Almost every family in the US has purchased a frozen pizza once. But can you really cook it other than baking it in the oven?
You can cook frozen pizza in a frying pan or skillet on the stove, especially if you don’t have an oven. However, there are pros and cons to this like cooking in a pan can result in a crispy pizza crust but might not fully cook the pizza toppings.
Frozen pizzas are easy to cook, and even easier to eat. But how different are they from cooking in a conventional oven?
Can You Cook a Frozen Pizza in a Pan? Here’s How
It does seem like you can cook frozen pizza in a pan.
Before we dive into more detail, let us first discuss the difference between a regular pan and an iron skillet which will be discussed in the next section.
A frying pan and a skillet are the same thing. These terms are used interchangeably. Their difference lies in their construction.
Most of the frying pans we have now are more commonly made with stainless steel or aluminum but they can also be made with cast iron or copper (source: Caraway Home).
They can also be made with ceramic or carbon steel (source: Made in Cookware).
This means that cast iron skillets are just a more specific type of pan.
Quite a few people actually prefer cooking on a stovetop using a pan because this way gives the pizza a crispier crust (source: Eat Pallet). The results can sometimes be better than a microwave or even an oven according to some.
The goal of cooking a frozen pizza is to cook it evenly. With a pan, it can be quite a challenge to achieve this because the heat will mostly come from the bottom through conduction. The bottom of the pizza could burn before the toppings get cooked.
With this said, there are pros to cooking frozen pizza in a pan. To better describe them, here’s a table of the pros and cons of cooking it in a pan:
| PROS | CONS |
| Crispy crust | Burnt crust and undercooked toppings |
| Easy access to pizza | Might be difficult for beginners |
| Easy temperature control | Could take time to get used to |
| Easy to see if it’s cooked or not | Can stick to the pan and be hard to take out |
| A great option if you don’t have an oven | Might not be efficient on deep-dish pizzas |
Because cooking in a pan uses conduction while cooking in the oven uses radiation or convection, the results could be different.
If you want to learn how to cook frozen pizza in a pan, here is a simple guide:
- Preheat the pan to medium heat.
- Add the frozen pizza to the pan.
- Cook for an average of 10 minutes, or until the pizza crust has turned golden brown, and the cheese has melted.
- A thin-crust pizza will cook for about 5 minutes, while a thick-crust pizza will cook for about 10–15 minutes.
(source: Eat Pallet)
Remember, though, that different pans can yield different results. The pizza’s crust will also matter, whether it’s thin, thick, or deep-dish pizza.
Some people pre-heat their frozen pizzas in the microwave instead to make them cook faster. Here is a video showing how two pans can be used to cook frozen pizza on the stove:
Can You Cook a Frozen Pizza in a Skillet?
In the same way, you can also cook frozen pizza on a cast iron skillet and the steps don’t really differ from the above.
Cooking in a pan might be different, but it might just work for you. Try it now!
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