There's no shortage of ways to enjoy pizza. But frozen pies fresh from the oven are a satisfying and often cost-effective way to eat a slice.
Sometimes it doesn't feel worth it to heat my whole oven — or unpack all the baking pans I store there. So that's when I turn to my air fryer or toaster oven. Conveyor system
I tested out both countertop appliances to see which one makes a more satisfying slice.
At first, I picked up some frozen pizzas with rising crusts. But no amount of time could bake the crust before the toppings burned in either appliance.
I'd recommend avoiding any medium or thick-crust pizzas so you don't end up with uncooked dough
Once I tracked down the perfect thin-crust pie, I sliced the pizza while frozen with a sharp, strong knife.
It was a lot easier than I expected to cut the slices. Plus, with this bit of prep, I can make a slice or two whenever the mood strikes.
I preheated my air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes before cooking one slice of frozen pizza for six minutes.
At that point, the cheese was melted and crisping at the edges, but most of the pepperoni blew off (probably because of the circulating air).
The few pieces of pepperoni left were mostly burnt, and the crust was still pale and underbaked.
I put this slice back in for another two minutes to try to salvage the crust, but it ended up being cracker-like along the edges and too soft in the middle. Plus, the toppings were dry and overcooked.
I prepped the slice for my second attempt by poking the underside of the crust with a fork to make shallow holes. I also spritzed it with some olive oil.
After preheating the air fryer at 400 F, I lowered the temperature to 375 F and cooked the slice for seven minutes.
The toppings cooked well, and I even got some pieces of pepperoni that were crispy at the edges without turning to dust in my mouth. But the underside of the crust never got toasty.
I tried yet another slice with this prep and temperature but cooked it for 10 minutes. Sadly, it was too long for the pepperoni, and it made the outer edge of the crust dry and brittle.
For the toaster-oven pizza, I preheated the appliance (with the baking tray inside) to 400 F for 20 minutes.
The promising sizzle I heard when I carefully placed a frozen slice of pizza on the heated tray had me hopeful about a crispy crust. But after 15 minutes, the whole pizza still looked pale and underdone.
I gave it another five minutes, which made it crispier, though the crust was somewhat dry and had a cracker-like texture.
I prepped the pizza for my next try by poking holes in the crust with a fork and spraying it with oil.
I let the toaster oven and tray preheat to 400 F again and then cooked the slice for 20 minutes.
The pizza was cheesy and slightly browned on top, crispy on the bottom, and soft in the middle.
Best of all: The pepperoni didn't get blown away or burnt.
I even got a bit of a cheese pull from this slice.
Since my air fryer's heat source is above the cooking area, it wasn't the best appliance for the job.
The toppings cooked much faster than the underside, and I couldn't really flip the slices to heat them more evenly. Plus, the air circulation in the air fryer blew a lot of the toppings away.
Pro tip: Be sure to check your air fryer's heating element for stray pepperoni afterward.
The toaster oven cooked my pizzas more evenly, with heat coming from underneath, above, and behind the rack. There were no windy conditions to worry about either.
For the satisfying experience of a crispy, cheesy slice of freshly baked frozen pizza, I think the toaster oven is the way to go.
Hollow Cone Spray Nozzle Click to check out the other appliances we've put head-to-head so far.