DiGiorno is a brand of frozen pizzas sold in the United States and these are high-quality pizzas. DiGiorno is known to be the leader in the US frozen pizza category and provides pizza with fresh-baked taste which you can enjoy at the comfort of your home.
Now, if you are anxious to know if DiGiorno pizza can be microwaved, the answer to this is yes, you can microwave DiGiorno pizza and most of the time it is the preferred way to cook it.
Microwaving a DiGiorno pizza is the most convenient and quick way to cook it. It does not use heat to cook frozen pizza but uses radiation to do so. Food becomes warm when the radiation moves the molecules in the food around and steam is produced when the water molecules are energized.
Pizza is understood to be thoroughly cooked in the microwave when cheese is completely melted and edges become golden brown. After cooking, the DiGiorno pizza should be allowed to stand for 5 minutes which will help you to enjoy the most delicious pizza.
But sometimes the steam produced makes the pizza soggy or dried out. To avoid this, place something between the plate and the pizza that provides support to the pizza and allows the steam to escape. As a result, pizza will not become soggy.
Microwaving a DiGiorno pizza is safe but there are few things you should avoid. These are –
- Never use a pizza stone in the microwave as it will not work.
- While cooking the DiGiorno pizza, aluminum foil or metal should not be used as it can cause sparks in the microwave and can destroy it.
Precautions to be taken while using DiGiorno pizza are –
- Do not eat the pizza without cooking it. This can be done either in the microwave, oven or on the stove.
- Do not allow the pizza to thaw and keep it frozen always when not in use.
- Every frozen pizza has some cooking instructions. You should follow them.
- Do not microwave anything that is labeled as ‘not to use in the microwave’.
Can you microwave frozen pizza dough?
Yes, you can microwave frozen pizza dough to defrost and thaw it. The pizza dough stored in the freezer is a convenient way to make pizza as and when you desire to eat it.
The frozen pizza dough needs to be defrosted first and to do so, the microwave is the quickest method which saves a lot of time and it is easy as well. When the pizza dough is ready in a few minutes, half the work is done.
Method to defrost frozen pizza dough in the microwave-
- Take a microwave-safe plate and spray oil on it. Take the portion of pizza dough which you require from the frozen dough. Coat it with oil as well and place it on the plate. Now, wrap the dough with the help of plastic wrap.
- Set the high temperature in the microwave for 25 seconds. This is not enough to cook the dough but the heat will be enough to start the thawing process.
- After this, remove the dough, spray oil again on the plate, dough, and the plastic wrap. Put the dough back on the plate after flipping it.
- Microwave for another 25 seconds. If the dough still feels cold and has not risen, put it again in the microwave for 3-5 minutes in defrost setting.
- With this, the dough will be thawed evenly. Now, put the dough on the kitchen counter at room temperature and the dough will rise in some time.
- Once the dough rises, you are ready to bake to make a delicious pizza.
How long do you microwave frozen pizza?
It takes approximately 4-10 minutes to microwave frozen pizza with an average wattage of 1100 Watts. However, the time required to microwave a frozen pizza depends on the size of the pizza.
The time needed to microwave frozen pizza based on its size is mentioned below:
| Size of Pizza | Time Taken to Microwave |
| 8-9 Inch | 4-6 Minutes |
| 10-11 Inch | 5-7 Minutes |
| 11-12 Inch | 7-11 Minutes |
| French Bread Pizza | 7-8 Minutes |
| Mini Pizza Pack | 3-5 Minutes |
| Pizza Slice | 1-2 Minutes |
How to cook a DiGiorno pizza in the microwave?
To cook a DiGiorno pizza in the microwave, you should follow the below-mentioned steps:
- The frozen pizza is wrapped in plastic and before cooking in a microwave, you have to pull a tear strip along the carton edge and peel it back to the top of the carton along the perforations. It is advised not to tear off the carton top.
- Now, from the box, remove the pizza and overwrap it.
- The carton top needs to be folded completely around the bottom of the carton. You must ensure that the silver surface is facing up due to which a crisping platform will be created.
- It’s time to place pizza on the edge of the turntable in the microwave.
- Set the temperature of the microwave at high and the time required to cook DiGiorno pizza varies with the size and variety of the pizza and also on the wattage of the microwave.
- In the microwave with 1100 watts, 8–9-inch pizza will take around 4-6 minutes.
- Once all the cheese is melted and the edges become golden brown, the pizza is cooked completely. Make it stand for 5 minutes before eating it.
Is microwaving frozen pizza bad?
No, microwaving frozen pizza is not bad but it may not be the ideal way to heat the frozen pizza. Many people prefer to microwave frozen pizza mainly because it can be done in just a few minutes and is easy too. But, while microwaving a frozen pizza, its crust may become soggy and soft, dry or hard, or chewy or rubbery.
There may be uneven melting of cheese inside due to which you may find the pizza soggy. In the microwave, when the pizza is heated, radiation produced gets transferred to the molecules in the food and this causes the food to become warm.
However, energy is provided to the water in the food, and steam is formed which condenses to cause sogginess or overly dryness of the food.
Also, sugar molecules in the dough melt while microwaving and when the pizza slice cools down, the sugar molecules harden, and thus, the crust becomes hard too.
Is DiGiorno pizza gluten free?
Yes, DiGiorno pizza is gluten-free and it meets the FDA requirements for gluten-free foods. In gluten-free DiGiorno pizza, two toppings are only available, these are pepperoni and four cheese pizza.
Gluten-free wheat starch is used in the pizza for a rinsing process so that gluten proteins can be removed which gives a bready texture to the dough. This indicates that the crust is gluten-free but wheat is still present in the pizza.
Thus, it is not recommended for people with wheat allergies as it contains other wheat proteins which can cause an allergic reaction.
Conclusion
In short, it can be said that DiGiorno pizza can be cooked easily in the microwave and it takes very little time to do so. DiGiorno pizza, being frozen, takes a long time when cooked in an oven but it is more delicious.
When you want to have a delicious slice of DiGiorno pizza in your lunch, microwaving it is the savior. It will satisfy your taste buds within minutes with no elaborate cooking procedure.