6 Easy Steps to Cook Frozen Pizza

After a long day at work, no one wants to spend hours in the kitchen prepping a five-course meal. We want something easy to cook and eat straight away – that’s where a frozen pizza comes in. Frozen pizzas are a delicious, effortless fix for when you are tired or short on time.

But how do you make this delightful meal, you may ask? Importantly, how do you make your frozen pizza taste like that of your favorite pizzeria? Read on! We provide a step-by-step guide on how to cook frozen pizza to answer these questions and more.

Ingredients/Materials Needed for cooking frozen pizza

• Frozen pizza
• Pair of scissors (if needed)
• Extra virgin oil
• Basting brush
• Container
• Oven/microwave
• Non-stick baking sheet
• Oven mitt
• Pie server (if needed)

How to Cook Frozen Pizza

Step 1: Defrost Your Pizza

Even before you start cooking, make sure the pizza is thawed. Get it out of the freezer and set it on your kitchen countertop to defrost.

If you cook your pizza without defrosting, the frozen outer layer will melt and change to liquid, leaving the toppings and crust wet and soggy.

To ensure your frozen pizza is completely defrosted, don’t put it in the freezer when you bring it home from the store, especially if you plan to cook immediately.

Step 2: Take the Pizza Out of the Box

Most pizza boxes will come with a tear strip that seals and secures the opening of the box. Remove this seal to detach the cardboard flaps.

Slip your palm beneath the pizza and take it out, ensuring the side with the toppings is facing up. Once the pizza is properly placed on your hand, peel away and get rid of both the outer wrap and cardboard base.

Based on how firm the seal is, sometimes you may require a pair of scissors to cut the outer wrap open. [Can You Put a Pizza Box in the Oven?]

Step 3: Add Some Flavor

You want your homemade pizza to taste like that of your dearest pizza joint, right? How about we add some flavor and crunch to it!

To do this, put a small amount of extra virgin olive oil in a container and soak a basting brush in it. Then rub the brush over the crust surrounding the edges of your pizza.

When the pizza begins to cook in the oven or microwave, the oil will be sucked up into the crust, producing a subtle taste. Adding this layer of oil also helps the cheese near the crust brown nicely.

Step 4: Start Baking

• Oven-Cooked Pizza

Pre-heat the oven: Read the instructions on the package to find out what temperature is specified for your pizza. Most frozen pizzas require temperatures of between 375 and 425 °F to cook properly.

To make sure your pizza bakes evenly, have your oven set to “bake”. Some people set it to “convectional” instead; it all depends on the oven model you have.

No matter what type of oven you are using, however, avoid setting it to “broiler”, as this is one-directional heat. Such heat will likely overcook the top of the pizza and leave the rest of it undercooked.

While your oven heats up, you can finish preparing your pizza.

Put the pizza on a baking sheet: Grab a non-stick baking sheet and place your pizza on it, making sure it is positioned perfectly at the center.

If you still got time, try reorganizing any clustered or loose toppings. This will ensure the toppings are evenly distributed and cover more parts of the pizza.

Set the pizza in the oven: Slip your pizza into the oven, making sure it sits in the middle of the rack. Situating it this way ensures that the heat is evenly distributed since the pizza is not too close to the oven’s heating element below or above it.

While at it, check to see if you have positioned the baking sheet lengthwise to make it easier to remove when the pizza is ready. As soon as you have set the pizza inside, close the door of the oven to keep the heat locked inside.

Cook for the specified period: Frozen pizzas usually take between 15 and 20 minutes to cook properly. But the length of time will also depend on the number of toppings, with some pizzas taking up to 30 minutes to bake.

Set your timer so you can know when your pizza is ready. Plus it will help you not forget you have something in the oven. You will know the pizza is cooked when the cheese starts to brown and bubble steadily.

Take the pizza out of the oven: Once the pizza is ready, open the door of the oven and carefully reach for the pizza. Using an oven mitt, hold the baking sheet from the edge and slide it out of the oven. Now place it on a level heat-safe surface.

• Microwave-Cooked Pizza

Lay your pizza on the microwave plate: If your microwave plate is too small to hold the pizza, make sure to get a bigger one, and also be certain it is microwave-safe.

Position the pizza on the platter, ensuring it is laying perfectly in the center. Then open the door of the microwave and set the plate inside.

Cook for the recommended time:  Most frozen pizzas will cook for about 3 or 4 minutes in a microwave set at high heat. Thicker or larger varieties, however, will take a little more time, say between 5 and 6 minutes.

Read the package instructions to know for sure how long you should have your pizza in the microwave. You will also want to watch the pizza keenly as it cooks to avoid overcooking.

Remove your pizza from the microwave: As with the oven, the platter holding the pizza will most likely be quite hot, so be careful when pulling it from the microwave. We recommend using a pie server to slide the pizza onto an awaiting platter.

Step 5: Give Your Pizza Time to Cool

Whether you have cooked your pizza in an oven or microwave, allow it some time to rest before slicing it. 3 to 5 minutes will be ideal for most pizzas to cool.

The resting time is important not only in allowing the pizza to reach the perfect and safest temperature for eating; it also allows the cheese that melted earlier some time to solidify a little, making cutting up the pizza less messy.

Step 6: Slice Up Your Pizza

Now that your pizza is ready, nothing much is left other than cutting it up into slices and enjoying the work of your hands. Get your pizza cutter and slice the pizza into as many pieces as you wish to serve.

Any frozen pizza of average size should be able to give you about 6 or 8 slices. And don’t worry if you don’t have access to a pizza cutter; even a sharp kitchen knife can get the job done.

So, there you have it – six easy and quick steps for cooking frozen pizza. If you would like to learn more about this, check out this video.

Extended Tips: Tricks to Make Your Frozen Pizza Better

Get High-Quality Pizza

First things first; buy the best frozen pizza you can get. A high-end pizza will usually come with a slightly higher price tag, but will certainly set you up for a high-quality meal from the start. It would be difficult to improve a pizza that already was poor quality from the get go.

Add Seasoning

One of the easiest and most effective ways to make your frozen pizza tastier is by adding some fresh toppings before cooking. Green vegetables, chopped peppers, coleslaw, pulled pork, pine nuts, or barbeque sauce are just a few of the ingredients that could add extra glory to your pizza.

Use a Pizza Stone

Another trick you could use to upgrade your frozen pizza is cooking it on a pizza stone. Preheat the stone along with your oven and you will enjoy a tastier, crispier crust.

If you do not have a pizza stone, use a cast iron pan, or just place the pizza directly on the oven rack.

Cook in High Heat

While most pizza brands recommend cooking their pizzas at a certain temperature range, if you want your crust a little crispier, going higher than the specified temperature can certainly give you that.

Simply turn the temperature of your oven to the maximum and reduce the cooking time. But remember to stay close to make sure the pizza is not burning.

Summary

A frozen pizza is a quick meal that you can make any day you don’t want to spend the rest of the evening in the kitchen. Follow these simple steps and you will have a delightful, finger-licking pizza in just a few minutes:

• Start by defrosting the pizza.
• Next, add some flavor (optional but recommended).
• Then slide the pizza into the oven or microwave.
• Once ready, take it out, let it cool, and slice it as desired.

Do you like cooking frozen pizza? Tell us some of the steps you use to prep it in the comment section.