Reheating Leftover Pizza.

Leftover pizza. Do you guys know you don't have to settle for pizza that tastes mehhh? My sister-in-law told me the other night she had a "thing" about leftover pizza and stuck her chicken/spinach/artichoke pieces in with our leftovers without second thought. She knew she wouldn't eat them the next day. I was happy to take it home and eat it any way I could, but Frank's is a really nice place that Matt and I seldom afford ourselves to eat at, so I decided to pull out the pizza stone and give this pizza the reheating experience it deserves.

There are several ways in which you can consume day old pizza. You can go the cold route. I'm a fan of this IF the toppings are basic. Pep, cheese, you know what I'm saying.

You can also, God forbid, put the cold pizza onto a plate and microwave it. (My dad does this and he's a pizza expert. But the man loves leftovers any way he can get em, what can you do?)

Or you can do what Matt typically does, which is plop the pizza straight out of the fridge onto a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake it at 350 for however many minutes. Not the worst. Certainly not as bad as the microwave option. But the pizza isn't as good as it COULD be.

If you've got the time, if you've got the care, if you've got the muscle to lift your pizza stone, follow my instructions on the best possible pizza reheating method. It really is magic. Things that should be crispy will crisp. Things that should be melty will melt! The toppings will come to life and honestly, you won't feel like you're eating leftovers.

Step 1: Place your pizza stone in the cold oven. I know its heavy. But do the right thing.

Step 2: Preheat your oven to 375. THREE SEVENTY-FIVE. NOT FOUR FIFTY. The box's instructions are a recipe for disappointment. Trust me.

Step 3: Pull your leftover pizza out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature while your oven preheats.

Once your oven is preheated and the pizza no longer has a chill on it, place the pieces you wish to consume on the hot pizza stone in the oven. Shut your oven door. Magic will ensue.

Watch your pizza. It took no more than 12 minutes for these 3 slices to reach perfection. YOU GUYS. Its true, it IS more work and requires more attention and time to reheat pizza this way, but its so worth it.

The crust was perfect. The cheese was melty, but not in a congealed, half-ass way. But instead like in a fresh and stringy and hot and bubbly way. God, I love pizza.

One of my resolutions/goals for this year is to quit convincing myself I'm too busy for stuff that seems pointless. If it makes me happy and slows my roll for 20 minutes, its probably a good idea.

Don't let yourself believe you're too busy to reheat your pizza the right way. And don't think for a second that spending a leeeetle more time on something like your lunch isn't worth your time. You deserve it! Now get back to work.