It’s not difficult to resist the convenience of the best pizza delivery near me as a dinner option, but here’s the thing: Whether you like a traditional New York slice or take your Neapolitan pies very seriously, delivery pizza usually disappoints.
The crust becomes mushy, the cheese hardens. It’s never nearly as delicious as it would be if you ate it at a pizza joint or stood outside a slice window (even though I know this, you want the convenience of pizza delivered right to your front door).
The good news is that here in my own kitchen, I can turn a lousy delivery pie into a pizzaiolo’s dream. For the same local pizza delivery near me, you can do these things.
Step 1: Make a purchase.
Choose your favorite pie and place your order. I won’t tell you what kind of pizza to have (you’re welcome) since the tips below apply to every type of pizza—red sauce, no sauce, or fresh tomato, thick crust, thin crust, vegetarian, meat-lovers, and anything in between.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Preheat the oven to 500°F and put a baking sheet on the lowest rack as soon as you hang up the phone. This is one of those times when a cookie sheet without a rim is preferable. When you’re slipping pizza in and out, that rim may get in the way. I’ll get to it in a minute.
Step 3: I really mean it; allow it to preheat.
Even though it reads 295°F, I am one of those guilty bakers who frequently simply put the cookies in the oven. However, part of the answer is to make the oven and baking sheet as hot as possible.
Delivery timings for pizza vary significantly based on your city/town and the distance between you and your favorite pizza joint. It may take up to 45 minutes in New York (don’t get me started). However, even if Pizza Bien’s is 15 minutes away, there should be plenty of time to preheat.
Step 4: Dismounting
Open the pizza box and put it close to the burner when it comes. Pull the heated baking sheet from the oven and put it on the cooktop using two oven mitts. Remove one side of the pizza box and slice the pizza straight onto the baking sheet (see how that rim gets in the way?).
Then back into the oven, swiftly and confidently. I tried sliding the pizza onto the baking sheet without taking it out of the oven, but this is not recommended. I’ve landed enough pizza on the oven door to know what I’m talking about.
Step 5: The Landing
If you’ve correctly preheated, this flash heating should only take around 5 minutes, giving you plenty of time to put your feet up, select your Netflix lineup, and pour a glass of wine or whatever you want.
Treat your pizza—and yourself—well the next time you order it. You’ve earned it.
