how long is pizza good for

How Long Is Pizza Good For? Preserving and Reheating Pizza Included

Did you order large pizza last night and have plenty of leftover pizza? You surely must be feeling unwilling to through them away to the bin. It is now the right time to search how long is pizza good for because always a good food needs to be consumed without leaving any residue! 

Pizza days! The word itself is mouth-watering. Don’t you agree? For decades this Italian food has been overruled by thousands of foodies beyond the territories. Kids, Teens, and adults equally love these cheesy pies. Therefore, throwing out the remaining few slices is an instant where each and every one of us hesitate a lot. 

Fine. If you are reluctant to get rid of those as waste, you must take necessary measures to preserve them. Generally, all the cooked food exposed to Danger Zone is subjected to the spreading of bacteria. 

Growing mold on the food and bad odor are signs that warn you that the food is spoiled.

What is the Danger Zone for Food?

  • Temperature between 40 °F – 140 °F is known as the danger zone for food that is kept at room temperature. 
  • When you keep a slice of remained pizza on your kitchen top for more than 2 hours, disease-causing bacteria such as Salmonella EnteritidisEscherichia Coli 0157:H7, and Staphylococcus aureus, consuming such a slice will make you sick.
  • Bacteria only take 20 minutes to double their amount in this hot zone.

If you need to remain a part of your dish for after-use, then you need to use the necessary preservation steps.

How Long is Pizza Good For?

The right answer for how long is pizza good for is if refrigerated within less than 2 hours after you take it out from the oven or bought from the pizza spot. Just placing them in a container will not do your plan. Don’t worry. Here we discuss effective preservation methods to store leftover pizza safe.

The science behind preserving a pizza is inhibiting contact with the atmosphere to prevent the growth of microbes. 

The type of topping, and being a homemade pizza or a store-bought one, also directly affect the question, how long is pizza good for.

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Is Refrigerating a Good Idea For Pizza?

Storing in a low temperature than that of the danger zone is a fruitful way to keep your favorite food saved for another meal.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that correctly refrigerated pizza will continue to be consumable for four days.

How to Refrigerate Pizza?

  • A sealed plastic bag must be used. If you have Aluminium foil, that would be better than the plastic bag. Aluminum foil retains the taste and the texture than plastic wrap.
  • Then place the slices in an air-tight container.
  • Use different air-tight containers if you got slices with different toppings, such as to prevent the mixing of their juices and smells together.
  • If you place it directly on a rack inside, you will find dry and tough slices when you are going to eat those.

Can Your Freeze Pizza?

Freezing is a common method used in food preservation, even in the industry wisely. Freezing food will preserve its freshness of it to a great extent.

In the case of our pizza matter, this is the best way to protect the crunchy essence of the crust and the taste of toppings.

Frozen pizza can be kept for about 2-3 months without an issue. But before 14 days will be the ideal time to use it as at this time the original nature will appear without any change.

How to Freeze Pizza?

  • Use aluminum foil and wrap the slices.
  • Then transfer them to an air-tight container.

How to Reheat Pizza?

Reheating is the way to make frozen or refrigerated pizza to its normal nature. There are several ways to heat it in our kitchen.

How to Reheat Pizza in Toaster Oven?

If you got a toaster oven with you, there is no need to look for other methods because this is the best way so far to reheat. At the same time, avoiding them from being rubbery or pulpy.

  • The process is so easy when you take the 5-3-2 method.
  • This means heating in high heat for 5 minutes, keeping in medium heat for 3 minutes, and finally 2 minutes in lower heat. If needed, you can spend more minutes at the lower heat until the slices come back to normal.

How to Reheat Pizza in a Traditional Oven?

  • Traditional ovens are the type that is famous among most pizza places.
  • Preheat the oven to 500 °F / 400 °F and place the pieces directly on the rack. Cook them for 5 minutes and turn the side over. Repeat it for about 4- 5 minutes.

How to Skillet Reheat Pizza?

  • Apply some oil and heat the skillet at medium-high heat.
  • Keep the slices with crust to the bottom and preheat for about 3 minutes.
  • Then heat the topping for about 10 minutes.

Using the Air Fryer to Reheat Pizza

  • Air fryer takes fewer minutes than the above methods.
  • Make the air fryer basket ready with an oil paper/ parchment sheet.
  • Adjust the temperature to 360°F and cook for about 4-5 minutes.

Important: Please heat the refrigerated or freeze food properly and completely before consuming it. That means until those become hot and steaming.

Summary

How long is pizza good for is a question that depends on the way of preserving and the time in which it was preserved.

If it was kept in the fridge following the way we described in this article, usually the period is four days. But the period of time can be increased by freezing it while hot and fresh.

Please check whether there are any changes in smell or texture before having a pizza that was directly exposed to the atmosphere to avoid any food poisoning.

Finally, we would like to add if you order the amount that you actually need, it will lead to avoiding this kind of circumstance. Try not to repeat this as your health also has some percentage of risk if any mistake happens while storing and reheating leftover pizza.

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