The Great Pizza Re-Heat Debate!

Over the years a great debate has raged within the vast community of pizza lovers: how to re-heat pizza, and should pizza be re-heated?

I'm here today ladies and gentlemen to talk about both sides of the issue. I'm here today to say, "Pizza should only be reheated, if it is reheated correctly."

Also, if we have time I'd like to talk about pizza places, and their "re-heat-ability".

Lets begin shall we?

RE-HEATING (should it be hyphenated?)
You have many methods of reheating:
- microwave
- toaster oven/conventional oven
- leave it out of the fridge until it reaches room temperature
- fry it in a pan
- combo reheats (microwave/oven)
- big pizza oven (okay essentially using a pizza stone in an oven will do here)

Microwave:
This is possibly the worst way to reheat pizza; it leaves the reconstituted pizza in a soggy state, nothing like its original representation - also not fair to the original pizza chef! Yet, when used sparingly you can use this modern-day device to attain a "combo reheat".

Toaster Oven:
Sometimes this works great, sometimes not so much. The problem here is that it will chiefly reheat the surface of the pizza; leaving the bottom portion/middle a little on the not so hot as the top (another pizza travesty).

Leave it out of the fridge until it reaches room temperature:
This is how they do it in College. Students everywhere will attest to their love for room-temperature/cold pizza. But hey, we were all lazy at one point or another in our lives weren't we? It should be mentioned that the local health department would frown upon this practice as you are allowing a dairy product to be in what they call "the danger zone".

Big Pizza Oven:
Okay, whom here has one of these? Right, pretty much no one. But this will remain the best way to reheat your pizza. It will thoroughly cook your pizza on all sides, and give you that original crispiness that the crust once held so deliciously as you gazed upon its beauty in the pan/box upon its arrival. I admit, it's not realistic to show up to a pizzeria with your left-overs and ask for a reheat, but we can dream can't we?

Fry Pan:
I bet you thought I was kidding didn't you? Well I'm not, this is my favorite, most efficient way to reheat leftover pizza. Let me tell you how I do it....
First - I like to give it a quick 10-20 seconds in the microwave (I told you about combo'ing it didn't I!)
Second - I'll heat up a frying pan (while the pizza is in the microwave actually), and put a little olive oil with a splash of garlic salt in the pan, swirl it around the pan so that it doesn't pool up.
Third - add slice of pizza when pan is hot.
Keep an eye and nose open for the pizza. Remember, your nose always knows! When you can smell something cooking, it usually means its about ready (this is because the food reaches its "boiling point" and it releases gaseous vapors which you smell).
Now you'll see that the bottom of the crust should be crispy, and will carry a little extra lovey-flavor thanks to that olive oil/garlic salt addition.

Do you find it delicious?

Now, lets talk turkey here... One whom is a pizza expert should ask, "Do you reheat pizza at all?" To which the answer is actually - no. If you respect the pizza, you'll order the right amount for you to eat when you get it, also, you'll go to a pizzeria rather than have it delivered or picked up, as this gives you the best representation of the pizza's initial quality (plus you can get out of your house). I know it's hard for most Americans to find the time to do anything outside of their homes, but I challenge you to do this! It will open up your pizza-palette, and your pizza-chakra.

That is all for now. As they say in hipster land: ciao.