Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Next to my work place there is a Zachary's Chicago style pizza which is a local favorite. I am thinking about ordering a pie to bring home after work. But I live 35 miles away; with traffic it can sit in my car for up to 50 minutes. Does it make sense to do this takeout order? Is it common to take a pizza on such a long drive?
Anyway for me to keep the pizza still in tip top condition after such a long drive?
I'm not super picky on my pizza being in "top condition" if I can't eat it right away, as long as it's not super cold. You might check at Walmart or somewhere for those insulated bags they usually sell near the frozen food section. Claim to keep hot things hot and cold things cold. If it's not as hot as you like it when you get home, there's always the microwave.
If the pizza they bake is a favorite, I'll bet that's not because it is HOT. All pizza fresh from the oven is HOT. Its because you happen to like the combination of flavoring and amounts of ingredients they use. So what if it gets cold? Haven't you ever reheated a pizza? Many leftover foods keep a bit better if you refrigerate them promptly instead of try to keep them warm longer. I'd probably let that pizza chill as quickly as possible and plan to reheat it at home. I live in a cold place. No matter what type of take out food I attempt to take home, its going to be cold when I get there. It just doesn't matter. I chose that particular food because I enjoy the flavors (and, TBH because I didn't have to cook), not because its hot.
A couple of tried and true ways to reheat a pizza:
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,105 posts, read 80,190,829 times
Reputation: 56942
For me cold reheated pizza is just not the same. You could wrap the box in foil, and stick it on top of the engine on the way home, securing with bungies so it doesn't hit the fan, and it will keep warm. Better yet eat there, but that won't work if you are feeding your family. If you do bring it home cold, use the oven not the microwave to warm it back up, preheated at 400 then only for about 5-10 minutes. Check a few times and remove it it starts getting too brown around the edges. Warming it slowly or in the microwave will make it soggy and limp.
We have 6 pizza places within a 5 minute drive, unfortunately all but one are the cheap mediocre chains. The one good one is expensive, so most of the time I make it from scratch using sourdough starter and King Arthur Pizza flour for the dough.
If that's what I wanted I'd take it home. A hot bag like suggest above is very viable. We use those bags for hot or cold for a couple of hours sometimes. For favorite ice cream we use one and it works.
What's your concern, OP?
Salmonella? The pizza was backed in 500+F . It's safe.
Getting cold during your long drive?
You can safely reheat it. Use above methods and it will be still delicious. Just please don't put it in microwave.
Any insulated bag will work. You can also wrap it in a blanket or your winter jacket.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.