Can you freeze pizza? This is the single type of food that I, as well as many of my fellow students, will forever call a true staple for anyone studying.
The pizza was one of my most common meals during my time at Uni, using it for everything from sustenance, nutrition, comfort, and entertainment. But there was one question that would always come up. Can you freeze pizza?
We weren’t rich back then, not by a long way. And the pizza we ordered would often end up in the bin if not eaten within at least a day of delivery. While breakfast pizza was another staple, it just didn’t keep well once placed in the fridge, and that posed a problem.
What we needed was a way to keep the left-overs so we could enjoy them for longer than a day. But no matter how often we tried, the end result just didn’t stand up to the freshly-delivered slices. What we needed back then was the knowledge I’m about to pass on to you; 3 simple ways to freeze pizza and preserve it as fresh as the first moment it arrived from the store.
I still don’t know what it was back then that kept me coming back to this one food. There was such a variety of fast foods to choose from, even back then. But no matter how many times my friends offered me an alternative, I would always return to my old faithful, opting for the pizza choice.
Why Pizza is So Special
If someone offered me other types of fast food, I always found there to be very little variety. I mean, a burger is a burger. You might change the condiments slightly, but in the end, it’s a bit of meat between some bread.
But Pizza is different, in every way. There’s something about choosing a nice deep-pan, a thick crust with a beautiful texture. Or a thin and crispy base that felt a little lighter than the deep pan and made eating a slice feel like a light snack. There were options to have the crust filled, or even prepared differently.
Then, when it came to the toppings, it was every man and woman for themselves. We’re talking meat, chicken, seafood, vegetarian, spices, or a mixture between them all. And then there was the rest of the line up like olives, tomato, mushroom, peppers, pineapple, anchovies. Let’s not forget about the endless choices of cheese, like the stretchy kind that always ends up on your chin.
The base sauce is also interchangeable, from a deep tomato to a zesty BBQ, simple olive oil, or even a garlic base. There were so many choices that an entire menu could be devoted to just one variety. For me, there was really no question when it came to selecting a type of food for dinner. Pizza won every time.
Can You Freeze Pizza? The Mistakes to Avoid
Storing pizza can be a little tricky if not done right. And I mean it doesn’t take much to ruin a perfectly good pizza with a simple slip of the hand. You see, pizza has a little side problem that is hard to avoid. Its oil content doesn’t freeze well, particularly with the crust. If not taken care of, you could end up with a rubbery mess, not worth the effort.
Always wait until the pizza is at room temperature before moving it to the fridge or freezer. This will reduce the chances of nasty bacteria growing in your food. It will also ensure the pizza keeps in its optimum state.
If you plan on eating the pizza within the next day, it really isn’t worth freezing it. It will keep just as well in the fridge, provided you store it safely first. Simply keeping your pizza in the box and throwing the box in the fridge is a common mistake. The air will dry the pizza out quite quickly.
The 3 Steps to Perfect Reheated Pizza
Step #1: Pizza preparation
It’s all about how well you prepare the pizza before you freeze it. Make sure you store your pizza on a sheet of cooking paper and then in a zip-lock bag. It’s best practice to keep individual slices isolated from each other to prevent them from sticking together.
Step #2: Remove unnecessary wraps
When you are ready to reheat your frozen delight, remove it from the zip-lock bag and wrap the crust only in a sheet of tin foil. NEVER reheat in the microwave, unless of course, you enjoy rubber crust.
Step #3: Reheat
Now reheat the pizza in a preheated oven set to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 Celsius) for 12 to 15 minutes and try hard to refrain from opening the door too early. After the given time, a slice of pizza, as good as the moment it first arrived, awaits your consumption. Enjoy.
