is it better to cut hot foods , as soon as they come out of the oven or let cool

pizza - cutting pizza out of the oven
@laken02 (3065)
United States
April 10, 2012 3:39pm CST
i made a homemade pizza today and i was having a hard time cutting it, and i have often wondered for foods such as pizza or cakes ect, is it better to let them cool before cutting them does it make them cut better.. i usualy want to cut it hot as im so hungry to eat it..right then.. what's your take..
1 person likes this
12 responses
@peavey (16936)
• United States
10 Apr 12
I don't know about pizza, it seems they always cut them when they're hot. But cakes and bread need to be allowed to cool a little. A cake will crumble and bread will scrunch up under the knife. It's hard to let them cool sometimes, though!
2 people like this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
11 Apr 12
And cakes will fall if not completely cool and I am not sure how to put it into words, but if you cut a cake hot...everything isn't settled and it doesn't taste very good in my opinion. And they won't cut straight or even..kind of just glob about itself
1 person likes this
@peavey (16936)
• United States
11 Apr 12
That's true. And you can't frost a cake when it's hot because the frosting will make the top layer of the cake peel off.
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@laken02 (3065)
• United States
11 Apr 12
brownies - brownies with frosting
i have had cakes fall as well., and also runied a great cake trying to frost it too hot that was years ago many many when i was young lol now i let it cool a long time before i frost, and like my brownies last night i cut them hot and they cut of but need to cook a ,little more , so i fixed that ok.. and they turned out good it's so funny when i cook ny hubby ,lunch and i never even get hungry i get full on the smell i guess, i barey eat lunch at all that i cook during the day, but if im making brownies i cant wait for them to cool to eat lol that funny as well just thougth of that.. and was curious can you really get full on the smell , lol i may make a post on it.. who knows take care..
@petersum (4522)
• United States
10 Apr 12
A general rule for bread and cakes is to let them cool first. For pizza, I have no idea because my ones are always crispy bread bases, and I have no idea what the soggy American version (a la Mad magazine) even looks like, let alone cuts!
2 people like this
@laken02 (3065)
• United States
11 Apr 12
brownies - homemade brownies are so good
thanks for the good advice, i know i must let the cake coool if im icing it but like i made brownies last night and i tryed to cut them out of the oven hot, and they did not feel done and i let them set awhile and later cut them, i actuly put them back in the oven without the heat on.. and they turned out great, then hubby gets home and he say i lkie hot brownies made then, so now i know to wait until he gets almsost time to come home and he will have fresh brownies when he gets in the door .. so now i have a whole pna of browines to eat lol but i know later he cant resits and will sneak one two .. who could resit browines any how thanks for responding take care..
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
11 Apr 12
Pizza has the cheese that melts back together. Cake should wait until it cools, it holds together better. Generally it is better to wait a few minutes. Things like turkey, whole chicken and roasts they want you to "rest" them after taking them out of the oven...
1 person likes this
@laken02 (3065)
• United States
12 Apr 12
thanks for the great info.. i know if i cut the pizza when right out of the oven and hot the cheese strings up way high and can get messy.. so porbably best to cool and i probably need a new pizza cutter as the one i have is not very sharp andis very old.. i will buy a really good one and pay more as some things are worht the money to get better quality. so between those two things i should have my pizza covered .. i love baking but have not had alot of time to do so. and its fattening as well so is the pizza lol.. but i will just cut back instead of cut out. helps me anyhow.. take care..
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (159173)
• Boise, Idaho
11 Apr 12
I think pizza is firm enough it can be cut while still hot. But with cake and such you are supposed to let it cool first. I am thinking of brownies and such. Helps to let them cool alittle so they are firmer and easier to cut.
@celticeagle (159173)
• Boise, Idaho
13 Apr 12
Yep. And because of that I had eaten many a piece of brownies. Pizza is so much better hot.
@laken02 (3065)
• United States
12 Apr 12
i agree, the brownies need to cool first and alot of times if im craving them which dont happen often then i wont want to wait to cool and they wont cut good and hubby now wants them serveed hot from the oven... so i dunno.. but we will figure it out.. along the way.. i love hot ir cold pizza so eithe way thers is fine with me.. inless its delivery from the pizza store then it better be hot lol take care..
1 person likes this
@Cherish14 (2693)
• Philippines
11 Apr 12
hi there, i think when it comes to pizza, it is always better to eat them and also cut them while it is hot it is still crispy and the cheese is still melting for the cake i think you need to let it cool first
1 person likes this
@laken02 (3065)
• United States
12 Apr 12
i think your right as well i guess it depends on the pizza for me. if i make the little cheap froaen pizza's i can cut them hot and be ok but for my homemade until i get a better pizza cutter i will let it cool just for a sec longer then normal and let that cheese which i use alot of cool and not string to the cealing .lol the other pizza's are crips and good cut hot not alot of cheese on them like homemade i dont buy froaen very often.. take care.:)
@abby1221 (71)
11 Apr 12
I usually let stuff cool..like cakes and brownies and stuff. But then I got to thinking about pizza and how the guys in the store always slice the pizzas with the pizza cutter (the rolly thing) and that happens right after they take it out of the oven and put it in the box, so I'm assuming with pizza you do it right away. It's probably way easier to do with pizza warm and the cheese all melty and soft then after the cheese has cooled and hardened, right? I'm so jealous of your homemade pizza! Ha, I am so hungry for some right now! Mail it to me! lol ;)
1 person likes this
@laken02 (3065)
• United States
12 Apr 12
lol @ u.. wanting my pizza lol.. i do love my pizza , we use to order it once a week from little ceasers and hubby got burned put and we would get eitehr a sausage or a supreme meat from there very good and cheap but no delivery.. anyhow i still crave pizza alot and i remember how good my mo's chef borydee pizza tasted when i was younger and so now i have it once a week for my supper .. just pepperoni and cheese and it is so good.. i just need to know my limit and stop i can eat the whole thing .. yikes.. hubby likes cake and browines me im more pizza and soups and salads, he's meat and potato lol . hmm im still hungry im gonna go put me in a baked potato in the oven to bake lol i'll make one for you as well lol i just wash good and cut lots of holes in it then wrap in reyonlds wrap then put some more holes and bake almost better then pizza lol.. take care.. and if you see something come flying thru your window tonight its your bake potato lol take care..
