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I made frozen pizzas using the oven, stovetop, microwave, and grill.
Making pizza in the microwave was an easy and quick process but produced a sad, soggy slice.
I didn't expect the grill to win, but the smoky, crispy slice left a lasting impression on me.
As a native New Yorker, pizza is one of my all-time favorite meals, whether I'm enjoying a slice at a sit-down restaurant or heating up a frozen pizza.
I cooked my favorite pizza in the oven, over the stovetop, in a microwave, and on the grill to see which appliance could yield the crispiest, melty slice. I'd only ever done so in the oven, so I was excited to see the results.
Here's how each appliance stacked up.
I started by dividing my frozen pizzas and preheating my oven.
I used the Caulipower cheese lovers and margherita pizzas for this taste test.
Carolina Gazal
I went with a tried-and-true brand for this appliance experiment. I purchased Caulipower cheese and margherita pizzas for $10 per pie. Each pie is gluten-free and made with a cauliflower crust.
I cut each pie in half so I had four slices ready to go, one for each appliance. I was excited to observe how the cheese would melt in each appliance and see if I could taste any difference in the tomato sauce from one slice to another.
After I sliced the pizzas, I preheated my oven.
The instructions on the box recommended a conventional oven.
I placed the pizza on a pan and put it in the oven.
Carolina Gazal
The instructions said to preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and cook the pizza directly on the middle rack until the cheese was golden brown and the crust was crispy.
I decided to put the pizza on a pan in case any cheese fell off while baking.
The pizza began to turn a nice golden-brown color in the oven.
The pizza was ready in just 13 minutes.
Carolina Gazal
My kitchen was filled with a fresh, warm, tomato aroma as the pizza baked.
Once the time was up, I took my slice out of the oven to find a golden-brown crust and crispy mozzarella, fontina, provolone, and Asiago bits.
The oven-baked pizza was perfectly crispy.
I loved how cracker-like the pizza crust became.
Carolina Gazal
I thoroughly enjoyed how toasty the topping became, and was glad I stuck the pizza on a pan to keep the cheese bits from melting off.
The slice was warm and crunchy, as the crust had a pita-chip texture to it.
Next, I pan-fried my frozen slice with the lid on to melt the cheese.
I added some Pam to the pan so the slice wouldn't stick.
Carolina Gazal
I'd never tried frying up a cold pizza in a pan but I was excited to see how the crust would turn out with the stovetop.
I sprayed some nonstick Pam cooking spray on my pan and slid the pizza onto it, placing my lid on top to ensure the cheese would melt.
I really enjoyed how gooey the cheese became on the stovetop-cooked pizza.
The stovetop pizza looked melty and delicious.
Carolina Gazal
After 10 minutes, I noticed some burned bits of crust and browned Pam residue at the bottom of the pan so I took the slice out. If I was to do this again, I'd keep a closer eye on the slice as it cooked.
I was surprised to see how nicely softened and warm the cheese got. All of the different cheeses blended together in a wonderful gooey heap.
Though the crust felt drier than the oven-baked pizza, the melty cheese made up for the stiff bread. I definitely thought I made the right decision by keeping the lid on top of the pan.
I put another pizza piece on a plate to go into the microwave.
I was hoping that the cheese would nicely melt in the microwave.
Carolina Gazal
I went back and forth with how long to microwave the pizza slice for. I wanted the cheese to melt but I didn't want the crust to burn to a crisp.
I decided to put it in the microwave for two minutes, check on it, and decide if it needed more time depending on the color of the crust.
The microwaved pizza got a little soggy.
The microwaved pizza was the saddest out of the bunch.
Carolina Gazal
The pizza still didn't look done after two minutes in the microwave. The cheese hadn't melted at all so I microwaved it for another two minutes.
I watched the cheese melt as it cooked and noticed the topping even started bubbling, which hadn't happened in any other appliance.
When I took the pizza out, the slice got cold almost immediately and was on the soggier side. It wasn't my favorite but I felt that I'd enjoy this cooking method if I was in need of a quick pizza fix. After all, it only took four minutes.
I was excited to see how a frozen pizza would taste on the grill.
I decided to grill the pizza on an aluminum pan.
Carolina Gazal
I fired up my grill to medium heat and placed my pizza on a circular aluminum pan to cook for 10 minutes.
I closed the top of the grill to make sure the warmth from inside would melt the cheese and heat up the crust.
The grilled pizza smelled delicious.
The grilled pizza had nicely melted cheese.
Carolina Gazal
After 10 minutes, I was salivating at the smoky smell of the grilled pizza.
This version didn't disappoint — it was peppered with charred pieces of cheese that added a strong, smoky flavor. I was even tempted to toss some barbecue sauce onto this slice.
I was absolutely obsessed with the smoky, grilled pizza.
The bottom of the pizza had grill marks on it.
Carolina Gazal
The crust was toasted to perfection and had nice grill marks underneath, almost replicating the feel of a slice cooked in a brick pizza oven.
This slice was an easy winner in my book.
Now that I've grilled frozen pizza, I can never look back.
The grilled pizza wasn't the darkest in color, but it had the best flavor.
Carolina Gazal
Even my parents and sister were shocked by the elevated, delicious pizza cooked on the grill. We couldn't believe how easy it was to level up a frozen meal and think we'll definitely try this again.
Though they were pretty easy, the stovetop and microwave methods had their flaws when it came to cooking the slices. The oven-baked version was good but nothing can compare to the smokiness of the grilled slice.
Next time I grill pizza, I'll upgrade it more by adding peppers, onions, and sausage slices.
Click to check out the other appliances we've put head-to-head so far.
This story was originally published on October 14, 2023, and most recently updated on May 24, 2024.
