I made frozen pizza in a toaster oven and an air fryer, and only one appliance got the crust right

Priscilla ThomasJan 21, 2024, 19:32 IST

Frozen pizza is a great quick meal, especially when I don't have to heat up my oven.Priscilla Thomas

I made frozen pizza in a toaster oven and an air fryer to see which makes the best slice.
The air fryer burned the top while undercooking the bottom of the crust.

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.

I tested out both countertop appliances to see which one makes a more satisfying slice.

The first step is picking out the right kind of pizza.

A standard, thin-crust frozen pizza works best for the smaller appliances. Priscilla Thomas

I started this experiment with my air fryer.

The toppings got a little disheveled in my air fryer. Priscilla Thomas

I decided to try again with the air fryer — this time accounting for my past mistakes.

I poked some holes in the bottom of the crust to try to get it to cook better. Priscilla Thomas

I couldn't seem to get the temperature and timing right in my air fryer.

The pizza ended up being too crispy along the outside and underdone in the center.Priscilla Thomas

I moved on to my toaster oven, hoping for better results.

The toaster oven takes a little longer to preheat than the air fryer. Priscilla Thomas

After finding the weak points, I tried again with the more involved prep.

I poked the bottom of the crust before putting the slice in the toaster oven. Priscilla Thomas

This attempt resulted in my favorite slice.

With the right prep work, the toaster oven makes a great slice of pizza. Priscilla Thomas

The toaster oven was the clear winner of the frozen-pizza showdown.

I'll definitely make more frozen pizza in my toaster oven. Priscilla Thomas

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