This is a cheap and fast snack meal – how to microwave pizza without getting a soggy bottom!
Over the years I’ve reheated many pizza slices, but the bottom used to get soggy, until I spent some time about 10 years ago working out a method that worked best.
I’ve actually got a microwave browning plate, but wanted to find a way to heat up a pizza without using that as I’m not always at home when I want a quick snack. So here’s the method:
What you need to do is to get the pizza elevated. I’ve got two ways to do this. Years ago I bought a plastic trivet which was advertised as a platter that could turn any dish into a microwave steamer, but I’d never got round to using it as I already have two perfectly good microwave steamers. I’ve also got a microwave crisp maker, that I rarely use either as I don’t make crisps more than twice a year!
It’s not just about elevating the pizza (or pastry/pie/quiche slice), but of getting as much air as possible to the underneath, so something that exposes as much of the base as possible.
Both these were ideal to test with. The steamer plate sits on four plastic legs, which actually makes more of the base exposed, but for this post I’ve shown photos of both these items.
I bought a cheap/50p pizza from the supermarket as I was curious to find out if I could microwave these and get something edible out of it. After all, who wouldn’t like a hot snack for just 50p?
I also had some remnants of red pepper that needed using up, some grated cheddar cheese and a pot of oregano. These aren’t required, but I did have them to hand so used them: 
- I removed the pizza from its clingfilm wrapping and placed it on top of the microwave crisp maker.
- I added my pizza toppings.
- I microwaved the pizza for 1 minute at half power (mine’s an 800 watt microwave).
- I then opened the microwave door (to let out any heat/steam build up) and left it for 30 seconds.
- I then microwaved it again, at half power, for another minute. By now the pizza was bubbling. I opened the door again for 30 seconds or so.
- Now for the final blast, watching it through the microwave door window I turned it on again until it “looked like it’d heated to the middle” based on the cheese melting.
- I then removed the pizza from the microwave and let it stand on the side for a minute, still on the base.
Verdict: well, it’ll never get crispy in the microwave, but it was very tasty and hot! The base wasn’t soggy at all and it was certainly a better result that ready-made “microwave pizza” products I’ve tried in the past (and a lot cheaper too). It just goes to prove that with the right method you can microwave pizza without it going soggy, without resorting to expensive brand names that need to be specially sought out.
I’ve since tried other toppings, including splashing chilli sauce over the top – that was a really tasty version!
I now pick up a couple of these cheap supermarket pizzas every week to use as the base for my own fast and easy microwave pizza lunches, adding in different toppings depending on what I’ve got to use up, or what’s in the sauces cupboard at the moment! If I don’t get round to using them, then I open the freezer and simply chuck them in! Zero waste!
Ideal for a work lunch if you’ve got access to a microwave at work! Simply mix up your extra toppings and take them with you in a little pot.