Can You Microwave Frozen Pizza?

Q. Can you microwave frozen pizza? What happens if you put frozen pizza in the microwave? Why might you want to microwave a frozen pizza? Why might it get dry or soggy? Is there a way to microwave it that will not ruin it? How long does it take to cook a frozen pizza in the microwave? Are some frozen pizzas better when microwaved? What shouldn’t you do when microwaving a frozen pizza?

Can you microwave frozen pizza?

A. The simple answer to the question can you microwave frozen pizza is yes. You absolutely can microwave frozen pizza, and sometimes it is the preferred way to cook it. However, microwaving is usually not the ideal way to cook a frozen pizza. When you microwave a frozen pizza, the crust might become soft and soggy, dry and hard, or rubbery and chewy. The cheese might not melt evenly and might become gooey.

There are some ways to avoid these disappointing outcomes. The best way to get good results is to follow the microwave instructions on the package, if they are provided. In any case, the pizza will be edible even if it might be somewhat soggy or dry.

There are several reasons why you might want to microwave a frozen pizza. Perhaps you love pizza and are craving it, but you don’t have an oven or your oven is not working. Or it might be that you are in hurry and don’t want to wait for your oven to preheat and cook the pizza. If it is a hot summer day, you might want to avoid heating up your whole kitchen. In any of these situations, cooking a frozen pizza in a microwave can be a quick and convenient solution.

In order to understand why frozen pizzas might become dry or soggy when microwaved, it is important to consider how a microwave oven warms food. Microwaves heat food by using radiation rather than heat. The radiation moves the molecules in the food around which causes the food to become warm. When water molecules in food are energized, they turn into steam. Condensed steam can cause food to become soggy, to burn, or to become dried out.

To keep the crust from getting soggy, you can try putting something that is microwave safe between the plate and the pizza to support the pizza. This will allow the moisture to escape so that the bottom of the crust does not get soggy.

If you have a microwave and a stove, but no oven, you can put the frozen pizza on a plate and microwave it for a few minutes until the cheese starts to melt. Then transfer it to a deep, dry frying pan for a few minutes to make the bottom crispy. Repeat these two steps and you should end up with a satisfyingly crisply crust topped with bubbly, hot sauce and cheese.

Other ways to cook a frozen pizza successfully in the microwave are to use a preheated browning dish or to get a frozen pizza that lists microwaving as the recommended cooking method. These pizzas come with a special microwave disk to cook them on and detailed instructions on how to microwave them. The results may vary, but in general, the pizza comes out evenly heated, with a crispy crust, and melted cheese. However, a frozen pizza cooked in a conventional oven still might be flakier, with cheese more bubbly and browned, and it might stay hot longer than one cooked in a microwave.

The main advantage of cooking a frozen pizza in the microwave is to save time. Here are some recommended cooking times for different size pizzas, but follow the instructions for microwaving on the box when provided.

8-9 inch pizza – 4-6 minutes
10-11 inch pizza – 5-7 minutes
11-12 inch pizza – 7-11 minutes
Pizza on French Bread, – 7-8 minutes
Mini Pizza 4, 6, 8 Pack – 3-5 minutes

While it is safe to microwave a frozen pizza, there are a few things that you should not do. First, you should not use a pizza stone in the microwave mainly because it won’t work. Next, you should not use aluminum foil or metal in the microwave when cooking a frozen pizza (or anything for that matter), as it can cause sparks, catch on fire, and destroy your microwave. Obviously, don’t use anything that is labeled “not for use in microwaves,” and be sure to follow the instructions that came with your appliance.

If you love the convenience of frozen pizza but you only have a microwave oven, you might want to consider getting a toaster oven or a pizza maker. These items are not too expensive and will allow you to cook a frozen pizza to perfection without the risk of a soggy crust.