12 Apr 12
hahaha I'll leave the window open! waitin on that baked potato! yumm lol
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
11 Apr 12
Pizza I let set for a bit, just for the cheese to settle so when you do cut it...it stays with the piece. I hate taking a bite of pizza and all the toppings come off and slide to my chin and burn! But I have found that sitting a bit, it all settles and you can take a bite and everything tends to stay put better. Meats...let them sit a minute or two also...but remember...while they sit, they are still "cooking" inside so take it off the heat at still a tiny bit rare, as until you cut it open and it cools, it will still continue to cook. But don't wait to long, or all the juices will settle back into the meat and then it will be dry. Cakes and pastrys...let completely cool.
1 person likes this
@laken02 (3065)
• United States
12 Apr 12
i always get my meats out of the skllest when done and let them drain on a paper towel and get all the messy grease out hubby taught me that and i do it everytime i cook.. and im getting way better on timing my food to all get done at once.. i guess im better at clloking with age lol we have to brag sometimes even if its for ourself's lol i made homemade gravy and biscuits and bacon egg today hubby liked it so im happy..he was my worst judge lol only made me mand but better, lol take care..
• United States
10 Apr 12
I think some things need to be cut before they cool, but some things need a few minutes to sort of "set up" before you try to cut them. I think pizza is one thing that doesn't matter. But you could try your own experiment. Just wait about 10 minutes next time and see if it is any easier to cut or if it holds together any better when it is sliced! Then be sure to let us in on your secret!!!
1 person likes this
@laken02 (3065)
• United States
11 Apr 12
cooking - lo wish this was true, love it
thanks i will.. i am always trying new things as well i will post on what works and what dont as i like to know both sides of the story lol im like that if it dont work i want to break it down and find out why, my hubby just lol and says im nosy.. lol that is prob true as well. im getting ready to cook his ,lunch now and my tummie is growling for food.. maybe i will notget full on smell and eat today lol take care and have fun always
@marie2052 (3691)
• United States
10 Apr 12
That will depend on the food. If you make something like banana bread, I let mine cool as it slices easier than when hot. But pizza I cut mine as soon as it comes out of the oven. Of course mine are homemade and about 5 inches thick LOL My son worked for CiCi's Pizza for about 3 years and as soon as they hit off the oven they sliced them. so I would think hot would be better especially for pizza. Enjoy your pizza.
@laken02 (3065)
• United States
11 Apr 12
pizza - hot cheesy pizza yum
i think you are so right on all of that, and now that i think of it, they do cut the pizza hot, yum i love hot pizza and i love pizza so much i could eat it cold but prefer it hot out of the oven with dripping cheese strectching as you pull the hot slice away from the rest. yum.. and i make homemade pizza's as well, i make the box chef boyardee there great i get pepperoni and add my own toppings such as cheese and sometime mushrooms but never onions yuck i hate them.. so the pizza was great and made brownies as well that are pretty good.. tkae care and thanks for the great advice
• China
16 Apr 12
i think etter to cut food when it's hot, we cut food because we want to eat it, if let it cool first, we must eat cool pizza, hot food is more delicious ans healthy to our stomach.
@laken02 (3065)
• United States
16 Apr 12
i guesss it depends on how hot it is maybe let it cool just a sec to let the cheese settle down. and not string so much as i use alot of cheese on mine we like cheesy pizza;s lol and on my homemade i add more becasue it only has pepperoni on it so more cheese makes it better and i do eat it kind hot just not burning my mouth hot.. so i let it cool a few minutes..
• United States
11 Apr 12
I was always told to let hot foods cool after baking before trying to cut them. They are much easier to cut and look neater when you wait a little while first, but this mostly pertains to baked goods such as banana bread, corn bread, brownies, cake, etc. Some foods though, like pizza, are best eaten when piping hot. My suggestion would be to maybe get a better pizza cutter, maybe a higher quality one that is sharper and cuts better. It really helped me cut my homemade pizza better when I invested in a better pizza cutter and tossed away the cheap one I had before.
1 person likes this
@laken02 (3065)
• United States
12 Apr 12
i will try that, put it on mylist for when i get paid after i pay my small bills off , i am going to set me an amount to go buy nice good quality stuff for my home such as in the kitchen where i spend most of my time.. i bought a great pan stoneware off pampered chef , i use to sell it and i just recently got it out and started baking biscuits on it grands and you would not believe the difference all the even baking and just perfect.. so take for lunch hubby said use the stone pan lol and once again perfect tasting and looking biscuits.. i wonder if a stome pizza pan would be better as well.. hmm i dunno.. take care
• India
20 Jul 12
My take is to let them cool off then cut after it’s cool. It is uncomfortable to chew something hot since other than the burns, too hot foodstuffs damage the teeth. We can relax for a few minutes since hunger will not kill us and enjoy a warm meal thereafter. I think eating warm food while relaxed is fun and you also enjoy the food.