Almost all of us love pizza. Pizza can be eaten at any time of the day. It can be consumed as a snack or as a whole meal. You probably know that pizza originated from Italy, but today it is one of the most popular food items all over the world.
In this article, we will tell you a few more things about pizza and its shelf life. In fact, we'll tell you how long leftover pizza can stay fresh.
Plus, we'll tell you how to make sure your pizza is fresh or if it's gone bad. If you love pizza, read this article.
More about pizza
Pizza is one of the most popular food items served in fast food chains, dine-in restaurants and frozen. It's a convenient dish that's versatile enough to satisfy even the picky eaters at your table. The simplest "modern" pizza consists of flatbread, tomato sauce and cheese, baked in the oven.
A variety of toppings can be added on top, including fruits, vegetables and meats, to personalize the dish. The basic ingredients of pizza are not dangerous if consumed in moderation.
The average slice of cheese pizza contains approximately 26 grams of carbohydrates and 10 grams of fat (including 4 grams of saturated fat). The fat content of pizza increases with meat filling. This is important to keep in mind when determining how many slices of pizza you will eat at one time.
The benefits and harms of pizza
Also, do not forget that this dish can bring benefits and harm. Since pizza contains tomatoes, lipoline enters the human body along with them. This substance gives vegetables their characteristic color. Lipoline is rich in antioxidants. Thanks to them, diseases of the cardiovascular system and oncology are prevented. Eating pizza frequently can reduce your risk of esophageal cancer by 59 percent. Calcium also enters the body along with cheese. But do not forget about the considerable amount of fats and calories that contribute to the appearance of extra pounds. If pizza is made from white flour, which contains a lot of yeast, then the dish will also have beneficial properties. For them to activate, the dish must be cooked for at least 11 minutes at a temperature above 287 degrees. In most cases, the dough is made from wheat, it contains many useful substances. They contain antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory properties. Thanks to them, the body can be more protected.
What is the shelf life of pizza?
The shelf life of pizza largely depends on how it is stored. In addition, it depends on the date of sale and the method of preparation. You can buy frozen pizza at the grocery store or pre-made pizza at a bakery or cafe.
In addition, we can cook pizza at home. Each of these options includes different fillings and has a different cooking method. And, therefore, shelf life is also different.
| Shelf life of pizza | |||
| At room temperature | Fridge | Freezer | |
| Ready pizza | 1 day | 3-5 days | 4-6 months |
| Frozen pizza | 1 day | 3-5 days | 6-18 months |
| homemade pizza | — | 3-5 days | 4-6 months |
But if you don't store your pizza properly, it will spoil faster. Leftover pizza has a shelf life of 3-5 days maximum if you store it in the refrigerator. You should not eat pizza that has been in your refrigerator for more than 5 days.
When stored properly, frozen pizza will retain its flavor and characteristics for up to 18 months . However, it is important to store it in the freezer. Avoid re-freezing.
Can I eat frozen pizza after the expiration date on the package? Yes, when stored properly, frozen pizza usually has a "Best before" date. But this is not a date when the product is safe, but only the manufacturer’s estimate of how long the pizza will remain at its peak quality.
Step-by-step instructions: how to carry out the procedure correctly?
In the oven: at what temperature and how correctly?
To reheat pizza in the oven, you need to know the intricacies of how to do it correctly, including whether to put it in a preheated oven or not and how long to reheat it. To reheat frozen pizza from the store, you will need to follow these steps:
- Preheat the oven to 220C.
- Remove the semi-finished product from the box.
- Place the pizza on a baking sheet or heatproof plate.
- Place the baking sheet with the pizza in the oven for about 8 minutes.
- Take out the ready-to-eat dish.
The oven can easily cope with heating finished pizza left over from dinner, for example, if you follow some recommendations.
If the pizza contains soggy or, conversely, dried topping ingredients, it is better to remove them before heating.
- Before placing the filled flatbread in it, the oven must be heated to 180C.
- If you have a pizza stone in the house, place it on the stone. It distributes the temperature and makes the crust more delicious.
- If you plan to bake on a baking sheet, it is advisable to cover it with parchment.
In the microwave
Next, you will learn how long to cook frozen pizza in the microwave and how to do it. Frozen pizza can be easily cooked in the microwave here's how:
- First, you should defrost the semi-finished product for 8 minutes, and then put it in the microwave and turn on the “Defrost” mode for 5-7 minutes.
- You can also defrost the pizza in the refrigerator and then place it in the microwave for 3-4 minutes at 800 W.
Before heating a store-bought semi-finished product, there is no need to remove the film from it - it helps preserve the juiciness of the pizza.
