- By: The Pizza Plant
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If there ever comes a day when pizza becomes boring, it’s time to think outside the oven. There are so many ways to heat up The Pizza Plant frozen pizzas, and each lends a delicious new texture to an already outstanding plant-based pizza pie. Think of adding a smokey char to the bottom crust, crisping up the edges for the ultimate crunch, or making the cheese so melty you can capture a cheese pull that goes on for inches. All can be accomplished with the help of a little culinary creativity. Here are five new ways to cook up The Pizza Plant frozen pizzas.
Traditional oven
Sure, a conventional kitchen oven is not new, but you could be using it wrong. Here’s a refresher to ensure you pull out the highest quality pie every time. Step one: make sure the oven is fully preheated to 425 degrees. If you have a pizza stone—or even if you’re just using a non-stick baking sheet—put it in the oven before the preheat begins. By pre-baking the stone or sheet, you get a more even cook and a crispier, not-soggy crust. Once the oven has come up to 425 degrees, let it hang out there for a few minutes, then put your frozen pizza in the oven. Cook for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden and the vegan cheese looks melty and divine.
Another important step: wait. Allow the plant-based pizza to cool for one minute before slicing into it and devouring it like it was your last meal. Not only will the toppings stay in place better, your tastebuds and the roof of your mouth will thank you for waiting for those painstakingly long sixty seconds.
Pizza oven
There are two ways to come across a pizza oven. One: you have a very well-off friend who happens to have a wood-fired pizza oven in their backyard; or two: you purchase one of these sleek home set-ups. Home pizza ovens range from $300-$1,000 depending on the brand, but if pizza is a regular occurrence in your home (as it is in ours), a home pizza oven is a worthy investment. These specially designed ovens offer several perks that a conventional oven can’t compete with. First off, they’re just plain fun. Who doesn’t love to pretend they’re a pizzaiolo and look posh in front of friends? Second, they allow you to impart some additional flavor depending on the fuel source. For example, ovens that require wood pellets will add a smokey flavor to your plant-based pizza as it cooks. Finally, pizza ovens work wonders when it comes to a crispy crust. They can reach up to 890 degrees—far exceeding the measly 500 degrees of most conventional ovens. This high heat means you can churn out a crispy, bubbling, flavor bomb of a pizza in mere minutes. Pizza ovens are also terrific for roasting vegetables—we’re all about multi-use appliances!
Campfire
Summer time means camping season, and just because you’re sitting around a fire doesn’t mean you need to eat plant-based hot dogs. If you packed a well-insulated cooler, you can have pizza in the woods. Here’s how to hack it: allow the fire to simmer down a bit—you’re looking for glowing embers, not high-rising flames. Set a cooking grate over the fire, then set a large sheet of heavy-duty foil over that. Sprinkle a small handful of cornmeal on the foil (to prevent sticking), then place The Pizza Plant frozen pizza on top. Cover the pizza with a fire-safe cooking implement such as a cast-iron pan, metal pie plate, or even domed foil. This allows heat to circulate more evenly across the top of the pizza and melt the cheese. Cook for eight to ten minutes, but watch it closely. Remember, you’re playing with fire.
Air-fryer
Anyone who owns an air-fryer knows it’s the best kitchen appliance they never knew they needed. From potato wedges to tofu, this trendy gadget does it all—including frozen pizza. This method is ideal for pizza connoisseurs who love a crispy crust but don’t want to heat up their oven. Note: depending on how large your air-fryer is, you may have to slice The Pizza Plant pizza in half. Start by preheating the air-fryer to 425 degrees. As with the oven, wait until it gets all the way there—not 415, not 420, but 425. Be sure the raised baking tray is in the appliance while it preheats. Once the air-fryer gets up to temperature, place the frozen pizza directly on the tray and cook for five to eight minutes. Once the crust is crispy and the cheese is bubbly, you’re set. Allow the pizza to cool for one to two minutes before slicing.
Grill
A pizza oven may produce delicious speckles of char along the outer rim of the crust, but a grill is the only tool that will give you lines of smoky flavor along the bottom of the crust. We’re talking 360-degrees of mouthwatering charred, smokey flavor. To grill a frozen pizza, preheat the grill until it reaches 400 degrees. Place the frozen pizza directly onto the grill grates over direct heat and close the grill. Cook for 10-12 minutes until the crust has browned and the cheese has completely melted. Transfer the pizza from the grill to a cutting board, wait (yes, waiting is always involved), slice, and devour.
Hopefully, your desire for pizza has been reinstated. To try one of these pizza cooking methods at home, stock up on a few The Pizza Plant pizzas either online or at your local Whole Foods, Gelsons, or independent health food shop. For the nearest location, visit our store locator page. To order nationwide shipping, visit our delivery page.
Remember to follow us on Instagram @thepizzaplantusa for drool-worthy pizza pics (you’ve got to capture that vegan cheese pull!), perfect pizza pairings, new store distribution, and more!