As a critical thinker and a big lover of frozen pizza, I’m ashamed that I just found out about this trick. Partly I’m miffed that now there’s no excuse to have to eat an entire DiGiorno in one sitting. You see, I used to view a frozen pizza as a one-time agreement. You buy a whole pie. You bake the whole pie. You fridge the leftovers, and they’re never as good. It turns out that the last part never has to happen again. You can have a better frozen pizza experience by simply pre-slicing the pizza.
The benefits of pre-slicing
Cutting up a frozen pizza before storing or baking it gives you plenty more pizza benefits than storing it in the box it came in.
No more leftovers. I’m gifted at eating a large quantity of food alone, but this is more a talent than the standard. A whole frozen pizza might simply be too much. For folks eating pizza solo, maybe a few slices is enough. Should the other five be destined for a dull, rubbery future in the fridge? Not anymore. Instead, pre-cut the frozen pizza into single servings so you can decide how much you want according to your appetite on any given day.
You save space in the freezer. I once had three boxes of pizza in the freezer while party prepping for the holidays and it was a nightmare. Those boxes are space-suckers. Cutting the pizza into smaller servings means you can stack and store the pieces in a more reasonable clump. For even more flexibility in the freezer, you can wrap the pieces individually and squeak them in wherever there’s a spare bit of space.
Grab-able portions are easier to heat. Whether you simply cut the pizza in half or you split it up into 20 bite-sized nibbles, these pieces will heat faster than the whole pie. The smaller the piece, the faster the cooking time. You might even be able to expedite it further if you have an air fryer. My air fryer basket is nine inches across, which means I can’t air fry a whole pie, but I certainly can air fry a few slices. As if it couldn’t get better, air frying pizza slices only takes five minutes at 400°F.
You can make any shape. Seriously. It’s true that you can slice hot pizza into slabs or slices, but it’s just harder. The cheese is running everywhere, the sauce is blisteringly hot, and most of the ingredients are more delicate once warm. Cold or frosty pizza cuts clean and easy. I don’t have kids, but I can see cutting pizza into wee squares to be especially helpful if you have small hands in the house. If you want to be particularly adorable, you can even use sturdy cookie cutters to make pizza hearts, dinosaurs, or stars. Again, I don’t have children, but I certainly enjoyed eating a tiny pepperoni pizza heart.
How to pre-slice pizza
Leave the frozen pizza at room temperature for about 10 minutes. This lets the pizza thaw slightly which will help eliminate the possibility of it cracking in an uncontrolled manner. Cut the pizza with a long knife and a strong downward motion. Use plastic wrap, foil, zip-top bags, reusable containers or a combination of these things to wrap and store your slices. Pop them in the freezer until you need them.
When the inevitable pizza pangs hit, awaken your slices from their frosty slumber. Unwrap them and bake them on a parchment lined baking sheet for the conventional oven, or put them directly on the rack of your air fryer. Place them with a couple inches of space in between each piece for crispy edges, or place them next to each other if you want softer, meltier sides. While this may be goodbye to leftovers, it’s hello to less waste and more freezer space.