How to Prepare Frozen Pizza in A Toaster Oven – A Beginner’s Guide

Before looking at how one can prepare frozen pizza in a toaster oven, we have to tackle a topic that tends to cause debates among cooking aficionados: which one is better for the task? A toaster oven or a microwave?

Even though a microwave may seem like a better kitchen staple, the best toaster oven will increase your functionality in the kitchen with a long shot. And this appliance’s capabilities do not just stop at making toasts, they can also reheat leftovers, broil burgers, bake cookies, roast vegetables, and more. What’s more? A toaster oven will come in handy when your traditional full-sized oven is maxed out, it heats up quickly, and perfect when you’re preparing a meal for just a small number of people.

As my grandmother always puts it, “A toaster oven will turn out a lasagna and chicken that is perfectly browned and pizza slices that have crispy crusts. Those are qualities microwaves cannot match or live up to.”

Now that you understand why using your toaster oven to prepare frozen pizza is the wiser decision, you still need to learn how to do it correctly; lest it comes out mushy, which as you may have guessed would be a great disappointment.

The first thing you want to confirm before preparing your pizza is how big the interior of your toaster oven. If the interior is too small, then you may have to cut the frozen pizza into two so it can fit. And to avoid this hiccup in the future, here is a detailed guide on best spacious toaster ovens. Anyway, if you opt to cut the pizza before putting it in, you have to understand the downsides. The crust usually found on pizza is there to ensure that the toppings stay at the center. When you cut it because your toaster oven is not spacious enough, then you can rest assured the toppings will melt over the slices’ edges inside the oven. And if you decide to place the slices on top of a tray, it will catch these overflowing toppings. However, note that the bottom part won’t be that crispy since the tray will be acting as an insulator.

Here is the detailed guide you can follow to cook delicious frozen pizza in your toaster oven.

Note that defrosting will not be necessary for this method.

1. Heat up your toaster oven using the highest temperature
2. Let it sit for more than ten minutes if you’re using the best spacious toaster oven. But if you’re using one of the best compact toaster ovens, you can let it sit for only five minutes.
3. As you let your toaster oven sit, start taking apart the materials used to pack your frozen pizza.
4. Consequently, place the pizza inside the toaster oven. As I mentioned in the introduction of the post, using a tray will result the bottom area not becoming crusty. So, ensure you do not use a baking tray or container when exposing the treat to the heat. The energy from the heating element has to come into direct contact with your food. For that reason, the best solution in this case is using a grill as it will allow hot air to flow freely below it.
5. Close the toaster oven and let the meal sit in there for 4 to 6 minutes. Do not let it sit for too long because you had already preheated the toaster oven before putting your meal inside. That said, also note that the exact time it will take will differ from one appliance to another. So, if you see through your toaster oven’s glass door and the meal has been cooked to your liking, you can switch off the appliance without having to wait for the timer to run out.
6. To know that the frozen pizza is now ready, the cheese in the middle will now be brown (light).
7. Take your delicacy out and enjoy it.

Now that you know the exact process required to prepare this delicacy, it’s time to look at the tips and tricks that will allow you to get even better results down the line using your toaster oven.

1. Only split your pizza while it’s still frozen

The reason for cutting a pizza into small slices I mentioned at the beginning of the post isn’t the only reason people do it. I also recommend that you cut your pizza if you’re not planning to eat all of it right away. Save the part you won’t eat and cook it later when you’re hungry.

Either way, whenever you decide to cut up your pizza, ensure you do it while it is still frozen. Cutting it after it has thawed as you wait for your toaster oven to preheat could easily result in a mess on your kitchen counter because the toppings and cheese will start overflowing.

2. Cut using a firm and sharp kitchen knife

Now that we’ve established that one needs to cut their pizza while it is still frozen, it is time to look at how the person can go about it. The same as all other meals, frozen pizza will be harder when its frozen, so not every knife will cut it You need to use a solid and sharp knife to do the job.

3. Do the cutting on a sturdy surface

Make sure you do not use a plate while cutting. Open your frozen pizza’s packaging, find the firmest surface on your kitchen counter, and get to work. Using this type of surface will also make sure the pizza does not slide or move around.

4. Hold the pizza down and apply some pressure on your knife while cutting

If you’ve ever done this before, then you know that frozen pizza is hard to cut. That said, that does not mean you should apply all the pressure you can while cutting. Start by slightly cutting it, then put some pressure on the top part of the knife. The knife should move in effortlessly.

If you follow this tip and use a sharp knife as mentioned in the preceding tip, you should get a clean slice as opposed to what you would have got if you had used a blunt knife and too much pressure.

If you practice every step above repeatedly, you can rest assured you’ll be serving some of the most delicious pizza slices, and anyone that’ll be lucky enough to try one of your slices will praise your skills for a while.

That said, while starting, I know you might feel the urge to switch up some parts of the steps and do your own thing, but I highly discourage doing that. First, become an expert, and then you can try making the process your own by switching up the steps.