Practice shows that heating already prepared pizza in the microwave is not the best way, although it is the fastest. The crust gets soggy and the cheese becomes rubbery. To eliminate this effect a little, you can put a paper towel on a plate, place the pizza on top and heat it for one minute at half power.
To prevent the dough from getting soft, you can put a glass half filled with water in the microwave along with the pizza. The pizza will heat up more evenly as the water will absorb some of the electromagnetic waves.
We invite you to watch a video on how to reheat pizza in the microwave:
In a frying pan
A frying pan is considered the best way to reheat pizza. With this method, it does not dry out or become soggy, but becomes appetizing, as if it had just been cooked.
- You need to heat the pan and place the pizza on it, cover with a lid so that the filling heats up evenly.
- Heat over low heat for 6 minutes.
- Then you need to add 2-3 drops of water to the pan next to the pizza and close the lid again.
- Leave for another minute until the cheese melts under the influence of steam. As a result, the crust becomes crispy and the cheese melts.
Store-bought frozen pizza can also be cooked in a frying pan. To do this, you need to lightly grease the bottom of the container with oil and put the semi-finished product there, freeing it from the packaging. As soon as the excess moisture evaporates and the dough turns golden, the dish is ready.
In a slow cooker
To reheat frozen pizza, you can use a slow cooker. The main condition when using this method is that the diameter of the pizza must match the diameter of the bowl so that the flatbread retains its shape.
The step-by-step heating process in a multicooker is as follows:
- Line a bowl with parchment or baking paper.
- Place the pizza.
- Set the timer for 5-10 minutes and select the “Baking” or “Frying” mode.
- After this time, the cake should be carefully removed from the bowl.
Cooled finished pizza can be heated in a multicooker by setting the “Heating” or “Steam” mode, if such functions are available in a specific modification of the device. If they are not there, then you should use any other suitable cooking mode.
Cooking time in each multicooker model may differ; please refer to the instructions. The multicooker bowl must first be greased with oil.
How to properly store pizza?
Like all other foods, if not stored properly, pizza will also last for a shorter period of time. If you want your pizza to stay fresh, you must store it in the refrigerator. It is important to place leftover pizza in a tightly sealed container. This way, you will protect your pizza from drying out, as well as from excess moisture and other contaminants.
It's also a good idea to cover your pizza with plastic wrap or aluminum foil while it's in the refrigerator. If you want to store pizza for a long time, you must freeze it. But it is important to use airtight freezer containers. With this storage, the pizza will retain its taste, and its shelf life will be much longer.
It's worth remembering that microwave ovens turn pizza crusts into rubber. Therefore, we recommend using this solution in the oven.
- Freeze leftover pizza in foil or ziplock bags. Be sure to freeze the slices in a single layer to prevent them from sticking together.
- Wrap frozen crust in foil. If you're a crispy crust lover, this is a KEY step to maintaining the crust's texture.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes, depending on slice size.
It's worth the time. Much better than microwave. Crispy crust every time.
Bake pizza from frozen.
When you are ready to bake the frozen pizza, turn the oven to 500°F and prepare a pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Take the pizza straight from the freezer, unwrap it, and bake it from frozen.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Place pizza stone or baking sheet on middle rack in oven until hot. (Image
Roll out pizza rounds. Divide the pizza dough in half to make two separate pizzas if desired. Place the dough ball in the middle of a piece of parchment paper. Roll out to desired thickness. If the dough starts to shrink and fold into paper, let it sit for a few minutes and then try rolling it out again. If you are making two separate pizzas, repeat with the second round of dough. (Image
Bake the pizza. Slide pizza slices on parchment sheets onto a pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 3-5 minutes until the buns are puffed and dry on top but still very pale. (Image
Let the pizza cool completely. Remove the parchment from underneath the pizzas and let them cool completely on a wire rack. (Image
Top of the pizza. When cool, prepare the glasses as if you were going to bake them right away: spread the pizza sauce, add the toppings and sprinkle the cheese on top. Note: Pizza rounds can also be frozen without the top. (Image
Freeze the pizza. Place pizza on a baking sheet and freeze, uncovered, until firm, about 3 hours. (Image
Wrap the pizza in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Once frozen, remove the pizza from the freezer and wrap it in plastic wrap first. Write the pizza toppings on a piece of duct tape and place the label on the plastic wrap. Then wrap the pizza in a layer of aluminum foil. The double layer protects the pizza from drying out in the freezer. (Image
Freeze pizza for up to three months. (Image
Bake frozen pizza. When you're ready to eat your pizza, preheat the oven to 550°F (or the temperature you usually cook your pizza at). If you have bread to bake, place it in the oven until warm; frozen pizza can also be baked on the foil used to wrap it. Once the oven is hot, unwrap the pizza, discard the plastic wrap, and place in the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the crust is dark brown and the cheese in the center of the pizza is bubbling. Eat immediately. (Image
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How can you tell if a pizza has gone bad?
