7 Genius Pizza Hacks

Pizza—one of history’s greatest food inventions! Whether warm for dinner, cold for breakfast, or something in between, there is no denying it is one of the most popular—and accessible—foods on the planet. With so many ways to prepare and so many ways to enjoy, pizza might become an afterthought of a meal if it weren’t for people applying a little science and ingenuity to create some “pie-tech” pizza hacks.

Prevent mushy reheated crust

Leftover pizza really can be just as delicious the second time around. You can reheat with an oven, but if you just don’t have the time, a microwave can do the trick. “But the crust is soggy when I do it that way!” Can the mushy microwaved pizza crust be beaten? To keep from ruining that perfectly good leftover slice, microwave a small amount of water in a glass alongside the pizza. You’re not “steaming” the pizza, but using the water as a “heat sink” to help keep the moisture in the crust from evaporating and then condensing into a hot mess.

College cooker

This trick is perfect for college kids or anyone lacking a standard microwave. Got an iron and some aluminum foil? Take some foil (if you’ve got a cooking spray, it might be helpful for this side) and turn that pizza top-side down on top of it. Use a second piece of foil for the bottom of the pie and place that hot iron right on top. After a short time, flip your foil sandwich over and heat the other side. Two things to note: don’t forget the foil and don’t overdo it. You’re not trying to iron creases out of your pizza, after all!

Waffle-iron pizza

This trick may not be new, but it’s popular because it is so incredibly tasty! To utilize this method, take a slice of pizza and add additional desired toppings to the upper left-hand corner. Take the bottom of the slice and roll it up towards the toppings you’ve just added. Then cut off the crust. Place your folded pie on a pre-heated waffle iron. Heat for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is gooey and the crust is golden brown. The nooks created by the waffle iron create a delicious final product perfect for dipping, so be sure to have your favorite sauces or oils on hand to make this creation even better.

Pizza sandwich

For an unbelievably amazing treat, take 2 slices of pizza and add cheese to the middle, keeping the crust on the outside. Grated cheese or sliced cheddar works best, but any cheese should produce satisfactory results. Place the pizza sandwich in a pre-heated pan turned to medium-to-high heat, keeping or discarding the crusts depending on your preference. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, until the cheese is bubbly in the center and pizza is heated all the way through.

Pizza transportation

If you’ve got seat warmers, why not use them? If you’re picking up your pizza yourself, bring a bottle of water and lay it down on the passenger seat. Turn on that seat’s warmer on the way over to the pizza place and when you get back in the car, you’ll be able to keep the pizza level with the water bottle but also have a warm seat to help keep it from getting too cold on the trip home. Just make sure you divert your air conditioning so it doesn’t defeat the purpose and chill the top of the box. You can also place oven mitts on the car seat on the way to pick up and then put those warm mitts on top of the box on the way back.

Create-Your-Own pizza oven

Who needs a super-expensive pizza stone? To create the ultimate pizza, why not make your own pizza brick oven? Just like a “stone”, this method helps distribute the heat inside your oven evenly. Purchase 2-12″ unglazed ceramic tiles, or 8-6″ pieces. They must be unglazed, and they must be arranged in 2 layers.

Arrange the bricks in the oven on two different racks. The base layer is responsible for producing crispy crusts, while the top layer increases the temperature around the pizza by generating extreme heat from the bricks above. This even distribution of heat produces attractive, golden-brown top crusts. For best results, place the stones in the oven while it is still cold. Elevate the oven’s temperature as high as possible over the course of about 45 minutes until the stones are extremely hot.

Just as with a pizza stone, you should leave the bricks or tiles in the oven to cool before removing. The whole point is that those pizza stones retain heat well, so taking them out when they are still hot is very dangerous. Oh, and don’t even think about taking anything out of a warm oven without protecting your hands!