fahrenheit and heat it for 15 minutes. Once you take the pizza out, keep it wrapped in the foil and it can stay hot for up to three hours. However, it’s important to ensure that you wrap the foil carefully so that there are no gaps or holes for the heat to escape.
If you’d rather use a pizza stone to keep your pizza warm, you can heat the stone in the oven for around 30 minutes. Then, place your pizza on top of the stone to warm it up. This method is good for keeping pizzas warm for about an hour. After this period of time, they tend to dry out. Pizza stones are relatively cheap to purchase, often costing in the range of $15 to $30. If you choose this option, you could also place a lid, decorative covering, or foil over the pizza when you place it on the stone so that it retains the heat better.
You can easily reheat small batches of pizza in the microwave. Just place the slices on a microwavable plate, cover them so they don’t receive direct heat, and put them in the microwave for 30 to 40 seconds. Heating the pizza for a longer period risks drying it out.
How Long Should You Warm Up a Pizza in the Oven?
The answer to this question depends on the method you’re using to warm up your pizza. If you opt to wrap it in foil as we described above, you should heat it for between 10 and 15 minutes at around 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
An alternative option is to heat your pizza on the lowest heat setting without wrapping it in foil. This option can be good if you know that your guests will be eating soon. In this case, you should keep it in the oven on its lowest heat setting for between 20 and 25 minutes. Any longer than this risks drying out your pizza. Even if you’re heating your pizza on the lowest heat setting, it’s wise to check it regularly to ensure it’s not burning or drying out.
Can You Warm a Pizza in an Air Fryer?
Although it’s a less common approach, you can certainly heat your pizza in a frying pan or skillet. This option is a good one if you don’t have an oven in your kitchen or at the party location. To get started, place your frying pan on the heat for a couple of minutes. To test that it’s warm enough, sprinkle some water into the pan and check that it evaporates. When this happens, you can place your pizza in the pan and heat it over a medium heat for up to 2 minutes. Check regularly to make sure the pizza doesn’t burn or stick to the pan.
Other Tips To Keep Pizza Warm
When the pizza is out of the oven or frying pan, you can take several steps to help it conserve its heat. One simple thing to do is to place the pizza near a heater so that the surrounding air isn’t too cold. If you’ve wrapped your pizza slices in foil, keep them in the foil and let each guest unwrap the slice when they eat it. In this way, the heat will be conserved around the pizza slice. Another option is to place a cloth or towel over the pizza to limit heat loss.
A further helpful solution is an insulated bag. You can purchase these bags, which are usually opened or closed with a zip or velcro. They’re great if you have to transport the pizza to the party or if your party is outdoors. These bags can keep pizzas warm for an hour or two, so long as you ensure that the bag is closed properly at all times.
Finally, it’s a good idea not to serve all of your pizza at once. You can always heat up more pizza later in the evening if your supply runs out. This approach requires a bit more planning, but your pizza will be fresher and hotter if you heat it on demand.
Order Deep Dish Pizzas for Your Chicago Party at Pequod’s Pizza
If you want to treat your guests to top-quality pizza, we’re here to help at Pequod’s Pizza. You can order your favorite toppings on our famous deep-dish pizza base. We can deliver to your home or party location across Chicago, ensuring that your pizzas arrive fresh and hot at your desired time. We also ship our pizzas frozen throughout the U.S. and Canada with Goldbelly. Why not go right ahead and make an online order today?
Pizza by Hajime Nakano licensed with CC BY 2.0