How to reheat a calzone - The best way

Straight to the point: everyone loves a calzone. The folded pizza is oozing with delicious fillings of your choice and is the perfect comfort food for any occasion. Devouring an entire calzone is a feat in itself, and you may have quite a few leftovers.

Or you may want to plan ahead and make a pair of calzones to keep in the freezer. When it’s time to reheat the calzone, what’s the best way to do it?  The best way to reheat a calzone is to do it in the oven for the best flavor and texture. You can also reheat a calzone in the skillet, but it may not heat up internally as well as using the oven. Don’t use the microwave, as it will make the crust soggy and heat up the interior too quickly, ruining the quality of your calzone .

In this article, we’ll show you how to reheat calzones in the oven and in the skillet, and further explain why it’s not a good idea to use the microwave. I hope this helps you reheat the calzone of your dreams!

The best way to reheat a calzone: in the oven

Reheating the calzone in the oven is the best way to make it taste just as good as the first time, and to get it reheated all the way through.

It’s the best way to make your calzone taste fresh, even if it’s been in the fridge or freezer.

Here’s how to reheat a calzone in the oven:

• Preheat oven to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit
• Take the calzone out of the fridge and place it on a baking sheet (something like this from Amazon would be perfect)
• If you have stored the calzone in the freezer, you can pop it into the oven from the freezer, but it will take longer to reheat.
• Drizzle a little oil over the calzone, which will give it a crispy, golden finish.
• Put the calzone in the oven, on the tray, and let it cook for 20 minutes. If you put the calzone in the oven from frozen, you should leave it for 30 minutes, and check if it has reheated after this time.
• When you take the calzone out of the oven, make a cut in the center to check that the filling has heated up well.  If not, pop it back in the oven in 5-minute increments until heated through.
• Remove the calzone from the oven when fully reheated and allow it to cool slightly before serving.

Advantages of using the oven - The oven offers the best results when reheating a calzone. With a little oil, the calzone will have a crispy, golden crust.

Reheating the calzone in the oven also allows it to heat through completely, so you won’t be left biting into some cold bits, but rather some piping hot.

The other advantage of using the oven is that you can reheat the calzone from frozen , so you don’t have to worry about letting it defrost for hours beforehand.

The calzone will have to reheat longer if it comes frozen, but it’s still a fraction of the time it takes to thaw the calzone in the fridge.

Cons of using the oven - There is really only one con when it comes to reheating a calzone in the oven, and that is that it takes longer to do compared to the pan.

First of all, you have to wait for the oven to heat up, and then wait about 20-30 minutes for the calzone to reheat.

This may not seem like a long time, but when you’re starving, the minutes add up!

Reheating a calzone in a skillet

The skillet can be a quicker solution for reheating a calzone, and while it can be used successfully to reheat leftovers, it requires some skill, and some extra attention, to ensure that the calzone doesn’t have a burnt crust, or that the filling doesn’t be hot

Here’s how to reheat a calzone in a skillet:

• Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat on the stove.
• Place the calzone in the pan and let it cook for about 2 minutes, or until the bottom is crisp.
• Flip the calzone over to the other side and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Turn the heat down to low
• Add 4 drops of water out of the calzone into the pan
• Cover the pan with a lid
• Allow the water to steam to reheat the filling
• Remove the calzone from the heat and let it rest for 1 minute to distribute the heat
• Serve immediately and enjoy it.

Pros of using the skillet - Although there are a few extra steps and you have to watch out that the calzone doesn’t burn, it is much faster to reheat the calzone in the skillet than in the oven.

With a little water and a lid to allow for steaming, the filling inside will reheat, while the crust crisps up again.

Cons of using the skillet - If left even a minute too long on either side, the crust of the calzone can burn and become tough and not flavorful at all.

You also have to be careful not to add too much water to the pan, and not to get too close to the calzone, as this could lead to a soggy crust . You will need to check the calzone a few times to make sure the filling has been reheated.

Another drawback is that you can’t reheat the calzone from the freezer , and you’ll need to have taken it out of the freezer hours before to make sure it’s thawed enough to reheat in the skillet.

Why you shouldn’t use the microwave

The microwave is terribly convenient, since it heats food, both from the refrigerator and the freezer, in a very short time. It sounds like the perfect kitchen appliance for reheating leftovers, but not for calzones.

You should avoid putting leftover calzones in the microwave to reheat them. Microwaving the calzone will make the crust very soggy, and it will lose all the crunch that is so good in a calzone.

Although you might be tempted to try it in the microwave for a few minutes, you’d better stick with it and use the oven or skillet to ensure the calzone is at most edible. Avoid the microwave at all costs!

Reheating a frozen calzone

Reheating a frozen calzone is incredibly easy if you use an oven.

As we have already said, you can put the frozen calzone in the oven for about 30 minutes, without worrying about having to defrost it first.

However, if you use the skillet, you will need to thaw the calzone completely before reheating it.

The safest way to do this is to let it thaw in the fridge overnight. This requires a bit of planning and is not useful for when you want an instant fix.

The calzone is best thawed in the fridge overnight or for a few hours, as it doesn’t reach the danger zone, a temperature range of 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, which favors the growth of bacteria.

As delicious as a calzone is, you must protect it, and yourself, from harmful bacteria that can cause foodborne illness.

Related questions

How do you store the cooked calzone?

If you’ve overcooked a calzone, it’s worth knowing how to store it properly, to ensure it can be enjoyed in good condition, and safely at a later stage.

If you keep the calzones in the fridge, you should place them in an airtight container and consume them within 3 days.

If you are storing the calzone in the freezer, you can choose to place it in an airtight freezer container, wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, or place a few in a freezer bag.

The calzones in the freezer must be consumed within 3 months so that they retain their best quality.

Can you reheat a calzone in the air fryer?

It’s possible to reheat a calzone in the air fryer, and it’s an incredibly quick way to do it.

To reheat a calzone in the air fryer, you need to turn the air fryer on to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and place the calzones inside the air fryer for 3-4 minutes.

The air fryer will keep the crust crisp and make the filling reheat too.

What is the best to accompany a calzone?

Calzones often have strong flavored fillings, so the best side for a calzone is a simple green salad, with a light ranch dressing or balsamic vinaigrette.

How to reheat a calzone

No need to cry over soggy underpants anymore. Using the oven or skillet, you can easily reheat your leftover calzones in no time , keeping the crust super crispy and golden, without drying out the filling.

The only rule of thumb for reheating calzones is to avoid microwaving them. Use only the oven or a skillet to ensure you have the most delicious calzone to enjoy in all its glory.