Can You Put a Pizza Box in the Oven?

Pizza! The grace of Italy! Who doesn’t love the addictive smell of the pizza and the melting cheese on the top? As one of the biggest lovers of pizza, I was unsure whether to order a pizza or not because I had to live alone during the pandemic. If you live alone like me or order a big pizza, it is highly possible that there will be leftover pizza that won’t taste good when you reheat. Or, when the delivery comes it might be too late and your pizza might be too cold to enjoy it. At this point, you might think of putting it directly into the oven in case it may not fit in the microwave. And that question comes to your mind: can you put a pizza box in the oven?

In this article, we will be explaining whether you can put a cardboard pizza box in the oven or not. Besides, there will be some tips about the best ways of heating your pizza. Read until the end before putting your pizza in the oven. 🙂

What Happens When You Put a Pizza Box in the Oven?

The next time when you order a pizza, try to take a look at the box first and check the material. You will see that the pizza box is cardboard paper and it is combustible. If you put a pizza box in the oven at high degrees, it will catch fire easily. Although the pizza box is safe until 450°F, it is always better to be safe than sorry. And you will be eliminating the possibility of fire in your kitchen.

Instead, you can recycle the pizza box. This way you will fulfill your duty for the mother nature as well! Check this link for more info on recycling cardboards.

The only reason why we shouldn’t reheat pizza with the pizza box is not the danger. Besides, your pizza will not taste good if you decide on heating it with the box. When you put them together in the oven, the cardboard will disturb the circulation of the heat. And as a result, the top of the pizza will melt while the bottom burns and gets crusty. Also, there are some chemicals in the structure of the pizza box that will possibly change the taste of the pizza.

If you do not want to have a soggy or dry pizza when you heat it, we will have some advice for you. Depending on what kitchen appliance you have, you can choose any of these options.

Safe Ways to Heat Pizza and Keep It Warm

Your pizza has arrived and suddenly, you remembered that you had to do something before dinner. When you come back, you see that your pizza got cold. There are three options for you at this point: oven, microwave, and countertop stove.

Using Oven to Reheat Your Pizza

This option doesn’t only help to heat your pizza. But, it can also help you keep your pizza warm. When you are finished with heating the pizza, you can put it back in the pizza box and put it back in the oven. In this way, the pizza box will be keeping the heat coming from the oven.

Without any equipment:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. If you are not worried about the cleaning, put your pizza directly on the oven rack.
3. Wait for 6-9 minutes.
4. Dinner is ready!

With aluminum foil:

1. Separate the whole pizza slices.
2. Wrap each slice individually to an aluminum foil. (Because aluminum foil might be unhealthy when it touches the food, it is better to wrap the pizza with a baking sheet first.)
3. Set the oven to 400°F.
4. Heat your pizza slices for 10 minutes.
5. Your pizza is ready to enjoy!

With the baking tray:

For a crispy pizza;

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Make sure that you leave the baking tray in the oven during preheating.
3. Wait for a few minutes and put the pizza in the baking tray.
4. Wait for almost 10 minutes until the cheese melts.
5. Bon appetite!

For a softer pizza dough;

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Leave the baking tray on the outside.
3. When the oven is heated, put the pizza in the baking tray.
4. Put the oven in the baking tray and wait until the cheese melts.
5. Enjoy!

Using Microwave To Heat the Pizza

Heating your pizza with radiation may not sound good but this is also an option for you. Whenever I try to reheat my pizza in the microwave, it will either be too dry or too soggy. However, microwaving pizza is a popular option because it saves more time compared to the oven. Here are the options for the most delicious reheated pizza for you:

With a paper towel:

1. Use a spacious dish and put a paper towel on it. (The paper towel will take the extra moist from the pizza and prevent it to be soggy.)
2. Put each pizza slice individually on the paper towel.
3. Set the microwave to 1 minute and repeat this if necessary. ( In this way, you will be able to check the temperature of the microwave and take the pizza before it burns.)
4. Enjoy your pizza!

With a bowl of water:

1. Fill 2/3 of the bowl with water.
2. Place the pizza on the top of the dish. *If you have a whole pizza to heat, put the pizza in a dish and place a glass of water next to it.
3. Set the timer to 1 minute and heat your pizza in medium heat.
4. You can enjoy your crispy pizza.

Using the Countertop Stove

With a stainless steel pan:

1. Preheat the pan to medium heat.
2. When preheated, add pizza slices and wait for a few minutes.
3. Add a few drops of water next to the pizza, not on it. (This will provide every part of pizza to be heated)
4. Cover the pan by using a pan lid.
5. Wait for a few minutes until cheese melts.
6. Your pizza is ready to get served.

How About the Pizza Box?

After all, we suggest you throw away the pizza box for your safety. By applying one of our suggestions, you can enjoy your pizza without worrying about a fire breakout. Although it is said that you can put the pizza box in the oven at 350°F, you cannot know how the oven will react. As we stated earlier, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Conclusion

We have tried to sum up the most useful ways to reheat your pizza and enjoy it as if it is just served by the cook. Because I am usually on a strict diet, I didn’t really have much time eating pizza. And whenever I did, there always have been leftovers. Trying to find the best strategy to enjoy the leftovers, I tried reheating my pizza in the microwave by using the water bowl strategy. That is why I can assure you that you will get a delicious pizza when you use the microwave. While using the oven, please make sure to use a baking sheet before wrapping your food with aluminum foil. We have explained why your food shouldn’t directly touch the aluminum foil in this article.

It is time to enjoy your pizza while reading this article. If you have ever tried heating your pizza with one of these ways, please let us know in the comments.