Why You Should Halve Your Next Frozen Pizza (And How To Do It Right)

There's nothing quite like a frozen pizza when you're hungry and in a pinch. Whether you can't be bothered to knead dough for a homemade pie or refuse to leave the comfort of your own home to dine out, frozen pizza is there to save the day. That said, while pies are sold as singular giant disks, that doesn't mean that you need to eat the entire round all at once. Instead, you can halve the pie. Although it may sound unconventional, the reality is that there are a bunch of gustatory benefits to dividing frozen pizza in half.

Some say that a frozen pizza can be eaten solo. Depending on the size of the pie and that of your appetite, however, that isn't always possible. In which case, halving a pie is a fantastic choice. Rather than generate food waste from uneaten leftovers, extras can simply be stored in (albeit, perfectly portioned pieces) for another time. In the absence of leftovers, this also spares you from having to dine on lackluster pizza that won't taste nearly as delicious as a freshly cooked pie. 

As a matter of fact, because petite portions of pizza also cook more uniformly than an entire pie, halving a pizza can even yield better tastes and textures. Not to mention that dividing the disks is also a clever way to sample different types of pizza at once, allowing you to indulge in a variety of options and ensuring a better dining experience yet again.

To successfully split a frozen pizza, place the pie on the countertop so that half is hanging over the edge. Pushing down on the unsupported portion, snap the pizza in a single motion — you'll need to exert extra force for thick-crust options. To break the pie down further, simply turn it halfway and repeat the process. Whatever you decide, always keep pie in its packaging to keep toppings from catapulting across the kitchen. Should karate chopping pies prove challenging, you could also let the pizza rest at room temperature until it thaws just enough to slice.

After frozen pizza has been portioned in halves, fourths, or eighths, the desired amount can be popped into the oven to bake. While there's no need to adjust cooking temperatures, slices might need less time in the oven due to their smaller size. As for any remaining pieces of pizza, back to the freezer they go. But, as opposed to tucking them back into their original wrapping, we recommend placing leftovers in a tightly sealed freezer bag to prevent freezer burn and keep pizza at its prime for longer. 

That said, don't discard the box just yet. Taping cooking instructions to leftovers can be helpful when you finally decide to cook the rest of the pizza. But no matter the motive for halving frozen pizza, as long as it's done correctly, this pie-saving hack is sure to be a gustatory game changer in more ways than one!