The Perfect Bite: Which fast-food pizza is best the next day?
While there’s nothing like fresh baked pizza, sometimes a slice the next morning can be even tastier. Today on the Perfect Bite, host Andrea Jenna and a guest Italian chef and owner of Toronto’s Local Kitchen and Bar Salumi Fabio Bondi taste test five pizzas to see which fast food chain takes home the honour of best cold pepperoni pizza.
241 Pizza
Right of the top, Fabio knows he’s going to like it, although Jenna finds it to be a tad on the oily side.
“I think the oil does it justice in the morning,” says Fabio.
“If you’re hung over maybe,” jokes Jenna. She points out that normally people don’t want that much oil on a pizza, but for Fabio, it’s the oil that keeps it moist until the next day, making it his easy choice for favourite. “That’s crazy,” says Fabio when he learns it’s 241. “I haven’t had that since I was a kid.”
Delissio
This store-bought brand impressed both tasters right away. “The dough looks fluffy, and it’s still really flavourful and saucy,” says Jenna. They notice that it's on the doughy side, but both still like it, and Fabio notes that the doughiness can actually taste good because it keeps it from getting dry. “It’s tasty,” says Fabio.
Pizza Pizza
There’s not a lot to say about this takeout classic. Fabio hails it as a “good morning pizza” and Jenna likes that “it’s still saucy and soft”, but neither of them are thrilled enough by the slice to name it a favourite.
Domino’s Pizza
The cheese on the Domino’s pizza has a caramelized burnt texture. “When it’s caramelized like this, the cheese the day of tastes really good, but it might have a different effect in the morning,” says Fabio. “But I don’t mind it that much.”
Pizza Hut
They both agree that Pizza Hut’s efforts are at the bottom of the list.
“It’s almost undercooked, do you get that?” Says Fabio of the doughy pizza.
“If undercooked means it tastes more than dough than anything else, then yes, I agree, cause this one does not have flavour to it,” says Jenna.
Once morning rolls around, Fabio says the pizza may taste even better than when it was fresh. He explains that when you make something one day and eat it the next day, it gives the flavours a chance to all come together and really explode.
“It’s like when you cook a soup or stew — it always tastes better three days later,” says Fabio.
So what’s the best way to store leftover pizza? Surprisingly, Fabio recommends simply leaving it out. “It’s like bread,” he explains, which maintains its moisture best outside of the fridge. “And the pepperoni is cured anyway.”
He also has a surprising tip on how to warm up morning-after pizza: face-down in the pan. “It gets nice and crispy and gooey,” says Fabio -- just make sure you’re prepared to scrub that pan afterwards.
