From the Freezer

• A frozen pizza is stiff, not pliable, and can be placed directly on an oven rack to bake. When baked on the rack, any bits of ice on the pizza will evaporate so the pizza stays crisp. To bake a frozen pizza this way, preheat the oven to 450 or 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Unwrap the pizza and carefully slide it onto the rack.

A Fresh Approach

• Baking a fresh pizza on the oven rack takes a bit more finesse, but it's possible. First, make a dough that's somewhat stiff, rather than soft, to prevent it from slumping between the racks as it bakes. Preheat the oven to 500 F so the dough bakes and sets quickly. Roll the dough thinly into a 10-inch round or smaller, and top it with just a few ingredients. Deep-dish pizzas or large pizzas with lots of toppings will slump through the racks. Another option is to brown the pizza slightly in the oven before adding the toppings. To slide the pizza into the oven, prepare it on a sheet of parchment paper. Place the parchment paper in the oven with the pizza. As the pizza bakes, the parchment paper dries and separates from the pizza. Lift the pizza and gently slide the parchment paper out from underneath it to discard it.

The Pros and Cons

• The main advantage to baking pizza directly on an oven rack is that there are no pans to clean up. Pizza pans can sometimes trap steam, causing a soft crust, but baking right on the rack eliminates this problem. Prepare the pizza carefully and watch it closely, though. A soft or heavy pizza may slump, fold or fall through the racks. Baking pizza directly on the rack also tends to mess up the oven more than baking on a stone or pizza pan, because grease from the cheese may melt and run off the sides of the pizza.

Other Options

• If you like the idea of baking pizza on the rack, but worry about slumping, try baking it on a cooling rack rather than directly on the oven rack. The spaces between the metal bars on a cooling rack are narrower than the oven rack, so the pizza remains stable as it cooks. Pizza stones wick moisture from the dough to create pizzas that are crusty, chewy and delicious. You can also use perforated metal pizza pans. Holes in the pans allow steam to escape for a crispy, golden crust.