Is It Safe to Put a Cardboard Pizza Box in the Oven | With Alternatives (2023)

Well, yes and no. I want to show you what can happen if you put it in an ovenand how to do it safely. I’m also going to talk about some of the bestalternative ways to heat a cold pizza.

Is It Dangerous to Heat Cardboardin an Oven?

First, let’s get the main question out of the way. Canyou heat your cardboard pizza box in the oven? — Yes, you can. As long the box fits inside, you can heatyour pizza in the oven. But how safe is it?

Well, if you don’t do it right, there are a lot ofthings that can go wrong. For example, ifyou set the temperature on your oven too high, the cardboard might actuallycatch on fire.

Not only can heating pizza in an oven be dangerous,but it will also change the taste ofyour food. Most cardboard pizza boxes have a thin layer of paper insidethat keeps your pizza warm for a longer time.

But, since the paper is so thin, it heats up much faster than the box, and your pizza can taste bitter or burnt. What’s more, the paper is coated with some chemicals which get released when you heat the pizza this way.

How toSafely Heat up Your Cardboard Pizza Box in the Oven

As I’m going to show you a bit later, there are acouple of ways you can heat your pizza without using the cardboard or the oven.But, if your heart is set on heating it up in the box, you should know how todo it safely.

First, if you’re heating up the whole pizza, and notjust a couple of slices, preheat youroven. The safest temperature for heating is 170℉–250℉.

You can leave thebox in the oven for about 10–15 minutes, just make sure to check it everyfew minutes. Be careful when taking it out of the oven because the cardboardwill get hot.

How toStore Leftover Pizza

If you want your pizza to taste as fresh as possiblefor a long time, there are a couple of things you can do. First, you can put your slices in a resealable bag andput it in the fridge.

Also, you can coverthe pizza with some plastic wrap and paper towels. Just make sure it’stightly wrapped to avoid drying it out.

If you have a lot of pizza and don’t know what to dowith it, repeat the previous step and put it in the freezer. By doing so,you’ll be able to preserve your pizza for about six months.

But, even before you put the pizza in the fridge, wait for it to completely cool down. Ifyou put a hot pizza in the fridge, it will just become soggy and wet, andnothing will be able to save it.

How toHeat up Your Pizza

There are a couple of ways you can heat up your pizzathat won’t potentially burn down your house. First, let’s talk about ovens.

Oven

If you want to heat your pizza in an oven, you can just put it on your oven rack. Preheat your oven to around 350℉ and leave it in for 5–8 minutes. The pizzawill come out tasting as fresh as the day you ordered it.

Another great trick for heating your pizza is to wrap it in aluminum foil. Wrap every slice individually and put it in the oven at 400℉ for about ten minutes. If you use aluminum foil, your pizza will be crisp and taste delicious.

The only downside to using an oven to heat your pizza is that it will raise the temperature in your room. If it’s the middle of summer and you have no air conditioning unit in your home, I recommend trying another method.

Toaster Oven

Heating your pizza in a toaster oven is pretty muchthe same thing as doing it in a regular oven. The only difference is that you won’t be able to heat more than acouple of pizza slices at the same time.

First, cover them with some aluminum foil and preheatyour toaster oven to medium heat. Youcan also put some holes in the foil to let the moisture out.

Pan

For this next trick, all you need is a burner or hot plate and a pan. Put the pan on the burner and preheat it over a medium temperature. Then, place your slice inside and cover it with a lid.

If you don’thave a pan lid, you can use aluminum foil again. By covering your pan with a lid, thecheese will become nice and bubbly, and the tomato sauce will be the perfecttemperature.

Another trick I picked up works great if you’re acheese-lover. Grate some parmesan cheeseover your pizza to make a little skirt. It will give your pizza thatcrunch, and it will taste amazing.

Grill

Next, I wanted to talk about a method that might notwork for everyone but is a winner in my book. If you have a grill, preheat it to a medium temperature and leave thepizza on it for about 6–8 minutes.

By putting the pizza on a grill, you won’t have to worry about your cheese getting a rubbery texture. Also, the bottom crust will get nice char marks to give it some extra flavor. Unlike with the pan, you can set your entire pizza on the grill and let it heat up all at once.

Microwave

Last but not least, I have to talk about themicrowave. Now, this is the easiest andmost convenient method of heating your pizza. There are two ways you can dothis. First, you can just put your slice on the microwave plate and heat it upfor a minute at medium power.

You can also put a paper towel between your pizza and the plate. By doing so, the towel will absorb some of the water and grease, and your pizza won’t come out tasting like a wet, soggy mess.

Another method you could try is to fill up a microwave-safe dish with 2/3 of water. Put your slice on top of the dish and set your timer for a minute at medium heat. Again, if you take this extra step, your pizza will taste a lot more crispy and less soggy.

Bottom Line: Putting Your Pizza Box in the Oven Isn’t a Good Idea

There you have it — all of the ways to store andreheat your pizza. As you’ve seen, heatingyour pizza while it’s still in the cardboard box isn’t such a good idea. Not only will come out tasting bitter, but it can also potentially start a firein your home.

If you can, try each of these methods to see which one works best for you. My favorite way of heating pizza is putting it in the pan because it’s so easy. You won’t compromise the crispiness and taste of your slice, and the pizza will taste as fresh as the day you got it.

Related article: Can You Put Cardboard in a Microwave?