You will be able to tell if the pizza has gone bad based on your own senses. It won't be hard to tell because you will notice that your pizza has changed in texture and taste. The first sign that your pizza is getting old is a dry texture.
In this case, your pizza may still be safe to use, but it won't taste good. The pizza may not only taste different, but it will also smell bad and may become moldy. If you see mold on your pizza, you should throw it away immediately. You won't need to taste the pizza because mold is a clear sign that your pizza has gone bad.
How long to store food in the refrigerator
If after lunch or dinner there is cooked food left in a pot or pan, we transfer it to a container or bowl and put it in the refrigerator. It’s good if the leftovers are eaten the next day, but it also happens that we open the container a day later or even later, smell it, doubt it, eat it, etc. throw it away. How many days can cooked food be stored in the refrigerator?
The US Food and Drug Administration states that leftover prepared meals or processed foods should be refrigerated or frozen within 2 hours of preparation and, after a maximum of 4 days of storage in the refrigerator, not the freezer, eaten or discarded.
And here is what Roskachestvo : “You should not eat perishable ready-made meals (meat, poultry, eggs, and casseroles) that have been out of refrigeration for more than 2 hours at room temperature or 1 hour at air temperatures above 35 ° C.” It is clear that such time restrictions apply not only to homemade food, but also to dishes from ready-to-eat food delivery companies. This is a general recommendation based on bacterial growth rates and storage practices. Roskoshestvo also gives recommendations for those cases when it comes to a long feast: it is advisable to place containers with ice under plates with cold appetizers and you need to completely replace the eaten dish with a fresh one from the refrigerator, and not add a new portion to the leftovers.
Pea soup with meat broth, which will become even tastier on the second day of storage in the refrigerator
Summary
As you know, you can store leftover pizza for a few days in the refrigerator. But if you store it in the freezer, it can last up to several months. Of course, it is important to store pizza properly. This means that you should store it in airtight containers that will protect the pizza from moisture and various contaminants.
If your pizza is spoiled, you will easily notice it, so there is no danger that you will eat spoiled pizza. When you notice changes in your pizza, you should discard it immediately.
Store correctly. And be healthy!
Practical recommendations
To prevent the pizza from turning into a shapeless, tasteless mass of dough the next day after your inexpensive pizza delivery, you should not put it in the refrigerator directly in the box. The juice released by the ingredients (tomatoes, meat, etc.) will quickly saturate the dough. As a result, the dough will become soggy and the pizza will not taste good. To prevent this, you need to take the remaining pieces out of the box and place them on a plate. It is recommended to place napkins on the bottom of the plate first. To preserve the taste of the dish, you need to put another thin layer of napkins on top and cover with a plastic lid. It is important that the lid does not touch the top layer of napkins. After this, place the pizza plate in the refrigerator. This way it will retain its taste for two days.
How to ensure longer storage?
If you don't plan to eat the remaining pizza slices in the next 1-2 days, use the following method. Place them (1 layer only) in a plastic container. Cover the container with a lid and place it in the freezer. It is important that the container is sealed tightly. Otherwise, over time the dough will absorb a large amount of moisture. This method allows you to store this dish for two months.
How to reheat?
It is not recommended to use a microwave oven for these purposes. As a result of such heating, the dough will turn into a cracker, and the filling into a semi-soaked mass. It's better to use a frying pan. Simply place the pieces in a preheated frying pan (do not add oil) and cover them with foil. Heat for 5 minutes over medium heat.
With the tips above, you can enjoy a service like inexpensive pizza delivery without worrying about ordering too much.
To prevent the pizza from turning into a shapeless, tasteless mass of dough the next day after your inexpensive pizza delivery, you should not put it in the refrigerator directly in the box. The juice released by the ingredients (tomatoes, meat, etc.) will quickly saturate the dough. As a result, the dough will become soggy and the pizza will not taste good. To prevent this, you need to take the remaining pieces out of the box and place them on a plate. It is recommended to place napkins on the bottom of the plate first. To preserve the taste of the dish, you need to put another thin layer of napkins on top and cover with a plastic lid. It is important that the lid does not touch the top layer of napkins. After this, place the pizza plate in the refrigerator. This way it will retain its taste for two days.
