The Homemade Pizza Rule You Didn't Realize You Were Breaking

We get it. There's nothing better than hot pizza right out of the oven. Whether you made it from scratch or you're heating up a frozen Trader Joe's pizza, it's hard to wait to eat. There's a reason so many people complain about burning the roof of their mouths on hot cheese. We're here to let you know about a potentially difficult rule to follow that pays dividends in your pizza eating: Wait it out.

We recently had a pizza expert explain some commonly made mistakes when making pizza at home, and one of their avoidable errors was cutting the pizza too soon. You want to wait around 10 minutes to let the crust and toppings solidify. Cutting too early results in a sloppy mess of melted cheese and pepperoni on your cutting board. This also applies to frozen pizza as the principle is the same, regardless of what kind of pizza you're using. Plus, you'll experience more of the flavor when the first bite doesn't sear off your taste buds.

Another way to avoid a soggy pizza disaster is to pre-cook your vegetables. Raw veggies are full of moisture that, once they go in the oven, has nowhere to go but into your pizza. Plus, cooking your veggies gives them more flavor.

You also want to make sure you're following our expert-approved sauce ratio for your homemade pizza. A good rule of thumb is to use around a ¼ cup of sauce on a 12-inch pie. Not only does this keep your pizza dry, but it helps balance the flavor. Tomato sauce can be acidic and sweet, and you don't want that to overpower the rich cheese and flavorful crust.

Fresh mozzarella on pizza is amazing, but it can also make your pizza soggy. Low-moisture mozzarella is the best cheese to shred onto your pie. If you use fresh mozzarella, make sure it's dry before putting it on. If it came stored in water, let it sit on a paper towel to dry out before using it. With these tips plus a little bit of time, you'll end up with a solid pizza that won't fall apart and slide all its toppings onto your lap!